If You Leave ( song ) - wikipedia If You Leave ( song ) `` If You Leave '' Single by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark from the album Pretty in Pink soundtrack Released April 21, 1986 ( 1986 - 04 - 21 ) Format 7 ``, 12 '' Recorded 1986 Length 4 : 30 Label Virgin Records ( UK ) A&M Records ( US ) Songwriter ( s ) Andy McCluskey, Paul Humphreys, Martin Cooper Producer ( s ) Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Tom Lord - Alge Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark singles chronology `` La Femme Accident '' ( 1985 ) `` If You Leave '' ( 1986 ) `` ( Forever ) Live and Die '' ( 1986 ) `` La Femme Accident '' ( 1985 ) `` If You Leave '' ( 1986 ) `` ( Forever ) Live and Die '' ( 1986 ) `` If You Leave '' is a 1986 song by the British synthpop group Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark ( OMD ). It was recorded for the soundtrack to the film Pretty in Pink ( 1986 ), in which it is played prominently during the final scene. Along with 1980 's `` Enola Gay '', the track has been described as the band 's signature song. `` If You Leave '' is the group 's highest - charting single in the United States, where it reached number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in May 1986. The song was also a Top 5 entry in Canada and New Zealand, and charted at number 15 in Australia. A distinguishing track of the 1980s, it has had an enduring presence on radio. Contents 1 Composition 2 Reception and legacy 3 In popular culture 4 Track listing 4.1 7 `` : Virgin / VS 843 ( UK ) 4.2 7 `` : A&M / Virgin / AM 8669 ( US ) 4.3 7 `` : A&M / Virgin / AM 2811 ( US ) 4.4 12 `` : Virgin / VS 843 - 12 ( UK ) 4.5 12 `` : A&M / Virgin / SP - 12176 ( US ) 5 Chart positions 6 Other appearances 7 Cover versions 8 References Composition The band wrote `` If You Leave '' after John Hughes decided to change the ending to Pretty in Pink after poor test audience reactions. Hughes had asked the band for a song for the new ending two days before they were due to begin a tour, and `` If You Leave '' was written and recorded in under 24 hours as a result. The song was deliberately written at a tempo of 120 BPM, to match the speed of `` Do n't You ( Forget About Me ) '', which the dancers in the scene had initially danced to. Despite this songwriter Andy McClusky later noted that an editing error meant that the dancing appears out of sync regardless. The original ending featured another OMD song, `` Goddess of Love '', which was released on The Pacific Age later in 1986. Reception and legacy Ian Cranna in Smash Hits wrote that `` If You Leave '' is `` false and contrived and seems to last about 3 years '' ( but described UK B - side `` 88 Seconds in Greensboro '' as `` OMD at their blazing best '' ). On the other hand, Chicago Sun - Times journalist Dennis Hunt asserted that the track `` is too good to be ignored ''. Retrospectively, Alfred Soto of The Village Voice said it `` starts promisingly '' and features `` admirably straightforward '' lyrics, but concluded : `` Gradually the annoyances become menaces. The parts are garish, overstated ; it 's a cluttered mix. '' Trouser Press called the song a `` dull ballad '' that `` was thankfully omitted from OMD 's subsequent album, The Pacific Age ''. Conversely, Stereogum critic Ryan Leas considered the track to be among `` the best songs of the ' 80s '', and described its intro / chorus synthesizer melody as `` one of the best sounds ever ''. Andrew Unterberger in Stylus Magazine said that the `` gorgeous '' song makes the final scene of Pretty in Pink `` one of the best in cinematic history ''. AllMusic journalist Mike DeGagne named `` If You Leave '' as the best track from Pretty in Pink, adding that `` its adult feel and smooth transition from stanza to chorus makes it ( OMD 's ) most memorable song ''. Hugo Lindgren in The New York Times Magazine argued that the stateside popularity of `` If You Leave '' -- as well as that of the similarly pop - oriented Crush ( 1985 ) -- `` obscured OMD 's legacy as musical innovators '' from US audiences, and marked a shift toward `` making music for whoever signed the checks ''. Listeners in OMD 's native UK -- where the band had gained an audience with edgy, experimental music -- were particularly resistant to the track, which peaked at no. 48 on the UK Singles Chart. Frontman Andy McCluskey commented : `` It 's a blessing to have such a big hit, but a shame that it overshadows so many other good songs for the US audience. We have many European fans who hate the song. '' Entertainment Weekly journalist Dana Falcone described `` If You Leave '' as a `` now - classic tune '' and `` OMD 's best - known song to Americans ''. The track has been included in various `` greatest songs '' listings ; KOOL - FM named it the third - best new wave song of the 1980s, while Time Out ranked it the 10th greatest track of 1980s cinema. In popular culture The Canadian teen drama Degrassi : The Next Generation, which was known in its early seasons for naming each episode after a 1980s hit song, named an episode after this song. On Modern Family, `` If You Leave '' is Phil and Claire Dunphy 's song. However, Claire forgets this and thinks their song is `` True '' by Spandau Ballet. In the Season 2 finale of The Goldbergs the song is played as Erica boards the plane on her way to her summer music school. Cover versions of the song have also been used in film and television. Track listing 7 `` : Virgin / VS 843 ( UK ) `` If You Leave '' -- 4 : 30 `` 88 Seconds in Greensboro '' -- 4 : 20 7 `` : A&M / Virgin / AM 8669 ( US ) `` If You Leave '' -- 4 : 24 `` Secret '' -- 3 : 57 7 `` : A&M / Virgin / AM 2811 ( US ) `` If You Leave '' - 4 : 24 `` La Femme Accident '' - 3 : 58 12 `` : Virgin / VS 843 - 12 ( UK ) `` If You Leave '' ( extended version ) -- 5 : 59 `` 88 Seconds in Greensboro '' -- 4 : 20 `` Locomotion '' ( live version ) -- 3 : 50 12 `` : A&M / Virgin / SP - 12176 ( US ) `` If You Leave '' ( extended version ) -- 5 : 59 `` La Femme Accident '' ( extended version ) -- 5 : 36 Chart positions Chart ( 1986 ) Peak position Australia ( Kent Music Report ) 15 New Zealand Singles Chart 5 UK Singles Chart 48 US Billboard Hot 100 US Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks 24 US Billboard Hot Dance Music / Maxi - Singles Sales 31 Other appearances The OMD greatest hits albums The Best of OMD and The OMD Singles `` If You Leave '' was featured in the compilation album Lost & Found : Reconstruction. Cover versions `` If You Leave '' was covered by pop - punk band Good Charlotte for the soundtrack of Not Another Teen Movie, a parody on teen movies like Pretty in Pink. A cover version by Nada Surf was used on an episode of The O.C. It is played as a tribute to the John Hughes film Pretty in Pink where the original OMD version of the song appeared. It was released on Music from the OC : Mix 2. LMP covered the song on their album A Century of Song. Indie rock band Rafter covered the song for the compilation album Guilt by Association Vol. 2, released in 2008. It was also covered by Tom Racer on the compilation album Is n't She Still... the Pretty in Pink Soundtrack Revisited. References Jump up ^ O'Brien, Jon. `` Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark -- Live in Berlin ''. AllMusic. Retrieved 26 December 2016. Jump up ^ `` ' Now I 'm bored and old ' : 27 deliberately confounding follow - ups to popular successes ''. The A.V. Club. 17 August 2009. Retrieved 26 December 2016. Jump up ^ Wuench, Kevin ( January 28, 2014 ). `` Tuesday lost and found : OMD 's ' Electricity ' ''. Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved October 3, 2016. ^ Jump up to : Lindgren, Hugo ( May 10, 2013 ). `` The Plot Against Rock ''. The New York Times Magazine. The New York Times Company. Retrieved October 20, 2013. ^ Jump up to : Macantosh, Dan. `` ANDY MCCLUSKY OF OMD ''. Songfacts. Retrieved January 4, 2016. Jump up ^ Cranna, Ian ( May 7, 1986 ). `` Single Reviews ( OMD -- ' 88 Seconds in Greensboro ' ) ''. Smash Hits. 8 ( 10 ) : 41. Jump up ^ Hunt, Dennis ( 17 June 1986 ). `` Hit single puts OMD in the pink ''. Chicago Sun - Times. HighBeam Research. Retrieved 19 October 2017. Jump up ^ Soto, Alfred ( 19 June 2012 ). `` OMD 's ' If You Leave ' Ca n't Get Out Of Here Soon Enough ''. The Village Voice. Retrieved 19 January 2017. Jump up ^ `` Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark ''. Trouser Press. Retrieved 2 January 2017. Jump up ^ Leas, Ryan ( February 12, 2016 ). `` Neon Nostalgia ''. Stereogum. Retrieved October 2, 2016. Jump up ^ Unterberger, Andrew ( October 3, 2003 ). `` Top Ten Musical Moments from Pretty in Pink ''. Stylus Magazine. Retrieved October 2, 2016. Jump up ^ The Best of OMD at AllMusic. Jump up ^ `` If You Leave '' review at AllMusic. Jump up ^ `` If You Leave by OMD ''. Songfacts. Retrieved 19 January 2017. Jump up ^ Falcone, Dana ( 28 February 2016 ). `` Pretty in Pink 30th anniversary : OMD ' If You Leave ' ''. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 18 October 2017. ^ Jump up to : `` Top 15 New Wave Songs of the ' 80s ''. KOOL - FM. April 18, 2016. Retrieved April 20, 2016. ^ Jump up to : Chenr, Michael ( March 18, 2014 ). `` The 50 best songs from ' 80s movies ''. Time Out. Retrieved October 2, 2016. Jump up ^ `` CBS - FM 's Thanksgiving 2015 Countdown of the Top 500 Greatest Songs of All Time ''. WCBS - FM. November 16, 2015. Retrieved October 2, 2016. Jump up ^ Top 500 Songs of the 80 's - 00 's. Blender. 2005. Retrieved October 23, 2012. Archived at Acclaimed Music. Jump up ^ Terich, Terrance. The Top 200 Songs of the 80 's : Part One. Treble. February 13, 2011. Retrieved October 23, 2012. Jump up ^ `` The 1001 Greatest Songs to Download Right Now ! ''. Blender. October 2003. Jump up ^ `` Modern Family `` Great Expectations '' ``. Jump up ^ Kent, David ( 1993 ). Australian Chart Book 1970 -- 1992 ( illustrated ed. ). St Ives, N.S.W. : Australian Chart Book. p. 224. ISBN 0 - 646 - 11917 - 6. N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA from mid-1983 until June 19, 1988. Jump up ^ Matthew Solarski ( November 19, 2008 ). `` My Brightest Diamond, Frightened Rabbit Do Covers ''. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved June 26, 2010. Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Andy McCluskey Paul Humphreys Martin Cooper Stuart Kershaw Dave Hughes Malcolm Holmes Michael Douglas Graham Weir Neil Weir Phil Coxon Nigel Ipinson Abe Juckes Studio albums Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Organisation Architecture & Morality Dazzle Ships Junk Culture Crush The Pacific Age Sugar Tax Liberator Universal History of Modern English Electric The Punishment of Luxury Compilation albums The Best of OMD The OMD Singles The OMD Remixes Navigation : The OMD B - Sides Messages : Greatest Hits Live albums Peel Sessions 1979 -- 1983 OMD Live : Architecture & Morality & More Singles and EPs `` Electricity '' `` Red Frame / White Light '' `` Messages '' `` Enola Gay '' `` Souvenir '' `` Joan of Arc '' `` Maid of Orleans ( The Waltz Joan of Arc ) '' `` Genetic Engineering '' `` Telegraph '' `` Locomotion '' `` Talking Loud and Clear '' `` Tesla Girls '' `` Never Turn Away '' `` So in Love '' `` Secret '' `` La Femme Accident '' `` If You Leave '' `` ( Forever ) Live and Die '' `` We Love You '' `` Shame '' `` Dreaming '' `` Brides of Frankenstein '' `` Sailing on the Seven Seas '' `` Pandora 's Box '' `` Then You Turn Away '' `` Call My Name '' `` Stand Above Me '' `` Dream of Me '' `` Everyday '' `` Walking on the Milky Way '' `` Universal '' `` If You Want It '' `` Sister Marie Says '' `` History of Modern ( Part I ) '' Videography The Best of OMD OMD Live : Architecture & Morality & More Messages : Greatest Hits Electricity : OMD with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra Related articles Discography The Id Dalek I Love You The Listening Pool Onetwo Atomic Kitten Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=If_You_Leave_(song)&oldid=808148630 '' Categories : 1986 singles Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark songs Songs written for films Songs written by Paul Humphreys Songs written by Andy McCluskey 1986 songs Virgin Records singles A&M Records singles Hidden categories : Use mdy dates from December 2016 Use British English from June 2015 Articles with hAudio microformats Talk Contents About Wikipedia Polski Svenska Edit links This page was last edited on 1 November 2017, at 04 : 39. 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Question: who sings if you leave don't look back
Answer: Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark