| If I Were Your Woman | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1971 | |||
| Recorded | March 1970 | |||
| Studio | Hitsville U.S.A., Detroit | |||
| Genre | R&B | |||
| Length | 39:11 | |||
| Label | Soul | |||
| Gladys Knight & the Pips chronology | ||||
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| Singles from If I Were Your Woman | ||||
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If I Were Your Woman is the seventh studio album by American R&B quartet Gladys Knight & the Pips, released in 1971 on Soul Records.
The song "If I Were Your Woman" was written by Gloria Jones and Pam Sawyer, who met during a barbecue lunch and gave the song to Clay McMurray. McMurray, a former associate of Norman Whitfield, the song was originally meant for Blinky to record, or the Supremes, but both did not record it, as Blinky was unavailable, and the Supremes were working with Frank Wilson at the time. Whitfield convinced McMurray to give the song to Gladys Knight and the Pips, and McMurray convinced Berry Gordy to release it as a single. [1] Another single, "I Don't Want to Do Wrong", was written by three members and co-written by former Marvelette Katherine Anderson and Johnny Bristol. [2] It was also produced by Bristol. Both singles from the album became a hit. The first single, "If I Were Your Woman", peaked at No. 9 on the pop charts, and topped the R&B charts at No. 1. [3] The second single, "I Don't Want to Do Wrong" peaked at No. 17 on the pop charts, [3] [4] and on No. 2 on the R&B charts in July 1971. [5] [6] [7] [8]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [9] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [10] |
Andrew Hamilton of AllMusic stated, "If I Were Your Woman" and "I Don't Want to Do Wrong," provided the juice to send this LP all the way to #35 on Billboard's album chart. The former has evolved into an R&B classic, with remakes too numerous to mention, the most famous by Stephanie Mills." [9]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "If I Were Your Woman" | Clay McMurray, LaVerne Ware, Pam Sawyer | 3:05 |
| 2. | "Feeling Alright" | Dave Mason | 3:44 |
| 3. | "One Less Bell to Answer" | Burt Bacharach, Hal David | 3:17 |
| 4. | "Let It Be" | Lennon–McCartney | 3:15 |
| 5. | "I Don't Want to Do Wrong" | Gladys Knight, Johnny Bristol, Katherine Anderson Schaffner, Merald "Bubba" Knight, William Guest | 3:20 |
| 6. | "One Step Away" | Hinton, Demps, Sylvester Stewart | 3:25 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Here I Am Again" | McMurray, Foster | 3:20 |
| 2. | "How Can You Say That Ain't Love" | Hinton, Sawyer | 2:28 |
| 3. | "Is There a Place (In His Heart For Me)" | McMurray, Coleman | 3:25 |
| 4. | "Everybody Is a Star" | Stewart | 3:30 |
| 5. | "Signed Gladys" | McMurray, Sawyer | 2:59 |
| 6. | "Your Love's Been Good For Me" | Bradford*, Hinton* | 3:25 |
| Chart (1971) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 ( Billboard ) [11] | 35 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums ( Billboard ) [12] | 4 |
| Year | Song Title | US Pop Charts [3] [13] | US R&B Charts [3] [13] | Canada CHUM/RPM [14] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970 | "If I Were Your Woman" | 9 | 1 | 23 |
| 1971 | "I Don't Want to Do Wrong" | 17 | 2 | 30 |
Gladys Knight & the Pips were an American R&B, soul, and funk family music group from Atlanta, Georgia, that remained active on the music charts and performing circuit for over three decades starting from the early 1950s.
Gladys Maria Knight is an American singer. Knight recorded hits through the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s with her family group Gladys Knight & the Pips, which included her brother Merald "Bubba" Knight and cousins William Guest and Edward Patten. She has won seven Grammy Awards, and is often referred to as the "Empress of Soul".
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"If I Were Your Woman" is a song recorded by American family group Gladys Knight & the Pips. It was written by Pam Sawyer, Clay McMurray, and Gloria Jones, produced by McMurray and arranged by Paul Riser. Released in late 1970 from the album of the same title, it spent one week at number 1 on the Best Selling Soul Singles chart in January 1971. It was also successful on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, peaking at number 9.
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