If I Let You Go

"If I Let You Go"
One of European artworks
Single by Westlife
from the album Westlife
B-side"Try Again"
Released9 August 1999 (1999-08-09)
StudioCheiron (Stockholm, Sweden)
Length3:40
Label
Songwriters
Producers
  • 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 Platinum sales certification in the UK for selling over 600,000 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]

Feehily revealed on an Instagram post of the music video that their record label guy said they based the official music video of the single "What Makes You Beautiful" by British-Irish pop band One Direction off this video.

Track listings

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

Certifications and sales

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[43] Gold 35,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[44] Gold 15,000‡
Sweden (GLF)[45] Gold 15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[46] Platinum 600,000‡

^ 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 [47]
United Kingdom
  • CD
  • cassette
 [48]

References

  1. ↑ Copsey, Rob (12 January 2019). "Westlife's Top 20 biggest songs on the Official Charts". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 January 2019.
  2. ↑ "If I Let You Go by Westlife – Digital Sheet Music". Musicnotes. 12 April 2010. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  3. ↑ "Westlife: Our Story". HarperCollins Publishers. p. 98. Archived from the original on 7 March 2012. Retrieved 30 August 2011.
  4. ↑ westlifeVEVO (3 October 2009), Westlife – "If I Let You Go" (Official Music Video), retrieved 15 June 2017
  5. 1 2 If I Let You Go (UK CD1 liner notes). RCA Records, BMG. 1999. 74321 692322.
  6. ↑ If I Let You Go (UK CD2 liner notes). RCA Records, BMG. 1999. 74321 692352.
  7. ↑ If I Let You Go (UK cassette single sleeve). RCA Records, BMG. 1999. 74321 692324.
  8. ↑ If I Let You Go (European CD single liner notes). RCA Records, BMG. 1999. 74321 694592.
  9. ↑ If I Let You Go (Australian CD single liner notes). RCA Records, BMG. 1999. 74321 694582.
  10. ↑ Westlife (US CD album liner notes). Arista Records, BMG. 2000. 07822-14642-2.
  11. ↑ "Westlife – If I Let You Go". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  12. ↑ "Westlife – If I Let You Go" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  13. ↑ "Los temas más vendidos". El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). 25 December 2000. p. 48. Archived from the original on 30 September 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
  14. ↑ "MUUSIKAEDETABELID: EESTI TOP 20". Sõnumileht (in Estonian). 30 October 1999. p. 18. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
  15. ↑ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 16, no. 35. 28 August 1999. p. 8. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  16. ↑ "EHR Top 40" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 16, no. 22. 4 September 1999. p. 16. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  17. ↑ "Westlife: If I Let You Go" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  18. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Take That". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 280. Retrieved 29 May 2025.
  19. ↑ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. To see the peak chart position, click 'TITEL VON', followed by the artist's name. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  20. ↑ "Los Discos Más Vendicos En Iberoamérica y Estados Unidos". El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish). 2000. Retrieved 6 February 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  21. ↑ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 20 (23.9 – 30.9 2000)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 24 September 1999. p. 10. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  22. ↑ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Westlife". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
  23. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 44, 1999" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  24. ↑ "Westlife – If I Let You Go" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  25. ↑ "Regional Airplay: Netherlands" (PDF). Music & Media. 25 September 1999. p. 29. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  26. ↑ "Westlife – If I Let You Go". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  27. ↑ "Westlife – If I Let You Go". VG-lista. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  28. ↑ "Regional Airplay: Scandinavia" (PDF). Music & Media. 2 October 1999. p. 19. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
  29. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart on 21/8/1999 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  30. ↑ "Westlife – If I Let You Go". Canciones Top 50. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  31. ↑ Fernando Salaverri (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  32. ↑ "Westlife – If I Let You Go". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  33. ↑ "Westlife – If I Let You Go". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  34. ↑ "Official Singles Chart on 21/8/1999 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
  35. ↑ "Top 50 Airplay Chart" (PDF). Music Week. 28 August 1999. p. 25. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  36. ↑ "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 1999". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  37. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 1999" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  38. ↑ "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 1999". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  39. ↑ "End of Year Charts 1999". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  40. ↑ "Årslista Singlar, 1999" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  41. ↑ "Best Sellers of 1999: Singles Top 100". Music Week. 22 January 2000. p. 27.
  42. ↑ "Brazilian Top 100 Year-End 2000". Crowley Broadcast Analysis. 3 April 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  43. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1999 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  44. ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – Westlife – If I Let You Go". Radioscope. Retrieved 7 March 2025. Type If I Let You Go in the "Search:" field and press Enter.
  45. ↑ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1999" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
  46. ↑ "British single certifications – Westlife – If I Let You Go". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 21 February 2025. Select singles in the Formats field. Type If I Let You Go Westlife in the "Search:" field.
  47. ↑ "Westlife: If I Let You Go". click2music.se (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 23 February 2005. Retrieved 30 November 2023.
  48. ↑ "New Releases – For Week Starting 9 August, 1999: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 7 August 1999. p. 25. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
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