"Without You" is a song written by

Pete Ham Peter William Ham (27 April 1947 – 24 April 1975) was a Welsh singer, songwriter and guitarist best known as a lead vocalist of and composer for the 1970s rock band Badfinger, whose hit songs include " No Matter What", " Day After Day" and " ...

and Tom Evans of British rock group Badfinger, and first released on their 1970 album '' No Dice''. The

power ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner.J. ...

has been recorded by over 180 artists, and versions released as singles by

Harry Nilsson Harry Edward Nilsson III (June 15, 1941 – January 15, 1994), sometimes credited as Nilsson, was an American singer-songwriter who reached the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. His work is characterized by pioneering vocal ov ...

(1971), T. G. Sheppard (1983) and

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the w ...

(1994) became international best-sellers. The Nilsson version was included in 2021's ''Rolling Stone''s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

once described the

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or '' ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

as "the killer song of all time".Paul McCartne
VH1 Behind The Music
, Retrieved 10 June 2009 In 1972, writers Ham and Evans received the British Academy's Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically.

Badfinger original

First recorded by the rock group Badfinger, the song was composed by two of its members.

wrote a song originally titled "If It's Love", but it had lacked a strong chorus. At the time of writing, the band shared residence with the Mojos at

7 Park Avenue ''7 Park Avenue'' is the first of four posthumous CD releases of demo material recorded by Badfinger's Pete Ham. The recordings are taken from various eras, beginning with compositions he wrote during his years with The Iveys from 1967 to 1969, ...

in Golders Green. One evening, in the midst of the parties, songwriting, touring, in Golders Green, Ham and his girlfriend Beverly Tucker were about to go out for the evening. But just as they were leaving Tom Evans said he had an idea for a song – Ham said, "Not tonight, I've promised Bev." But she thought he would be wondering if he had done the right thing later, if he went out. She told him, "Go into the studio, I'm fine about it..." He replied, "Your mouth is smiling, but your eyes are sad." The song Ham wrote that night was called "If it's Love" and has the verse "Well I can't forget tomorrow, when I think of all my sorrow, I had you there but then I let you go, and now it's only fair that I should let you know... if it's love". But Ham wasn't happy with the chorus. Evans' relationship with his future wife Marianne influenced his lyrics: Both Ham and Evans said they did not consider the song to have much potential at the time Badfinger recorded it, and the track was slotted to close the first side of their 1970 album ''No Dice''. Badfinger's recording of the song, which is more brusque than its successors' versions, was not released as a single in Europe or North America. The two writers of the song, Ham and Evans, later committed suicide due to legal and financial issues. In Evans' case, it was a dispute over songwriting royalties for "Without You" that precipitated his action. Songwriting royalties had become the subject of constant legal wrangling for Evans, and in 1983, following an acrimonious argument with his bandmate Joey Molland over the royalties for the song, Evans hanged himself.

Harry Nilsson version

Background

, at the time best known for his hit " Everybody's Talkin'" and for composing "

One 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

", recorded by

Three Dog Night Three Dog Night is an American rock band formed in 1967, with founding members consisting of vocalists Danny Hutton, Cory Wells, and Chuck Negron. This lineup was soon augmented by Jimmy Greenspoon (keyboards), Joe Schermie (bass), Michael A ...

, heard Badfinger's recording of "Without You" at a party, and mistook it for a

Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developm ...

song. After realising it was not, he decided to

cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of copy ...

the song for his 1971 album ''

Nilsson Schmilsson ''Nilsson Schmilsson'' is the seventh studio album by American singer Harry Nilsson, released by RCA Records in November 1971. It was Nilsson's most commercially successful work, producing three of his best-known songs. Among these was the num ...

''. The single was released by RCA in the autumn of 1971, and it first charted on radio stations across the US in early December. "Without You" debuted at number 99 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 on 18 December 1971, and on its tenth week, in the chart dated 19 February 1972, started its four-week run at number one. ''Billboard'' ranked it as the number-four single of 1972. The record topped ''Billboard''s

Easy Listening 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 sta ...

for five weeks. The record spent five weeks at number one on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, beginning on 11 March, eventually selling almost 800,000 copies. It went to number one in several other countries, including Australia (for five weeks), Ireland (two weeks) and New Zealand (two weeks). The single, Grammy-nominated for Record of the Year, was produced by Richard Perry, who later explained, "It was a different record for its time. It was a big ballad with a heavy backbeat, and although many artists have cut songs like it since, no one was doing it then." Gary Wright, who worked with Badfinger on George Harrison's projects, played the piano. Also featured are Klaus Voormann (bass),

Jim Keltner James Lee Keltner (born April 27, 1942) is an American drummer and percussionist known primarily for his session work. He was characterized by Bob Dylan biographer Howard Sounes as "the leading session drummer in America". Howard Sounes. ''Dow ...

(drums) and John Uribe (acoustic guitar). The string and horn arrangements are by

Paul Buckmaster Paul John Buckmaster (13 June 1946 – 7 November 2017) was a Grammy Award-winning British cellist, arranger, conductor and composer, with a career spanning five decades. He is best known for his orchestral collaborations with David Bowie, Sha ...

. In 1973, the single won Nilsson the Grammy award for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male. While Nilsson rarely gave live concerts, he did perform the song with

Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...

and his All-Starr Band at Caesar's Palace in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Veg ...

in September 1992. In 2021, this version was ranked 496th on ''Rolling Stone''s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Harry Nilsson track listing

Worldwide Single # "Without You" – 3:17 # "Gotta Get Up" – 2:24 EP (Portugal) # "Without You" – 3:17 # "The Moonbeam Song" – 3:18 # "Gotta Get Up" – 2:24 # "Jump Into The Fire" – 3:32

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

All-time charts

Certifications

Personnel

According to the 1971 LP credits: *

– vocals * Gary Wright – piano * John Uribe – acoustic guitar * Klaus Voormann – bass guitar *

– drums *

– string and French horn

arrangement In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orche ...

Mariah Carey version

Background

American singer and songwriter

's version, based on Harry Nilsson's version rather than the Badfinger original, was released as the third single off '' Music Box'' in the first quarter of 1994, its US release date of 24 January 1994 falling just over a week after Nilsson had died following a heart attack on 15 January 1994. In the US "Without You" was promoted as a double A-side with " Never Forget You". While she had heard Nilsson's version as a very young girl, Carey's decision to remake his hit was based on a chance hearing during the time she was recording ''Music Box'': "I heard that song in a restaurant and just knew it would be a huge international hit" recalls Carey. Carey's version has been considered very popular on talent shows. "Without You" was later included on some non-US pressings of her compilation albums '' #1's'' (1998) and '' #1 to Infinity'' (2015), and her 2001 compilation, ''

Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

''. "Without You" was also included on her 2008 compilation '' The Ballads''. In February 2008, Carey's version was performed in severely broken English on the Bulgarian talent show ''Music Idol'' by contestant Valentina Hasan, spawning a global meme called "Ken Lee" (misinterpretation of the line "Can't live").

Chart performance

"Without You" reached number three on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for six weeks, remaining in the top 40 for 21 weeks and on the chart for 23. It reached number two on both the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 Airplay and ''

Radio & Records ''Radio & Records'' (''R&R'') was a trade publication providing news and airplay information for the radio and music industries. It started as an independent trade from 1973 to 2006 until VNU Media took over in 2006 and became a relaunched sister ...

'' pop charts (ending Carey's streak of consecutive number ones on the latter chart; all ten of her previous singles had gone to the top), and number three on the

Hot 100 Singles Sales The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in '' Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, p ...

. It was certified platinum by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...

and sold 600,000 copies domestically. It was ranked 16 on the Hot 100 1994 year-end charts. In Canada, it peaked at number four. "Without You" remains Carey's biggest hit across Europe. In the United Kingdom, where Carey had yet to score a number one hit, "Without You" made its UK chart debut at number one where it remained for four weeks in total, and later ended as the 7th best-selling single of 1994 in the United Kingdom. Additionally, Carey achieved a "Chart Double" in the UK, with both "Without You" and the album '' Music Box'' holding the top spot at the same time. In the UK, "Without You" was Carey's only number-one solo hit although she has since topped the charts with her collaboration with

Westlife Westlife is an Irish pop vocal group formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1998. The group currently consists of members Shane Filan, Mark Feehily, Kian Egan, and Nicky Byrne. Brian McFadden was a member, until he left in 2004. The group temporar ...

: " Against All Odds" in 2000, until Carey scored a second number-one solo hit with " All I Want for Christmas Is You" in 2020. "Without You" was certified platinum in the UK with combined sales and streams of 600,000. It was a runaway success across Europe, in which it topped the

European Hot 100 Singles The European Hot 100 Singles was compiled by '' Billboard'' and '' Music & Media'' magazine from March 1984 until December 2010. The chart was based on national singles sales charts in 17 European countries: Austria, Belgium (two charts separately ...

chart for two weeks. "Without You" reached number one for ten weeks in Switzerland; eight weeks in Austria and Sweden; seven weeks in Belgium; five weeks in Ireland and the Netherlands; four weeks in Germany and Iceland; and two weeks in Scotland, where Carey's success had previously been limited. The song also peaked at number two in France and Denmark; at number three in Norway; and at number four in Lithuania. "Without You" was certified platinum in Germany and Austria by IFPI, and gold in France by SNEP. Being a number-three hit for Carey in Australia, "Without You" topped the charts in New Zealand for one week. It was certified 2× platinum in Australia by

ARIA In music, an aria ( Italian: ; plural: ''arie'' , or ''arias'' in common usage, diminutive form arietta , plural ariette, or in English simply air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrumental or orchestral accompa ...

, and gold in New Zealand by

RIANZ Recorded Music NZ (formerly the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ)) is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell recorded music in New Zealand. Membership of Recorded M ...

Critical reception

Scottish newspaper '' Aberdeen Press and Journal'' described the song as "inspirational".

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the music ...

from ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

'' wrote, "Carey offers a faithful rendition of the eternally sweet pop ballad". He added, "Song's arrangement is infused with all the romance and drama it requires, with Carey rising above the mix with a vocal that is more heartfelt and gutsy than note-scaling and acrobatic." Troy J. Augusto from ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an onli ...

'' stated that "Carey has thankfully learned the important difference between dynamic control and sonic overkill, never more evident than here. Her recent short concert tour revealed Mariah to be an anxious, under-confident live performer, but this song, with its accompanying tale of her own childhood loneliness made "Without You" the show's climax. Expect a long chart life." David Browne of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular ...

'' called Carey's cover a "by-the-numbers remake of Nilsson's melodramatic 1972 hit." John Kilgo from ''The Network Forty'' wrote that "exhibiting her dynamic vocal range with powerful emotion, Mariah scores again with her rendition of Harry Nilsson's chart topper." A reviewer from '' People Magazine'' noted that "she takes on a sensuality—in a lower register—that is often sacrificed for her "look Ma, no hands" vocal fireworks." Pop Rescue stated that "Without You" gives the singer "a ton of space to really let her vocals reach wherever they want to", adding it as "an epic track, and a fantastic showcase of her vocals."

Stephen Holden Stephen Holden (born July 18, 1941) is an American writer, poet, and music and film critic. Biography Holden earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Yale University in 1963. He worked as a photo editor, staff writer, and eventually be ...

of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' called it the "likeliest contender" for

s like "

I Will Always Love You "I Will Always Love You" is a song written and originally recorded in 1973 by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. Written as a farewell to her business partner and mentor Porter Wagoner, expressing Parton's decision to pursue a solo career, ...

", praising how Carey "dips into her lower register and is accompanied by backup singers (including herself) magnified to sound like a mighty

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 ...

chorus."

Track listing

* Worldwide CD single # "Without You" – 3:38 # " Never Forget You" – 3:45 * European maxi-CD single #1 # "Without You" – 3:38 # "Never Forget You" – 3:45 # " Dreamlover (live from ''

Here Is Mariah Carey ''Here Is Mariah Carey'', also known as ''Mariah Carey'' or ''This Is Mariah Carey'', is the third video album by American singer Mariah Carey. It presents Carey performing live at Proctor's Theatre in Schenectady, New York, in July 1993, and al ...

'')" – 4:09 * European maxi-CD single #2 # "Without You" – 3:38 # "

Vision of Love "Vision of Love" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey for her eponymous debut studio album (1990). It was written by Carey and Ben Margulies. After being featured on Carey's demo tape for Columbia Records, the song was ...

" – 3:28 # " I'll Be There" (Featuring Trey Lorenz) – 4:28 # " Love Takes Time" – 3:48

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

All-time charts

Certifications and sales

Other versions

* in 1975: Ruby Winters (single/ No. 95 R&B) * in 1977:

Susie Allanson Susan Allanson (born March 17, 1952 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is an American country music actress, recording artist and writer. Susie was raised in Southern California and lived in Las Vegas for the early part of her life. Before beginning her ...

(album ''A Little Love'') (also 1979 single/ No. 77 C&W);

Heart The heart is a muscular Organ (biology), organ in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as ca ...

(album ''

Magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...

'') * in 1983: Herman van Veen (album ''On Broadway''); T. G. Sheppard (album ''Greatest Hits'') (also single/ No. 12 C&W) * in 1991: Air Supply (album '' The Earth Is...'') (also single/ No. 48 A/C); * in 1991: "Ohne dich" ("without you") by Frank Schöbel (

East Germany East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In t ...

) * in 2008: "Ken Lee" by Valentina Hasan

ASCAP and Ivor Novello recognition

On 15 May 1995, at

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

's twelfth annual Pop Music Awards in Beverly Hills, California, "Without You" was recognised as one of the 50 most-played songs of 1994 (due largely to Mariah Carey's recording). Discrepancies in ASCAP's books, resulting from a lawsuit against the Ham and Evans estates by their former manager, incorrectly attributed the song as being composed not only by Ham and Evans, but also by Badfinger's other bandmembers, Mike Gibbins and Joey Molland, and their former manager, Bill Collins. This designation and a lack of correction by ASCAP prompted the Ham Estate to boycott the ceremony. The song was also nominated for "Song of the Year" in London at the Ivor Novello Awards., page 395, Matovina, Dan
Without You: The Tragic Story of Badfinger
Google Books, 2000. Retrieved 17 June 2009

References

Sources

External links

* Lyrics of this song* {{Authority control 1970 songs 1970s ballads 1971 singles 1994 singles Air Supply songs Apple Records singles Badfinger songs Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles Columbia Records singles Curb Records singles Dutch Top 40 number-one singles European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles Giant Records (Warner) singles Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance Harry Nilsson songs Heart (band) songs Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Mariah Carey songs Mushroom Records singles Number-one singles in Germany Number-one singles in Iceland Number-one singles in Italy Number-one singles in Scotland Number-one singles in Sweden Number-one singles in Switzerland Pandora (musical group) songs RCA Records singles Rock ballads Shirley Bassey songs Song recordings produced by Buddy Killen Song recordings produced by Geoff Emerick Song recordings produced by Mike Flicker Song recordings produced by Richard Perry Song recordings produced by Walter Afanasieff Songs about loneliness Songs written by Pete Ham Songs written by Tom Evans (musician) Sony Music singles T. G. Sheppard songs Torch songs United Artists Records singles UK Singles Chart number-one singles Warner Records singles

Badfinger original

Harry Nilsson version

Background

Harry Nilsson track listing

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

All-time charts

Certifications

Personnel

Mariah Carey version

Background

Chart performance

Critical reception

Track listing

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

All-time charts

Certifications and sales

Other versions

ASCAP and Ivor Novello recognition

See also

References

Sources

External links