You Can Get It If You Really Want
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| "You Can Get It If You Really Want" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 UK 7" vinyl single cover | ||||
| Single by Desmond Dekker | ||||
| from the album You Can Get It If You Really Want | ||||
| B-side | "Perseverance" | |||
| Released |
| |||
| Genre | Reggae | |||
| Length | 2:44 | |||
| Label | Trojan | |||
| Songwriter | Jimmy Cliff | |||
| Producers |
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| Desmond Dekker singles chronology | ||||
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"You Can Get It If You Really Want" is a reggae song written and originally recorded by Jamaican singer songwriter Jimmy Cliff and released as a single in July 1970. Another version, recorded by Jamaican singer Desmond Dekker and released within a few weeks of Cliff's version, became a hit single in a number of markets, reaching number 2 on the UK Singles Chart.[1]
Weekly charts
| Chart (1970–71) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Go-Set)[2] | 12 |
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[3] | 17 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[4] | 35 |
| Germany (GfK)[5] | 9 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[6] | 17 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[7] | 17 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[8] | 4 |
| South Africa (Springbok Radio)[9] | 4 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[1] | 2 |
| US Bubbling Under Hot 100 (Billboard)[10] | 3 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1970) | Position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[11] | 23 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[12] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Covers
- Desmond Dekker released a successful cover version in 1970.
- The UK's Jamaican origin reggae band The Cimarons released it as a single in 1974.
- The song has been covered by a great number of artists including by Italian pop singer Sabrina (Sabrina Salerno) in her 1991 album Over the Pop and by Stiff Little Fingers on their 1999 album Hope Street where the song is retitled "You Can Get It (If Yu Really Want It)".
- French singer Johnny Hallyday sang it in French under the title T'as le bonjour de l'amour released on his album Hollywood in 1979.
- American ska band, The Siren Six, covered the song for their album Young and Professional in 1998.
