Wherever Would I Be

"Wherever Would I Be" is a song by American rock band Cheap Trick, released in 1990 as the second single from their eleventh studio album, Busted (1990). It was written by American songwriter Diane Warren and produced by Richie Zito. "Wherever Would I Be" peaked at number 50 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

Critical reception
In a review of Busted, Cash Box described the song as a "strong power ballad". Reviewing the song for AllMusic, Doug Stone commented: "Cheap Trick sleepwalks through the motions on this Diane Warren treacle. Loopy axe murderer Rick Nielsen steps up for a decent guitar solo, but no rock band should put fans through something like this. On the back is "Busted," the title track to Trick's nadir. Cheap Trick is so much above the material on both sides here."

Music video
A music video was filmed to promote the single. It achieved medium rotation on MTV and play on The Jukebox Network and Hit Video USA.

Track listing

 * 7" single
 * 1) "Wherever Would I Be" - 4:06
 * 2) "Busted" - 4:04


 * 7" single (Spanish promo)
 * 1) "Wherever Would I Be" - 4:06
 * 2) "Wherever Would I Be" - 4:06


 * CD single (US promo)
 * 1) "Wherever Would I Be" - 3:55


 * CD single (Japanese promo)
 * 1) "Wherever Would I Be" - 4:06
 * 2) "Busted" - 4:04

Personnel

 * Cheap Trick
 * Robin Zander - lead vocals, rhythm guitar
 * Rick Nielsen - lead guitar, backing vocals
 * Tom Petersson - bass, backing vocals
 * Bun E. Carlos - drums, percussion


 * Additional personnel
 * Richie Zito - producer
 * Mike Shipley - mixing
 * George Marino - mastering

Dusty Springfield and Daryl Hall version
In 1995, British pop singer Dusty Springfield and American rock/soul singer Daryl Hall recorded a duet version of the track. Added to Springfield's fifteenth studio album, A Very Fine Love (1995), the song was the second-to-last single from Springfield. Due to modest sales of the album, Springfield and Columbia Records decided not to renew her contract. Springfield's breast cancer recurred in late 1996, and Springfield died in 1999, making A Very Fine Love her final album.

The version was used in the 1995 movie While You Were Sleeping, starring Sandra Bullock and Bill Pullman. The song was also released as a single in mid-1995, peaking at #44 in the UK for a total of three weeks.

The single was released within Europe only on CD single. The main European version of the CD single featured two tracks, the a-side duet and the 1990 Springfield hit "Reputation". The European Maxi CD single featured four tracks; the a-side, a remix of the a-side titled "Wherever Would I Be (Walter A. Mix)", a solo version of "Wherever Would I Be" with the vocal handled by Springfield alone and the 1990 hit "Reputation".

The UK Maxi CD single featured four tracks; the a-side, a track from her "A Very Fine Love" album titled "All I Have To Offer You Is Love", the 1990 hit "Reputation" and the solo version of "Wherever Would I Be". Another UK Maxi CD single featured another four tracks; the a-side, a remix of the 1990 album track "Daydreaming", titled "Daydreaming (Edited 12" Master)", the edited single mix of "Arrested by You" and the remix of the a-side titled "Wherever Would I Be (Walter A. Mix)". A UK promotional CD single was also released, featuring just the a-side alone.

For both versions of the single, the artwork consisted of two zoomed-in shots of Springfield, taken from the artwork for the album "A Very Fine Love".

A music video was created for the duet.

Critical reception
In a review of the A Very Fine Love album, Bruce Eder of AllMusic commented, "Indeed, the performances and the songs here stack up favorably next to, say, "Brand New Me", her early-'70s intersection with Philly soul. One song here, "Where Would I Be?", which features a duet with Daryl Hall, got a little play for being in the movie While You Were Sleeping, but otherwise, sad to say, this album passed relatively unnoticed for most of the public." Sarra Manning from Melody Maker viewed it as "a faux sincere duet". Amy Raphael from NME wrote, "If this is not the theme to Forrest Gump II, it should be."

Track listing

 * CD single (European release)
 * 1) "Wherever Would I Be" - 3:52
 * 2) "Reputation" - 4:10


 * CD maxi-single (European release)
 * 1) "Wherever Would I Be" - 3:53
 * 2) "Wherever Would I Be (Walter A. Mix)" - 4:00
 * 3) "Wherever Would I Be (Dusty Solo)" - 3:53
 * 4) "Reputation" - 4:10


 * CD maxi-single (UK release #1)
 * 1) "Wherever Would I Be" - 3:52
 * 2) "All I Have to Offer You is Love" - 3:47
 * 3) "Reputation" - 4:10
 * 4) "Wherever Would I Be (Dusty Solo)" - 3:51


 * CD maxi-single (UK release #2)
 * 1) "Wherever Would I Be" - 3:56
 * 2) "Daydreaming (Edited 12" Master)" - 8:18
 * 3) "Arrested by You (Single Version)" - 3:50
 * 4) "Wherever Would I Be (Walter A. Mix)" - 4:00


 * CD single (UK promo release)
 * 1) "Wherever Would I Be" - 3:53

Personnel

 * Dusty Springfield - lead vocal
 * Daryl Hall - lead vocal


 * Production
 * Tom Shapiro - producer of "Wherever Would I Be" and "All I Have To Offer You Is Love", arranger on "Wherever Would I Be (Walter A. Mix)"
 * Brian Tankersley - recording and mixing on "Wherever Would I Be" and "Wherever Would I Be (Walter A. Mix)"
 * Walter Afanasieff - additional production and arrangement on "Wherever Would I Be (Walter A. Mix)"
 * Jay Healy - recording on "Wherever Would I Be (Walter A. Mix)"
 * Dana Jon Chappelle - recording and mixing on "Wherever Would I Be (Walter A. Mix)"
 * Mick Guzauski - mixing on "Wherever Would I Be (Walter A. Mix)"
 * Andy Richards - producer of "Reputation"
 * Julian Mendelsohn, Pet Shop Boys - producers of "Daydreaming (Edited 12" Master)"
 * Paul Staveley O'Duffy - producer of "Arrested by You"


 * Other
 * John Geary - illustration
 * Stylorouge - design

Other cover versions

 * In 1993, American rock singer Henry Lee Summer released a cover of the song on his album Slamdunk.
 * In 1997, a Diane Warren promotional six-disc set titled A Passion for Music featured four CDs of the hits of Diane Warren from 1983-1997 and two CDs of hidden classics in their original demo form. Amongst the demo versions was the original demo of "Wherever Would I Be", performed by Warren herself.