Tonic’s “If You Could Only See” Was Not Intended as a Single, Singer Reveals
The 1997 hit song “If You Could Only See” by the band Tonic was a surprising success, as it wasn’t initially planned to be released as a single, according to frontman Emerson Hart.
Hart revealed in a resurfaced 2014 interview that the song gained traction after Los Angeles radio program director Kevin Weatherly added it to the playlist at KROQ, despite the band’s intention to release “Casual Affair” as the follow-up to their first single, “Open Up Your Eyes.” “We had not planned for that to be the second single,” Hart said. “It was going to be ‘Casual Affair,’ which was a heavier rock song… He added it and, man, that just – it was from bus to plane.” The unexpected success propelled Tonic from touring in a van to traveling by plane, demonstrating the power of radio play in the pre-streaming era.
“If You Could Only See” became the most played song on rock radio stations in 1997 and remains popular today, with over 218 million streams on Spotify. Hart, who wrote the song about a relationship his family disapproved of, expressed his continued gratitude for the track’s impact. “I’m so grateful for that song… It’s so amazing to have a song that has been such a part of different people’s lives,” he stated. Tonic has since released five albums and earned two Grammy nominations, including for their 2002 album “Head on Straight.”
Hart continues to perform both as a solo artist and with Tonic, and the band is scheduled to perform on the ‘90s Cruise in January. Representatives for Tonic have not yet responded to requests for comment regarding future tour dates.
