If I Only Had Time

"If I Only Had Time"
Single by John Rowles
B-side"Now Is the Hour"
Released17 February 1968
GenrePop
Length3:20
LabelMCA MU 1000
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Mike Leander
John Rowles UK singles chronology
"If I Only Had Time"
(1968) 		"Hush ... Not a Word to Mary"
(1974)

"If I Only Had Time" is a song recorded by the New Zealand singer John Rowles in 1968 that became a worldwide hit single. It is based on a French song "Je n'aurai pas le temps" by Michel Fugain. Rowles' song was his first release in the United Kingdom where it reached number 3 on the chart.

Background

"If I Only Had Time" is an English version of "Je n'aurai pas le temps", a French ballad written by Michel Fugain and Pierre Delanoë, and recorded by Fugain. Fugain's recording was released as a single and charted in 1967.[1][2]

Manager Peter Gormley signed the New Zealander John Rowles to MCA in London, and for his first record release in the UK; Mike Leander was chosen to produce and arrange the song.[3] New lyrics in English were written by Jack Fishman.[4] It was released in the UK on 17 February 1968.[3]

Rowles' version peaked at number 3 on the UK Singles Chart, number 2 in New Zealand, Belgium and the Netherlands, number 15 in Germany, and number 17 in Austria. It also performed well in the Australian cities, registering at number 5 in Sydney, number 14 in Melbourne, number 3 in Brisbane, number 6 in Adelaide and number 7 in Perth.[5]

The song was re-released in 1988 on the Old Gold label. It was backed with "Hush Not a Word to Mary".[6]

Charts

Chart (1968) Peak
position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[7] 17
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[8] 2
Ireland (IRMA)[9] 6
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[10] 2
New Zealand[11] 2
UK Singles (OCC)[12] 3
West Germany (GfK)[13] 15

Other versions

  • Jean-Claude Pascal recorded "Je n'aurai pas le temps" for his album Chansons d'hier et de toujours in 1968.[5]
  • Nick DeCaro released an instrumental version of "If I Only Had Time" as a single in 1968, and it reached No. 95 on the Billboard Hot 100,[14] and 12 on the Easy Listening chart in 1969.[15] It is included on his 1969 album Happy Heart.[16]

References

  1. ^ "Michel Fugain - Je n'aurai pas le temps (Chanson)". Lescharts.com.
  2. ^ "Michel Fugain – Je n'aurai pas le temps". Ultratop.
  3. ^ a b Gifford, Adam (4 June 2013). "John Rowles > Profile". AudioCulture Iwi Waiata.
  4. ^ Library of Congress. Copyright Office (1970). Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series. p. 1800.
  5. ^ a b "John Rowles - If I Only Had Time (1968)". Pop Archives.
  6. ^ 45Cat - John Rowles - Discography, UK
  7. ^ "John Rowles – If I Only Had Time" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  8. ^ "John Rowles – If I Only Had Time" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  9. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – If I Only Had Time". Irish Singles Chart.
  10. ^ "John Rowles – If I Only Had Time" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  11. ^ "Hits of the World". Billboard. 29 June 1968. p. 94.
  12. ^ "John Rowles: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  13. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – John Rowles – If I Only Had Time" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  14. ^ "Billboard Hot 100" (PDF). Billboard. 11 January 1969. p. 60.
  15. ^ "Easy Listening" (PDF). Billboard. 8 February 1969. p. 69.
  16. ^ "Billboard Album Reviews". Billboard. 12 April 1969. p. 20.