If This Is It
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Album Summary
"If This Is It" is a single drawn from Huey Lewis and the News' landmark 1984 album "Sports," released on Chrysalis Records — and baby, that album was absolutely everywhere that year. Produced by the band themselves alongside the masterful Bob Clearmountain, this track carried all the hallmarks of what made Huey Lewis and the News so irresistible in their prime: that warm, road-tested blend of blue-eyed soul and heartland rock, polished to a shine without ever losing its human touch. Written by Huey Lewis and guitarist Chris Hayes, "If This Is It" arrived at a moment when the band was riding one of the most spectacular commercial waves any American rock act had seen in years, with "Sports" turning into one of the defining albums of the entire decade.
Reception
- "If This Is It" climbed to number six on the Billboard Hot 100, securing its place among the several top-ten singles that made the "Sports" album cycle one of the most dominant runs of 1984.
- The track found equally strong footing on the Adult Contemporary chart, demonstrating the band's rare ability to speak to rock audiences and softer radio formats with equal conviction.
- Critics recognized the song as a textbook example of the polished, hook-driven mainstream rock sound of the mid-1980s, consistent with the tight, professional craftsmanship that had become the band's signature.
Significance
- "If This Is It" helped solidify Huey Lewis and the News as one of the most important American rock acts of the 1980s, with "Sports" ultimately becoming one of the best-selling albums of the entire year.
- The track showcased the band's masterful synthesis of heartland rock, R&B warmth, and those trademark vocal harmonies — a sound that left a deep imprint on the texture of mainstream rock radio throughout the decade.
- The music video for "If This Is It" received heavy rotation on MTV, reinforcing the band's visual presence and cultural relevance at the very height of music video's power to make or break a star.
Tracklist
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A If This Is It —
3:46
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B Change Of Heart —
3:41
Artist Details
Huey Lewis & The News came blazing out of San Francisco in 1980, blending rock, R&B, and good old-fashioned soul into a sound so crisp and catchy it felt like a party you never wanted to leave. Led by the magnetic Huey Lewis alongside a tight, road-seasoned band, they rode the MTV wave of the early 80s straight to the top of the charts with smash albums like Sports and Fore!, cementing themselves as the working man's rock band of their generation. Their contribution to the Back to the Future soundtrack with The Power of Love became one of the most iconic songs of the decade, locking Huey Lewis & The News into the cultural fabric of 1980s America forever.
