If You Were My Love...
 

No one has said much about this song, but it is the song I'm sort of caught on. I think it contains one of the biggest emotional highlights of the album. It's my favorite on the album right now.

The song is slow, methodical and reminds me of a cross between Time by the Alan Parson's Project and Closer to my Home by Grand Funk Railroad. Throw in some Daisy Jane by America.

The song trods along and then stevie gets to the must touching part of the whole album

………...you would never have been frightened at all …at all… with our crosses to bear

They way she sings that line is so touching. It's the emotional climax of the album for me. SQUIRT!!!!! I have to listen to the song over and over.

SOOOO IIIIIIIIII LLLLLLLLLOOOOOVVVVVEEEEEEEESSSSS IIIIIITTTTTTT!

AND HOPE IT GETS MORE ATTENTION. :)

I need to be able to listen to the songs individually to make further judgments. I like it well enough (I think). I'm not a big fan of the Mirage version; I always thought the song called for a more languid arrangement, and I think this one is a good mix of all of the versions.

(doing my best imitation of the Wayans Brothers characters "Men on Film"): hated it! (snap) LOL

No offense to anyone who likes or loves it. Difference is what makes the world go round.:thumbsup:

It is beautiful. I love it. The mood, the tired voice, the lyrics.

Agreed! Cuz I LOVES IT!!! :D

Again one of the demos I probably only listened to once or twice ..but here the finished version works.I can't agree with those who wish it were speed up or had more"omph" Would we want Storms or Beautiful Child to be more rocking:shrug:

I've always been on the fence about the demos of If You Were My Love. The Mirage version comes the closest to being likeable, for me.

This new version has everything I don't like about the demos. I'm not one to shy away from slow songs - I love slow, sappy, depressing songs, but this one just gets on my nerves. It's rare to skip a song I've never heard, but if it weren't for the record player requiring me to lift and reposition the needle, I'd have skipped it about a minute in to the track.

It and Carousel, I can live without.

This song has always been my favorite unreleased demo, and I was honestly terrified of it being recorded for this album. If it were done poorly, I would have been devastated. However, I truly think they nailed it. You can tell this one was very near to Stevie's heart, because it was handled very reverently. The soft, sad vocal. The spare, spooky production. My absolute favorite addition is the wandering, haunting electric guitar. It's very Mark Knopfler sounding.

I really do get the critiques that this version didn't rock like the Mirage outtake, though. However, I was always partial to the original piano demo. I felt like it captured the spirit of the subject matter better. I think the addition of the electric guitar in the background does create a crescendo that the song needed. I'm terribly pleased with this song. Somebody else compared it to Storms, and I think that's a very apt comparison.

I've always been partial to the Mirage outtake, and strongly loathed the SA version. I liked the Tusk outtake, but always found it a bit slow for my taste. So I was a bit skeptical upon hearing the snippet. But I gotta say, this one's grown on me a lot. It's a gorgeous song, perfect vocal, and I LOVE LOVE the witchiness and atmospherics that build towards the end to the song. Just gorgeous, pure Stevie.

I heard the song on the free streaming that they're doing on Amazon - that song was definitely a highlight for me too - I love how the did the drums - very subtle Native-American-like beat. Although towards the end it was kinda short which I thought made it awkward but overall I loved it.

Just to echo what I've said in another thread, I think it's probably quite a good song, but my judgement of it is clouded by the fact that I adore the Mirage outtake. Basically, I miss Christine, John, Mick and Lindsey!

Am I the only person in the world that loves (and I mean absolutely loves) the Street Angel outtake version? For me, that was perfect - it was actually the first version of the song I heard. Some time later, I heard the Mirage version and I liked it a lot (of course very different from the SA version I was familiar with). And lastly, I heard the sparse Bella Donna demo. Oddly enough, this new version is the only version of the song I'm not crazy about. But since I like all the others, it has tough competition with itself! ;) But it's also very new to me - so of course it could grow on me.

Jondalar, you compared it to Alan Parsons' "Time" - I like that song a lot - but it also needed to grow on me. So maybe I'll feel more as you do with time.

You're not alone!
I really love the tropical and languid Street Angel version of If You Were My Love.
I don't understand the abject disdain others have for it. I also like the Fleetwood Mac version.I haven't heard new version yet.Is it posted somewhere so I can preview it?

The standard version of the album is streaming on Amazon for free!

http://www.amazon.com/24-Karat-Gold-...=UTF8&sr=&qid=

Thanks ! I listened to all of it on my head phones at top volume. It's a great album.

I like the song, but I wish she didn't change some of the original lyrics, which I think are better.


This night outside my window
And the sun turns away

My hands reach for numbers
Someone that could tell me

"If You Were My Love" is growing on me but I still think the Mirage version with the bouncy bridge and the ending vocal coda is superior. I would have liked to see them mimic that.

I love it, simply beautiful! Just got the album today.

The tired beauty of this song makes it sound so fresh and original to me. The song seems to know what it's doing if that makes any sense.

ITA tabruns! I am SO partial to the passionate, rocking Tusk-like drumming version of the Mirage era demo. Say what you will about the song, but I would MUCH rather have the lustful frustrated "I want you NOW dammit!" version.

I'm finding this song to be sort of mesmerizing.
I never heard any of the demos - so I have a fresh perspective.
It sounds like she found a place she was never able to get to on
In Your Dreams. It's pretty magical.
Reminds me of How Still My Love a little.

Mesmerizing is the perfect word for it. My favorite song on this great album.

There's one thing I find rather odd about how she ends the song.

In the prior version, she ends with "Everyone must remain faithful."
In the new version she just blurts out the word "Faithful." It's odd because there is no context to it; as if she has a shade of Turrets syndrome, or just remembered the lyric at the last "moment to moment."

Thankfully I didn't marinate in the demos. Didn't notice a difference. Totally lost myself in it.

I loved every version of this song. I feel like this album version is the best. I completely loose myself in it.

There are master reel demos that end the same way.

The "everyone must remain", I am convinced, was mandated by Lindsey, to ensure that Stevie's lyrics made sense ('cause he *would* tell Bob Dylan that :laugh: ), for inclusion on Mirage.

Many medieval archers suffered from this affliction.

^^Awesome.

You've been on fire lately. :thumbsup:

As far as IYWML goes, I like it, but I don't love it. She sings the song very well, but it's a tad too droning for me.

I quite like the heartfelt emotion in Stevie's voice on this song. :nod:

I wasn't completely sold on this song the first time I listened to the album, but I am now. The lyrics are sweet and longing, yet there's an eeriness running through the whole thing (as Stevie described the recording of Angel ;) ) Definitely in my top 5 of 24K.

Very interesting. Thanks for the that insight. Yet her own Street Angel take of the song also had her singing "everyone must remain faithful. Lindsey wasn't around for that; But Bob Dylan was! (I still can't believe she got him to play harmonica on her version of Just Like a Woman).

If You Were My Love is my favorite track on this album - hands down. I like what you wrote about the song. I couldn't have said it better.

"..if I were the one.. who watched over your sleeping... you would never have been frightened.. at all.." my favorite lyric from "24 Karat Gold"

Nop...I definitely believe that the demo version of 1982 kicks every other version I even heard. Is fast, is deep, the piano is amazing, the backing vocals of Lindsey are great, the passion of Stevie is wonderful.
The slower versions are ok, but sometimes it's a shame when a "moved" song turns into a "slow" one, and it just doesn't change again... :shrug:

And Twisted...the duo version is unique, the only one, and the best.

Regards!
Mark.

I must agree. I do like the released version of I YWML but the 1982 version with the MAC is what I have always preferred. Maybe an outtake from a Mirage remaster?

The Rumours version of Planets Of The Universe wasn't officially released until after TISL, so maybe now that her definitive version is out, they can put the outtake version on a remaster or something. I don't know how much they care about re-mastering Mirage, but it would be nice.

God, a "Mirage" re-master would be incredible! They could also release the really angry outtake of "Smile At You" as well. And a crisper, louder version of the extended "Gypsy" that appeared on the Mac's 1992 boxed set.:nod:

Was Teen Beat from the Mirage sessions as well?

I would actually really love remastered versions of Mirage and Tango with all the b-sides and outtakes compiled in one (quality) recording.

:] Very funny!

Until they do, here's a nice louder (and I think crisper) mix for "Gypsy" that I sourced from the 1992 boxed set. Hope you like it:
http://www.mediafire.com/listen/m0nm...-_enhanced.wav
Be sure to download the file - the streamed version that the link takes you to never sounds so great.