If You Buy This Record (Your Life Will Be Better)

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"If You Buy This Record (Your Life Will Be Better)"
If You Buy This Record (Your Life Will Be Better).jpg
Single by the Tamperer featuring Maya
from the album Fabulous
Released2 November 1998 (1998-11-02) [1]
Studio Evento Musica, E-Mail (Italy)
Length
  • 4:30 (original version)
  • 3:29 (radio edit)
Label TIME
Songwriter(s)
  • Steve Gittelman
  • Jim Dyke
  • Laura Dias
  • Peter Brown
  • Robert Rans
Producer(s) Falox
The Tamperer featuring Maya singles chronology
"Feel It"
(1998)		"If You Buy This Record (Your Life Will Be Better)"
(1998)		"Hammer to the Heart"
(1999)

"If You Buy This Record (Your Life Will Be Better)" (also titled without the parentheses) is a song by Italian music group the Tamperer featuring Maya. The song samples American singer Madonna's 1985 hit "Material Girl", which was the first time she allowed another artist to sample her music. [2] [3] It was released in Europe on 2 November 1998 and reached number three on the UK Singles Chart six days later. It also peaked within the top 10 in Denmark, Finland, Ireland and Italy. In the United States and Canada, the single was issued in 1999, becoming a dance hit in both countries.

Contents

Critical reception

Upon the release, Larry Flick from Billboard magazine wrote that "as clever as peanut butter and chocolate, this full-on camp follow-up to (...) 'Feel It' rewrites the instrumental hook of Madonna's 'Material Girl' and wraps it around a super-catchy lyrical chant about how "f-f-f-f-f-f-f-fabulous" you'll be with this little ditty in hand." He noted further that "you can't deny its truth, given the adhesive sing-along verses about the improvements in life that Miss Days has seen since buying herself a piece of this musical carnival. The beat also hammers home with the potency of a massive facial tick, delivering the signature bass rollick that has ignited this group across much of Europe." He also stated that their only complaint is that "at 3:08, it's just too short", and added "take it to the beach, in the car, and impress your roommates with this care-free romp that couldn't deliver the season's fun quotient with any more good cheer." [4]

British trade paper Music Week named "If You Buy This Record" its "Single of the Week" on their 17 October 1998 issue. Despite calling the track "cheesier than a bucket of fondue", the paper described the "Material Girl" sample as "irresistibly infectious" and referred to its title as "one of the cheekiest claims ever made". [2] In 2025, Classic Pop magazine ranked it number 10 in their list of "Top 20 80s Sampling Hits". [5]

Chart performance

In the Tamperer's native Italy, the track peaked at number four on the Musica e dischi chart. [6] In the United Kingdom, the single entered and peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart on 8 November 1998, [7] topping the UK Indie Chart the same week. [8] It earned a silver certification in the UK for shipping over 200,000 units and ended 1998 as Britain's 59th-best-selling hit. [9] [10] In neighbouring Ireland, it reached number six on the Irish Singles Chart, [11] while across Europe, it peaked inside the top 20 in Austria, [12] Flanders, [13] Denmark, [14] Finland, [15] the Netherlands, [16] and Sweden. [17] On the Eurochart Hot 100, it rose to number eight on 28 November 1998. [18]

In New Zealand, "If You Buy This Record" peaked at number 11 on the New Zealand Singles Chart for two nonconsecutive weeks in February 1999, staying in the top 20 for 10 weeks and the top 50 for 16 weeks. [19] In Australia, it repeatedly entered and exited the top 50 of the ARIA Singles Chart in early 1999, peaking at number 37 on 17 January 1999. [20] The song was also successful on the American and Canadian dance charts, peaking in popularity in May 1999. In the former country, it reached number 15 on the Billboard Dance Club Play chart and number 16 on the Billboard Maxi-Singles Sales listing. [21] [22] On Canada's RPM Dance chart, the song peaked at number four on the issue of 3 May 1999. [23]

Track listings

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the European CD single liner notes. [28]

Studio

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [9] Silver200,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ "Delayed Releases" (PDF). Music Week . 24 October 1998. p. 12. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  2. 1 2 "Reviews – Single of the Week" (PDF). Music Week. 17 October 1998. p. 10. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  3. ↑ Kutner, Jon; Leigh, Spencer (2005). 1,000 UK Number One Hits (E-book) (2013 ed.). London, England: Omnibus Press. pp. 1183–1184. ISBN   978-0-85712-360-2.
  4. ↑ Flick, Larry (8 May 1999). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard . Vol. 111, no. 19. p. 19. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  5. ↑ O'Brien, Jon (14 April 2025). "Top 20 80s sampling hits". Classic Pop . Retrieved 23 June 2025.
  6. 1 2 "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 46. 14 November 1998. p. 12. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  7. 1 2 "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  8. 1 2 "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  9. 1 2 "British single certifications – Tamperer The (ft Maya) – If You Buy This Record Your Life Will Be Better". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  10. 1 2 "Best Sellers of 1998 – Singles Top 100". Music Week. 16 January 1999. p. 7.
  11. 1 2 "The Irish Charts – Search Results – If You Buy This Record Your Life Will Be Better". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  12. 1 2 "The Tamperer feat. Maya – If You Buy This Record Your Life Will Be Better" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  13. 1 2 "The Tamperer feat. Maya – If You Buy This Record Your Life Will Be Better" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  14. 1 2 "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 16, no. 4. 23 January 1999. p. 11. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  15. 1 2 "The Tamperer feat. Maya: If You Buy This Record You Will Feel Better" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat.
  16. 1 2 "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 49, 1998" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  17. 1 2 "The Tamperer feat. Maya – If You Buy This Record Your Life Will Be Better". Singles Top 100.
  18. 1 2 "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 48. 28 November 1998. p. 13. Retrieved 1 October 2020.
  19. 1 2 3 "The Tamperer feat. Maya – If You Buy This Record Your Life Will Be Better". Top 40 Singles.
  20. 1 2 "The Tamperer feat. Maya – If You Buy This Record Your Life Will Be Better". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  21. 1 2 "The Tamperer Featuring Maya Days Chart History: Dance Club Songs". Billboard. Archived from the original on 17 November 2021. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  22. 1 2 "The Tamperer Featuring Maya Days Chart History: Dance Singles Sales". Billboard. Archived from the original on 17 November 2021. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  23. 1 2 "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 8141." RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  24. ↑ If You Buy This Record (Your Life Will Be Better) (Italian 12-inch single vinyl disc). The Tamperer featuring Maya. TIME Records. 1998. TIME 129.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  25. ↑ If You Buy This Record Your Life Will Be Better (UK 12-inch single vinyl disc). The Tamperer featuring Maya. Pepper Records. 1998. 0530081.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  26. ↑ If You Buy This Record Your Life Will Be Better (UK CD single liner notes). The Tamperer featuring Maya. Pepper Records. 1998. 0530132.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  27. ↑ If You Buy This Record Your Life Will Be Better (UK cassette single sleeve). The Tamperer featuring Maya. Pepper Records. 1998. 0530084.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  28. 1 2 If You Buy This Record Your Life Will Be Better (European CD single liner notes). The Tamperer featuring Maya. Jive Records. 1998. 0530152.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  29. ↑ If You Buy This Record (Your Life Will Be Better) (Australian maxi-CD liner notes). The Tamperer featuring Maya. Mushroom Records. 1998. MUSH01841.2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  30. ↑ If You Buy This Record Your Life Will Be Better (US 12-inch single vinyl disc). The Tamperer featuring Maya. Jive Records. 1999. 01241-42594-1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  31. ↑ If You Buy This Record Your Life Will Be Better (US maxi-CD single liner notes). The Tamperer featuring Maya. Jive Records. 1999. 01241-42594-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  32. ↑ "The Tamperer feat. Maya – If You Buy This Record Your Life Will Be Better" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  33. ↑ "The Tamperer feat. Maya – If You Buy This Record Your Life Will Be Better" (in French). Le classement de singles.
  34. ↑ "The Tamperer feat. Maya – If You Buy This Record Your Life Will Be Better" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  35. ↑ "Íslenski Listinn (11.12–18.12. 1998)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 11 December 1998. p. 12. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  36. ↑ "Major Market Airplay: Italy" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 16, no. 1–3. 16 January 1999. p. 19.
  37. ↑ "The Tamperer feat. Maya – If You Buy This Record Your Life Will Be Better" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  38. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
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