Without You
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- For other songs titled "Without You", see List of sets of unrelated songs with identical titles.
Template:Infobox Single{{Chronology
| Artist = Air Supply | Type = singles | Last single = ??? | This single = "Without You"
(1991) | Next single = ??? }}{{Chronology | Artist = Mariah Carey | Type = singles | Last single = "Hero"
(1993) | This single = "Without You" / "Never Forget You"
(1994) | Next single = "Anytime You Need a Friend"
(1994) }}
}} "Without You" is a song originally recorded by Badfinger for their album No Dice (1970), written by Peter Ham and Tom Evans and produced by Geoff Emerick. It was first composed when Peter Ham had written a ballad called "If It's Love" that lacked a strong chorus. Tom Evans had written a chorus without a strong verse. Sensing the opportunity, the two fused the separate compositions together. The protagonist of this ballad lets a lover know that they "can't live if living is without you". Both Peter Ham and Tom Evans eventually committed suicide by hanging themselves, Ham on 24 April 1975, and Evans on 19 November 1983. The suicides were unrelated (see Badfinger).
"Without You" became a hit single after being covered by Harry Nilsson for his album Nilsson Schmilsson in 1971 (see 1971 in music); it stayed at the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks, from February 13 to March 11 1971. It replaced "Let's Stay Together" by Al Green, and was replaced by Neil Young's "Heart of Gold". The song has been covered by several other artists, including:
- Shirley Bassey, for the album And I Love You So released in August 1972 (see 1972 in music);
- the rock band Heart, for the album Magazine released in April 1978 (see 1978 in music);
- the band Air Supply, for the album The Earth Is... released in 1991 (see 1991 in music);
- Mariah Carey, for the album Music Box released in 1993 (see 1993 in music);
- Kelly Clarkson, during the 2002 season of the American Idol television singing competition.
Image:WY1.jpg Mariah Carey co-produced her cover of the song with Walter Afanasieff, and the production is based on Harry Nilsson's version. It was released as the album's third single in the first quarter of 1994 (see 1994 in music), and in the United States it was released on January 15 1994, the day that Nilsson died of heart failure. In the U.S., it was promoted as a double A-side with "Never Forget You" and reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100, remaining in the top forty for twenty-one weeks. Both radio airplay and sales were strong, and it was certified gold by the RIAA. It was ranked sixteenth on the Hot 100 1994 year-end charts.
"Without You" is Carey's biggest hit outside the U.S. and was largely successful across Europe. It became her first UK number-one single, and as of 2006 it is her only number one there as a solo artist. It stayed at number one for four weeks and became her third number-one single in Brazil. It was also her first chart-topper in Italy, but was most successful in Switzerland (with ten non-consecutive weeks at number one) and the Netherlands (twelve weeks). It also topped the singles chart in Germany for four weeks, where Carey's success had previously been limited. It was able to make the top three in Canada, France, Norway and Australia. "Without You" was later included on some non-U.S. pressings of her compilation album #1's (1998).
The single's video, directed by Larry Jordan, is derived from Carey's 1993 concert at Proctor Theatre. In addition to "Never Forget You", the UK CD single for "Without You" included a live recording of "Dreamlover" (1993).
Charts
| Chart (1994) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 1 | 3 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles Sales 1 | 3 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Airplay | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 1 | 7 |
| U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard Rhythmic Top 40 | 9 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary | 4 |
| U.S. ARC Weekly Top 40 | 1 (4 weeks) |
| Netherlands Top 100 Singles | 1 (12 weeks) |
| Switzerland Top 100 Singles | 1 (10 weeks) |
| Brazil Singles Chart | 1 |
| Finnish Singles Chart | 1 |
| Germany Singles Chart | 1 |
| Italy Top 50 Singles | 1 |
| UK Singles Chart | 1 |
| Canadian Singles Chart | 2 |
| France Top 100 Singles | 2 |
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart | 3 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 3 |
1 "Without You"/"Never Forget You".
See also
References
- Without You: The Tragic Story of Badfinger. ISBN 0965712214. (Origination of the song lyrics.)