If I Loved You

Last updated
"If I Loved You"
Single by Perry Como
B-side "I'm Gonna Love That Gal (Like She's Never Been Loved Before)"
ReleasedJune 4, 1945 (1945-06-04)
RecordedMay 19, 1945 (1945-05-19)
Genre Popular music
Length3:22
Label RCA Victor 20-1676
Composer(s) Richard Rodgers
Lyricist(s) Oscar Hammerstein II
Producer(s) Herb Hendler
Perry Como singles chronology
"Temptation"
(1945)
"If I Loved You"
(1945)
"Till the End of Time"
(1945)

"If I Loved You" is a show tune from the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel .

Contents

Background

In the show, the characters of Billy Bigelow and Julie Jordan sing this song as they hesitantly declare their love for one another, yet are too shy to express their true feelings.

The song was in turn inspired by lines of dialogue from Ferenc Molnár's original Liliom , the source material for the musical.

The song was introduced by John Raitt [1] as "Billy Bigelow" and Jan Clayton as "Julie" in the original Broadway production. [2]

The song was performed in the 1956 film version Carousel by Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones.

Other recordings

There were four hit versions of the song in 1945: Perry Como (#3), Frank Sinatra (#7), Bing Crosby (#8) and Harry James (#8). [3] In 1954, Roy Hamilton's recording went to #4 on Billboard's, Best Sellers in Stores chart. [4] A version by Chad & Jeremy reached #16 on Canada's RPM charts, March 29, 1965. [5]

Many artists have recorded the song over the years. [6] Vagabon recorded a version for the 2023 film Red, White & Royal Blue. [7]

Related Research Articles

"You Always Hurt the One You Love" is a pop standard with lyrics by Allan Roberts and music by Doris Fisher. First recorded by the Mills Brothers, whose recording reached the top of the Billboard charts in 1944, it was also a hit for Sammy Kaye in 1945.

"Temptation" is a popular song published in 1933, with music written by Nacio Herb Brown and lyrics by Arthur Freed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spanish Harlem (song)</span> 1960 song by Ben E. King

"Spanish Harlem" is a song recorded by Ben E. King in 1960 for Atco Records. It was written by Jerry Leiber and Phil Spector and produced by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. "Spanish Harlem" was King's first hit away from The Drifters, peaking at number 15 on Billboard's rhythm and blues and number 10 in pop music chart.

"It's Magic" is a popular song written by Jule Styne, with lyrics by Sammy Cahn, published in 1947. They wrote the song for Doris Day in her Warner Brothers film debut, Romance on the High Seas. In the autumn of 1948 Vic Damone, Tony Martin, Dick Haymes, Gordon MacRae and Sarah Vaughan all charted on Billboard magazine charts with versions of the song, but none as successfully as Day's recording. "It's Magic" received an Academy Award nomination for Best Song, but in March 1949 lost to "Buttons and Bows" by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Roses for a Blue Lady</span> 1948 song by Sid Tepper and Roy C. Bennett

"Red Roses for a Blue Lady" is a 1948 popular song by Sid Tepper and Roy C. Bennett. It has been recorded by a number of performers. Actor-singer John Laurenz (1909–1958) was the first to record the song for Mercury Records. It rose to #2 on the weekly “Your Hit Parade” radio survey in the spring of 1949. The original 78rpm single was issued on Mercury 5201 - Red Roses For A Blue Lady by John Laurenz.

"Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?" is a popular song written by Scotty Wiseman for the 1944 musical film, Sing, Neighbor, Sing and performed by Lulu Belle and Scotty. It was their greatest hit and one of the first country music songs to attract major attention in the pop music field. Although the song was featured in the movie, it was not released by Lulu Belle and Scotty until 1947. The first released version of this song was by Gene Autry in 1945.

"The One I Love (Belongs to Somebody Else)" is a popular song composed by Isham Jones with lyrics by Gus Kahn. The song was recorded by Isham Jones' Orchestra on December 21, 1923, at Brunswick Studios in New York City, and published on January 7, 1924. On January 17 in Chicago, Jones recorded another version, with Al Jolson on lead vocals. Both versions made the charts that Spring, with Jolson's peaking at number 2, and Jones' at number 5. Sophie Tucker recorded her version February 1924, released on Okeh 40054.

"So Far" is a show tune from the 1947 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Allegro when it was introduced by the character "Beulah" played by Gloria Wills.

"I Didn't Know What Time It Was" is a popular song composed by Richard Rodgers with lyrics by Lorenz Hart for the 1939 musical Too Many Girls. Introduced by Richard Kollmar and Marcy Westcott in the stage musical, early hit versions were recorded by Benny Goodman and by Jimmy Dorsey .
It was then performed by Trudy Erwin and Richard Carlson in the 1940 film adaptation produced by RKO. The song was later interpolated into the score of the 1957 film Pal Joey, sung by Frank Sinatra, and has become a jazz standard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I'll Never Fall in Love Again</span> 1969 single by Bacharach & David

"I'll Never Fall in Love Again" is a popular song by composer Burt Bacharach and lyricist Hal David that was written for the 1968 musical Promises, Promises. Several recordings of the song were released in 1969; the most popular versions were by Dionne Warwick, who took it to number 6 on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 and spent three weeks topping the magazine's list of the most popular Easy Listening songs, and Bobbie Gentry, who topped the UK chart with her recording and also peaked at number 1 in Australia and Ireland, number 3 in South Africa and number 5 in Norway.

"I'll Be Seeing You" is a popular song about missing a loved one, with music by Sammy Fain and lyrics by Irving Kahal. Published in 1938, it was inserted into the Broadway musical Right This Way, which closed after fifteen performances. The title of the 1944 film I'll Be Seeing You was taken from this song at the suggestion of the film's producer, Dore Schary. The song is included in the film's soundtrack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody</span> 1918 single by Al Jolson

"Rock-a-Bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody" is a popular song written by Jean Schwartz, with lyrics by Sam M. Lewis and Joe Young. The song was introduced by Al Jolson in the Broadway musical Sinbad and published in 1918.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">To Know Him Is to Love Him</span> 1958 single by The Teddy Bears

"To Know Him Is to Love Him" is a song written by Phil Spector, inspired by words on his father's tombstone, "To Know Him Was to Love Him." It was first recorded by the only vocal group of which he was a member, the Teddy Bears. Their recording spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1958, while reaching No. 2 on the UK's New Musical Express chart. Peter & Gordon and Bobby Vinton later had hits with the song, with its title and lyrics changed to "To Know You Is to Love You". In 1987, the song was resurrected by Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, and Emmylou Harris, whose Trio recording topped the U.S. country singles chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now</span> Song

"I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now" is a popular song. The music was written by Harold Orlob, the lyrics by Will M. Hough and Frank R. Adams. Orlob worked for Joseph E. Howard generating songs for Howard's productions and Howard presented the song as his own work for several years. The song was published in 1909 and was first introduced in the 1909 musical The Prince of To-Night when it was performed by Henry Woodruff.

"Powder Your Face with Sunshine" is a popular song written by Carmen Lombardo and Stanley Rochinski, and published in 1948. Rochinski wrote the lyrics for "Powder Your Face with Sunshine" while hospitalized due to spinal injuries incurred during World War II. Subsequently, he brought the lyrics to Lombardo who set it to music.

"Someday You'll Want Me to Want You" is a popular song published in 1944 by Jimmie Hodges. The song became a standard, recorded by many pop and country music singers.

"That's For Me" is a popular song, written by Richard Rodgers, with the lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. The song was published in 1945 and included in the 1945 version of the musical film State Fair.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Best Things in Life Are Free (Ray Henderson song)</span> 1927 popular song by Buddy DeSylva, Lew Brown, and Ray Henderson

"The Best Things in Life Are Free" is a popular song written by the songwriting team of Buddy DeSylva and Lew Brown (lyrics) and Ray Henderson (music) for the 1927 musical Good News. It enjoyed a revival during the period from 1947 to 1950, when it was covered by many artists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City</span> 1969 single by Nilsson

"I Guess the Lord Must Be in New York City" is a song written and recorded by singer-songwriter Nilsson in 1969. A track from his fourth studio album, Harry, it became his second charting single.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toot, Toot, Tootsie (Goo' Bye!)</span> 1922 song

Toot, Toot, Tootsie is a 1922 song with music and lyrics by Gus Kahn, Ernie Erdman and Danny Russo, per the credits on the original sheet music cover. Some other sources also credit Ted Fio Rito and Robert King for the song, but make no mention of Dan Russo. It debuted in the Broadway musical Bombo, where it was a major hit. It was first recorded by Al Jolson with Frank Crumit's orchestra for Columbia Records on September 9, 1922. It was further popularised by the racy singer-comedian Eddie Cantor.

References

  1. Gilliland, John. (197X). "Pop Chronicles 1940s Program #14 - All Tracks UNT Digital Library". Digital.library.unt.edu. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  2. "Internet Broadway Database". ibdb.com. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  3. Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954 . Wisconsin, USA: Record Research Inc. p.  526. ISBN   0-89820-083-0.
  4. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 243.
  5. "RPM Top 40&5 - March 29, 1965" (PDF).
  6. "secondhandsongs.com". secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  7. Lynch, Joe (2023-08-08). "Why the 'Red, White & Royal Blue' Soundtrack Doesn't Exactly Follow the Book". Billboard. Retrieved 2023-09-10.