American Top 40 1971: #58: ‘If’- Bread. March 27, 1971.
- Single: ‘If’- Bread
- Record Company- Elektra
- Genre: Wimp Rock
- Written by David Gates
- Time: 2:33
- B-side:’Take Comfort’
- Album-Manna
- Grade: B +
- Peaked at #4
I have poked fun at Bread in the past- and in my mind I do classify a lot of their work as ‘wimp rock’- but I will admit they did what they did- very well. Well crafted songs. I will also say this seemed more their style- their faster songs don’t really quite cut it. They knew what they were good at. The are The Beatles compared to say Air Supply. From 1970-76 they had a dozen singles in a row which made it into the Top 40- their biggest hit was their only #1- “Make It With You’- 1970. ‘If’ has been a favorite over the last fifty years- at weddings.
slicethelife 
Another 45 single I bought back in the day, as I loved this song.
I really do think this is one of the prettiest songs of the era.
Have you heard Mother Freedom? It’s a pretty good Bread rocker.
yes now that you mention it i have- will have to give it another listen.
The first time I heard ‘If’ I was 7 years old, admittedly it was the Telly Savalas spoken word version that got to #1 in the UK charts in 1975 (we’re a strange bunch us Brits) but a good song is a good song and this is one of my favourites of theirs.
Will have to look Telly’s version up!
They are The Beatles compared to say Air Supply…. I so agree