If You Asked Me To
"If You Asked Me To" | ||||
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Single by Patti LaBelle | ||||
from the album Be Yourself and Licence to Kill | ||||
Released | June 12, 1989 | |||
Recorded | 1989 | |||
Length | 3:58 | |||
Label | MCA | |||
Songwriter(s) | Diane Warren | |||
Producer(s) | ||||
Patti LaBelle singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"If You Asked Me To" on YouTube |
"If You Asked Me To" is a song written by American songwriter
Background
"If You Asked Me To" was first featured on the soundtrack of the 1989
Critical reception
Pan-European magazine
Music video
The music video for "If You Asked Me To" was filmed the day after the funeral of LaBelle's sister Jacqueline "Jackie" Padgett who died of lung cancer at age 43. (She was the third of LaBelle's sisters to die; all three of Patti's sisters died before age 44.) As such, the context of the song changed dramatically, as a mourning LaBelle, dressed in black, sings the song in a church (with candles and mourning lilies), intercut with shots of her in tears.
Personnel
- Arranged by Aaron Zigman
- Produced by Stewart Levine
- Recorded and mixed by Darren Klein
- Patti LaBelle: lead vocals
- Bunny Hull, Paulette Brown, Valerie Pinkston-Mayo: backing vocals
- Michael Landau: guitars
- Aaron Zigman: synthesizer programming, synth bass
- John Robinson: drums
- Lenny Castro: percussion
Chart performance
Despite being a Top 10 hit on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts,[3] the song did not crossover to the pop charts until Celine Dion covered it three years later. Regarding the subject, LaBelle once explained during an interview used for the liner notes of her 1999 Greatest Hits album what she believed to be the reason for this fact: "I knew the song was a hit when I recorded it, and I was happy that Celine did it and did so well with it. But the arrangements are so close and we both have pretty powerful voices...so who knows why my version didn't take off. Maybe it was timing..".[4]
Charts
Chart (1989) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Billboard Hot 100[5] | 79 |
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[6] | 11 |
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[7] | 10 |
Celine Dion version
"If You Asked Me To" | ||||
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Single by Celine Dion | ||||
from the album Celine Dion | ||||
B-side | "Love You Blind" | |||
Released | April 13, 1992 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 3:55 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | Diane Warren | |||
Producer(s) | Guy Roche | |||
Celine Dion singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"If You Asked Me To" on YouTube |
Critical reception
Commercial performance
The single was a hit in the United States and Canada. "If You Asked Me To" reached number four on the US Billboard Hot 100, and did even better on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, spending three weeks at number one. Also in Canada, it reached number one. The single had moderate success elsewhere. "If You Asked Me To" was released twice in the United Kingdom: first, in June 1992, when it peaked at number 60, and the second time in December 1992, when it reached number 57.
Music video
The accompanying
In the video, Dion performs the song in a manor. In the beginning she is sitting alone in a room, by a large window. A scene shows a hand stroking her cheek. In other scenes she is dressed in a white dress and surrounded by mirrors. Some outdoor scenes also shows Dion, as she walks outside the house. When the video ends, a man holds her around where she sits in her room.
Accolades
In 1993, "If You Asked Me To" won an
Personnel
- Celine Dion – vocals
- Jean McClain, Larry Jacobs, Terry Wood – background vocals
- Michael Thompson – guitar
- Guy Roche – synth
- John Robinson – drums
Track listings
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Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
All-time charts
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Release history
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Canada | April 13, 1992 | Cassette | Columbia | [8] |
United States |
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Epic | ||
Japan | May 21, 1992 | Mini CD | SMEJ | [37] |
United Kingdom | June 22, 1992 |
|
Epic | [38] |
See also
- Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1992
- List of Billboard Hot 100 top-ten singles in 1992
- List of Hot Adult Contemporary number ones of 1992
- List of number-one singles of 1992 (Canada)
References
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942–2004. Record Research. p. 337.
- ^ "Previews: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. August 19, 1989. p. 18. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
- ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart". Billboard.com. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
- ^ "Patti LaBelle Biography". Infobuddy.com. Archived from the original on June 30, 2010. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
- ^ "Patti LaBelle Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
- ^ "Patti LaBelle Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
- ^ "Patti LaBelle Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
- ^ ISBN 0-7407-5559-5.
- ^ "Celine Dion - Céline Dion | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
- ^ "Album Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. April 11, 1992. p. 43. Retrieved October 24, 2020.
- ^ "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. April 4, 1992. p. 67. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
- ^ Clark, Randy; DeVaney, Bryan (April 18, 1992). "Music Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Cashbox. p. 5. Retrieved November 1, 2020.
- ^ "Recordings On Review". Dayton Daily News. November 19, 1999.
- ^ Sholin, Dave (April 3, 1992). "Gavin Picks > Singles" (PDF). Gavin Report. No. 1899. p. 52. Retrieved April 16, 2018.
- ^ Rufer, Diane; Fell, Ron (April 3, 1992). "A/C: Reviews" (PDF). Gavin Report. p. 22. Retrieved October 17, 2020.
- Salon Magazine. Archived from the originalon January 15, 2009. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
- ^ Bernstein, Jonathan (December 1992). "The Year In Pop". Spin. p. 42. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
- IMDb. Retrieved February 15, 2014.
- ^ "Awards: Artist Summary". CARAS. Archived from the original on January 8, 2014. Retrieved January 8, 2014.
- About.com. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
- ^ Gavin Ryan (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
- ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2151." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved September 3, 2014.
- ^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 2166." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved September 3, 2014.
- ^ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. June 27, 1992. p. 40. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
- ISBN 1-896594-13-1.
- ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 36, 1992" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
- ^ "Céline Dion – If You Asked Me To" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
- ^ "Céline Dion – If You Asked Me To". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved September 26, 2014.
- ^ "Palmarès de la chanson anglophone et allophone au Québec" (in French). BAnQ. Archived from the original on August 9, 2018. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 4, 2014.
- ^ "Celine Dion Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 9, 2014.
- ^ "Celine Dion Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved September 9, 2014.
- ^ "The RPM Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1992" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 56, no. 25. December 19, 1992. p. 8. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
- ^ "The RPM Top 100 Adult Contemporary Tracks of 1992". RPM. December 19, 1992. Retrieved September 9, 2014.
- ^ a b "The Year in Music: 1992" (PDF). Billboard. December 26, 1992. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
- ^ Lwin, Nanda (July 1, 2000). "Top 100 Cdn. Singles of all time". Jam!. Archived from the original on August 12, 2004. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
- ^ "セリーヌ・ディオンの作品" (in Japanese). Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
- ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. June 20, 1992. p. 19.
External links
- Patti LaBelle – "If You Asked Me To" on YouTube
- Celine Dion – "If You Asked Me To" on YouTube