“If I Were You”
Song by Ray Charles
So good is Ray Charles the vocalist on “If I Were You” from Do I Ever Cross Your Mind that you barely even notice the inherent silliness of lyrics like “if I were you I’d fall in love with me”. A pedal steel guitar is featured throughout this lovely and touching tune but it never rises to the surface, acting more as background support. Still, thanks to the mellifluous honey drip of that pedal steel plus (very) occasional harmonica and fiddle, there is a subtle country feel to “If I Were You” that is missing from many other recordings from Ray’s supposedly “country” 1980s records.
The real superstar of the song is, as it often was, Ray Charles’s singing. He lets the band get on with it so he can focus on his task: feeling and then conveying the emotion. It’s a wondrously tender performance. He adds little vocal upswings at the ends of syllables among other touches, melting hearts and animating tear ducts. “If I Were You” is a tribute to Ray Charles’ 1980s period and a treasure for fans who dig deeper into the more-obscure areas of his vast catalog.
Listen to “If I Were You”
Songs on Do I Ever Cross Your Mind