You're the First, the Last, My Everything

"You're the First, the Last, My Everything" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter 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. It reached number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the UK Singles Chart. The song 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.

"You're the First, the Last, My Everything"
Side A of the Irish single
Single by Barry White
from the album Can't Get Enough
B-side	"More Than Anything, You're My Everything"
Released	October 25, 1974 (1974-10-25) (UK)[1]
Recorded	1974 (1974)
Genre	R&B disco
Length	4:33 3:30 (7" version)
Label	20th Century
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)

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]

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1974–1975) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report)[citation needed] 60 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[7] 6 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[8] 8 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[9] 15 Ireland (IRMA)[10] 6 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[11] 10 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[12] 13 South Africa (Springbok)[13] 2 Spain (Superventas SER)[citation needed] 1 UK Singles (OCC)[14] 1 US Billboard Hot 100[15] 2 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[16] 1 US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[17] 2 US Cash Box Top 100[18] 1 West Germany (GfK)[19] 9 Chart (2022) Peak position Hungary (Single Top 40)[20] 39

Year-end charts Chart (1974) Rank Canada[21] 137 UK Singles[22] 32 Chart (1975) Rank US Billboard Hot 100[23] 48 US Cash Box Top 100[24] 31

Certifications

"You're the First, the Last, My Everything" was certified Gold by the RIAA on December 18, 1974.^[25] It was certified silver for 200,000 sold copies in United Kingdom in 1974.^[26]

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Italy (FIMI)[27] sales since 2009	Gold	35,000‡
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[28]	Platinum	60,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[29]	Platinum	600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[30]	Gold	1,000,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Other versions

Howard Brown

A cover version of the song performed by Howard Brown was released in 2005 in the UK as a charity single. It peaked at No. 13 on the UK singles chart.^[31] 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.

Ally McBeal

The Ally McBeal character John Cage draws inspiration from this song. Barry White personally sang it on the episodes "Those Lips, That Hand" and the series finale "Bygones".^{[citation needed]}

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" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 2015-04-17.
8. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 3899a." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
9. Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Barry White". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 280. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
10. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – You're the First, the Last, My Everything". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 22, 2017.
11. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Barry White" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
12. "Barry White – You're The First, The Last, My Everything" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 2015-04-17.
13. "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved 5 September 2018.
14. "Barry White: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
15. "Barry White Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
16. "Barry White Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
17. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 279.
18. Cash Box Top 100 Singles, January 11, 1975
19. "Offiziellecharts.de – Barry White – You're The First, The Last, My Everything" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. To see peak chart position, click "TITEL VON Barry White"
20. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége.
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. "Barry White - You're the First, the Last, My Everything - RIAA Gold Certification". RIAA. December 18, 1974. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
26. "BPI Awards - bpi". www.bpi.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2017-09-09.
27. "Italian single certifications – Barry White – You're the First, the Last, My Everything" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
28. "Spanish single certifications – Barry White – You're the First, the Last, My Everything". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
29. "British single certifications – Barry White – You're the First the Last My Everything". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
30. "American single certifications – Barry White – the First, the Last, My Everything". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
31. "HOWARD BROWN - full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 8, 2019.

External links

• Song Review from AllMusic