What If (Creed song)

"What If"
Single by Creed
from the album Human Clay and Scream 3: The Album
ReleasedJanuary 4, 2000 (2000-01-04)[1]
Length
  • 5:18 (album version)
  • 4:55 (radio edit)
LabelWind-up
Songwriters
ProducerJohn Kurzweg
Creed singles chronology
"Higher"
(1999)
"What If"
(2000)
"With Arms Wide Open"
(2000)
Music video
"What If" on YouTube

"What If" is a song by American rock band Creed. It was released on January 4, 2000, as the second single from their second studio album, Human Clay (1999), and as the lead single from Scream 3: The Album (2000), the first of two albums released to promote the 2000 slasher film Scream 3. Written by singer Scott Stapp and guitarist Mark Tremonti, the song has been compared to "Bullets" from the band's third studio album, Weathered (2001).[2]

"What If" was similarly successful to the other three singles from Human Clay. While not entering the US Billboard Hot 100, the song peaked at No. 15 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, No. 3 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, and No. 2 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100.

Music video

The music video was directed by David Meyers and it features David Arquette reprising his role as Dewey Riley. The story revolves around Dewey getting call at 11:36 pm from Ghostface that sets off a chain of events at Sunrise Studios, the fictional filming location seen in Scream 3 where the Stab films were filmed. Each member of Creed starts getting killed by the killer who tries to stalk their respective girlfriends, only for them and Dewey to discover that the band created the prank. The real killer calls Dewey again, saying they're not finished yet before he starts attacking him from above which then cuts to black.[3] The music video can be found in the home media releases of Scream 3.

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for "What If"
Chart (2000) Peak
position
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 (Billboard)[4] 2
US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[5] 15
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[6] 3

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for "What If"
Chart (2000) Position
US Mainstream Rock Tracks (Billboard)[7] 11
US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)[8] 49

References

  1. ^ "Going for Adds". Radio & Records. No. 1330. December 17, 1999. pp. 97, 102.
  2. ^ Lamothe, Dan (December 5, 2001). "Inconsistency mars Creed's new album". Massachusetts Daily Collegian. Retrieved June 12, 2025.
  3. ^ "What If - Creed". Vevo. September 15, 2009. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  4. ^ "Creed Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  5. ^ "Creed Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  6. ^ "Creed Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
  7. ^ "Most Played Mainstream Rock Songs of 2000" (PDF). Airplay Monitor. Vol. 8, no. 51. December 22, 2000. p. 33. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  8. ^ "Most Played Modern Rock Songs of 2000" (PDF). Airplay Monitor. Vol. 8, no. 51. December 22, 2000. p. 38. Retrieved August 20, 2021.