Only You (Yazoo song)

Last updated

"Only You"
YazooOnly you.jpg
Single by Yazoo
from the album Upstairs at Eric's
B-side
Released15 March 1982
RecordedJanuary 1982
Genre
Length3:11
Label Mute
Songwriter(s) Vince Clarke
Producer(s)
Yazoo singles chronology
"Only You"
(1982)		"Don't Go"
(1982)
Music video
"Only You" (1999 Remix) on YouTube

"Only You" is a song by English synth-pop duo Yazoo. It was written by member Vince Clarke, while he was still with Depeche Mode, but recorded in 1982 after he formed Yazoo with Alison Moyet. It was released as Yazoo's first single on 15 March 1982 in the United Kingdom, taken from their first album, Upstairs at Eric's (1982), and became an instant success on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number two on 16 May 1982. [3] It would also reach the top 10 in neighbouring Ireland as well as Australia. In the US, "Only You" was released as the band's second single in November 1982 and charted at number 67 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also made the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart (number 38).

Contents

A remix of "Only You" made the UK top 40 again in 1999, while reaching number 16 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. The music video for the new version was created using the Houdini 3D animation software package. [4]

An orchestral remix of "Only You" was created for the Boots 2017 Christmas advert on British TV. Yazoo released the track on their YouTube channel on 17 November 2017, promising that it would be released as a single-track download the following week. The remix features Moyet's original vocal with a brand new orchestral backing track.

The Flying Pickets recorded an a cappella cover of "Only You" which was the Christmas number one in the UK in December 1983. It also reached number 17 in Canada in April 1984. [5]

Becky Hill released a stripped-back version which featured in the McDonald's Christmas ad for 2022. 10 pence from every download of Hill's version in the UK until spring 2023 was donated to BBC Children in Need. The track went on to become Hill's tenth top 40 record and has accumulated over 9.9 million streams to date. [6]

Recording

In 1981, English musician Vince Clarke left the electronic band Depeche Mode, citing touring fatigue and disdain for pop stardom as his reasons for the departure. [7] Clarke was worried Mute Records would drop him as a result, and decided to write for the label a song called "Only You". [8] Clarke originally wrote the music for the song on a guitar, and transposed the riff into synthesizer notes. While writing the lyrics, Clarke remarked "It was a very simple arrangement. I just formed words on a piece of paper. I was just hoping Daniel Miller, Mute Records founder, would like it". [9] Before Clarke presented the song to Miller, he offered it to Andy Fletcher and Martin Gore of Depeche Mode, although the two of them rejected it. [10]

Clarke had written "Only You" as a sentimental ballad, and wanted to find a vocalist who could sing with emotion. [7] Around this time, the rhythm and blues band The Screamin' Ab Dabs split, and singer Alison Moyet placed an ad in Melody Maker looking for a new band. [11] Clarke had heard Moyet perform with a few other bands in the pub circuit, and felt she was a good fit for the song. He responded to the ad and asked Moyet if she was interested in singing for a demo. [9] Moyet was reluctant at first, as she never aspired to perform pop songs, and noted "A part of me was thinking I'll never hear the end of it if I go and sing with this pretty boy". She eventually agreed, saying she needed the money and had no way of making a demo on her own. [9]

Clarke recorded the demo of "Only You" on a four-track tape recorder, and had already finished the backing track when Moyet arrived. [7] Once the demo was finished, Clarke presented it to Miller, who at first found it to be uninteresting. That evening, publishing associates from Scandinavia heard the demo and liked it, which Clarke noted may have influenced Miller's opinion of the song. [9] About a week later, Miller called Clarke and told him that he and Moyet should rerecord the song as a group and release it as a single. Moyet was surprised by the news, as neither she nor Clarke had intended to start a band together. The two knew virtually nothing about each other besides musical abilities, and Moyet described the pairing as "almost like an arranged marriage". [8] Regardless, the newly formed duo recorded "Only You" at Blackwing Studios. Eric Radcliffe produced the song, along with Clarke and Miller. [12]

Composition

Gnome-mime-sound-openclipart.svg
"Only You"
An 18-second sample of "Only You" demonstrating the synth layering of the music and soulful style of Alison Moyet's singing.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"Only You" is a synth-pop and new wave [13] song with a tempo of 108 beats per minute. [14] [15] The song features an arpeggio chord progression, and is composed in the key of A major. [15] When asked about the song, Moyet said: "'Only You' has a nursery rhyme simplicity and a lack of pretension. You don't need to be a great instrumentalist to play it. It's a universal, everyman song." [9] Marcos Hassan of Tiny Mix Tapes agreed with this statement. He wrote that although "Only You" is a traditional synth-pop song, its softer and intimate sound is more reminiscent of Motown records, and ultimately described the song as "a warm and familiar extraterrestrial creature". [16] Stewart Mason of AllMusic noted the use of layered melodies performed on multiple monophonic synthesizers, which add what he called "depth and melodic substance" to the song. [14]

NME's Priva Elan wrote that the song may have initially been about Clarke's uneasy relationship with Depeche Mode, but Moyet turned the lyrics into the story of a person "looking through a scrapbook of photo-like memories". [17] Moyet's soulful, almost masculine vocals span a tonal range of F♯3 to D4. [15] [17] Mason compared Moyet's vocals to those of 1970s singer Ann Peebles. [14]

Release and reception

"Only You" was released in March 1982, as a 7" and 12" single. [12] It was the first single from their debut album Upstairs at Eric's , and was paired with the B-side "Situation". The cover art for "Only You" featured an illustration of an American football player running with the ball. [12]

"Only You" debuted at number seventy-two on the UK Singles Chart, on 11 April. [18] Over the next few weeks, the song steadily climbed the chart, and on 16 May peaked at number two, only behind the Eurovision winning song "A Little Peace". [19] "Only You" stayed within the top ten for the next three weeks, after which it began to drop in position. It spent fourteen weeks on the chart, and last appeared on 11 July. [18] During its chart run, "Only You" was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry, denoting shipments of 250,000 copies. [20]

In the United States, "Only You" debuted at number ninety on the Billboard Hot 100 on 26 February 1983. [21] The song slowly rose in positions, and on 19 March peaked at number sixty-seven, where it remained for three weeks. [22] It spent eight weeks on the chart, and last appeared on 16 April. [23]

The song was ranked at number 7 among the top ten "Tracks of the Year" for 1982 by NME, [24] and in 2012 the website ranked it at number 8 on their list of the Greatest Pop Songs in History. [17]

Track listing

  1. "Only You" – 3:10
  2. "Situation" – 2:22
  1. "Only You" – 3:10
  2. "Winter Kills" – 4:01
  1. "Only You" – 3:10
  2. "Situation" (extended version) – 5:20
  1. "Only You" – 3:10
  2. "Situation" – 2:26
  3. "Situation" (extended version) – 5:20

(*) CD released on 30 September 1996

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for "Only You"
Chart (1982)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [25] 6
Belgium (Ultratip Flanders) [26] 39
Iceland [27] 6
Ireland (IRMA) [28] 5
Italy ( Musica e dischi ) [29] 21
Portugal (AFP) [30] 18
Spain (AFYVE) [31] 19
UK Singles (OCC) [18] 2
US Billboard Hot 100 [32] 67
US Adult Contemporary Chart ( Billboard ) [33] 38
West Germany (Official German Charts) [34] 72
Zimbabwe (ZIMA) [35] 3
Chart (1999)Peak
position
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [36] 47
UK Singles (OCC) [18] 38
Chart (2021)Peak
position
Hungary (Rádiós Top 40) [37] 19

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for "Only You"
Chart (1982)Position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [38] 34

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [20] Platinum600,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Use in film and television

The song features in the films Can't Hardly Wait and The Chocolate War , and the closing scenes of the final episode of the British TV series The Office . [39] The song is also heard in the closing scene of The Americans episode "Dimebag", [40] [41] in the closing scene of the Lucifer episode "High School Poppycock", [42] the Once Upon a Time episodes "The Price" and "Dreamcatcher" (and lends its title to the 21st episode of the fifth season), the Fringe episode "Transilience Thought Unifier Model-11", [43] and over the closing scenes and credits of episode 3 of the BBC/Hulu mini-series Normal People . [44] [45] It was also the closing scenes music in the American TV series 9-1-1 episode "What's Next?" broadcast May 11, 2020. [46] An a cappella version, similar to The Flying Pickets, is performed by the cast in the 2019 film Military Wives . [47] In episode 7 of The Penguin ("Top Hat"), the song is playing in the background when young Oz returns home to his mother after leaving his brothers in the abandoned train station. [48]

Cover versions

The Flying Pickets version

"Only You"
Onlyyouflyingpickets.jpg
Single by the Flying Pickets
from the album Lost Boys
ReleasedDecember 1983
Recorded1983
Genre A cappella
Length3:15
Label Virgin
Songwriter(s) Vince Clarke
Producer(s) The Flying Pickets, John Sherry Sonet
The Flying Pickets singles chronology
"Only You"
(1983)		"When You're Young and in Love"
(1984)
Audio video
"Only You" on YouTube

An a cappella version by the Flying Pickets was even more successful than the 1982 original on the UK Singles Chart, being released towards the end of the following year and becoming the Christmas number one in 1983. It spent five weeks at the top. [49] This made "Only You" the first a cappella chart-topper in the UK. [50] The song was also the 1983 Christmas number one in Ireland. It was released on overseas markets the following year.

The Flying Pickets version went on to become a number one hit on the West German Singles Chart in 1984, [51] and also charted in Canada, [52] though it did not chart in the United States. The song also spent 5 weeks atop the Irish Singles Chart, also becoming a Christmas number one. The song is also used at the end of Wong Kar-wai's 1995 film Fallen Angels . [53] [54]

The Flying Pickets version was reportedly one of Margaret Thatcher's favourite songs, a fact that has been noted with irony, due to the band's socialist views and support of the 1984–1985 miners' strike which Thatcher opposed. [55]

Track listing

  • 7" single 10,106,103 (1983)
  • 7" single 10 TEN 14 (1983)
  1. "Only You" – 3:20
  2. "Disco Down" – 3:27

Charts

Chart (1983–1984)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [56] 61
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) [57] 3
Belgium (Ultratop Flanders) [58] 3
Canada Top 50 Singles ( RPM ) [5] 17
Ireland (IRMA) [28] 1
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [59] 5
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [60] 9
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [61] 3
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [62] 2
UK Singles (OCC) [63] 1
West Germany (Official German Charts) [34] 1

Enrique Iglesias version

"Solo En Ti"
Solo en ti single.jpg
Single by Enrique Iglesias
from the album Vivir
Released17 February 1997 (1997-02-17)
Recorded1996
Genre
Length3:31
Label Fonovisa
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Rafael Pérez-Botija
Enrique Iglesias singles chronology
"Enamorado Por Primera Vez"
(1996)		"Solo En Ti"
(1997)		"Miente"
(1997)
Music video
"Sólo En Tí (Only You)" on YouTube

Spanish singer-songwriter Enrique Iglesias recorded a Spanish version of the song, which was featured on his second studio album Vivir (1997), released by Fonovisa on 17 February 1997. The track was released as the second single from the album and debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot Latin Tracks chart on 3 May 1997 (his second in a row, and the first artist to do so), [64] and spent ten non-consecutive weeks at the top. [65] Iglesias also recorded the song in English, which is included on the album Bailamos Greatest Hits (1999).

Track listing

  1. "Only You" (English) 3:30
  2. "Solo En Ti" (Spanish) 3:29
  3. "Solo En Ti/Only You" (Spanglish) 3:30

Charts

Chart (1997)Peak
position
US Hot Latin Tracks (Billboard) [65] 1
US Latin Pop Airplay (Billboard) [66] 1
US Latin Regional Mexican Airplay (Billboard) [67] 4
US Latin Tropical/Salsa Airplay (Billboard) [68] 6

Kylie Minogue version

  1. ↑ Mitchell, Matt (21 July 2023). "The 50 Greatest Synth-Pop Albums of All Time". Paste . Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  2. ↑ Evans, Richard (6 August 2024). "1982.2". Listening to the Music the Machines Make: Inventing Electronic Pop 1978-1983. Omnibus Press. p. 351. ISBN   978-1-915841-45-2.
  3. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 75 | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  4. ↑ Moltenbrey, Karen (April 2002). Broadcast Retrospective 25th Anniversary: Part 4 Archived 26 June 2006 at the Wayback Machine . Computer Graphics World. Accessed 26 February 2006.
  5. 1 2 "RPM Top 50 Singles – April 14, 1984" (PDF).
  6. ↑ Ellwood-Hughes, Pip (11 November 2022). "Becky Hill releases stripped back cover of 'Only You' from the McDonald's Christmas Advert" . Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  7. 1 2 3 Freeman, John (23 August 2012). "Synthesizer Soul: Yazoo's Upstairs At Eric's 30 Years On". The Quietus . Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  8. 1 2 Burt, Kate (8 June 2008). "How We Met: Alison Moyet & Vince Clarke" . The Independent . Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 Majewski, Lori; Bernstein, Jonathan (2014). Mad World, An Oral History of New Wave Artists and Songs That Defined the 1980s. Abrams Books. pp. 162–164. ISBN   978-1-6131-2666-0.
  10. ↑ Yazoo: 2 Albums, 4 Singles, and That Was It... (Documentary). Mute Records. 2008.
  11. ↑ Lowrey, Nick (4 May 2011). "Alison Moyet Interviewed: Only You – The Story & End Of Yazoo". The Quietus . Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  12. 1 2 3 "Only You" (7"). Yazoo. Mute Records. 1982.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. ↑ "The Chick in Yaz: 'Memba Her?!". TMZ. 8 December 2009.
  14. 1 2 3 Mason, Stewart. "Yazoo – Only You". AllMusic . Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  15. 1 2 3 "Only You by Yazoo". Music Notes. 26 January 2009. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  16. ↑ Hassan, Marcos (21 February 2012). "1982: Yazoo – 'Only You'". Tiny Mix Tapes . Retrieved 6 July 2018.
  17. 1 2 3 Elan, Priya (3 February 2012). "The Greatest Pop Songs In History – No 8: Yazoo, 'Only You'". NME . Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  18. 1 2 3 4 "Yazoo". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  19. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 75". Official Charts Company . Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  20. 1 2 "Yazoo, Only You". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  21. ↑ "The Hot 100 – February 26, 1983". Billboard . Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  22. ↑ "The Hot 100 – March 19, 1983". Billboard . Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  23. ↑ "The Hot 100 – April 16, 1983". Billboard . Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  24. ↑ "Albums and Tracks of the Year". NME. 2016. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
  25. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  26. ↑ "Yazoo - Only You". Ultratop.be. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  27. ↑ "Ísland Top 10". DV . 18 June 1982. p. 15. ISSN   1021-8254.
  28. 1 2 "Irish Singles". Irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  29. ↑ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved 8 June 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Yazoo".
  30. ↑ Portuguese Charts Archive. September 1982.
  31. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando. Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002. ISBN   84-8048-639-2.
  32. ↑ "Yas Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  33. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2007). Joel Whitburn Presents Billboard Top Adult Songs, 1961-2006. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 302. ISBN   978-0898201697 . Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  34. 1 2 "German Singles". Offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  35. ↑
    • Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: singles chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
  36. ↑ "Yazoo – Only You '99". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  37. ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  38. ↑ "National Top 100 Singles for 1982". Kent Music Report. 3 January 1983. Retrieved 22 January 2023– via Imgur.
  39. ↑ "Song of the Day: "Only You" by Yazoo (The Office UK)". Earnthis.net. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
  40. ↑ Rivera, Joshua (19 February 2015). "'The Americans' recap: 'Dimebag'". ew.com. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  41. ↑ Collins, Sean T. (31 May 2018). "The 10 Best Musical Moments in The Americans". vulture.com. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  42. ↑ "La classifica dei 5 momenti più romantici di Lucifer" (in Italian). 14 December 2019.
  43. ↑ "Resolving the Sonic Themes on Fringe". disquiet.com. 5 October 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  44. ↑ Kemp, Ella (28 April 2020). "'Normal People' soundtrack: all the songs played on Sally Rooney's hit drama". nme.com. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  45. ↑ McHenry, Jackson (1 May 2020). "How Normal People Chose 13 Key Songs for Marianne and Connell". vulture.com. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  46. ↑ "9-1-1 at imdb.com Episode "What's Next?" - May 11, 2020". IMDb .
  47. ↑ Cremona, Patrick (9 March 2020). "What songs are featured on the Military Wives soundtrack?". Radio Times . Retrieved 14 October 2024.
  48. ↑ "The Penguin soundtrack | Full list of songs in The Batman spin-off | Radio Times". www.radiotimes.com. Retrieved 5 November 2024.
  49. ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 430–1. ISBN   1-904994-10-5.
  50. ↑ Leigh, Spencer (19 June 2012). "Brian Hibbard: Singer and actor who formed the Flying Pickets" . The Independent . Archived from the original on 24 May 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
  51. ↑ "German Top 10 – Top 300 Of The Decade, The 80s" . Retrieved 7 May 2017.
  52. ↑ "Kylie Minogue records cover of Yazoo's Only You with James Corden". New!. 10 November 2015. Archived from the original on 7 February 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2017. The Flying Pickets' version of the electronic pop ballad was also a huge hit in Germany and Canada...
  53. ↑ Nochimson, Martha P., ed. (2 January 2016). A Companion to Wong Kar-wai (2016 ed.). West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons Ltd. p. 451. ISBN   9781118424247 . Retrieved 7 May 2017.
  54. ↑ "Wong Kar Wai's needle-drops: a journey through his melancholic soundscapes". BFI. 20 February 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  55. ↑ "Flying Pickets". BBC Wales Music. Retrieved 7 May 2017.
  56. ↑ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 114. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  57. ↑ "Austrian Singles". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  58. ↑ "Belgian Singles". ultratop.be. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  59. ↑ "Netherlands Singles". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  60. ↑ "New Zealand Singles". charts.nz. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  61. ↑ "Swedish Singles". swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  62. ↑ "Swiss Singles". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  63. ↑ "UK Singles". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  64. ↑ ""Hot Latin Tracks" on Billboard.com". Billboard . 3 May 1997.[ dead link ]
  65. 1 2 ""Hot Latin Tracks" on Billboard.com". Billboard . 5 July 1997.[ dead link ]
  66. ↑ ""Latin Pop Airplay" on Billboard.com". Billboard . 12 July 1997. Archived from the original on 15 January 2015.
  67. ↑ ""Latin Regional Mexican Airplay" on Billboard.com". Billboard . 3 May 1997.[ dead link ]
  68. ↑ ""Latin Tropical/Salsa Airplay" on Billboard.com". Billboard . 3 May 1997.[ dead link ]
  69. ↑ "Kylie Minogue, James Corden duet on Only You in Christmas number one bid". Nick Galvin. Sydney Morning Herald. 10 November 2015. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
  70. ↑ "Kylie Minogue with James Corden – Only You" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
  71. ↑ "Kylie Minogue with James Corden – Only You" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
  72. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  73. ↑ "Only You". Zobbel. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
  74. ↑ "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 December 2015.
  75. ↑ "Kylie Christmas by Kylie Minogue". iTunes. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  76. ↑ "Kylie Christmas by Kylie Minogue". iTunes. Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  77. ↑ Kendall Fisher (31 March 2017). "Selena Gomez releases Emotional Cover of "Only You"". E! Online . Retrieved 1 April 2017.
  78. ↑ Mike Wass (19 April 2017). "Selena Gomez's "Only You" Gets A Suitably Emotional Lyric Video".
  79. ↑ "eckolista Heatseeker, vecka 14, 2017" (in Swedish). Grammofon Leverantörernas Förening. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  80. ↑ "Brazilian single certifications – Selena Gomez – Only You" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil . Retrieved 14 April 2024.
"Only You"
Kylie Minogue - Only You.png
Single by Kylie Minogue with James Corden
from the album Kylie Christmas
Released9 November 2015 (2015-11-09)
Recorded2015
Genre Christmas
Length3:05
Label Parlophone
Songwriter(s) Vince Clarke
Producer(s) Steve Anderson
Kylie Minoguesingles chronology
"The Other Boys"
(2015)		"Only You"
(2015)		"100 Degrees"
(2015)
James Cordensingles chronology
"Shout"
(2010)		"Only You"
(2015)		"The Greatest Gift"
(2016)
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