If You Ever Leave Me

"If You Ever Leave Me" is a vocal duet between American singers Barbra Streisand and Vince Gill. The song was written by Richard Marx, and produced by Marx and David Foster. It first appeared as a song on Streisand's twenty-eighth studio album, A Love Like Ours (1999), and was released as an international CD single that included three additional tracks, two of which were recorded during the A Love Like Ours sessions but were not included on the album.[1] The song later was included on Streisand's Duets album, released in 2002.[2]

"If You Ever Leave Me"
Single by Barbra Streisand (duet with Vince Gill)
ReleasedJanuary 22, 1999
Recorded1998
GenreEasy listening
Length4:38
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Richard Marx
Producer(s)
Barbra Streisand singles chronology
"I've Dreamed of You"
(1999)		 "If You Ever Leave Me"
(1999)		 "I Won't Be the One to Let Go"
(2002)
Vince Gill singles chronology
"Don't Come Cryin' to Me"
(1999)		 "If You Ever Leave Me"
(1999)		 "Let's Make Sure We Kiss Goodbye"
(1999)
Music video
"If You Ever Leave Me" on YouTube

Critical reception

The song was well received among music critics. J.D. Considine from The Baltimore Sun described it as "pop-oriented fare", that "offers an impressive emotional depth."[3] Chuck Taylor from Billboard declared it as a "luscious power ballad", noting that "it's hard to imagine a better combination of mature voices than that on this tantalizing song about needing to spend every minute with the one you love". He also felt that "thanks to silken production from Marx and David Foster, this one ranks up there with classics like 'Comin' In And Out Of Your Life' and 'Woman In Love'".[4] An editor from Drogheda Independent commented, "The it Vince Gill meets the technical precision of Barbra Streisand. Magic. Two singers from very different genres come together for the duet of the year." The editor concluded, that "this is a beautiful love song that gets better the more you play it."[5] People Magazine stated in their review of A Love Like Ours, that songs like "If You Ever Leave Me" "stand out simply because they don't drip with sentimentality and because Streisand allows a bit of blues to creep into her vocals."[6]

Chart performance

"If You Ever Leave Me" was released to country radio and peaked at number 62 on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.[7] On December 5, 1999, its accompanying music video became the third most played video on CMT.[8] It also peaked at number 26 in the UK[9] and number 92 in Australia.

Production[1]

Track listing[1]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."If You Ever Leave Me"Richard Marx4:36
2."Just Because"Jeremy Lubbock, Mervyn Warren3:25
3."Let's Start Right Now"Abel Silva, Cristóvão Bastos, Roxanne Seeman4:59
4."At The Same Time"Ann Hampton Callaway4:16

Charts
Chart performance for "If You Ever Leave Me"
Chart (1999) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[10] 92
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM) 29
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[11] 90
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[12] 82
Scotland (Official Charts Company)[13] 26
UK Singles (OCC)[14] 26
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[15] 62

References
  1. "Barbra Streisand / Vince Gill - If You Ever Leave Me". Discogs. Retrieved 2017-07-28.
  2. "Duets by Barbra Streisand on Apple Music". iTunes. Retrieved 2017-07-28.
  3. Considine, J.D. (1999-10-01). "Music: CD reviews". The Baltimore Sun. p. 9. Retrieved 2023-01-07 – via Eugene Register-Guard.
  4. "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. 1999-10-23. p. 31. Retrieved 2020-02-10.
  5. "Also On Release". Drogheda Independent. 1999-10-29. p.69. Retrieved 2020-11-27.
  6. "Picks and Pans Review: A Love Like Ours". People. 1999-10-25. Retrieved 2020-11-13.
  7. Inc, Nielsen Business Media (2000-01-29). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. {{cite book}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  8. Inc, Nielsen Business Media (1999-12-18). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. {{cite book}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  9. "barbra-streisand | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2017-07-28.
  10. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 270.
  11. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 2018-06-26.
  12. "Barbra Streisand with Vince Gill - If You Ever Leave Me". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
  13. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2018-07-03.
  14. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 18, 2022.
  15. "Barbra Streisand Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 18, 2022.


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