(June 30, 2025) “If This World Were Mine,” one of the many classic duets featuring Tammi Terrell and Marvin Gaye, has always been ripe for remaking and reimagining. Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn’s 1982 remake that became the slow jam played at every house party during the 1980s is the best known.
A new generation of creatives use the song as the canvas on which they create new art. Kendrick Lamar and SZA took the bass line and Vandross’s opening vocal to create a mesmerizing fusion of hip-hop and R&B, and now Claes Rosen uses the opening line the runway to transform the song into a lush and atmospheric EDM/disco tune.
Rosen, a Swedish music producer, has been making electronic music for more than a decade. Rosen said his conception of the “If This World Were Mine” is something he has been working on for more than 10 years. “It started as a remix idea that didn’t quite land, so I shelved it – until years later when I reopened the project and instantly felt its potential.”
Still, the project remained stalled until the pandemic hit, and the song’s theme about having the power to create the world he imagined took on a different meaning. Rosen decided to push forward – negotiating rights and reworking the song. “Along the way, I kept getting messages from people who had heard the unofficial version – telling me it helped them through grief, illness and difficult times.”
Check out Claes Rosen’s reimagining of “If This World Were Mine” here.
By Howard Dukes
