If There Is Something

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“If There Is Something”
“If There Is Something” cover
Song by Roxy Music
Album Roxy Music
Released June 1972
Recorded 17 March 1972 at Command Studios, London
Genre Art/Glam-rock
Length 6:34
Writer Bryan Ferry
Producer Peter Sinfield
Roxy Music track listing
Ladytron
(2)
If There Is Something
(3)
Virginia Plain
(4)


"If There Is Something" is a song by Bryan Ferry, recorded by his Roxy Music for their eponymous debut album. A live version can be found on their Viva! live-album.

The song begins in a rather light-hearted, jaunty fashion, a slight pastiche of country music, with honky tonk style piano and twangy guitar. Ferry's singing is nonchalant and jocular.

However the mood of the song builds with a repeated instrumental motif played between guitar and saxophone, Ferry's vocals re-entering to provide a fraught vocal climax, the lyrics including a mention of passion for potatoes.

The instrumental motifs then return, finally giving way to an emotional end section where Ferry's impassioned and melancholy vocals are set on top of a lush blend of backing vocals and the mellotron "three violins" tape set.

The song features in the 2008 film starring Daniel Craig entitled 'Flashbacks Of A Fool'.

Contents

[edit] Live performances

The song was played on all the early Roxy Music tours and the instrumental passages were extended greatly, increasing the length of the song from 6:34 to sometimes over 12 minutes. On 18 February 1972, the BBC sessions aired a performance of over 11 minutes. During the Country Life tour the song was also performed, and the performance at Newcastle City Hall on 27 or 28 October 1974 was used for the 1974 Live album Viva!. After 1975 however, the song was no longer played until the Roxy Music Reunion tour in 2001.

[edit] Musicians

[edit] On the Roxy Music album-version

[edit] On the Viva! live-version

[edit] Cover versions

[edit] External links