Product Description
"If You Leave Me Now" is the title of a hit ballad by the American rock group Chicago, from their album Chicago X. It was written and sung by bass player Peter Cetera and released as a single on July 31, 1976. It is also the title of a Chicago compilation album released by Columbia Records (Columbia 38590) in 1983.
The single topped the US charts on October 23, 1976, and stayed there for two weeks, making it the first number one hit for the group as well as hitting number one on the Easy Listening charts.[4] "If You Leave Me Now" was also Chicago's biggest hit internationally, topping the charts in other countries such as the UK, Australia, Ireland, Canada, and Netherlands. In the UK it maintained the number one position for three weeks.[5] It was one of only five "non-disco" songs to make it to number one in the US in a nine-month period of 1976.[6]According to writer Zachary Houle of PopMatters, "The song was so pervasive on radio upon its release that, reportedly, those tuning in inNew York could hear the song playing on four different stations, each with varying formats, simultaneously."[7]
The song won Grammy Awards for Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) (strings) for arranger Jimmie Haskell[8] and producerJames William Guercio[9] and Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus,[10] the first Grammy Award won by the group.[11] It also received a Grammy nomination for Record of the Year.[12] In addition, by August 1978 it had sold 1.4 million copies in the United States alone.[13] It has been certified gold and platinum by the RIAA.[14]
In 2010 Chicago teamed with the American Cancer Society and offered the opportunity to bid on the chance to sing their hit, "If You Leave Me Now" with them on stage live at their concerts, with proceeds going to the American Cancer Society to fight breast cancer.[15] The fund raising effort has continued in succeeding years.
Taken from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_You_Leave_Me_Now
This product was created by a member of ArrangeMe, Hal Leonard's global self-publishing community of independent composers, arrangers, and songwriters. ArrangeMe allows for the publication of unique arrangements of both popular titles and original compositions from a wide variety of voices and backgrounds.