If I Let You Go

"If I Let You Go"
One of European artworks
Single by Westlife
from the album Westlife
B-side	"Try Again"
Released	9 August 1999 (1999-08-09)
Studio	Cheiron (Stockholm, Sweden)
Length	3:40
Label	RCA BMG
Songwriter(s)	Jörgen Elofsson Per Magnusson David Kreuger
Producer(s)	Per Magnusson David Kreuger
Westlife singles chronology
"Swear It Again" (1999) "If I Let You Go" (1999) "Flying Without Wings" (1999)
Music video
"If I Let You Go" on YouTube

"If I Let You Go" is a song by Irish boy band Westlife. It was released in the United Kingdom on 9 August 1999 as the second single from their self-titled debut album (1999). It became the band's second number-one hit, spending 11 weeks on the UK Singles Chart. The song has received a Platinum sales certification in the UK for selling over 600,000 in combined sales of purchased and streaming-equivalent sales. It is the band's 10th-best-selling single in paid-for sales and combined sales in the UK as of January 2019. ^[1]

Composition

"If I Let You Go" composed in the traditional verse–chorus form in B♭ major, with Brian McFadden, Shane Filan, and Mark Feehily's vocals ranging from the chords of D₄ to A₅. ^[2]

Music video

The music video was directed by Sven Harding and was filmed in Tenerife, Spain. ^[3] It depicts the band walking along a beach and singing by a hillside surrounded by red and yellow flags. ^[4]

Track listings

UK CD1 [5] "If I Let You Go" (radio edit) "Try Again" Enhanced CD UK CD2 [6] "If I Let You Go" (radio edit) "If I Let You Go" (extended version) Interview with Andi Peters

UK cassette single and European CD single [7] [8] "If I Let You Go" (radio edit) "Try Again" Australian CD single [9] "If I Let You Go" (radio edit) – 3:38 "Try Again" – 3:34 "If I Let You Go" (extended version) – 6:07 Enhanced CD

Credits and personnel

Credits are lifted from the UK CD1 and Westlife liner notes. ^{[5] [10]}

Studios

• Recorded at Cheiron Studios (Stockholm, Sweden)
• Strings recorded at Soundtrade Studios (Stockholm, Sweden)
• Mixed at Mono Music Studios (Stockholm, Sweden)

Personnel

• Jörgen Elofsson – writing
• Per Magnusson – writing, keyboards, production, arrangement, programming
• David Kreuger – writing, arrangement, programming
• Andreas Carlsson – additional backing vocals
• Mats Berntoft – acoustic and electric guitars
• Tomas Lindberg – bass
• Ulf & Henrik Janson – string arrangement
• David Kreuger – production
• Bernard Lohr – recording (strings), mixing

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1999) Peak position Australia (ARIA) [11] 13 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [12] 7 Estonia (Eesti Top 20) [13] 17 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) [14] 8 Europe (European Hit Radio) [15] 31 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista) [16] 7 Germany (GfK) [17] 50 Guatemala (El Siglo de Torreón) [18] 4 Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40) [19] 9 Ireland (IRMA) [20] 1 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [21] 20 Netherlands (Single Top 100) [22] 19 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [23] 8 Norway (VG-lista) [24] 1 Scotland (OCC) [25] 3 Spain (PROMUSICAE) [26] 18 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [27] 6 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [28] 25 UK Singles (OCC) [29] 1

Year-end charts Chart (1999) Position Australia (ARIA) [30] 95 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [31] 45 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [32] 100 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [33] 28 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [34] 35 UK Singles (OCC) [35] 59 Chart (2000) Position Brazil (Crowley) [36] 46

Certifications and sales

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [37]	Gold	35,000^
Sweden (GLF) [38]	Gold	15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [39]	Platinum	600,000‡
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
Sweden	9 August 1999	CD	RCA BMG	[40]
United Kingdom		CD cassette		[41]

References

1. Copsey, Rob (12 January 2019). "Westlife's Top 20 biggest songs on the Official Charts". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 12 January 2019.
2. "If I Let You Go by Westlife – Digital Sheet Music". Musicnotes. 12 April 2010. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
3. "Westlife: Our Story". HarperCollins Publishers. p. 98. Archived from the original on 7 March 2012. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
4. westlifeVEVO (3 October 2009), Westlife - "If I Let You Go" (Official Music Video) , retrieved 15 June 2017
5. If I Let You Go (UK CD1 liner notes). Westlife. RCA Records, BMG. 1999. 74321 692322.
6. If I Let You Go (UK CD2 liner notes). Westlife. RCA Records, BMG. 1999. 74321 692352.
7. If I Let You Go (UK cassette single sleeve). Westlife. RCA Records, BMG. 1999. 74321 692324.
8. If I Let You Go (European CD single liner notes). Westlife. RCA Records, BMG. 1999. 74321 694592.
9. If I Let You Go (Australian CD single liner notes). Westlife. RCA Records, BMG. 1999. 74321 694582.
10. Westlife (US CD album liner notes). Westlife. Arista Records, BMG. 2000. 07822-14642-2.
11. "Westlife – If I Let You Go". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
12. "Westlife – If I Let You Go" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
13. "MUUSIKAEDETABELID: EESTI TOP 20". Sõnumileht (in Estonian). 30 October 1999. p. 18. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
14. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 16, no. 35. 28 August 1999. p. 8. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
15. "EHR Top 40" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 16, no. 22. 4 September 1999. p. 16. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
16. "Westlife: If I Let You Go" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
17. "Westlife – If I Let You Go" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
18. "Los Discos Más Vendicos En Iberoamérica y Estados Unidos". El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). 2000. Archived from the original on 17 March 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
19. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 20 (23.9 – 30.9 2000)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 24 September 1999. p. 10. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
20. "Irish-charts.com – Discography Westlife". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
21. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 44, 1999" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
22. "Westlife – If I Let You Go" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
23. "Westlife – If I Let You Go". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
24. "Westlife – If I Let You Go". VG-lista. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
25. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
26. "Westlife – If I Let You Go" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
27. "Westlife – If I Let You Go". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
28. "Westlife – If I Let You Go". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
29. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
30. "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 1999". Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved 11 March 2020.
31. "Jaaroverzichten 1999" (in Dutch). Ultratop . Retrieved 11 March 2020.
32. "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 1999". Dutch Top 40 . Retrieved 11 March 2020.
33. "End of Year Charts 1999". Recorded Music NZ . Retrieved 9 July 2020.
34. "Årslista Singlar, 1999" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan . Retrieved 11 March 2020.
35. "Best Sellers of 1999: Singles Top 100". Music Week . 22 January 2000. p. 27.
36. "Brazilian Top 100 Year-End 2000". Crowley Broadcast Analysis. 3 April 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
37. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1999 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association . Retrieved 9 November 2020.
38. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1999" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
39. "British single certifications – Westlife – If I Let You Go". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 21 February 2025.
40. "Westlife: If I Let You Go". click2music.se (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 23 February 2005. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
41. "New Releases – For Week Starting 9 August, 1999: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 7 August 1999. p. 25. Retrieved 22 July 2021.

External links

• "If I Let You Go (Radio Edit)"
• Official Westlife Website