"This Will Be" is a song written by

Chuck Jackson Charles Benjamin Jackson (July 22, 1937 – February 16, 2023) was an American R&B singer who was one of the first artists to record material by Burt Bacharach and Hal David successfully. He performed with moderate success starting in 1961. Hi ...

and Marvin Yancy, arranged by Richard Evans and performed by American singer

Natalie Cole Natalie Maria Cole (February 6, 1950 – December 31, 2015) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She was the daughter of singer and jazz pianist Nat King Cole. She rose to prominence in the mid-1970s, with the release of her debut ...

. Often appended with "(An Everlasting Love)" but not released as such, this was Cole's debut single, released in April 1975 and one of her biggest hits, becoming a number-one R&B and number-six pop smash in the United States, also reaching the UK Top 40. Cole won a

Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (previously called Best Rhythm and Blues Solo Vocal Performance, Female) was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Award ...

, a category that had previously been dominated by

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Honored as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Soul", she was twice named by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as the Roll ...

. It would also help her win the

Grammy Award for Best New Artist The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since the 2nd Annual Grammy Awards in 1960 (except in 1967) "for a new artist who releases, during the Eligibility Year, the first recording which establishes the public identity of that art ...

. Having been repeatedly rejected by other record companies, Cole sent demos to Larkin Arnold, CEO of

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

, who agreed to release the song. Jackson and Yancy had written the song at the end of sessions for Arnold, just as he and Cole were about to leave town.

In popular culture

The song has featured in several films: * '' While You Were Sleeping'' (1995) * '' The Parent Trap'' (1998) (end title) * '' Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle'' (2003) * ''

A Cinderella Story ''A Cinderella Story'' is a 2004 American teen romantic comedy film directed by Mark Rosman, written by Leigh Dunlap and starring Hilary Duff, Chad Michael Murray, Jennifer Coolidge, and Regina King. A modernization of the classic ''Cinderel ...

'' (2004) * ''

Taxi A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a Driving, driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of thei ...

'' (2004) * '' Bride Wars'' (2009) It was featured in an episode of the South Korean television show, '' Coffee Prince'' in 2007. In 2012 the song was also used in the "Lip Sync for Your Life" segment of the third episode of the fourth season of the reality competition series ''

RuPaul's Drag Race ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' is an American reality competition television series, the first in the Drag Race (franchise), ''Drag Race'' franchise, produced by World of Wonder (company), World of Wonder for Logo TV (season 1–8), WOW Presents Plus, ...

'', which also featured Cole as a guest judge. Contestant

DiDa Ritz DiDa Ritz is the stage name of Xavier Hairston, an American drag performer who competed on season 4 of ''RuPaul's Drag Race''. Dida Ritz is based in Chicago, where she performs regularly and hosts ''Drag Race'' viewing parties. Her performance ...

's performance of the song has since been acclaimed as one of the best in the show's history and received admiration from Cole herself.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

* Song reviewon

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

{{Authority control 1975 songs 1975 debut singles Natalie Cole songs Pop ballads Songs written by Marvin Yancy Capitol Records singles