Without You (Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle song)
| "Without You" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle | |
| from the album All by Myself (2012 Re-Release) and Positive | |
| B-side | "The Higher You Climb" |
| Released | November 1987 |
| Format | 7" Single |
| Recorded | 1987 |
| Genre | |
| Length |
5:14 (Original full single) 4:30 (Edit single version) |
| Label | Elektra Records |
| Writer(s) | Lamont Dozier |
| Producer(s) |
Michael J. Powell Sir Gant |
"Without You" is a romantic song written by the American songwriter and music producer Lamont Dozier and recorded as a duet by the singers Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle in 1987. The song was the love theme from the comedy film Leonard Part 6, released the same year. The single peaked at #8 on the adult contemporary chart, #14 on the R&B chart and #89 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Description
"Without You" was composed by Dozier to be the love theme in Leonard Part 6, released in the United States on December 18, 1987. That same year, Belle released her first album, All by Myself, but "Without You" was not included on the album. In 2012, All by Myself was remastered on CD and "Without You" was included at the end of the album as a bonus track. This is the only album by Belle in which the song is present. Unlike her, Bryson included the song on his album Positive, released in 1988. The song was included in his compilations Anthology, released in 2001, and Bedroom Classics Vol. 2 – Peabo Bryson, released in 2004. On every album that the song is present, it is titled "Without You (Love Theme from Leonard Part 6)", but its title is only '"Without You", given by its composer Dozier. It was the first of four duets recorded by Bryson and Belle, who recorded together "Without You" (in 1987), "I Can't Imagine" (in 1991), "A Whole New World" (in 1992) and "Total Praise" (in 2009). "A Whole New World" is the main theme of the American animated film Aladdin.
Track listing
| Side | Song | Length | Interpreters | Writer/composer | Producers | Original album | Recording year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A-side | "Withou You" | 5:14 | Peabo Bryson; Regina Belle |
Lamont Dozier | Michael J. Powell; Sir Gant |
"Positive" (Peabo Bryson album) |
1987 |
| B-side | "The Higher You Climb" | 5:08 | Peabo Bryson | Peabo Bryson | Peabo Bryson (Producer) Dwight Watkins (Co-producer) |
"Quiet Storm" (Peabo Bryson album) |
1986 |
B-side
The B-side of the original single contains the song "The Higher You Climb", which had been recorded by Bryson only in 1986. It was written and produced by himself, with co-production from Dwight Watkins, and released on his album Quiet Storm in the same year. It was a simple song from their album that was not released as a single.
Chart positions
"Without You" reached the following positions:
| Year | Peak chart positions | Album | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B |
US AC |
AUS | CAN | UK | |||||||||
| 1987 | 89 | 14 | 8 | — | — | 85 | "Positive" (Peabo Bryson album) | |||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
Alternative single
"Without You" features an alternative version of its single. In this version, "Without You" has edited a smaller duration, with different cover and B-side. The cover of this version contains only the "Without You" (large size) and "If Ever You're in My Arms Again" (small size) titles, with a background in dark green and light green letters. In this version, "Wihout You" is only 4:30 long, an edited version of the single, while the original single is 5:14 in duration. The B-side of this alternative version is the song "If Ever You're in My Arms Again", a big hit for Bryson, originally recorded in 1984, and released as a single and included on his album Straight from the Heart the same year. The duration of 4:02 was also edited since the original version of the album has a duration of 4:12. The track list of this alternative version of "Without You" is as follows:
| Side | Song | Length | Interpreters | Writer/composer | Producers | Original album | Recording year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A-side | "Withou You" | 4:30 (Edit) |
Peabo Bryson; Regina Belle |
Lamont Dozier | Michael J. Powell; Sir Gant |
"Positive" (Peabo Bryson album edit) |
1987 |
| B-side | "If Ever You're in My Arms Again" | 4:02 (Edit) |
Peabo Bryson | Michael Masser; Tom Snow; Cynthia Weil |
Michael Masser | "Straight from the Heart" (Peabo Bryson album edit) |
1984 |
Promotional single
"Without You" includes a promotional version of their single. This version has only "Without You", on both sides of the single. The A-side contains the edited version of the single, lasting 4:30, launched an alternative version. The B-side has the full version released on the album Positive with 5:12 duration (only two seconds less than the original single). The cover of this version is also different, in red and black colors, the design of a phonograph needle on black over red background and the name "ELEKTRA" in big letters in white on black background. The track list of this promotional version of "Withou You" is as follows:
| Side | Song | Length | Interpreters | Writer/composer | Producers | Original album | Recording year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A-side | "Withou You" | 4:30 (Edit version) |
Peabo Bryson; Regina Belle |
Lamont Dozier | Michael J. Powell; Sir Gant |
"Positive" (Peabo Bryson album edit) |
1987 |
| B-side | "Withou You" | 5:12 (Album version) |
Peabo Bryson; Regina Belle |
Lamont Dozier | Michael J. Powell; Sir Gant |
"Positive" (Peabo Bryson album) |
1987 |
Portuguese version
In 1989, "Without You" a Portuguese version was released in Brazil, recorded by the Brazilian singer Rosana (today also known as Rosanah Fiengo) titled "Amor Dividido". The version was released on her album Onde o Amor Me Leva in the same year. The Portuguese lyrics were written by the Brazilian composer Cláudio Rabello. "Amor Dividido" had an official video and it was a big hit in Brazil in 1989, long run on radio and Rosana leading to many TV shows. The song credits are Lamont Dozier, version Cláudio Rabello.
Spanish version
In 1990, Rosana recorded a special album with songs in English and Spanish, launched in Latin America, entitled Por Donde El Amor Me Lleva. This had another version of "Without You" by Rosana, this time in Spanish, in duet with the Spanish singer Emmanuel. The release was also titled "Amor Dividido" with words written by the composer and record producer Karen Guindi, based on lyrics in Portuguese. The song credits are Lamont Dozier, version Karen Guindi.
References
All information about "Without You" contained in this article is from the images of the cover, back and discs of the singles, found in sites 45cat, CD and LP, eBay and Amazon.com.
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