"Only You" is a ballad written by musician Vince Clarke. He wrote it while with Depeche Mode, but recorded it after forming the duo Yazoo with Alison Moyet. It was an instant success, hitting number two in the UK and charting in the US (number sixty-seven, Billboard Hot 100), a feat only attained by one other Yazoo single (coincidentally, that single was "Situation," the original UK B-side of "Only You"). "Only You" also made the US Adult Contemporary chart at number thirty-eight.
A remix of "Only You" made the UK Top 40 again in 1999, while reaching number sixteen 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.[1]
Although not a Christmas song, it has become a popular song to play at that time of year. This is probably due to the Flying Pickets version being the UK Christmas Number One in 1983. The Yazoo recording of "Only You" was featured in Can't Hardly Wait, Part 2 of The Office Christmas specials, the Season 5 Premiere of Fringe and the fifth episode of season 3 of Ashes to Ashes.
Contents[]
Composition[edit][]
| "Only You"MENU 0:00 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. | |
Clarke's melody in the song "has a sweetly yearning quality, elegantly arranged by Clarke and producer E.C. Radcliffein a fashion that links several different monophonic synths together to give the tune more depth and melodic substance" according to Allmusic [1]. Moyet's vocals, they say, is a "perfectly understated vocal performance, soulful yet dignified in the manner of '70s soul star Ann Peebles, of Clarke's gentle and romantic lyrics."
Track listing[edit][]
|
(*) CD released on 30 September 1996 |
Cover versions[edit][]
The Flying Pickets version[edit][]
| "Only You" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by The Flying Pickets | ||||
| from the album Lost Boys | ||||
| Released | 1983/1984 | |||
| Format | 7" | |||
| Recorded | 1983 | |||
| Genre | a cappella | |||
| Length | 3:15 | |||
| Label | Virgin | |||
| Producer(s) | The Flying Pickets, John Sherry Sonet | |||
| The Flying Pickets singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
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.[2] This made "Only You" the first "a cappella" chart-topper in the UK, and was released on overseas markets the following year. The description "a cappella" is misleading however, as synthesizers feature throughout the recording.
The Flying Pickets version went on to become a number one hit on the German Singles Chart in 1984 and charted in Canada as well, though it saw no chart action in the United States.
- Track listing
- 7" Single 10,106,103 1983
- 7" Single 10 TEN 14 1983
- "Only You" : 3:20
- "Disco Down" : 3:27
| Preceded by
"Uptown Girl" by Billy Joel |
UK number-one single
10 December 1983 (for five weeks) |
Succeeded by |
Enrique Iglesias version[edit][]
| "Sólo En Ti" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Enrique Iglesias | ||||
| from the album Vivir | ||||
| Released | March 31, 1997 | |||
| Format | CD promo single | |||
| Recorded | 1996-97 | |||
| Genre | Latin pop | |||
| Length | 3:28 | |||
| Label | Fonovisa | |||
| Writer(s) | Vince Clarke, Enrique Iglesias | |||
| Producer(s) | Rafael Pérez Botija | |||
| Enrique Iglesias singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Spanish singer Enrique Iglesias recorded a Spanish version of the song, which was featured on his second studio album Vivir. The track was released as the second single from that album and became very successful, debuting at number 1 in the United States Billboard Hot Latin Tracks chart (his second in a row, and the first artist to do so) on 3 May 1997,[3] and spent ten non-consecutive weeks at the top.[4] Iglesias also recorded the song in English, which is included in the album Bailamos Greatest Hits.
| Chart (1997) | Peak
position |
|---|---|
| US BillboardHot Latin Tracks[4] | 1 |
| US Billboard Latin Pop Airplay[5] | 1 |
| US Billboard Latin Regional Mexican Airplay[6] | 4 |
| US Billboard Latin Tropical/Salsa Airplay[7] | 6 |
Other versions[edit][]
- Alan Tam recorded Cantonese rendition of this song as "Only You" (只有你) in his 1992 album The Love Story (愛情故事).
- December 2013 also saw the Welsh Supporters' band, The Barry Horns, release a cover of song in dedication to Brian Hibbard of The Flying Pickets, who passed away of Prostate Cancer in the previous year. Proceeds were donated to the charity, Prostate Cymru.