If This World Were Mine

"If This World Were Mine" is a 1967 song by soul music duo Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell from their album United. Written solely by Gaye, it was one of the few songs they recorded without Ashford & Simpson writing or producing. When it was released as a single in November 1967 as the B-side to the duo's "If I Could Build My Whole World Around You", it hit the Billboard pop singles chart, peaking at number sixty-eight, and peaked at number twenty-seven on the Billboard R&B singles chart. Gaye would later put the song into his set list during his last tours in the early-1980s as he performed a medley of his hits with Terrell.

The song is covered by Joe Bataan on the 1968 Fania Allstars LP Live at the Red Garter, Vol. 2, and by Ambrose Slade (pre-Slade) on their 1969 album Beginnings.

Fifteen years after the original recording, Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn re-recorded it for her album Instant Love and made the song a R&B top five smash peaking at number four in 1982. A decade later, Coko of SWV and rising R&B singer and Tyrese recorded it for her 1999 solo album Hot Coko. In 2005, Alicia Keys and Jermaine Paul recorded it for the Luther Vandross tribute album So Amazing: An All-Star Tribute to Luther Vandross. R&B singer Tweet sampled the Gaye/Terrell original for the intro of her 2005 single "Turn Da Lights Off", featuring Missy Elliott.

The song is featured on John Legend's 2004 live album Solo Sessions Vol. 1: Live at the Knitting Factory, with Imani Uzuri singing the female lead.

The cover version by R&B/Soul artists Alicia Keys and Jermaine Paul was nominated Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals at the Grammy Awards. They didn't win. The Grammy was honored to Beyoncé Knowles and Stevie Wonder for "So Amazing."