Anybody remember this one? Today’s classic song of the day is “You,” a hit for Rita Coolidge during the summer of 1978. It’s a soft rock tune that has a definite disco feel that was perfect for the time—and might even qualify as “yacht rock” today. “You,” released in June of 1978, reached #25 on the Billboard Hot 100, #17 on the Cash Box Top 100, and #3 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary charts.
Rita Coolidge wasn’t the first artist to have a hit with “You.” That honor goes to Australian singer Marcia Hines. Marcia’s version, released in 1977, was a pretty big deal down under, peaking at #2 on the Australian charts.
But Marcia Hines’ recording of “You” was also a cover. The song was first released by the song’s composer, Tom Snow, on his 1975 album Taking It All in Stride. Snow is an American, not an Australian, and he’s written tunes for Olivia Newton-John (“Deeper Than the Night,” “Make a Move on Me”), Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville (“Don’t Know Much”), Gayle McCormick (“Even a Fool Would Let Go”), Melissa Manchester (“You Should Hear How She Talks About You“), Cher, Barbra Streisand, Diana Ross (“Gettin’ Ready for Love”), and Bonnie Raitt (“Love Sneakin’ Up On You”). With partner Dean Pitchford, Snow co-wrote the wonderful “Let’s Hear It for the Boy” for Deniece Williams from the movie Footloose and, with legendary lyricist Cynthia Weil, the million-selling hit “He’s So Shy” for the Pointer Sisters.
Back to Rita Coolidge’s recording of “You.” The song was the lead track (track one, side on) on her 1978 album, Love Me Again, and featured some heavyweight studio cats, including Jay Graydon on electric guitar, Booker T. Jones on keyboards, and Mike Baird on drums. Oh, and Cory Wells of Three Dog Night was one of the background vocalists. It’s not a bad little tune but it’s kind of fallen between the cracks today.
