If I Let You Go

1999 single by Westlife

"If I Let You Go"

One of European artworks

Single by Westlife

from the album Westlife

B-side

"Try Again"

Released

9 August 1999 (1999-08-09)

Studio

Cheiron (Stockholm, Sweden)

Length

3:40

Label

Songwriter(s)

Jörgen Elofsson
Per Magnusson
David Kreuger

Producer(s)

Per Magnusson
David Kreuger

Westlife singles chronology

"Swear It Again"
(1999)

"If I Let You Go"
(1999)

"Flying Without Wings"
(1999)

Music video

"If I Let You Go" on YouTube

"If I Let You Go" is a song by Irish boy band Westlife. It was released in the United Kingdom on 9 August 1999 as the second single from their self-titled debut album (1999). It became the band's second number-one hit, spending 11 weeks on the UK Singles Chart. The song has received a gold sales certification in the UK for selling over 400,000 in combined sales of purchased and streaming-equivalent sales. It is the band's 10th-best-selling single in paid-for sales and combined sales in the UK as of January 2019.^[1]

Composition

"If I Let You Go" composed in the traditional verse–chorus form in B♭ major, with Brian McFadden, Shane Filan, and Mark Feehily's vocals ranging from the chords of D₄ to A₅.^[2]

Music video

The music video was directed by Sven Harding and was filmed in Tenerife, Spain.^[3] It depicts the band walking along a beach and singing by a hillside surrounded by red and yellow flags.^[4]

Track listings

UK CD1^[5]

"If I Let You Go" (radio edit)
"Try Again"
Enhanced CD

UK CD2^[6]

"If I Let You Go" (radio edit)
"If I Let You Go" (extended version)
Interview with Andi Peters

UK cassette single and European CD single^[7]^[8]

"If I Let You Go" (radio edit)
"Try Again"

Australian CD single^[9]

"If I Let You Go" (radio edit) – 3:38
"Try Again" – 3:34
"If I Let You Go" (extended version) – 6:07
Enhanced CD

Credits and personnel

Credits are lifted from the UK CD1 and Westlife liner notes.^[5]^[10]

Studios

Recorded at Cheiron Studios (Stockholm, Sweden)
Strings recorded at Soundtrade Studios (Stockholm, Sweden)
Mixed at Mono Music Studios (Stockholm, Sweden)

Personnel

Jörgen Elofsson – writing
Per Magnusson – writing, keyboards, production, arrangement, programming
David Kreuger – writing, arrangement, programming
Andreas Carlsson – additional backing vocals
Mats Berntoft – acoustic and electric guitars
Tomas Lindberg – bass
Ulf & Henrik Janson – string arrangement
David Kreuger – production
Bernard Lohr – recording (strings), mixing

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1999)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)^[11]	13
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)^[12]	7
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)^[13]	8
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)^[14]	7
Germany (Official German Charts)^[15]	50
Guatemala (El Siglo de Torreón)^[16]	4
Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)^[17]	9
Ireland (IRMA)^[18]	1
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)^[19]	20
Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[20]	19
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[21]	8
Norway (VG-lista)^[22]	1
Scotland (OCC)^[23]	3
Spain (PROMUSICAE)^[24]	18
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)^[25]	6
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)^[26]	25
UK Singles (OCC)^[27]	1

Year-end charts

Chart (1999)	Position
Australia (ARIA)^[28]	95
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)^[29]	45
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)^[30]	100
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[31]	28
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)^[32]	35
UK Singles (OCC)^[33]	59

Chart (2000)	Position
Brazil (Crowley)^[34]	46

Certifications and sales


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)^[35]	Gold	35,000^{^}
Sweden (GLF)^[36]	Gold	15,000^{^}
United Kingdom (BPI)^[37]	Gold	400,000^‡
^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone. ^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
Sweden	9 August 1999	CD	RCA BMG	^[38]
United Kingdom	9 August 1999	CD cassette	RCA BMG	^[39]

References

^ Copsey, Rob (12 January 2019). "Westlife's Top 20 biggest songs on the Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
^ "If I Let You Go by Westlife – Digital Sheet Music". Musicnotes. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
^ "Westlife: Our Story". HarperCollins Publishers. p. 98. Archived from the original on 7 March 2012. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
^ westlifeVEVO (3 October 2009), Westlife - "If I Let You Go" (Official Music Video), retrieved 15 June 2017
^ ^a ^b If I Let You Go (UK CD1 liner notes). Westlife. RCA Records, BMG. 1999. 74321 692322.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ If I Let You Go (UK CD2 liner notes). Westlife. RCA Records, BMG. 1999. 74321 692352.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ If I Let You Go (UK cassette single sleeve). Westlife. RCA Records, BMG. 1999. 74321 692324.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ If I Let You Go (European CD single liner notes). Westlife. RCA Records, BMG. 1999. 74321 694592.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ If I Let You Go (Australian CD single liner notes). Westlife. RCA Records, BMG. 1999. 74321 694582.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ Westlife (US CD album liner notes). Westlife. Arista Records, BMG. 2000. 07822-14642-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ "Westlife – If I Let You Go". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
^ "Westlife – If I Let You Go" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 16, no. 35. 28 August 1999. p. 8. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
^ "Westlife: If I Let You Go" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
^ "Westlife – If I Let You Go" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
^ "Los Discos Más Vendicos En Iberoamérica y Estados Unidos". El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). 2000. Archived from the original on 17 March 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 20 (23.9 – 30.9 2000)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 24 September 1999. p. 10. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Westlife". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 44, 1999" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
^ "Westlife – If I Let You Go" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
^ "Westlife – If I Let You Go". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
^ "Westlife – If I Let You Go". VG-lista. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
^ "Westlife – If I Let You Go" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
^ "Westlife – If I Let You Go". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
^ "Westlife – If I Let You Go". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
^ "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 1999". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
^ "Jaaroverzichten 1999" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
^ "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 1999". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
^ "End of Year Charts 1999". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
^ "Årslista Singlar, 1999" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
^ "Best Sellers of 1999: Singles Top 100". Music Week. 22 January 2000. p. 27.
^ "Brazilian Top 100 Year-End 2000". Crowley Broadcast Analysis. 3 April 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1999 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
^ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1999" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
^ "British single certifications – Westlife – If I Let You Go". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
^ "Westlife: If I Let You Go". click2music.se (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 23 February 2005. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
^ "New Releases – For Week Starting 9 August, 1999: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 7 August 1999. p. 25. Retrieved 22 July 2021.