If I Ruled the World

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For the song by Nas featuring Lauryn Hill, see If I Ruled the World (Imagine That).
For the UK game show, see If I Ruled the World (game show).

"If I Ruled the World" is a popular song, originally from the 1963 West End musical Pickwick, based on Charles Dickens' The Pickwick Papers. In the context of the stage musical, the song is sung by Samuel Pickwick when he is mistaken for an election candidate and called on by the crowd to give his manifesto.

The song is usually associated with Sir Harry Secombe, but has been performed by other singers, notably Tony Bennett, James Brown, and Stevie Wonder. Bennett originally recorded the song in 1965, and had a number 34 hit with it on the U.S. pop singles charts. Bennett, with Celine Dion, returned to the song on his Grammy-winning 2006 album Duets: An American Classic.

Andy Hallett — the actor best known for playing the part of Lorne ('The Host') in the television series Angel — sang a cover version of the song in that series' final episode. The 1998 UK game show If I Ruled the World was named after the song.