You Are Everything

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1971 single by The Stylistics

For other uses, see You Are Everything (disambiguation).

"You Are Everything" is a soul song written by Thom Bell and Linda Creed and originally recorded by the Philadelphia soul group The Stylistics.[4]

The Stylistics version

An R&B ballad, it was the sixth track from their debut self-titled album[5] and was released as a single in 1971. It reached number 9 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart,[6] number 10 on the R&B chart[7] and reached number 24 on the Easy Listening chart. The Stylistics` record sold over one million copies globally, earning the band their first gold disc;[4] the award was presented by the RIAA on January 3, 1972.[4]

Group member Airrion Love sang only the opening harmony with

Russell.

The actual background vocals were done by Russell,

producer Thom Bell, Carl Helm,

Bunny Sigler,

Kenny Gamble, and

Phil Hurtt.

The rest of the Stylistics never sang on the first three albums that Thom Bell produced, as Russell explained in several interviews.

The song appeared in two episodes of The Wonder Years, "Denial" and "Double Double Date". It was also used in a 2002 episode of The King of Queens, "Business Affairs". The song was featured at a dance in the 2005 comedy The Ringer.

Marvin Gaye and Diana Ross version

Another version of the song was recorded by one-time Motown singing duo, Diana Ross & Marvin Gaye. Released as the second UK single from their Diana & Marvin album, the song reached #5 in the UK Singles Chart in April 1974, and also became the first official Motown single to be awarded with silver disc for sales in excess of 250,000 copies.[8] It also reached #13 on the Dutch charts and #20 on the Irish Singles Chart. It was never released as a single in the U.S.

Certifications

Notable cover versions

Many artists have covered the song. Among the most widely known are:

• In 1973, the Pearls, a 1970s vocal girl duo from Liverpool, were the first artists to chart with this song in the UK, early that year. It was released on the Bell label and reached number 41 on the UK Singles Chart.[10]
• The French version of the song was sung by Claude François in 1974, titled "Tu es tout pour moi".[citation needed]
• In early 1988, English heavy metal band Judas Priest recorded "You Are Everything" with Stock Aitken Waterman, an English songwriting and record-producing trio. Though this version of the song was never officially released, an excerpt of the recording leaked on YouTube in 2015.[11]
• The Cantonese & Mandarinversion of the song was sung by Grasshopper in 1991.
• The Cantonese version of the song was sung by Cherrie Choi in 1991.
• In 1995, English singers Melanie Williams and Joe Roberts scored a UK top 40 hit with their version of the track, which peaked at number 28.
• In 2004, American duo Hall & Oates performed the song on their album titled Our Kind of Soul.
• In 2005, Vanessa Williams performed the song on her covers album titled Everlasting Love. Her version was a hit on the smooth jazz, dance and Adult Contemporary charts.[12]