"A Song for You" is a song written and originally recorded by rock singer and pianist Leon Russell for his first solo album '' Leon Russell'', which was released in 1970 on Shelter Records. A slow, pained plea for forgiveness and understanding from an estranged lover, the tune is one of Russell's best-known compositions. Russell not only sings and plays piano on the recording, but also plays the tenor horn that is accompanying. It has been performed and recorded by over 200 artists, spanning many musical genres. Elton John has called the song an American classic. One of the first versions of the song that brought it broader attention was by Andy Williams, whose single peaked at number 29 on the

adult contemporary chart The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by stat ...

and number 82 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1971.

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

recorded a version that earned him the 1994 Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. Other notable versions were recorded by the Carpenters in 1972 and

Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and composer. Hancock started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. He shortly thereafter joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he hel ...

in 2005. On January 17, 2018, "A Song for You" was added to Grammy Hall of Fame.

Notable cover versions

"A Song for You" has been covered many times since its release. The most notable versions include the following: *1971 – Andy Williams recorded the song for his covers album, ''

You've Got a Friend "You've Got a Friend" is a 1971 song written by American singer, songwriter, and musician Carole King. It was first recorded by King and included on her second studio album, '' Tapestry'' (1971). Another well-known version is by James Taylor ...

''. His version rose to number 29 on the Easy Listening chart (today's Adult Contemporary) in September 1971. At the same time it hit number 82 on the main pop singles chart. *1971 –

Donny Hathaway Donny Edward Hathaway (October 1, 1945 – January 13, 1979) was an American soul singer, keyboardist, songwriter, and arranger whom ''Rolling Stone'' described as a "soul legend". His most popular songs include " The Ghetto", "This Christmas ...

recorded the song for his second album ''Donny Hathaway'', featuring orchestral string and woodwind parts arranged by Arif Mardin. Hathaway's producer Jerry Wexler wrote that this version revealed why Mardin was known for the "fastest growing reputation among the new breed of arrangers..." Hathaway's

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...

-inflected interpretation has been praised as redefining the song as his own. His live performances were electrifying, evoking a near-religious experience for the audience. *1972 – The Carpenters used the song for the name of their hit album '' A Song for You'', and included it as the first track and the last track (in the form of a reprise). The Carpenters took Leon Russell's lyrical idea and expanded it to frame their whole album as a concept album. Though the song itself was not released as a single by the Carpenters, they performed it on a

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in more than 70 short and feature films, with ...

television special that aired on October 5, 1972. Their version is considered a standard of

adult contemporary music Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, qu ...

. *1972 – Peggy Lee recorded the song on her 1972 album

Norma Deloris Egstrom from Jamestown, North Dakota ''Norma Deloris Egstrom from Jamestown, North Dakota'' is a 1972 album by Peggy Lee. It was her final album for Capitol Records, her label since 1957 and, prior to that, from 1944 to 1952. Peggy Lee's stage name does not appear on the cover of th ...

. *1973 –

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of ''Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and ''Stardust'' (1978 ...

sang a solo acoustic guitar version for his album ''

Shotgun Willie ''Shotgun Willie'' is the 16th studio album by Willie Nelson, released in 1973. The recording marks a change of style for Nelson, who later stated that the album "cleared his throat". When Nelson refused to sign an early extension of his contrac ...

'', using his famous guitar Trigger. With this stripped-down arrangement, Nelson brings the greatest degree of intimacy to the song. Nelson also performed the song in the 1980 movie '' Honeysuckle Rose'', and it appears on the movie's soundtrack. *1974 - Aretha Franklin recorded a version of the song. 1975 The Temptations did a cover on the Album Titled Song for You is a album by The Temptations *1993 –

recorded a version of the song on his 1993 album ''My World''. Released as a single, it reached number 104 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles, and won him a Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. Charles also performed the song at New York's Beacon Theatre on April 9, 2003, as part of Willie Nelson's 70th birthday tribute (released on DVD as ''Willie Nelson and Friends: Live & Kickin''). Leon Russell sang the first verse, Willie Nelson sang the second verse, and Charles sang the remainder of the song in this unforgettable performance. Nelson, who stood nearby during Charles' performance, was visibly moved. *2005 –

featuring Christina Aguilera. This version charted at number 11 on ''Billboard'' Smooth Jazz Airplay chart in May 2006. It was also nominated for

Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals The Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality pop songs on which singers c ...

at the 2006 Grammy Awards. Hancock and Aguilera performed a live rendition at the ceremony. *2008 –

Bizzy Bone Bryon Anthony McCane II (born September 12, 1976),Whitburn, Joel (2008) ''Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–2006'', Record Research, , p. 97 better known by his stage name Bizzy Bone, is an American rapper, singer and the youngest member ...

featuring DMX & Chris Notez, rose to number 61 on the US ''Billboard''

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

chart. *2009 – Whitney Houston recorded an uptempo version of the song for her final studio album I Look To You. Houston also performed a slowed down version of the song in 1991 at her Welcome Home Heroes with Whitney Houston concert. It was reported that Russell was so moved by the performance that he personally wrote her a letter expressing his admiration of her rendition of his song. *2011 – Amy Winehouse recorded a soulful version from her home that was included on the posthumous Lioness: Hidden Treasures compilation album. She was specifically covering the Donny Hathaway version and references him at the end of the recording.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Song For You 1970s ballads Pop ballads Columbia Records singles Virgin Records singles 1970 singles 1971 singles 1972 singles 2005 singles 2006 singles 2008 singles Songs written by Leon Russell Leon Russell songs Andy Williams songs Herbie Hancock songs Christina Aguilera songs The Carpenters songs 1970 songs Ray Charles songs Song recordings produced by Dick Glasser