Telly Savalas – If

“If” is a song written by American singer-songwriter David Gates in 1971. Telly Savalas released it on the album Telly in 1974.

Telly Savalas recorded a mostly-spoken interpretation which reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart for two weeks in March 1975, and has the shortest title of any song to reach No. 1 in the UK. This version also charted at No. 12 on the US Billboard Easy Listening chart in late 1974. In Canada, “If” reached No. 88 in the Pop charts, and No. 40 in the AC charts. The Savalas version peaked at number 12 in Australia and was the 81st biggest selling single in Australia in 1975.

Telly Savalas version of Bread’s ‘If’ produced by Snuff Garrett was #1 in Europe for 10 weeks in 1975.

Telly Savalas was fifty-three when this made #1, meaning he shoves the likes of Marvin, Frank Sinatra and Charles Aznavour aside to become the second oldest chart-topper, behind Louis Armstrong. And ‘If’ remains to this day the shortest-titled chart-topping single ever. Whatever it lacks in length, though, it more than makes up for in pure, animal magnetism.

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Telly Savalas - If

Telly Savalas - If 197502:42

If a picture paints a thousand words
Then why can’t I paint you?
The words will never show
The you I’ve come to know.

And if a face could launch a thousand ships
Then where am I to go?
There’s no one home but you;
You’re all that’s left me too.

And when my love for life is running dry
You come and pour yourself on me.

If a man could be two places at one time
Hey baby I’d be with you tomorrow and today
beside you all the way.

And if the world should stop revolving
you know spinning
spinning slowly down to die
I’d spend the end with you
And when the world was through

Then one by one the stars would all go out
Then you and I would simply fly away.

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