I'm Leaving It Up to You

"I'm Leaving It Up to You" is a song written by and originally performed by Don Harris and Dewey Terry in 1957.^[2] It was later popularized in 1963 by the American duo Dale and Grace, who took it to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. In 1974, Donny and Marie Osmond reached the top five on the US Hot 100 chart and peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary chart with their cover.

"I'm Leaving It Up to You"
US single (Michelle) of Dale & Grace recording
Single by Dale & Grace
from the album I'm Leaving It Up to You
B-side	"Stop and Think It Over"
Released	September 1963
Recorded	1963
Genre	Doo-wop[1]
Length	2:13
Label	Montel
Songwriter(s)	Don F. Harris, Dewey Terry
Producer(s)	Sam Montel
Dale & Grace singles chronology
"I'm Leaving It Up to You" (1963) "Stop and Think It Over" (1964)

Dale and Grace version

"I'm Leaving It Up to You" first became popular when recorded by the duo Dale and Grace in 1963. Their version became a #1 hit in the United States on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks in late 1963, replacing "Deep Purple" by Nino Tempo & April Stevens but ending up one position lower than that record on the 1963 end-of-the-year chart.^[3]

The single also spent two weeks atop the easy listening chart. It was the #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Dale and Grace were in Dallas on the day of the murder. The duo was scheduled to perform that night as part of Dick Clark's Caravan of Stars (with Bobby Rydell, Jimmy Clanton, and Brian Hyland) and had waved to the president's motorcade from a vantage point near their hotel, moments before the assassination.^[3] Needless to say, Dick Clark's Caravan of Stars was cancelled that night, as was the next night in Oklahoma.^[4]

Chart performance

Weekly charts Chart (1963–64) Peak position Canada (CHUM Hit Parade)[5] 2 US Billboard Hot 100 1 US Billboard Easy Listening 1 US Cash Box Top 100[6] 1

Year-end charts Chart (1963) Rank US Billboard Hot 100[7] 20 Chart (1964) Rank US Cash Box[8] 27

Donny and Marie Osmond version

"I'm Leaving It (All) Up to You"
US single of the Donny and Marie recording
Single by Donny and Marie Osmond
from the album I'm Leaving It All Up to You
B-side	"The Umbrella Song"
Released	July 1974
Recorded	Country pop, bubblegum pop[9]
Length	2:51
Label	MGM
Songwriter(s)	Don F. Harris, Dewey Terry
Donny and Marie Osmond singles chronology
"I'm Leaving It (All) Up to You" (1974) "Morning Side of the Mountain" (1974)

In 1974, "I'm Leaving It Up to You" (released and noted as "I'm Leaving It (All) Up to You") again became a chart-topping hit in the US when brother and sister duo Donny and Marie Osmond covered it in September, it reached #4 on the Hot 100 and #1 on the easy listening chart.^[10] It also reached #2 in the UK. Their version became a gold record, as did the album from which the title track was taken.^[11]

Chart performance

Weekly charts Chart (1974) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report) 14 Canada RPM Top Singles 4 Canada RPM Adult Contemporary 3 Canada RPM Country 7 France (IFOP)[12] 41 Ireland (IRMA)[13] 3 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[14] 4 UK 2 US Billboard Hot 100 4 US Billboard Easy Listening[10] 1 US Billboard Country 17 US Cash Box Top 100[15] 7

Year-end charts Chart (1974) Rank Australia (Kent Music Report)[16] 98 Canada RPM Top Singles[17] 62 Netherlands[18] 21 UK[19] 23 US Billboard Hot 100[20] 81 US Billboard Easy Listening[21] 34 US Cash Box[22] 74 Certifications Region Certification Certified units/sales United States (RIAA)[23] Gold 1,000,000^ ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Other versions

• A Spanish version, written by Leslie Royal and Héctor Romero of Mexican group Los Jets de Nogales, was recorded by them in 1963 as "Decídelo tú", and by Mexican group Yndio in 1972, under the name "Sin tu amor", with the song's new name used as title for Yndio's album.^[24][25]

See also

• List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1963 (U.S.)
• List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1963 (U.S.)
• List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1974 (U.S.)