Who Did It Better?
Without You
Paul McCartney once described this ballad as "the killer song of all time."
His description turned out to be a bit more apt than he imagined.
This one has a bit of story to it. Not only has it been recorded over180 times, it also ends quite tragically.
Without You is a song written by Pete Ham and Tom Evans, members of the group, Badfinger, It was first released on their 1970 album, No Dice, on the Beatles label, Apple Records. Each writer came up with a different section of the song. Ham wrote the first part about leaving his girlfriend, Beverly, to go into the studio to work on a song idea he had. It was originally titled, If It's Love. However, Ham wasn't satisfied with it. He felt it lacked a strong chorus, so continued to tinker with it.
However, Mushroom Records, which held a two-album contract with the group, claimed they had the legal right to release a second Heart album. Using the five unfinished studio recordings, as well as unreleased live tracks recorded in 1975, Mushroom had them remixed by the band's recording engineer without the involvement of any group members. Augmented with the B-side to the group's debut single, and including the band's version of Without You, Mushroom released the collection under the title, Magazine on April 22, 1978, just as the group was putting finishing touches on their Portrait debut, Little Queen.
Sporting a title song co-written with Elton John's songwriting partner, Bernie Taupin, and a cover photograph by glamor shot specialist George Hurrell, Arista Records had high hopes for the newly glammed-up Melissa Manchester and her ninth album for the label, 1980's For The Working Girl. However, despite strenuous promotion, the first single failed to chart, while the second single, a duet with Peabo Bryson, only did moderately well (Hot 100 #54, R&B chart #35 and A/C #25.) When the third single, Manchester's version of Without You failed to chart, all hopes for a significant comeback were squashed.
Without You is a song written by Pete Ham and Tom Evans, members of the group, Badfinger, It was first released on their 1970 album, No Dice, on the Beatles label, Apple Records. Each writer came up with a different section of the song. Ham wrote the first part about leaving his girlfriend, Beverly, to go into the studio to work on a song idea he had. It was originally titled, If It's Love. However, Ham wasn't satisfied with it. He felt it lacked a strong chorus, so continued to tinker with it.
Meanwhile, Evans, lost in his own romantic turmoil, had written a song called I Can't Live, about his relationship with his future wife, Marianne.
The two got together and merged their songs - Ham's verses with Evan's chorus. Neither thought the song had much hit potential and the track ended up closing side one of their No Dice album. Now, due to a printing error on the album's label, the song would be credited to all four members of the band. This would lead to all sorts of trouble down the road, but we'll get to that later. In the end, Badfinger's version of the song was never released as a single in Europe or North America.
Best known for his hit version of the song Everybody's Talkin' and for composing One, a big hit for Three Dog Night, Harry Nilsson heard Badfinger's recording of Without You at a party and thought it was a Beatles' song. Upon learning it was not, he decided to cover it for his 1971 album, Nilsson Schmilsson. Released as a single by RCA in late fall of 1971, Nilsson's version first charted in the US in mid December. On February 19, 1972, it began a four-week run as the #1 song on Billboard's Hot 100. It would go on to top the Adult Contemporary chart for a solid five, ending the year as the #4 single of 1972. In the UK, beginning on March 11, 1972, it would remain #1 for five consecutive weeks, while repeating this same feat in Australia. It was also #1 for two weeks in both Ireland and New Zealand.
In 1973, the song was nominated for a Grammy as Record Of The Year. It didn't win, but Nilsson did take home a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male.
Following Nilsson's runaway success with the song, into the breach, came versions from all sorts of established entertainers. Andy Williams, Shirley Bassey, Johnny Mathis and Vicki Carr, just to name a few, flooded the market with versions done in their own distinctive styles. Because these versions served as little more than album filler, we will not be considering them as part of today's competition.
The end of 1976 found the Wilson sisters and their band Heart in the eye of a storm. Their 1975 debut album on Mushroom Records had, thanks to the hits Crazy On You and Magic Man, catapulted the group onto the international stage. The band was already in the studio in Vancouver, recording songs for a follow-up album.
However, things quickly soured with the label due to a full-page ad in the December 30, 1976 issue of Rolling Stone magazine. Designed to resemble the cover of a salacious tabloid-style magazine, like the infamous National Enquirer, the ad showed the sisters bare-shouldered - just as they'd appeared on the Dreamboat Annie album cover - with the suggestive caption 'It Was Only Our First Time!' The ad fueled rumors that the sisters were lesbian lovers and the band abruptly ceased all recording activities for the label. At the time, only five incomplete recordings had been committed to tape.
A dispute over song royalty rates with Mushroom Records ensued, spurring Heart to sign with Portrait Records, a subsidiary of CBS Records, for the release of their second full-fledged album.
However, Mushroom Records, which held a two-album contract with the group, claimed they had the legal right to release a second Heart album. Using the five unfinished studio recordings, as well as unreleased live tracks recorded in 1975, Mushroom had them remixed by the band's recording engineer without the involvement of any group members. Augmented with the B-side to the group's debut single, and including the band's version of Without You, Mushroom released the collection under the title, Magazine on April 22, 1978, just as the group was putting finishing touches on their Portrait debut, Little Queen.
About 50,000 copies of the original Magazine album were pressed and sold in stores in Los Angeles and Hollywood, Florida (the city where the albums were manufactured), while Arista Records distributed it throughout Europe. Heart sought an injunction, which was quickly granted, and all the unsold copies were recalled (and later destroyed.)
In the end, the court upheld Heart's original contract with Mushroom Records, with the stipulation that the group be allowed to return to the studio and complete the album themselves. Rather than supply additional new material, the group decided to simply polish up what Mushroom had cobbled together and call it a day, with Ann Wilson providing new lead vocals to most the tracks. Work on the album began on March 6th, 1978 and was completed on the 9th, with the re-recorded, remixed, re-edited and re-sequenced album being released by Mushroom Records in April of 1978. The group's version of Without You was released as the second single from the album, but failed to chart.
In 1983, T. G. Sheppard had enjoyed a long string of #1 hits on Billboard's Country chart and his label decided to celebrate with the release a greatest hits album. To augment the hits, Sheppard recorded a version of Without You, which was then released as a single. His version would reach #12 on Billboard's Country chart.
Just for the record... by the end of his career, Sheppard would notch an impressive 14 #1 Country hits!
In 1991, Air Supply would cover Without You for their The Earth Is... album, as their first album with the fledgling (and soon to fail) Giant Records. It would serve as the album's lead single, reaching #48 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart.
Mariah Carey's version, which is based on Harry Nilsson's version rather than the Badfinger original, was released on January 24, 1994, as the third single from her album, Music Box. This just happened to be a bit over a week after Nilsson, who died of a heart attack, on 15 January 1994, had passed away.
Carey had heard Nilsson's version as a very young girl, but her decision to record the song was based on a chance hearing, "I heard that song in a restaurant and just knew it would be a huge international hit."
Promoted as a double A-side with Never Forget You, her version of Without You reached #3 on Billboard's Hot 100, where it stayed for six weeks. In Canada, it peaked at #4. Overseas, the song debuted at #1 in the UK and remained there for a total of four weeks. To this day, it remains her top international hit.
So, 180 cover versions of the song were recorded, which would mean a whole lot of money for the song's writers.
Remember that little typo on the label of Badfinger's album, No Dice, back in 1970? The one where the song, Without You was credited to all four band members? Well, that led to all sorts of problems.
And, if history has taught us nothing else... do not mess with the credits of a songwriter's song.
Pete Ham, who had written the verses for the song, became clinically depressed due to on-going struggles over royalties, song credits, and issues with both the band's label and the other members of Badfinger. Despondent over what he saw as insurmountable problems, he, at the age of 27 years old, would take his own life on April 24, 1975.
Tom Evans, who wrote the chorus, was equally upset. Legal disputes over songwriting royalties had consumed his life, and after an argument with bandmate, Joey Mulland over the royalties for the song, Evans hanged himself on November 19, 1983. He was only 36 years old.
And that's the whole story.
Now? On to the competition!
The Song: Without You
The Competitors: Badfinger vs. Nilsson vs. Heart vs. Manchester vs. Sheppard vs. Air Supply vs. Carey
Without You - Badfinger
Without You - Harry Nilsson
Without You - Heart
Without You - Melissa Manchester
Without You - T.G. Sheppard
Without You - Air Supply
Without You - Mariah Carey
Badfinger
Big bluesy intro, worthy of an Eric Clapton song. Nice voice. A bit strident. Not a great deal of interpretation going on. I like that tiny, jangly, muted, strummed guitar. Not sure how anyone could mistake this as a Beatles song, but I have read, on more than one occasion, that Badfinger was often mistaken for the fab four.
This is a well-written song, even given its cobbled-together nature (which shows.) Love the plaintive harmony. A bit more of a croon to the voices would have softened the edges. So far, this reminds me of the group, Extreme (No More Words,) except they would have smarmed this up big time. Oh, that's a very real piano coming up from underneath. I like. This is very organic and without pretense.
I even approve of the electric guitar blasts, and the reverb added to the vocals on 'you should know.'
Oh, dear. That vocal is a bit abrupt. Now, on the chorus? I hear the Beatles, absolutely. It's that shrieking sound, that Lennon brought to the table. An acquired taste.
I continue to love the vocals on the verses. That's lovely harmony and the voices meld well. I could do without those guitar blasts. Sometimes less is more. Nice, spacey guitar solo. Very sweet. The sound and structure is reminiscent of George Harrison, the playing is not.
I like the drive on chorus number two. And that additional guitar line running beneath the second half of chorus two is very nice. As the vocals go on, they sound a bit strained. Jumping up that whole octave? Yeah, that can get wearing. There's something very Procol Harum about the arrangement/production at this point; it's the combination of the guitar and organ.
As they attempt to stretch out on the close, it gets almost comical. Reminds me of Lennon during the sessions that would eventually be released as Let It Be. And the Procol Harum comparison becomes even more relevant as that organ rises to the fore.
Honestly? It makes me want to hear the rest of the album.
Harry Nilsson
Bright as a penny piano. Nilsson's voice. Flutters like a butterfly, but grounded by some very old-fashioned phrasing. It's a pleasant combination. Brings that first stanza in like a seasoned pilot landing a plane. The contrast between his voice and that strident piano creates a lovely tension. I disagree with how he closes off the open vowel sound on the word 'shows.' But that's a matter of technique.
The piano downplays itself as a bed of strings is introduced on the second verse. Very lovely, deftly handled. That's one of my favorite producers at the helm, Richard Perry (Leo Sayer, Pointer Sisters, Carly Simon, Barbra Streisand, Ringo, etc.) He knew how to showcase a singer.
It's Nilsson's unerring sense of phrasing which is making my heart melt, here. And that harmony is thrilling; as if a timid violin were given voice. His actual technique is a bit precious. He's using kewpie doll lips to create those very narrow sounding vowels. It bothers me, but that's part of his style.
They made such a bold choice with the chorus. Moving to that lower register? Genius. It allows the arrangement to build anticipation, and Richard Perry does not disappoint.
That big siren sweep as we launch up an octave. Like the clouds parting. Super dramatic, super effective, and, yet, held in check. And that flex he does with his head voice on the word 'more?' Masterful. A tiny thing, but so effective. He's a singer from different era.
The doubled vocal harmonies on the start of verse three? A teensy bit muddy, and I don't know why they chose to do that, but it's also a teensy, minor complaint. The play between the strings and the piano is breathtaking. Their use of dynamics in this piece is the kind of thing you wish you could learn.
And that second chorus. Wow. More dramatics. We'll forgive the siren sound. It's fascinating, a lovely tumble; an example of a voice taking on a physical bearing, physical movement.
They wisely allow the orchestra to take them out. The tension is still palpable. It possesses a lovely drive.
A stellar performance. A stellar arrangement. Stellar production work.
Heart
A very early Carpenter's sounding piano. I adore categorizing my piano sounds.
Ann Wilson's voice is one of a kind. She shares a number of coloring techniques employed by Bette Midler.
Wow. This is much better than expected. It's very organic, which I always appreciate. I rather like it when the sound captured on a recording matches what you would experience in a live setting. That percussion work? I feel like I am right there watching.
That heavy back beat, a bit overbearing, but we'll allow it. I still am enjoying how very intimate and present this sounds.
Ann can be accused of over-singing. No one can annihilate a song in quite the same manner. I've always enjoyed her in a more organic setting where she can relax. Here, her career is in its infancy and her voice is in such a pure state. It's lovely to experience. No one pulls a note back the way she can. Here, she's using kid gloves.
Not sure about their approach on the chorus. That arrangement? Not quite what I was hoping. I think, had Mike Flicker been allowed more time to work a bit of dial magic, the chorus would have a more diaphanous quality. The elements are there in the arrangement, though not as abundant in the chorus. As is? It's a tad bar band sounding.
Wow. Those harmony vocals, again. The sisters sure sound great together. That big orchestral sounding break? You turn the knobs right and that could have sounded magical.
The orchestra? A bit much. And the arrangement fails in the second chorus, becoming leaden, when it should soar. Third time through, Ann goes solo and just absolutely shreds this. When she is in her Led Zeppelin mode, I get it - it's not to everyone's taste. It does speak to me and I've always liked her sound. Shrill? Sure.
But that's the point.
I would have cut this abruptly and dramatically (in a quiet way) at the 4:12 mark. Truncate it, don't play it out. The la-la's? Ick. It fails to make any sort of music point or have a purpose. Too bad. It was a poor choice.
Melissa Manchester
Back to pianos as bright as a penny. Man, that is knobbed hot.
Surprised by Manchester's entrance. It's oddly breathy and unsupported. By the second phrase the smokiness I think she was going for begins to fill in.
The arrangement is fine, a bit standard, but nicely done. Oddly, it does not match at all what Manchester is bringing to the table and I'm thinking they're dining at two different restaurants.
Her phrasing is there, but it's undercooked. Okay, it's early. Let's see where this goes. But I can tell you right now, this tanked as a single because the singer failed to show up on the first verse.
Manchester chooses to go big right away. Good for her. She has the vocal chops to pull it off. That light treatment they give her vocals? Takes the edge off. Big strings sawing away, big sound. That's fun.
Third verse? They decide harmonies are not for her, so she messes with the melody line with mixed results. The vocals are fuller. But I'm still not convinced this is a song she should have been singing at this juncture in her career.
Listen to that keyboard sound and sequence as we move into the second chorus. Is that lifted from Fire In The Morning or an Anne Murray song? Stephen Dorff wrote both Fire In The Morning and 'I Just Fall In Love, Again' And we just tore apart I Just Fall In Love Again as part of this series a few weeks ago. And Steve Buckingham produced both this version of Without You and Fire In The Morning. I know, I know... silly thing to get caught up in, but I love it when I stumble on borrowed musical items.
Second chorus same as the first. Vocals set on stun. This, by the way, was a strange transition for Manchester. She was a bohemian, earth mother, songwriter, more at home at a coffee shop than anyplace else. Clive Davis of Arista Records kept pushing her to become a more traditional female entertainer and that's what this album was really all about. It's a leap Manchester could make. She had the show biz patter down, she looked amazing all dolled up, and she had pipes that could sing just about anything handed her. But I don't think it was ever 'her.' She was an incredibly gifted songwriter and I really was always happier when I heard her sing her own material. This isn't karaoke, because there's a lot of thought and effort that went into this recording, but it still begs the question...
Why, Clive? Why?
You can't take a perfectly good ballet slipper and try to make a glittered high heel out of it. It's not going to work. Better to allow that ballet slipper to dance to the music which best suits it.
I would have ended this at the 2:52 mark. Manchester and this arrangement have nothing else to bring to this.
Shame on you, Clive.
T.G. Sheppard
Back to a very 'Carpenter' sounding piano. I like the tiny changes the pianist makes, changing up that very basic plodding.
Sheppard isn't doing a very country sound, yet. He sounds more like he's doing a Broadway musical. Introduction of the strings, very reserved. Nice. Not sure what that uplift instrument is between verse one an two... it's vaguely percussive. Is it just a synth?
His is a very understated, but dramatically effective reading. And I like the additional voices that rally around him before the chorus.
He drops into a lower register. Effective. Not sure about the airy percussion - it's like puffed wheat, of it's time, has it aged well? Let's find out. I like the dramatic strings.
I like his voice when he jumps up that octave and the arranger is disciplined enough to keep things in check. I would never classify this as country... yet. I mean, there's a country boy ache in his voice and diction, but this still feels Broadway to me.
I guess he choice to sing 'choo' instead of 'you' is sort of country.
Those strings that takeover after the second chorus... way treacly. Did Montovani and his 101 Strings just take the recording session hostage?
I would have ended this at the 2:45 mark.
Air Supply
I like the short intro. Russell Hitchcock has a similar touch to his voice as Nilsson, but a much more focused sound. I like the pianist. So far, a very pure reading. His phrasing is not as magical as Nilsson's but lovely all the same. Subtle strings on the second verse, nice, as are the muted harmony vocals as we approach the chorus.
Wow, I would have placed money that he was going to go big right out the gate, he does not. It's unfortunate that such a talented singer would choose to sing 'choo' instead of 'you.' A minor thing, but something every vocal coach and musical director I ever worked with harped on.
Huh. I was expecting more when he goes up an octave. More drama. The arrangement doesn't seem to have even noticed. Can't fault the singer. Love what he does with the word 'more.'
I continue to appreciate the pianist. The introduction of the percussion on the third verse, very subtle. They seem to be keeping everything in check, with the vocals (lovely, muted harmonies) front and center.
Oh, he saved it for the second chorus... that is a huge sound. Dead on.
Stupid key change, terrible guitar sound. Did someone change the radio station? Doesn't suit what went before at all.
Wow. I want to kill the guitarist. Talk about failing to read the room.
Love the big dramatic pause, but THAT'S when the key change should have hit. I think of all the times Whitney Houston used that ploy... and know what? It worked every time.
Here? Because they don't literally take it to the next level, the listener feels a tad let down. Hitchcock is in fine voice. I can't believe the didn't have him go for it.
This should end at the 3:52 mark. Is there really another whole minute of song?
Oddly enough, I like some of what the guitarist does with that second solo, but that is the longest fade I have ever heard.
Mariah Carey
Bright as a penny and a couple keys higher...
Carey enters all breathy, with just enough bottom to her voice to arrest our attention. And it isn't long before her love of melisma makes it's presence known.
Second verse, she turns up the warmth by filling out her sound a bit more. This is early enough in her career where she hadn't damaged her voice completely, though, if you listen, you can hear that dry, raspiness scraping the back of her throat, which accounts for her breathiness and why she can't sustain a strong note in her lower range for very long.
Hey. The lady worked very hard. Those platinum hits didn't sing themselves.
Oh, I like what they've done with 'only fair that I should let you know.' A lovely vocal on top of her voice. Immediately after, they meld and vibrate. That kind of quiver? Musically, not all that acceptable, but our diva must know what she's doing, right?
She goes for the lower register, good. She sounds... different. Doesn't she? Almost like it's someone else singing.
I'm not going to say they used auto-correct on her vocals, but... there is something not-quite human about the tonal qualities floating about in this recording. At times, it sound as if she's recording her vocals in a different room.
Triple Mariah! A little scary. This third verse. Or, is it just me?
Lots of big vocal breaks. Won't someone get this lady a glass of water?
I know that if you asked Mariah about some of these vocal choices she makes she would tell you that is her style. But - and if you know of an example leave it in the comments section - has our diva ever sang a song, well, straight? No flitting about, no breathiness, no runs, no melisma, no vocal cracks or breaks - just sang a straight melody, straight forward, full voice?
The answer is no.
Vision Of Love, which I consider her masterwork, is the closest she's ever come, and, let's face it, all those phenomenal vocal runs are what makes that song so thrilling to listen to.
Yes. Carey has a range. But her vocal technique? Well, one could write a master's thesis detailing everything the lady does in place of proper vocal technique. Yes, Carey has (had) an impressive vocal range, and she has a voice - it's not a singing voice, but it is an interesting voice.
There's so much studio camouflage in the second chorus I can't tell what's going on.
I do like the gospel choir. Finally, a play out for this song I approve of. Bravo.
As for Carey, this is a piece of product, not a performance. I can't imagine all that they've cobbled together and buttressed up and glued into place in order to fill these three and half minutes, but...
Well...
I'll just leave it there.
The Verdict
So, this is harder than I thought.
I must be honest, and you are not going to believe me, but going into this?
I assumed Carey would walk away this thing. Easily.
But it has been a long time since I actually listened to her version.
And having listened to all the other versions? Her take is my least favorite.
Even Manchester fairs better because at least it's a straight forward performance, not something stitched together in the studio. Manchester has great chops, this just wasn't a great song choice for her.
After I eliminate those two? It gets a lot more difficult.
I like Heart's very live, organic approach. Wilson is in great voice. The ending is a train wreck, but the rest almost works for me. Had Mike Flicker been allowed more time, I think he could have put a bit more shimmer on that arrangement. As is, they sound like a bar band who got some studio time.
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed T.G. Sheppard's interpretation. Very straightforward, with nary a nod to The Grand Old Opry. I really like his voice. His undoing? That sugar sweet string arrangement. I cringed and it made my teeth ache.
I was really expecting to hate Air Supply's version, because there are very few things they've done that I approve of. However, the vocals were so pure and true to the song, I was charmed... until that hideous electric guitar entered the picture and, oh, let's not forget about the botched Whitney Houston moment.
I like Badfinger's sound. On the verses. The chorus? Too much Lennon influence and their playout ended up rather comical.
So, it's Nilsson for me. Great phrasing. Lovely voice. Mostly great technique. He does incredible justice to the song, walking that romantic tight rope only singers like Leo Sayer and Gilbert O'Sullivan can attempt. And Richard Perry's arrangement! Wow. That man continues to blow me away. He has such great instincts as a producer/arranger.
Yes, this one definitely belongs to Nilsson and Richard Perry.
--- ---
And that is enough of me.
To tell you the truth? I don't think I ever want to hear this song again.
Okay... your turn. Let me know what you think. Leave your choice and thoughts in the comments section. I love to hear a differing opinion.
And that's all for now.
Until next time...
Thanks for reading... and listening!
Without You - Badfinger
(1972)
