"If My Friends Could See Me Now", with music by

Cy Coleman Cy Coleman (born Seymour Kaufman; June 14, 1929 – November 18, 2004) was an American composer, songwriter, and jazz pianist. Life and career Coleman was born Seymour Kaufman in New York City, United States, to Eastern European Jewish parents ...

and lyrics by

Dorothy Fields Dorothy Fields (July 15, 1904 – March 28, 1974) was an American librettist and lyricist. She wrote over 400 songs for Broadway musicals and films. Her best-known pieces include "The Way You Look Tonight" (1936), "A Fine Romance" (1936), " On t ...

, is a song from the 1966

Broadway musical Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''Th ...

Sweet Charity ''Sweet Charity'' is a musical with music by Cy Coleman, lyrics by Dorothy Fields and book by Neil Simon. It was directed and choreographed for Broadway by Bob Fosse starring his wife and muse Gwen Verdon alongside John McMartin. It is based on ...

''. In the musical the character of Charity, played in the original New York cast by

Gwen Verdon Gwyneth Evelyn "Gwen" Verdon (January 13, 1925October 18, 2000) was an American actress and dancer. She won four Tony Awards for her musical comedy performances, and served as an uncredited choreographer's assistant and specialty dance coach for t ...

, reflects on her marvellous luck as she spends time with Vittorio. In the 1969 film adaptation of ''

'', "If My Friends Could See Me Now" is performed by

Shirley MacLaine Shirley MacLaine (born Shirley MacLean Beaty, April 24, 1934) is an American actress, author, and former dancer. Known for her portrayals of quirky, strong-willed and eccentric women, MacLaine has received numerous accolades over her seven-dec ...

Recorded versions

As a show tune

Gwen Verdon's rendition of "If My Friends Could See Me Now" is featured on the cast recording for the original 1966 Broadway production of ''Sweet Charity'': the song also appears on the cast recordings for the 1986 and 2005 Broadway revivals of ''Sweet Charity'' being performed by respectively

Debbie Allen Deborah Kaye Allen (born January 16, 1950) is an American actress, dancer, choreographer, singer-songwriter, director, producer, and a former member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities. She has been nominated 20 times for an ...

and

Christina Applegate Christina Applegate (born November 25, 1971) is an American actress. As a child actress, she gained recognition for starring as Kelly Bundy in the Fox sitcom '' Married... with Children'' (1987–1997). Applegate established a successful film a ...

. The Gwen Verdon recording of "If My Friends Could See Me Now" was utilized as the

theme song Theme music is a musical composition that is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at ...

for the

pilot episode A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in television in the United States, United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a te ...

of the

CBS-TV CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...

The Nanny ''The Nanny'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from November 3, 1993, to June 23, 1999, starring Fran Drescher as Fran Fine, a Jewish fashionista from Flushing, Queens, New York, who becomes the nanny of three ch ...

'' although an original song entitled "The Nanny Named Fran" served as the theme song for the series' subsequent episodes: airings of ''The Nannys pilot episode in syndication utilize "The Nanny Named Fran" as that episode's theme song rather than "If My Friends Could See Me Now". The original cast recording for the 1967 West End production of ''Sweet Charity'' features "If My Friends Could See Me Now" performed by

Juliet Prowse Juliet Anne Prowse (September 25, 1936 – September 14, 1996) was a dancer and actress whose four-decade career included stage, television and film. She was raised in South Africa, where her family emigrated after World War II. Known for her ...

Bonnie Langford Bonita Melody Lysette "Bonnie" Langford (born 22 July 1964) is an English actress, dancer and singer. She came to prominence as a child star in the 1970s, when she had a notable role in the TV series ''Just William''. In the 1980s, she played c ...

, who headlined the 1998 West End revival of ''Sweet Charity'', included "If My Friends Could See Me Now" in a

medley Medley or Medleys may refer to: Sports *Medley swimming, races requiring multiple swimming styles * Medley relay races at track meets Music * Medley (music), multiple pieces strung together People * Medley (surname), list of people with this n ...

of songs from ''Sweet Charity'' featured on her 1999 album ''Now''. A 1995 studio recording of the score of ''Sweet Charity'' features Jacqueline Dankworth performing "If My Friends Could See Me Now". Shirley Maclaine's performance of the song is featured on the 1969 movie soundtrack for ''Sweet Charity'': in addition Maclaine recorded the song for her 1976 ''Live at the Palace'' album.

Linda Clifford version

In 1978

Linda Clifford Linda Clifford (born 1944) is an American R&B, disco and house music singer who scored hits from the 1970s to the 1980s, most notably " If My Friends Could See Me Now", " Bridge over Troubled Water", " Runaway Love" and " Red Light". Career ...

released an album entitled ''

If My Friends Could See Me Now "If My Friends Could See Me Now", with music by Cy Coleman and lyrics by Dorothy Fields, is a song from the 1966 Broadway musical ''Sweet Charity''. In the musical the character of Charity, played in the original New York cast by Gwen Verdon, ref ...

'' featuring a

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric p ...

version of the ''Sweet Charity'' song of that name. Clifford, who had been an

extra Extra or Xtra may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film * ''The Extra'' (1962 film), a Mexican film * ''The Extra'' (2005 film), an Australian film Literature * ''Extra'' (newspaper), a Brazilian newspaper * ''Extra!'', an American me ...

in the filming of ''Sweet Charity'', originally responded negatively to the suggestion – made by a secretary at

Curtom Records Curtom Records was a record label started in 1968 by Curtis Mayfield and Impressions manager Eddie Thomas. The label's name was a combination of Mayfield's first name and Thomas' last name. Mayfield had previously made attempts at a record lab ...

– that she record a dance version of "If My Friends Could See Me Now" "because I thought it would be sacrilegious. I've always been a theatre buff, so this ould bea no-no. Then they recorded he backing trackanyway and brought it to me, and I said, 'Ooh, I like that.' Once I heard the music I was like, 'It’s different but it’s the same.'" Clifford would recall how subsequent to her success with "If My Friends Could See Me Now" Cy Coleman would "

all All or ALL may refer to: Language * All, an indefinite pronoun in English * All, one of the English determiners * Allar language (ISO 639-3 code) * Allative case (abbreviated ALL) Music * All (band), an American punk rock band * ''All'' (All ...

in to a radio station that I was being interviewed on and thanked me over the air for doing his song and bringing it to the masses." "If My Friends Could See Me Now" in tandem with two other album tracks: "Gypsy Lady" and "Runaway Love", hit #1 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

'' disco chart dated April 29, 1978 remaining at #1 for a total of five weeks. Released as a

7" single In music, a single is a type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record or an album. One can be released for sale to the public in a variety of formats. In most cases, a single is a song that is released separat ...

in August 1978 – "Runaway Love" having been the lead 7" single from the ''If My Friends...'' album - "If My Friends Could See Me Now" reached #54 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 with an

R&B chart The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

peak of #68. In the UK "If My Friends Could See Me Now" was issued as the

A-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

of a 7" single - with "Runaway Love" as the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

- in May 1978 failing to become a major UK hit with a peak of #50 on the UK chart dated June 24, 1978.Official Charts
/ref>

Other versions

*"If My Friends Could See Me Now" has also been recorded by

Pearl Bailey Pearl Mae Bailey (March 29, 1918 – August 17, 1990) was an American actress, singer and author. After appearing in vaudeville, she made her Broadway debut in ''St. Louis Woman'' in 1946. She received a Special Tony Award for the title role in ...

Sammy Davis Jr Samuel George Davis Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American singer, dancer, actor, comedian, film producer and television director. At age three, Davis began his career in vaudeville with his father Sammy Davis Sr. and the ...

Connie Francis Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero (born December 12, 1937), known professionally as Connie Francis, is an American pop singer, actress, and top-charting female vocalist of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Called the “First Lady of Rock & Roll” ...

Dusty Springfield Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), known professionally as Dusty Springfield, was an English singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano sound, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, pop and dram ...

the Three Degrees The Three Degrees is an American female vocal group formed circa 1963 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Although 16 women have been members over the years, the group has always been a trio. The current line-up consists of Helen Scott, Valerie Holi ...

, Leslie Uggams, and Lena Zavaroni. '' The Morecambe and Wise Show'' once featured a humorously-toned song-and-dance rendition with

Eric Porter Eric Richard Porter (8 April 192815 May 1995) was an English actor of stage, film and television. Early life Porter was born in Shepherd's Bush, London, to bus conductor Richard John Porter and Phoebe Elizabeth (née Spall). His parents hope ...

performing alongside the show's stars. *The song was used for

Carnival Cruise Lines Carnival Cruise Line is an international cruise line with headquarters in Doral, Florida. The company is a subsidiary of Carnival Corporation & plc. Its logo is a funnel shaped like a whale's tail, with a red, white, and blue color scheme. Thi ...

commercials in the 1980s with singer

Kathie Lee Gifford Kathryn Lee Gifford ( née Epstein; born August 16, 1953) is an American television presenter, singer, songwriter, actress and author. From 1985 to 2000, she and Regis Philbin hosted the talk show ''Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee''. Gifford is ...

South Park ''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boysStan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand ...

spoofed the commercials in the episode

Weight Gain 4000 "Weight Gain 4000" is the third episode of the first season of the American animated television series ''South Park''. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on August 27, 1997. In the episode, the residents of South Park excitedl ...

with a grade school-aged Kathie Lee singing the same song in a talent show.

American Dad! ''American Dad!'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane, Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman for the Fox Broadcasting Company. Since 2014, the series has been airing new episodes on TBS. ''American Dad!'' is the first television ...

also spoofed the commercials in the episode Daesong Heavy Industries II: Return to Innocence with Roger singing and wearing various outfits from the Kathie Lee Gifford commercials. * Cast members of ''

The Brady Bunch ''The Brady Bunch'' is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz that aired from September 26, 1969, to March 8, 1974, on ABC. The series revolves around a large blended family with six children. The show aired for five seasons and, afte ...

'', dressed as dolls and windup toys, performed a version of the song for '' The Brady Bunch Hour''.

References

{{authority control Disco songs 1978 singles 1966 songs Linda Clifford songs Songs from musicals Songs about friendship Songs with lyrics by Dorothy Fields Songs with music by Cy Coleman