"Let It Be Me" is a 1960 single by

The Everly Brothers The Everly Brothers were an American rock duo, known for steel-string acoustic guitar playing and close-harmony singing. Consisting of Isaac Donald "Don" Everly and Phillip "Phil" Everly, the duo combined elements of rock and roll, country, ...

. The song is an English-language cover of "Je t'appartiens", which had been released as a single in France by

Gilbert Bécaud François Gilbert Léopold Silly (24 October 1927 – 18 December 2001), known professionally as Gilbert Bécaud (), was a French singer, composer, pianist and actor, known as "Monsieur 100,000 Volts" for his energetic performances. His best-know ...

in 1955. The song was a top ten hit for The Everly Brothers on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and spawned many additional cover versions.

Background and release

"Let It Be Me" is based on "Je t'appartiens", which was written by

and his frequent collaborator, lyricist

Pierre Delanoë Pierre Charles Marcel Napoléon Leroyer (16 December 1918 – 27 December 2006), known professionally as Pierre Delanoë (), was a French lyricist who wrote thousands of songs for dozens of singers, including Dalida, Edith Piaf, Charles Aznavou ...

. Delanoë reportedly wrote the lyrics for Bécaud as an apology for missing one of the singer's performances at the Olympia in Paris. The song, sung by Bécaud, was released as a single by

His Master's Voice His Master's Voice is an entertainment trademark featuring a dog named Nipper, curiously peering into the horn of a wind-up gramophone. Painted by Francis Barraud in 1898, the image has since become a global symbol used across consumer elect ...

in 1955.

recorded their version of "Let It Be Me" after the song was recommended to them by producer

Archie Bleyer Archibald Martin Bleyer (June 12, 1909 – March 20, 1989) was an American song arranger, bandleader, and record company executive. Early life Bleyer was born in the Corona section of the New York City borough of Queens. His father was a well-k ...

. They recorded the song in December 1959 in New York with guitarists Howard Collins,

Barry Galbraith Joseph Barry Galbraith (December 18, 1919 – January 13, 1983) was an American jazz guitarist. Galbraith moved to New York City from McDonald, Pennsylvania, in the early 1940s and found work playing with Babe Russin, Art Tatum, Red Norvo, Hal ...

, and

Mundell Lowe James Mundell Lowe (April 21, 1922 – December 2, 2017) was an American jazz guitarist who worked often in radio, television, and film, and as a session musician. He produced film and TV scores in the 1970s, such as the '' Billy Jack'' soundtra ...

; bassist

Lloyd Trotman Lloyd Nelson Trotman (May 25, 1923 – October 3, 2007), born in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, was an American jazz bassist, who backed numerous jazz, dixieland, R&B, and rock and roll artists in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. He resided i ...

, pianist Hank Rowland, and drummer

Jerry Allison Jerry Ivan Allison (August 31, 1939 – August 22, 2022) was an American musician. He was best known as the drummer for the Crickets and co-writer of their hits "That'll Be the Day" and "Peggy Sue", recorded with Buddy Holly. His only solo cha ...

. The song was released by

Cadence Records Cadence Records was an American record company based in New York City whose labels had a picture of a metronome. It was founded by Archie Bleyer, who had been the musical director and orchestra leader for Arthur Godfrey in 1952. Cadence also ...

as a single in 1960, with "Since You Broke My Heart" as the B-side.

Charts

Notable cover versions

Jill Corey

"Let It Be Me" was first adapted into English by

Manny Curtis Manny Curtis (born Emanuel Kurtz; November 15, 1911 – December 6, 1984) was an American songwriter. He wrote the lyrics for over 250 songs, including "In a Sentimental Mood" (1935) and " Let It Be Me" (1957). He was born in Brooklyn, New York, U ...

, and performed in 1957 by American singer

Jill Corey Jill Corey (born Norma Jean Speranza; September 30, 1935 – April 3, 2021) was an American popular standards singer. She was discovered and signed on one day when she was 17. She went on to have her own radio shows and to star in a feature film. ...

as the character Linda Wallis on an episode of the anthology television series ''

Climax! ''Climax!'' (later known as ''Climax Mystery Theater'') is an American television anthology series that aired on CBS from 1954 to 1958. The series was hosted by William Lundigan and later co-hosted by Mary Costa. It was one of the few CBS pro ...

'' also entitled "Let It Be Me". Corey's version of "Let It Be Me" was released as a single by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

and reached number 57 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

Betty Everett and Jerry Butler

American singers

Betty Everett Betty Jean Everett (November 23, 1939 – August 19, 2001) was an American soul singer and pianist, best known for her biggest hit single, the million-selling " Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss)", and her duet " Let It Be Me" with Jerry Butl ...

and

Jerry Butler Jerry Butler Jr. (December 8, 1939 – February 20, 2025) was an American soul singer-songwriter, producer, musician, and politician. He was the original lead singer of the R&B vocal group the Impressions, who were inducted into the Rock and ...

released their version of "Let It Be Me" from their album ''Delicious Together'' on

Vee-Jay Records Vee-Jay Records is an American record label founded in the 1950s, located in Chicago and specializing in blues, jazz, rhythm and blues and rock and roll. The label was founded in Gary, Indiana, in 1953 by Vivian Carter and James C. Bracken, a ...

in 1964. The song peaked at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 1 on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'''s

Hot R&B Singles The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 po ...

chart, and number 28 in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

Johnny Young & Kompany

Australian singer

Johnny Young Johnny Young (born Johnny Benjamin de Jong, 12 March 1947, Rotterdam, Netherlands) is an Australian singer, composer, record producer, disc jockey, television producer and host. He had a number-one hit with the double-A-sided single, "Step Bac ...

, with his backing band Kompany, released "Let It Be Me" from his EP of the same name as a single on Clarion in 1966. It reached number 4 on the

Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music historian David Kent from May 1974 through to January 1999. The chart was re-branded the Australian Music Report (AMR) in July 19 ...

chart, and was the 18th highest charting single of the year in Australia.

The Sweet Inspirations

American R&B group

The Sweet Inspirations The Sweet Inspirations are an American R&B girl group from Newark, New Jersey, founded by Cissy Houston who are mostly known for their work as backup singers on studio recordings for other R&B and rock artists but who are also a Grammy-nominat ...

released their version of "Let It Be Me" as a single (with the B-side " When Something is Wrong With My Baby") from their album ''

'' on

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...

in 1967. It reached number 94 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 13 on the Hot R&B Singles chart.''Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990'' –

Glen Campbell and Bobbie Gentry

American

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

singers

Glen Campbell Glen Travis Campbell (April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017) was an American country musician and actor. He was best known for a series of hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting ''The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour'' on CBS television from ...

and

Bobbie Gentry Bobbie Gentry (born Roberta Lee Streeter; July 27, 1942) is an American retired singer-songwriter. She was one of the first female artists in the United States to compose and produce her own material. Gentry rose to international fame in 1967 ...

recorded "Let It Be Me" for their 1968 duet album ''

Bobbie Gentry and Glen Campbell ''Bobbie Gentry and Glen Campbell'' is a studio album by American singers Bobbie Gentry and Glen Campbell. It was released on September 16, 1968, by Capitol Records. The album spawned two hit singles and was certified gold by the Recording Indu ...

.'' The single, released the following year, peaked at number 36 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

Charts

Willie Nelson

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Let It Be Me (Song) 1955 songs 1957 singles 1959 singles 1964 singles 1969 singles 1982 singles Songs with lyrics by Manny Curtis Songs with music by Gilbert Bécaud Songs written by Pierre Delanoë The Everly Brothers songs Betty Everett songs Jerry Butler songs Sonny & Cher songs Nancy Sinatra songs Glen Campbell songs Bobbie Gentry songs The 5th Dimension songs Bob Dylan songs Jay and the Americans songs Roberta Flack songs Elvis Presley songs Willie Nelson songs Rod Stewart songs Neil Diamond songs Andy Williams songs Sweet Inspirations songs Nancy Wilson (jazz singer) songs Male vocal duets Columbia Records singles Cadence Records singles Vee-Jay Records singles