"If My Friends Could See Me Now", with music by Cy Coleman and lyrics by Dorothy Fields, is a song from the 1966 Broadway musical Sweet Charity . In the musical the character of Charity, played in the original New York cast by Gwen Verdon, reflects on her marvellous luck as she spends time with Vittorio. In the 1969 film adaptation of Sweet Charity , "If My Friends Could See Me Now" is performed by Shirley MacLaine.
Gwen Verdon's rendition of "If My Friends Could See Me Now" is featured on the cast recording for the original 1966 Broadway production of Sweet Charity: the song also appears on the cast recordings for the 1986 and 2005 Broadway revivals of Sweet Charity being performed by respectively Debbie Allen and Christina Applegate.
The Gwen Verdon recording of "If My Friends Could See Me Now" was utilized as the theme song for the pilot episode of the CBS-TV sitcom The Nanny [1] although an original song entitled "The Nanny Named Fran" served as the theme song for the series' subsequent episodes: airings of The Nanny's pilot episode in syndication utilize "The Nanny Named Fran" as that episode's theme song rather than "If My Friends Could See Me Now".
The original cast recording for the 1967 West End production of Sweet Charity features "If My Friends Could See Me Now" performed by Juliet Prowse. Bonnie Langford, who headlined the 1998 West End revival of Sweet Charity, included "If My Friends Could See Me Now" in a medley of songs from Sweet Charity featured on her 1999 album Now.
A 1995 studio recording of the score of Sweet Charity features Jacqueline Dankworth performing "If My Friends Could See Me Now".
Shirley Maclaine's performance of the song is featured on the 1969 movie soundtrack for Sweet Charity; in addition Maclaine recorded the song for her 1976 Live at the Palace album.
"If My Friends Could See Me Now" | ||||
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Single by Linda Clifford | ||||
from the album If My Friends Could See Me Now | ||||
B-side | "Please Darling, Don't Say Goodbye" | |||
Released | 1978 | |||
Genre | Disco [2] | |||
Length | 3:48(7" version) 10:12(12" version) 7:53(Album version) | |||
Label | Curtom | |||
Songwriter(s) | Cy Coleman, Dorothy Fields | |||
Producer(s) | Gil Askey | |||
Linda Clifford singles chronology | ||||
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In 1978, Linda Clifford released an album entitled If My Friends Could See Me Now featuring a disco version of the Sweet Charity song of that name. Clifford, who had been an extra in the filming of Sweet Charity, originally responded negatively to the suggestion – made by a secretary at Curtom Records – that she record a dance version of "If My Friends Could See Me Now" "because I thought it would be sacrilegious. I've always been a theatre buff, so this [would be] a no-no. [3] Then they recorded [the backing track] anyway and brought it to me, and I said, 'Ooh, I like that.' Once I heard the music I was like, 'It’s different but it’s the same.'" [4] Clifford would recall how subsequent to her success with "If My Friends Could See Me Now" Cy Coleman would "[call] in to a radio station that I was being interviewed on and thanked me over the air for doing his song and bringing it to the masses." [4]
"If My Friends Could See Me Now" in tandem with two other album tracks: "Gypsy Lady" and "Runaway Love", hit #1 on the Billboard disco chart dated April 29, 1978 remaining at #1 for a total of five weeks. [5] Released as a 7" single in August 1978 – "Runaway Love" having been the lead 7" single from the If My Friends... album - "If My Friends Could See Me Now" reached #54 on the Billboard Hot 100 with an R&B chart peak of #68. [6] In the UK "If My Friends Could See Me Now" was issued as the A-side of a 7" single - with "Runaway Love" as the B-side - in May 1978 failing to become a major UK hit with a peak of #50 on the UK chart dated June 24, 1978. [7]
Gwyneth Evelyn "Gwen" Verdon was an American actress and dancer. She won four Tony Awards for her musical comedy performances, and she served as an uncredited choreographer's assistant and specialty dance coach for theater and film. Verdon was a critically acclaimed performer on Broadway in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, having originated many roles in musicals, including Lola in Damn Yankees, the title character in Sweet Charity, and Roxie Hart in Chicago.
Robert Louis Fosse was an American choreographer, dancer, filmmaker and stage director. Known for his work on stage and screen, he is arguably the most influential figure in the field of jazz dance in the twentieth century. He received numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three Primetime Emmy Awards, nine Tony Awards, and the Palme d'Or.
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Cy Coleman was an American composer, songwriter, and jazz pianist.
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Sheila Diana Ferguson is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and author, who has worked primarily in the United Kingdom. Between 1966 and 1986, she was a member of the American female soul music group The Three Degrees, singing lead vocals on most of the group's biggest hits, most notably "When Will I See You Again", which had international success, topping the UK Singles Chart and peaking at #2 in the US.
Van Allen Clinton McCoy was an American record producer, arranger, songwriter and singer. He is known for his 1975 internationally successful hit "The Hustle". He has approximately 700 song copyrights to his credit, and produced songs by such recording artists as Brenda & the Tabulations, David Ruffin, The Stylistics, The Presidents, Faith, Hope & Charity, New Censation, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Aretha Franklin, Peaches & Herb, Lesley Gore, and Stacy Lattisaw.
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The Jones Girls were an American R&B vocal trio of sisters from Detroit, Michigan, United States. Consisting of Brenda, Shirley and Valorie Jones, the Jones Girls first signed and recorded for GM Records in 1970. The trio were best known for their singles during the late–1970s through the 1980s; most notably 1979's "You Gonna Make Me Love Somebody Else". After a two–year tenure with GM, they then recorded for various labels before having success at Philadelphia International Records with Gamble & Huff.
Jimmy Maelen was an American percussionist from the 1960s to 1980s, who worked with many artists including Roxy Music, Bryan Ferry, Peter Gabriel, James Taylor, Dire Straits, Barry Manilow, Alice Cooper, Kiss, Madonna, Bryan Adams, Michael Jackson, Mick Jagger, David Bowie and John Lennon. He also played on hit records by Bob James, Duran Duran, Carly Simon, Barbra Streisand, Yoko Ono, Meatloaf, Alice Cooper, BJ Thomas, and many others.
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"Big Spender" is a song written by Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields for the musical Sweet Charity, first performed in 1966. Peggy Lee was the first artist to record the song, also on the album Big Spender. It is sung, in the musical, by the dance hostess girls; it was choreographed by Bob Fosse for the Broadway musical Sweet Charity and the 1969 film Sweet Charity. It is set to the beat of a striptease as the girls taunt the customers.
Linda Clifford is an American R&B, disco and house music singer who scored hits from the 1970s to the 1980s, most notably "If My Friends Could See Me Now", "Bridge over Troubled Water", "Runaway Love" and "Red Light".
Sweet Charity is a 1969 American musical comedy-drama film directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse in his film directorial debut. It is adapted by Peter Stone from the 1966 stage musical of the same name – also directed and choreographed by Fosse – in turn based on the 1957 Federico Fellini film Nights of Cabiria.
"The Nanny" is the self-titled pilot episode of the American television sitcom The Nanny. It was filmed in 1993 at Culver Studios on 9336 W. Washington Blvd. in Culver City, California. The pilot aired on CBS on November 3, 1993. Picked up by CBS shortly after, the show would go on to produce 145 more episodes, ending its successful primetime run in 1999.
Divas of Disco is a live video album recorded on April 25, 2007, at Avalon, Hollywood, performed by CeCe Peniston, Thelma Houston, Linda Clifford, A Taste of Honey and France Joli. The whole concert was issued on CD in 2010.
If My Friends Could See Me Now is the second studio album by American singer Linda Clifford, released in 1978 on the Curtom label.
"Runaway Love" is a 1978 disco single written and produced by Gil Askey, and performed by Linda Clifford.