If I Only Had Time

"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 UK where it reached number 3 in the chart.

"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 singles chronology
"If I Only Had Time"
(1968)		 "Hush ... Not A Word To Mary"
(1974)
UK discography shown

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' song peaked number 3 in the UK, 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 (Official German Charts)[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 in 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. 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. "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.
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