Description
Midge Ure – If I Was / That Certain Smile, Wastelands, Answers To Nothing / Disky Audio CD 1997 / DC 868792
UPC 0724348687920
"If I Was" is a 1985 song by Midge Ure. It was co-written by Ure and Danny Mitchell (of Ultravox's tour opening band Messengers), and released as the first single from Ure's first solo album The Gift. It reached #1 on the UK singles chart for one week in September 1985.
In the sleeve notes for the 2001 compilation If I Was: The Very Best of Midge Ure & Ultravox Ure wrote:
- "This song is pure Danny Mitchell. I found a demo of it on a cassette Danny had sent me for his band The Messengers. I grabbed it with both hands, messed around with it, sprinkled it with fairy dust and the rest is history."
Ure played all instruments on the song except bass guitar, which was played by Mark King of Level 42.
Tracklist:
| 1 | If I Was | 4:45 |
| 2 | That Certain Smile | 4:17 |
| 3 | When The Winds Blow | 4:08 |
| 4 | Living In The Past | 4:35 |
| 5 | Wastelands | 4:41 |
| 6 | Antilles | 4:08 |
| 7 | The Gift | 4:59 |
| 8 | Answers To Nothing | 3:40 |
| 9 | Remembrance Day | 4:27 |
| 10 | Sister And Brother
Backing Vocals [Duet Vocals] – Kate Bush |
5:55 |
| 11 |
Hell To Heaven | 4:05 |
| 12 | Take Me Home | 3:05 |
| 13 | Homeland | 4:41 |
| 14 | Edo | 3:24 |
- Design [Cover Design] – Van Dijken
- Photography By [Photo] – London Feat. Int. Ltd.
- Written-By – D.Mitchell (tracks: 1 to 3, 5, 9), I.Anderson (tracks: 4), M.Ure (tracks: 1 to 3, 5 to 14)
James "Midge" Ure OBE (born 10 October 1953), better known as Midge Ure, is a Scottish musician, singer-songwriter and producer. His stage name, Midge, is a phonetic reversal of Jim, the diminutive form of his actual name. Ure enjoyed particular success in the 1970s and '80s in bands including Slik, Thin Lizzy, Rich Kids and Visage, and as the frontman of Ultravox. In 1984, he co-wrote and produced the charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?", which has sold 3.7 million copies in the UK. The song is the second highest selling single in UK chart history. Ure co-organised Band Aid, Live Aid and Live 8 with Bob Geldof. He acts as a trustee for the charity and also serves as an ambassador for Save the Children.
Ure is the producer and writer of several other synthpop/new wave hit singles of the 1980s, including "Fade to Grey" (1980) by Visage and the Ultravox signature songs "Vienna" (1980) and "Dancing with Tears in My Eyes" (1984).He achieved his first UK top 10 solo hit in 1982 with "No Regrets". In 1985, his solo debut album The Gift reached number two in the UK Albums Chart and yielded the UK number one single, "If I Was". He also co-wrote Phil Lynott's "Yellow Pearl", which served as the theme of Top of the Pops for much of the 1980s.
