If I Loved You

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This article is about the Rodgers and Hammerstein 1945 showtune. For the 2014 Rufus Wainright concert show, see If I Loved You: Gentlemen Prefer Broadway. For the 2012 song from the EP "Chasing Twisters", see Delta Rae.
"If I Loved You"
Song
Published1945
Songwriter(s)Oscar Hammerstein II
Composer(s)Richard Rodgers

"If I Loved You" is a show tune from the 1945 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical Carousel.

Background[]

In the show, the characters of Billy Bigelow and Julie Jordan sing this song as they hesitantly declare their love for one another, yet are too shy to express their true feelings.

The song was in turn inspired by lines of dialogue from Ferenc Molnár's original Liliom, the source material for the musical.

Carousel[]

The song was introduced by John Raitt[1] as "Billy Bigelow" and Jan Clayton as "Julie" in the original Broadway production.[2]

The song was performed in the 1956 film version Carousel by Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones.

Other recordings[]

There were four hit versions of the song in 1945: Perry Como (#3), Frank Sinatra (#7), Bing Crosby (#8) and Harry James (#8).[3] In 1954, Roy Hamilton's recording went to #4 on Billboard's, Best Sellers in Stores chart.[4]

Many artists have recorded the song over the years.[5]

References[]

  1. ^ Gilliland, John. (197X). "Pop Chronicles 1940s Program #14 - All Tracks UNT Digital Library". Digital.library.unt.edu. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  2. ^ "Internet Broadway Database". ibdb.com. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  3. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Wisconsin, USA: Record Research Inc. p. 526. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
  4. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 243.
  5. ^ "secondhandsongs.com". secondhandsongs.com. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
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