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If This Is It (Huey Lewis and the News song)

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"If This Is It"
Single by Huey Lewis and the News
from the album Sports
B-side"Change of Heart"
ReleasedJuly 10, 1984
Recorded1983
Genre
Length3:54
LabelChrysalis
Songwriter(s)Johnny Colla, Huey Lewis
Producer(s)Huey Lewis and the News
Huey Lewis and the News singles chronology
"The Heart of Rock & Roll"
(1984) 		"If This Is It"
(1984) 		"Walking on a Thin Line"
(1984)

"If This Is It" is a song by American rock band Huey Lewis and the News.[3] It was released as the fourth single from their number-one album Sports in 1983, and became their fifth top-ten and third consecutive number-six hit on the Billboard Hot 100. It also reached number five on the Adult Contemporary chart,[4] and then became their first UK hit single, reaching number 39 on the UK Singles Chart.[5] The song is written in 12
8 time signature.

Reception

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Billboard called it a "guileless '50s throwback."[6] Cash Box called the song "doo-wop at its finest."[7]

Music video

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The music video for "If This Is It" was filmed in Santa Cruz, California, in June 1984.[8] Huey is seen trying to reconcile with his ex-girlfriend (Janet Cross).[9] He sees her on the beach and at a line of midway amusements with other men, and has a flashback of a romantic night with her. His ex's friend (Sandra Wilder) observes Huey's frustrations and feels sorry for him. After one last effort by Huey to win his ex back fails, he sits alone on the beach as the crowd fades. The ex's friend then appears, smiling at Huey, and they walk away together toward the boardwalk. The video ends with a family, who spent hours looking for an open space on the beach, finally locating one, only to be attacked by a shark underneath the sand that charges toward them.

The band appears in various scenes on the beach, one of which features them singing the chorus while buried in sand with only their heads visible. Comedian John Means appears as the Ball Toss Manager.

In an interview with the blog Noblemania, Cross recalled the challenges of playing Lewis' irritable ex-girlfriend. "Looking angry at Huey Lewis was tough," she said. "The whole filming was hilarious, one stunt after another and all the different boyfriends they gave me. When [Huey and I] were pretending to fight it was hard not to laugh."[10]

The video was directed by Edd Griles, who also directed the band's videos for "The Heart of Rock & Roll" and "Stuck with You", as well as Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" and "Time After Time".

The video starts with a snippet of another Huey Lewis and the News song, "I Want a New Drug", also from the album Sports.[11]

Chart performance

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References

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  1. ^ Rolling Stone Staff (17 September 2014). "100 Best Singles of 1984: Pop's Greatest Year". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 31 August 2023. ...consider that this pristine slice of whimsical doo-wop melancholy was the album's fourth single.
  2. ^ Matos, Michaelangelo (8 December 2020). "Radio City Music Hall, New York City: September 14, 1984". Can't Slow Down: How 1984 Became Pop's Blockbuster Year. Hachette Books. p. 263. ISBN 978-0-306-90337-3.
  3. ^ Huey Lewis and the news song if this is it, retrieved 1 July 2022
  4. ^ a b c "Chart Success Summary". hln.org. Archived from the original on 18 June 2009.
  5. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 319. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  6. ^ "Singles Reviews". Billboard. 21 July 1984. p. 57. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  7. ^ "Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 21 July 1984. p. 8. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  8. ^ Huey Lewis and the News: World Tour 1986 tour book
  9. ^ http://www.hueylewisandthenews.com/wp/?page_id=1038 Archived 31 August 2013 at the Wayback Machine Huey Lewis Fan Q&A: 1 September 2013
  10. ^ "The Girl in the Video: "If This Is It" (1984)". Noblemania.com. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  11. ^ "Huey Lewis & the News - if This is It - YouTube". YouTube. 26 February 2009.
  12. ^ BigKev. "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – 1984". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
  13. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  14. ^ "Image : RPM Weekly". Library and Archives Canada. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  15. ^ "Tonlist Top 10". DV. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  16. ^ "UK Top 40 Chart Archive, British Singles & Album Charts". Everyhit.com. 16 March 2000. Archived from the original on 17 February 2007. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  17. ^ "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending September 22, 1984". Archived from the original on 1 October 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)Cash Box magazine.
  18. ^ VG-lista. "Norwegian Charts". VG-lista. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  19. ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1984/Top 100 Songs of 1984". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 3 April 2015.
  20. ^ "Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles". Cash Box. 31 December 1984. Archived from the original on 30 September 2012. Retrieved 11 March 2018.
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