"Only You (And You Alone)" (often shortened to "Only You") is a pop song composed by

Buck Ram Samuel "Buck" Ram (November 21, 1907 – January 1, 1991) was an American songwriter, and popular music producer and arranger. He was one of BMI's top five songwriters/air play in its first 50 years, alongside Paul Simon, Kris Kristofferson, Ji ...

. It was originally recorded by

The Platters The Platters was an American vocal group formed in 1952. They are one of the most successful vocal groups of the early rock and roll era. Their distinctive sound bridges the pre-rock Tin Pan Alley tradition and the new burgeoning genre. The a ...

with lead vocals by Tony Williams in 1955.

The Platters versions

The Platters first recorded the song for

Federal Records Federal Records was an American record label founded in 1950 as a subsidiary of Syd Nathan's King Records and based in Cincinnati, Ohio. It was run by famed record producer Ralph Bass and was mainly devoted to Rhythm & Blues releases. The compa ...

on May 20, 1954, but the recording was not released. In 1955, after moving to

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it i ...

, the band re-recorded the song (on April 26) and it scored a major hit when it was released in May. In November that year, Federal Records released the original recording as a single (B-side - "You Made Me Cry") which sold poorly. Platters bass singer

Herb Reed Herbert Reed (August 7, 1928 – June 4, 2012) was an American musician, vocalist, and founding/naming member of The Platters, known for timeless hits such as Only You (and You Alone) and The Great Pretender. Reed was the last surviving original me ...

later recalled how the group hit upon its successful version: "We tried it so many times, and it was terrible. One time we were rehearsing in the car... and the car jerked. Tony went 'O-oHHHH-nly you.' We laughed at first, but when he sang that song—that was the sign we had hit on something." According to

, Tony Williams' voice "broke" in rehearsal, but they decided to keep this effect in the recording. This was the only Platters recording on which songwriter and manager Ram played the piano. The song held strong in the number 1 position on the U.S.

R & B Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated in African-American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly ...

charts for seven weeks, and hit number five on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. It remained there for 30 weeks, beating out a rival

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

by The Hilltoppers. When the Platters track, "

The Great Pretender "The Great Pretender" is a popular song recorded by The Platters, with Tony Williams on lead vocals, and released as a single in November 1955. The words and music were written by Buck Ram, the Platters' manager and producer who was a successfu ...

" (which eventually surpassed the success of "Only You"), was released in the UK as Europe's first introduction to The Platters, "Only You" was included on the flipside. In the 1956 film '' Rock Around the Clock'', The Platters participated with both songs, "Only You" and "The Great Pretender". The Platters re-recorded a slightly longer version of the song for

Musicor Records Musicor Records was a New York City-based record label, active during the 1960s and 1970s. The label was founded by songwriter Aaron Schroeder and distributed by United Artists Records. In 1965, UA employee and A&R man Arthur Talmadge (a co-fo ...

in 1966, which features on the album ''I Love You 1,000 Times'' (MM 2091).

Charts

The Hilltoppers version

The Hilltoppers released their version of the song as a

Dot Records Dot Records was an American record label founded by Randy Wood (record producer), Randy Wood and Gene Nobles that was active between 1950 and 1978. The original headquarters of Dot Records were in Gallatin, Tennessee. In 1956, the company moved ...

single in 1955. It reached number 8 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 3 in the UK.

Franck Pourcel version

An instrumental version by

Franck Pourcel Franck Pourcel (14 August 1913 – 12 November 2000) was a French composer, arranger, and conductor of popular and classical music. Biography Early life Born in Marseille, France, Pourcel started learning the violin at the age of six. Later, ...

was a hit single in 1959, and sold more than 5 million copies. Pourcel's version spent 16 weeks on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, reaching number 9, while reaching number 3 on Canada's CHUM Hit Parade, and number 18 on '' Billboard''s Hot R&B Sides.

Ringo Starr version

In 1974, Ringo Starr covered this song for his album '' Goodnight Vienna'' at the suggestion of

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

. This version was released as a single (b/w "Call Me") on 11 November in the US, and it became a number six hit on the US ''Billboard'' best seller chart and reached number one on the Easy Listening chart in early 1975. It was released in the UK on 15 November. Lennon plays acoustic guitar on the track, and recorded a guide vocal which was kept by producer

Richard Perry Richard Van Perry (born June 18, 1942) is an American record producer. He began as a performer in his adolescence while attending Poly Prep, his high school in Brooklyn. After graduating from college he rose through the late 1960s and early 1970 ...

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 ...

sings harmony vocals and appears with Starr in the amusing music video filmed on top of the Capitol Records building in Los Angeles. Lennon's vocal version appears on his '' Anthology'' box set, in 1998.

Other notable covers

*A version was recorded in 1956 by the

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

singer

Malcolm Vaughan Malcolm Vaughan (22 March 1929 – 9 February 2010) was a Welsh traditional pop music singer and actor. Known for his distinctive tenor voice, he had a number of chart hits in the United Kingdom during the 1950s. Biography Born Malcolm James ...

. *In 1957 Gino Latilla presents the Italian version entitled ''Solo tu'' - (

Cetra Records Cetra was an Italian record company, active between 1933 and 1957, the year in which, by merging with Fonit (Fonodisco Italiano Trevisan), it gave birth to Fonit Cetra. Its roster of artists included Maria Callas, Renata Tebaldi, Lina Pagliughi ...

, SP 27). *

Johnny Dorelli Johnny Dorelli (real name Giorgio Guidi; born 20 February 1937) is an Italian actor, singer and television host. Early life Dorelli was born in Meda, Italy. In 1946 he moved to New York City with his family, where his father, Nino D'Aurelio ...

recorded the song in 1957 - ( CGD, E 6020). *Carl Perkins recorded the song in 1957, on his "Dance Album" record. *The American vocal group

Deep River Boys The Deep River Boys were an American gospel music group active from the mid-1930s and into the 1980s. The group performed spirituals, gospel, and R&B. Members The original group consisted of Harry Douglass ( baritone), Vernon Gardner (first t ...

featuring Harry Douglas with

Arne Bendiksen Arne Joachim Bendiksen (19 October 1926 – 26 March 2009) was a Norwegian singer, composer and producer, described as "the father of pop music" in Norway. Career Bendiksen was born in Bergen, Norway. In the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, he was a m ...

's orchestra recorded the song in

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population ...

on August 8, 1956. It was released on the

78 rpm record A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog sound storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove. The groove usually starts nea ...

HMV Sunrise Records and Entertainment, trading as HMV (for His Master's Voice), is a British music and entertainment retailer, currently operating exclusively in the United Kingdom. The first HMV-branded store was opened by the Gramophone Company ...

AL 6033. *

Brenda Lee Brenda Mae Tarpley (born December 11, 1944), known professionally as Brenda Lee, is an American singer. Performing rockabilly, pop and country music, she had 47 US chart hits during the 1960s and is ranked fourth in that decade, surpassed onl ...

covered the song on her 1962 album '' Sincerely, Brenda Lee''. When released as a single in Belgium, Lee's version reached number 3 in

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...

and number 44 in

Wallonia Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, Waals gewest; wa, link=no, Redjon walone is one of the three regions of Belgium—alo ...

. *In 1963, Mr. Acker Bilk recorded the song as an instrumental number, which reached number 77 (U.S.). * Little Richard recorded the song in 1964 for his album ''

Little Richard Is Back (And There's a Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On!) ''Little Richard Is Back (And There's a Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On!)'' is Little Richard's first album of rock and roll songs for Vee-Jay Records. The label went out of business and its records were not accurate, leaving many to speculate about ...

''. * Roy Orbison recorded the song in 1969 for the 1970 album ''

The Big O ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' with "The Art Movement" *

Bobby Hatfield Robert Lee Hatfield (August 10, 1940 – November 5, 2003) was an American singer. He and Bill Medley were the Righteous Brothers. He sang the tenor part for the duo, and sang solo on the group's 1965 recording of "Unchained Melody". Early lif ...

the Righteous Brothers The Righteous Brothers are an American musical duo originally formed by Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield but now comprising Medley and Bucky Heard. Medley formed the group with Hatfield in 1963. They had first performed together in 1962 in the Lo ...

released a version in 1969, which reached number 95 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. *English singer Jeff Collins from Enfield recorded the song in 1972. It was popular in Europe, and rose to number 40 in the UK charts, charting for eight weeks. *In 1973, the singer Stein Ingebrigtsen had a number one hit on

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

's ''VG''-lista with a

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

version of the song, entitled "Bare du".Stein Ingebrigtsen - Bare du
''norwegiancharts.com''. Retrieved March 4, 2019. The lyrics were written by the record producer Arve Sigvaldsen. A

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

version of the song, "Bara du", also recorded by Ingebrigtsen, became popular in that country. Ingebrigtsen also recorded a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

version entitled "So wie du" with lyrics written by Ralph-Maria Siegel. *Somewhere in 1973,

did a demo version for his partner and friend Ringo Starr to be recorded by him for his next solo album, the song can be heard on Lennon's 1990 ''

Wonsaponatime ''John Lennon Anthology'' is a four-CD box set of home demos, studio outtakes and other previously unreleased material recorded by John Lennon over the course of his solo career from "Give Peace a Chance" in 1969 up until the 1980 sessions for ' ...

'' album. *The pop band

Child A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger ...

released the song as a single in 1979, reaching number 33 in the UK Charts. * Reba McEntire had a #13 hit on the U.S. Country music charts with her cover on her 1981 album '' Heart to Heart''. *

The Statler Brothers The Statler Brothers (sometimes simply referred to as The Statlers) were an American country music, gospel, and vocal group. The quartet was formed in 1955 performing locally, and from 1964 to 1972, they sang as opening act and backup singers fo ...

covered the song on their 1986 album '' Four for the Show''. Their version was released as a single and peaked at #36 on the '' Billboard''

Hot Country Singles Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sa ...

chart. A music video was made for the song and was shot at

Opryland USA Opryland USA (later called Opryland Themepark and colloquially "Opryland") was a theme park in suburban Nashville, Tennessee. It operated seasonally (generally March to October) from 1972 to 1997, and for a special Christmas-themed engagement eve ...

. * Luis Miguel covered the song on his 1987 album ''

Soy como quiero ser ''Soy Como Quiero Ser'' is the fifth studio album recorded by Mexican singer Luis Miguel and his first album to be released by WEA Latina on July 15, 1987 (see 1987 in music). The album was subtitled ''"Luis Miguel '87: Soy Como Quiero Ser"'' ...

'' with the title "Solo Tú". * John Alford recorded the song as a double-A side with " Blue Moon" in 1996, which reached number 9 in the UK charts. *

Stevie Holland Stevie Holland (born January 11, 1965) is an American jazz and cabaret singer, lyricist, playwright and actress. Raised in Westchester County, New York, she moved to New York City to study drama at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. ...

covered this song on her 2006 album '' More Than Words Can Say''. * Alvin and the Chipmunks covered this song in the 2007 film '' Alvin and the Chipmunks'' and its soundtrack. *

Sam Milby Samuel Lloyd Milby (; born May 23, 1984) is a Filipino-American actor, musician, guitarist, model, recording artist, and businessman. In 2005, Milby decided to seriously pursue a career in show business and modeling. Biography Samuel Lloyd Milb ...

covered this song for the 2009 Philippine drama series '' Only You''. *

Hep Stars The Hep Stars are a Swedish rock band formed in Stockholm in 1963. During 1965–1966 the band was the most successful of contemporary 1960s Swedish pop groups performing in the English language. Outside the Nordic countries the band is best ...

covered it for their 1965 live album ''

Hep Stars on Stage ''Hep Stars on Stage'' (also referred to as simply ''On Stage'') is the first live album and second overall release by Swedish rock band Hep Stars. Released in November 1965 on Olga Records, the album is composed of recordings made on 7 and 8 Aug ...

''. * Harry Connick Jr. covered this song on his 2004 album '' Only You''. *A version sung by Mark Hamill (in-character as

The Joker The Joker is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson, and first appeared in the debut issue of the comic book '' Batman'' on April 25, 1 ...

) was featured in the end credits of the 2011 video game '' Batman: Arkham City''.

Influence

*Dallara, the first Italian shouter (in Italian: ''urlatore''), and his music were influenced by the triplet pattern (in

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

: ''stile terzinato'') that had been introduced in Italy by the Platters in "Only You", and can be heard in their songs such as "Come prima".

References

; Footnotes ; Citations

External links

Vocal Hall Of Fame: The Platters
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