If This World Were Mine

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"If This World Were Mine" was originally a 1967 song by soul legends Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell from their album United. Written solely by Gaye, it was one of the few songs they recorded without Ashford & Simpson writing or producing. When it was released as a single one year later, it hit the Billboard pop singles chart peaking at number sixty-eight and peaked at number twenty-seven on the Billboard R&B singles chart. Gaye would later put the song into his set list on his last concert tour in 1983.

Fifteen years later, Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn re-recorded it for her album Instant Love and made the song a R&B top five smash peaking at number four in 1982. To many listeners, Vandross and Lynn's take of the song is the most memorable. A decade later, Coko (a former member of the group SWV) and rising R&B singer and rapper Tyrese recorded it for her 1999 solo album Hot Coko. In 2005, Alicia Keys and Jermaine Paul recorded it for the Luther Vandross tribute album So Amazing: An All-Star Tribute to Luther Vandross. Their performance was nominated for the Grammy Award for "Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals" in 2006.

R&B singer Tweet sampled the Gaye/Terrell original for the intro of her 2005 hit single "Turn Da Lights Off", featuring Missy Elliott.

This song was also covered by glam rock/hard rock group Slade on their 1969 debut album Beginnings, when they were still called Ambrose Slade.

The song is also featured on John Legend's 2004 live album Solo Sessions Vol. 1: Live at the Knitting Factory, with Imani Uzuri singing the female lead.