If I Ever Feel Better

"If I Ever Feel Better"
Single by Phoenix
from the album United
Released22 January 2001
GenreIndie pop, pop rock
Length3:42
LabelVirgin
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Phoenix singles chronology
"Too Young"
(1999) 		"If I Ever Feel Better"
(2001) 		"Everything Is Everything"
(2004)

"If I Ever Feel Better" is a song by French band Phoenix, released on 1 June 2000 as the third single from their debut studio album, United. It contains a sample of Japanese jazz musician Toshiyuki Honda's 1979 track "Lament", which was written by Chikara Ueda.[1] The song remains Phoenix's highest charting in both France and internationally, reaching top-10 positions in Belgium, Italy and Spain, as well as number 12 in France. It was certified gold in Italy by FIMI in 2017.

Critical reception

In a review for the band's album It's Never Been Like That, Rob Mitchum of Pitchfork referred to the song and "Everything Is Everything" as "brilliant" with "production as crisp as a Frito and singer Thomas Mars' mercury croon" that "could slot into the playlists of hipsters and receptionists alike".[2] In a review for Erlend Øye's DJ-Kicks album that includes a remix of the track, Nick Sylvester called the original version an "utterly catchy French house gem".[3]

Track listing

  1. "If I Ever Feel Better" (edit) – 3:42
  2. "'If I Ever Feel Better, I'll Go to the Disco' Said the Buffalo Bunch" – 6:09
  3. "On Fire" (Nash Kato version) – 2:05

Charts

Chart performance for "If I Ever Feel Better"
Chart (2000–2001) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[4] 8
France (SNEP)[5] 12
Italy (FIMI)[6] 4
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[7] 67
Netherlands (Tipparade)[8] 8
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[9] 6
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[10] 23
UK Singles (OCC)[11] 65

Certifications

Certifications for "If I Ever Feel Better"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Italy (FIMI)[12] Gold 25,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ United (liner notes). Virgin Records. 2000. 7243 8 488532 8.
  2. ^ Mitchum, Rob (24 May 2006). "Phoenix: It's Never Been Like That Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  3. ^ Sylvester, Nick (7 May 2004). "Erlend Øye: DJ Kicks Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  4. ^ "Phoenix – If I Ever Feel Better" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  5. ^ "Phoenix – If I Ever Feel Better" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  6. ^ "Phoenix – If I Ever Feel Better". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  7. ^ "Phoenix – If I Ever Feel Better" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  8. ^ "Phoenix – If I Ever Feel Better" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  9. ^ "Phoenix – If I Ever Feel Better" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  10. ^ "Phoenix – If I Ever Feel Better". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  11. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  12. ^ "Italian single certifications – Phoenix – If I Ever Feel Better" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 11 January 2023.