If Tomorrow Never Comes
| If Tomorrow Never Comes | |
|---|---|
| Garth Brooks | |
| publication | August 21, 1989 |
| length | 3:37 |
| Genre (s) | Country |
| Author (s) | Garth Brooks, Kent Blazy |
| Producer (s) | Allen Reynolds |
| Label | Capitol 44430 |
| album | Garth Brooks |
If Tomorrow Never Comes is a song recorded by the American country musician Garth Brooks . Written by Brooks and Kent Blazy , it was released in August 1989 as the second single from his album Garth Brooks . He also appeared on The Hits , The Limited Series, and Double Live . If tomorrow never comes was his first # 1 single on the American Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. The song is also often referred to as his most famous work. It was named Favorite Country Single at the 1991 American Music Awards . The song was covered several times by other artists; the most famous cover comes from Ronan Keating .
song
- Key: G major
- Length: 3:37
This is the first country love song published by Garth Brooks. A man lies awake in the night thinking about what his beloved would think of him if he did not wake up the next day. In the chorus he asks himself what would happen if he didn't wake up the next morning. Would she ever find out how much he loved her? In the further course he compares the situation with the people he has loved and lost himself. He promises himself that every day he will tell her how much she means to him.
The song begins with a soft guitar intro and becomes more and more orchestral as it progresses. Brooks has written many more love songs since then.
Background and production
Garth published the following background information on the song on the insert of the CD The Hits :
“'If Tomorrow Never Comes' will probably always be my signature song. I ran the idea for this song by what seemed like a thousand writers and no one really seemed to understand what I was looking for. On the day that Bob Doyle, my co-manager, introduced me to Kent Blazy, I passed this idea by Kent and he had the first verse down within fifteen seconds. I could tell he just felt it. Kent Blazy is a wonderful man, full of love and energy, and if we never write again, I hope that we are always friends first. Thank you Ireland for this moment. "
Translation:
“'If Tomorrow Never Comes' will probably always be my signature song. With the idea for this song I went to what felt like a thousand songwriters, but none of them understood what I was looking for. The day Bob Doyle, my co-manager, introduced me to Kent Blazy, I told him about my idea, and he had the first verse of the song on paper in 15 seconds. Apparently he just sensed it. Thank you Ireland for this moment. "
Music video
In the music video, Brooks can be seen sitting in a dim room with his guitar. Next to him is a table with a lamp. Again and again the video fades to a small child, played by Steve Gatlin's daughter, Larry Gatlin's brother . The girl embodies the main role of the song in the video.
Chart placements
If Tomorrow Never Comes entered the US Billboard Hot Country Singles Chart on September 9, 1989 and reached number 1 on December 9.
Year-end charts
| Chart (1989) | position |
|---|---|
| Canada Country Tracks ( RPM ) | 48 |
| US Country Songs ( Billboard ) | 84 |
| Chart (1990) | position |
|---|---|
| US Country Songs ( Billboard ) | 75 |
Individual evidence
- ↑ Garth Brooks - The Hits: transcription from the CD booklet (bar code 7-2438-29689-2-4)
- ↑ RPM Top 100 Country Tracks of 1989 . In: RPM . December 23, 1989. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
- ↑ Best of 1989: Country Songs . In: Billboard . Prometheus Global Media . 1989. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
- ↑ Best of 1990: Country Songs . In: Billboard . Prometheus Global Media . 1990. Retrieved August 23, 2013.