If ( Bread song ) - wikipedia If ( Bread song ) `` If '' Single by Bread from the album Manna B - side `` Take Comfort '' Released March 21, 1971 ( 1971 - 03 - 21 ) Format 7 - inch single Genre Soft rock Length 2 : 33 Label Elektra Songwriter ( s ) David Gates, Waleen johnson Producer ( s ) David Gates Bread singles chronology `` Let Your Love Go '' ( 1971 ) `` If '' ( 1971 ) `` Mother Freedom '' ( 1971 ) `` Let Your Love Go '' ( 1971 ) `` If '' ( 1971 ) `` Mother Freedom '' ( 1971 ) `` If '' is a song written by American singer - songwriter David Gates in 1971. Originally popularized by his group Bread, the song charted at number four on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 when released as a single in 1971 and number six in Canada. The song also spent three weeks at number one on the U.S. Easy Listening chart, and one week at the top of the Canadian AC chart. In the U.S., Bread 's version was the shortest song title to become a top ten hit until 1993, when Prince hit No. 7 with `` 7 '', later matched by Britney Spears ' No. 1 hit `` 3 '' in 2009. `` If '' has been a perennial favorite at weddings ( for example, as a first - dance song ) ever since it was released. Contents 1 Chart performance 1.1 Weekly charts 1.2 Year - end charts 2 Cover versions 3 References 4 External links Chart performance Weekly charts Chart ( 1971 ) Peak position Australia KMR 41 Canada RPM Top Singles 6 Canada RPM Adult Contemporary U.S. Billboard Hot 100 U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary U.S. Cash Box Top 100 6 Year - end charts Chart ( 1971 ) Rank Canada RPM Top Singles 82 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 61 U.S. Cash Box 89 Cover versions It has been covered by other singers and musicians, including Petula Clark, Sergio Franchi, Eddie Kendricks, Cleo Laine, Perry Como, Frank Sinatra, Tom Jones, Jack Jones, Shirley Bassey, Dorothy Squires, Mirusia Louwerse, Herbie Mann, Julio Iglesias, Joe Pass, Ryoko Moriyama, Westlife, Olivia Newton - John, Dolly Parton, Dana, Scott Walker, Andy Williams, Frankmusik, Sarah Geronimo ( From Sarah G. Live ! statement song ), Deni Hines, George Millard, Damien Leith and an instrumental cover by Violinist Vov Dylan Telly Savalas recorded a mostly - spoken version which reached number one on the UK Singles Chart for two weeks in March 1975, and has the shortest title of any song to reach number one in the UK. This version also charted at # 12 on the US Billboard Easy Listening chart in late 1974. A parody version of the Savalas version, recorded by voiceover artists Chris Sanford and Bill Mitchell performing as Yin and Yan, reached number 25 in the UK. References Jump up ^ Whitburn, Joel ( 2002 ). Top Adult Contemporary : 1961 - 2001. Record Research. p. 39. Jump up ^ `` Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada ''. Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016 - 10 - 03. Jump up ^ `` First Dance Songs for Weddings ''. Weddings.about.com. Retrieved 2014 - 03 - 27. Jump up ^ Canada, Library and Archives ( 17 July 2013 ). `` Image : RPM Weekly ''. Retrieved 11 September 2017. Jump up ^ Canada, Library and Archives ( 17 July 2013 ). `` Image : RPM Weekly ''. Retrieved 11 September 2017. Jump up ^ Joel Whitburn 's Top Pop Singles 1955 - 1990 - ISBN 0 - 89820 - 089 - X Jump up ^ `` Cash Box Top 100 5 / 15 / 71 ''. tropicalglen.com. Retrieved 11 September 2017. Jump up ^ `` Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada ''. www.collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 11 September 2017. Jump up ^ `` Top 100 Hits of 1971 / Top 100 Songs of 1971 ''. www.musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 11 September 2017. Jump up ^ `` Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1971 ''. tropicalglen.com. Retrieved 11 September 2017. Jump up ^ `` So In Love ( feat. The Palace Orchestra ) by Vov Dylan on Apple Music ''. iTunes. Retrieved 2017 - 01 - 27. Jump up ^ Roberts, David ( 2006 ). British Hit Singles & Albums ( 19th ed. ). London : Guinness World Records Limited. p. 311. ISBN 1 - 904994 - 10 - 5. Jump up ^ Rice, Jo ( 1982 ). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits ( 1st ed. ). Enfield, Middlesex : Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 166. ISBN 0 - 85112 - 250 - 7. Jump up ^ Whitburn, Joel ( 1993 ). Top Adult Contemporary 1961 - 1993. Record Research. p. 212. Jump up ^ `` About Chris Sandford - Actor. Presenter. Angler. Writer. Flytyer ''. Chris Sandford. Retrieved 2014 - 03 - 27. Jump up ^ `` Yin And Yan - If ( Vinyl ) at Discogs ''. Discogs.com. 2009 - 08 - 18. Retrieved 2014 - 03 - 27. External links Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics Preceded by `` ( Where Do I Begin ? ) Love Story '' by Andy Williams Billboard Easy Listening number - one single ( Bread version ) April 24, 1971 ( 3 weeks ) Succeeded by `` Me and You and a Dog Named Boo '' by Lobo Preceded by `` Make Me Smile ( Come Up and See Me ) '' by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel UK number - one single ( Telly Savalas version ) March 8, 1975 ( 2 weeks ) Succeeded by `` Bye Bye Baby '' by Bay City Rollers Bread David Gates Jimmy Griffin Robb Royer Mike Botts Larry Knechtel Studio albums Bread On the Waters Manna Baby I 'm - a Want You Guitar Man Lost Without Your Love Compilation albums The Best of Bread The Best of Bread, Volume 2 The Sound of Bread Anthology of Bread Hit singles `` Make It with You '' `` It Do n't Matter to Me '' `` If '' `` Baby I 'm - a Want You '' `` Everything I Own '' `` The Guitar Man '' `` Sweet Surrender '' `` Aubrey '' `` Lost Without Your Love '' Related articles Discography Elektra Records Rhino Records Warner Music Group Book : Bread Julio Iglesias Discography Studio albums Yo canto ( 1969 ) Un canto a Galicia ( 1972 ) Soy ( 1973 ) A flor de piel ( 1974 ) A México ( 1975 ) El amor ( 1975 ) America ( 1976 ) A mis 33 años ( 1977 ) Emociones ( 1978 ) Sono un pirata, sono un signore ( 1978 ) À vous les femmes ( 1979 ) Hey ! ( 1980 ) De niña a mujer ( 1981 ) Zartlichkeiten ( 1981 ) Momentos ( 1982 ) Momenti ( 1982 ) Et l'amour crea la femme ( 1982 ) 1100 Bel Air Place ( 1984 ) Libra ( 1985 ) Un hombre solo ( 1987 ) Tutto l'amore che ti manca ( 1987 ) Non Stop ( 1988 ) Raíces ( 1989 ) Starry Night ( 1990 ) Calor ( 1992 ) Crazy ( 1994 ) La carretera ( 1995 ) Tango ( 1996 ) Noche de cuatro lunas ( 2000 ) Ao Meu Brasil ( 2001 ) Divorcio ( 2003 ) Romantic Classics ( 2006 ) 1 ( 2011 ) México ( 2015 ) Live albums En concierto ( 1983 ) Compilation albums Da Manuela a Pensami ( 1978 ) Minhas canções preferidas ( 1981 ) Julio ( 1983 ) My Life : The Greatest Hits ( 1998 ) Mi vida : Grandes éxitos ( 1998 ) Love Songs ( 2003 ) 1 : The Collection ( 2014 ) Singles `` Chiquilla '' ( 1970 ) `` Gwendolyne '' ( 1970 ) `` Cucurrucucú paloma '' ( 1975 ) `` Pauvres Diables '' ( 1979 ) `` Begin the Beguine '' ( 1981 ) `` Yours ( Quiéreme Mucho ) '' ( 1981 ) `` Amor '' ( 1984 ) `` All of You '' ( 1984 ) `` The Air That I Breathe '' ( 1984 ) `` To All the Girls I 've Loved Before '' ( 1984 ) `` I 've Got You Under My Skin '' ( 1985 ) `` We Are the World '' ( 1985 ) `` Lo Mejor de Tu Vida '' ( 1987 ) `` Que No Se Rompa la Noche '' ( 1987 ) `` Bamboléo '' ( 1989 ) `` Vincent '' ( 1990 ) `` Ca n't Help Falling in Love '' ( 1990 ) `` Crazy '' ( 1994 ) `` Oye Como Va '' ( 1994 ) `` When You Tell Me That You Love Me '' ( 1994 ) `` El Choclo '' ( 1996 ) `` La Gota Fría '' ( 1998 ) `` Everybody 's Talkin ' '' ( 2006 ) Non-single covers `` ¡ Ay, Jalisco, no te rajes ! '' `` Feelings '' `` Grande grande grande '' `` Guantanamera '' `` Hier Encore '' `` Historia de un Amor '' `` If '' `` La Flor de la Canela '' `` La Vie en rose '' `` Mamy Blue '' `` Mi Buenos Aires querido '' `` My Sweet Lord '' `` Puedes Llegar '' `` Quando m'innamoro '' `` Something '' `` When I Fall in Love '' `` You Belong to My Heart '' `` Dulce Carolina '' ( 1972 ) `` La Mer '' ( 1976 ) `` Obsesión '' ( 1976 ) `` Ron y Coca - Cola '' ( 1980 ) `` Moon Over Naples '' ( 1988 ) `` And I Love Her '' ( 1990 ) `` If You Go Away '' ( 1990 ) `` 99 Miles from L.A. '' ( 1990 ) `` Caruso '' ( 1994 ) `` Crazy in Love '' ( 1998 ) `` Mi Manera '' ( 1998 ) `` Corazón Partío '' ( 2000 ) `` Quizás, Quizás, Quizás '' ( 2004 ) `` Careless Whisper '' ( 2006 ) `` Right Here Waiting '' ( 2006 ) `` Somos Novios '' ( 2006 ) `` This Guy 's in Love with You '' ( 2006 ) Usage `` It Never Rains in Southern California '' in `` Moonlight Lady '' `` Dark Eyes '' in `` Nostalgie ( Nathalie ) '' Family Julio Iglesias Sr. ( father ) Julio Iglesias Jr. ( son ) Enrique Iglesias ( son ) Chabeli Iglesias ( daughter ) Isabel Preysler ( first wife ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=If_(Bread_song)&oldid=816428018 '' Categories : 1971 singles 1971 songs Folk rock songs Elektra Records singles 1975 singles Bread ( band ) songs Songs written by David Gates UK Singles Chart number - one singles Irish Singles Chart number - one singles Billboard Adult Contemporary number - one singles Hidden categories : Articles with hAudio microformats Talk Contents About Wikipedia Čeština Bahasa Indonesia Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk nynorsk Edit links This page was last edited on 21 December 2017, at 08 : 00. About Wikipedia

Question: who wrote if a picture paints a thousand words
Answer: David Gates