"What If" is a song written by
Diane Warren and recorded by American singer
Brenda K. Starr for her 1991 album ''
By Heart''. The song was later covered by Belgian jazz band
Vaya Con Dios on their 1995 album ''
Roots and Wings'' and by American country singer
Reba McEntire in 1997.
Reba McEntire version
In November 1997, American country singer
Reba McEntire released a cover of the song as a benefit single for
The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestant church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. The organisation reports a worldwide membership of over 1.7million, comprising soldiers, officers and adherents col ...
.
All proceeds from sales of the commercial single and artist, label, and writer royalties were donated to the organization.
McEntire premiered the song during halftime at a
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...
and
Tennessee Oilers
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to the ...
game in
Dallas, Texas
Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...
on November 20, 1997.
The song reached number 23 on the ''
Billboard''
Hot Country Songs chart and number 50 on the ''Billboard''
Hot 100.
In May 2020, McEntire re-released the single to digital and streaming retailers amidst the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
.
A new music video was released featuring clips of healthcare workers, caregivers, and others interwoven with footage from the original 1997 video.
Chart positions
References
{{Brenda K. Starr
1991 songs
1997 singles
Reba McEntire songs
Brenda K. Starr songs
Vaya Con Dios (band) songs
Songs written by Diane Warren
Song recordings produced by David Malloy
Charity singles
MCA Records singles
Music videos directed by John Lloyd Miller