If Only I Could
"If Only I Could" is a 1989 song by American-German singer Sydney Youngblood. Released as the lead single from his album "Feeling Free", the track was composed by Claus Zundel, a producer of multi-million-selling projects Sacred Spirit and B-Tribe. It was released on vinyl, audio cassette and compact disc, and is now considered Youngblood's signature song, being his biggest hit and remaining popular with many of his fans. The song reached number one in Belgium and was a Top 3 hit in many countries, including the UK, where it was the  11th-best-selling single of 1989. In the song, Youngblood evokes "the world of brotherhood and love that he would like to create 'if only [he] could'". This utopian humanism is "very uncommon in the songs devoted to nightclubs". "If Only I Could" uses the bassline and drumbeat from the Raze house track "Break 4 Love". Critical reception. AllMusic editor Jose F. Promis described the song as "pure, early-'90s house" in his review of "Sydney Youngblood". "Billboard" wrote that "rich-voiced crooner temporarily moves away from usual R&B arena and pumps up the bass for this tasty, deep-baked houser  that splashes with a nifty Motown-flavored undercurrent and funky wah-wah guitars. The right edit could set urban and pop radio ablaze." A reviewer from "Liverpool Echo" said the song "was one of the nicest dance/pop records of recent months, bringing songs back into dance music. And - Sydney knows a good song when he hears one." Pan-European magazine "Music & Media" commented that "finally, Youngblood has found a song good enough to take his smooth, sweet voice to the higher reaches of the charts. The song combines a variety of styles - reggae meets hip-house with a dash  of lover's rock. A sympathetic production by Claus Zundell and some supremely tasteful Spanish guitar breaks make this record a melodic delight. Starting to move rapidly up the UK chart and looking likely to repeat that success across Europe." Orla Swift from "Record-Journal" noted the song as "jazzy". Chart performance. "If Only I Could" was very successful on the charts in Europe, becoming the singer's biggest hit to date. It peaked at number-one in Belgium and managed to reach the Top 10 also in Austria, France, Germany, Ireland (number 2), Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom , as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100, where it peaked at number 4. In the UK, the single hit number 3 at the UK Singles Chart on October 1, 1989. It spent two weeks at that position and was the 11th best-selling single of 1989. Outside Europe, "If Only I Could" reached number 28 in New Zealand and number 122 in Australia. It earned a gold record in both Austria and Germany, with a sale of 15,000 and 250,000 singles, and a silver record in the UK, after 200,000 units were sold there. Music video. A music video  was made to accompany the song. It features Youngblood bouncing around a ball that resembled the earth, while donning urban clothing and traditional African clothing. Wendy Matthews' version. Australian recording artist Wendy Matthews released a version of the song in April 1993 as the third single from her second studio album, "Lily". The song peaked at number 41 on the ARIA Charts.