You're the First, the Last, My Everything

"You're the First, the Last, My Everything" is a song recorded by Barry White from his third studio album Can't Get Enough (1974). The song was written by White, Tony Sepe and Peter Radcliffe and produced by White.

"You're the First, the Last, My Everything"
Single by Barry White
from the album Can't Get Enough
B-side"More Than Anything, You're My Everything"
ReleasedOctober 25, 1974 (1974-10-25) (UK)[1]
Recorded1974 (1974)
Genre
Length4:33
3:30 (7" version)
Label20th Century Records
Songwriter(s)Peter Radcliffe, Tony Sepe, Barry White
Producer(s)Barry White
Barry White singles chronology
"Can't Get Enough of Your Love, Babe"
(1974)		 "You're the First, the Last, My Everything"
(1974)		 "What Am I Gonna Do with You"
(1975)

The song reached number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the UK Singles Chart. It was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 1974, and certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), also in 1974.

Background

Peter Radcliffe originally wrote the track as a country song with the title "You're My First, You're My Last, My In-Between", which went unrecorded for 21 years. White recorded it as a disco song, retaining most of the musical structure while rewriting the lyrics.[2]

Chart performance

"You're the First, the Last, My Everything" was White's fourth top ten hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, reaching number two. It was kept out of the number one spot by "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" by Elton John.[3] It spent a week at number one on the Billboard Hot Soul Singles chart.[4] The track made it to number two on the disco/dance charts.[5] On the UK Singles Chart it fared even better, spending two weeks at the top in December 1974.[6]

Certifications

"You're the First, the Last, My Everything" was certified Gold by the RIAA on December 18, 1974.[7]

It was certified silver for 200,000 sold copies in United Kingdom in 1974.[8]

Chart history

Weekly charts

Other notable recordings

A cover version of the song performed by Howard Brown was released in 2005 in the UK as a charity single. It peaked at #13 in the UK singles chart.[25] Prior to its release it had been adapted for a popular television commercial for Halifax Bank in which Brown could be seen singing and dancing.

Belgian singer and actor Pieter Van Keymeulen released a stripped down version of the song to commemorate his father's death in 2019.

The song is featured in the films Money Talks (1997; also on its CD soundtrack album, where White had recorded an alternative version, as simply "My Everything" as a duet with Faith Evans), Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004; also on its CD soundtrack album), Zookeeper (2011), and anachronistically in Tim Burton's film Dark Shadows (2012; also on its CD soundtrack album) as the film was set in 1972, two years before the song was released.

It was also in many episodes of the Fox series Ally McBeal (1997–2002), accompanying John Cage (Peter MacNicol) during his life most of the time. Whenever he gets into a difficult situation, he withdraws and concentrates on the song, hearing it and dancing to it, to regain strength and concentrate on whatever comes along. White himself appeared in a season 2 episode to perform the song while John Cage and other characters performed his signature line dance to the song.

The song is featured in the music video game Just Dance 4 (2012) for PlayStation 3, Wii, Wii U, and Xbox 360.

This song was used in a trailer for Universal Pictures' 2003 film American Wedding.

References
  1. "Barry White - You're The First, the Last, My Everything / More Than Anything, You're My Everything - 20th Century - UK - BTC 2133". 45cat. 2012-10-30. Retrieved 2014-03-27.
  2. Bogdanov, Vladimir; Woodstra, Chris; Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (2002). All Music Guide to Rock: The Definitive Guide to Rock, Pop, and Soul. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 1219. ISBN 9780879306533.
  3. Billboard The Hot 100 (January 4, 1975) at www.billboard.com
  4. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 620.
  5. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 279.
  6. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 307–8. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  7. "Barry White - You're the First, the Last, My Everything - RIAA Gold Certification". RIAA. December 18, 1974. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
  8. https://www.bpi.co.uk/bpi-awards/%5B%5D
  9. "Ultratop.be – Barry White – You're The First, The Last, My Everything" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 2015-04-17.
  10. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 3899a." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  11. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 20, 2013. Retrieved July 23, 2013.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – You're the First, the Last, My Everything". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  13. "Dutchcharts.nl – Barry White – You're The First, The Last, My Everything" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 2015-04-17.
  14. "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved 5 September 2018.
  15. "Barry White: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  16. "Barry White Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  17. "Barry White Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
  18. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 279.
  19. Cash Box Top 100 Singles, January 11, 1975
  20. "Offiziellecharts.de – Barry White – You're The First, The Last, My Everything". GfK Entertainment Charts. To see peak chart position, click "TITEL VON Barry White"
  21. Bac-lac.gc.ca
  22. "Top Selling Singles for 1974". Music Week. London, England: Spotlight Publications: 20. 4 January 1975.
  23. Musicoutfitters.com
  24. Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 27, 1975
  25. "HOWARD BROWN - full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
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