"While You See a Chance" | ||||
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![]() UK 7-inch vinyl single | ||||
Single by Steve Winwood | ||||
from the album Arc of a Diver | ||||
B-side | "Vacant Chair" | |||
Released | 1 February 1981 | |||
Recorded | 1980 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 5:11 (album version) 4:07 (single edit) | |||
Label | Island | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Steve Winwood | |||
Steve Winwood singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
" While You See A Chance" on YouTube |
"While You See a Chance" is a song performed by Steve Winwood in 1980, [3] written by Winwood and Will Jennings. [4] It was first released as a track on his album Arc of a Diver [4] but later also released as a single on 1 February 1981 [5] It peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1981 [3] and number 68 on the Billboard year-end top 100 for 1981. [6] The song was a bigger hit in Canada, where it peaked at number 3. [7] It also reached number 45 in the UK.
Winwood co-wrote the song with Will Jennings, who developed the lyrics. When discussing the collaboration with Jennings, Winwood said that "we didn't talk about what the song was about. He just came up with the lyrics and it was right for me, right for him, and right for the song." [8]
When the song was being mixed, Nobby Clark, who served as an engineer for the recording sessions, accidentally deleted the drum tracks by hitting the "record" feature on the mixing console. Attempts to fully restore the drums were unsuccessful, so Winwood took a Minimoog solo that he had played at the end of the song and repurposed it for the intro. [8]
According to Clark, Winwood determined that the minimoog solo would be a "perfect way to open the song". Clark stated that "the disaster turned into something really memorable. It had been a terrible two weeks trying to patch things up and we ended with pure magic." [8] Winwood played all the instruments on the song. [9] By 1988, the song had received enough airplay to earn Winwood the Million Play award. [8]
Chart (1981) | Peak position |
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Australia (Kent Music Report) | 16 |
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [10] | 8 |
Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) [7] | 3 |
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [11] | 10 |
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [12] | 21 |
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [13] | 28 |
UK Singles (OCC) [14] | 45 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [15] | 7 |
US Adult Contemporary ( Billboard ) [16] | 17 |
US Mainstream Rock ( Billboard ) [17] | 2 |
US Cash Box Top 100 [18] | 10 |
Chart (1981) | Position |
---|---|
Canada Top Singles (RPM) [19] | 23 |
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [20] | 96 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [6] | 68 |
US Cash Box [21] | 72 |