Today’s classic song of the day was a top ten hit for Helen Reddy in 1974. The song is “You and Me Against the World” and it peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on Billboard’s Easy Listening chart. It also hit #1 on Canada’s RPM Adult Contemporary chart.
“You and Me Against the World” was written by Kenny Ascher and Paul Williams. Kenny Ascher is a jazz pianist, composer, and arranger; he also did all the string arrangements for Meatloaf’s Bat Out of Hell album. Paul Williams is a prolific songwriter, both on his own and with others, responsible for hits such as “Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star is Born)” for Barbra Streisand; “The Family of Man,” “An Old Fashioned Love Song,” and “Out in the Country” for Three Dog Night; “I Won’t Last a Day Without You,” “Rainy Days and Mondays,” and “We’ve Only Just Begun” for the Carpenters; and “Talk It Over in the Morning” for Anne Murray. Together, Ascher and Williams were responsible for all the music in The Muppet Movie, including one of my favorite songs ever, “Rainbow Connection.”
Ascher and Williams wrote “You and Me Against the World” as a fairly traditional love song. When singer Helen Reddy got ahold of the song, however, she thought it came off as too paternalistic and turned it around to be about the love of a mother for her child. This is reinforced on the recording by her 10 year-old daughter Traci saying “I love you, mommy” at the end of the track—and Ms. Reddy answering, “I love you too, baby.”
The lyrics can be taken either way:
You and me against the world
Sometimes it seems like you and me against the world
When all the others turn their backs and walk away
You can count on me to stay
And when one of us is gone
And one of us is left to carry on
Then remembering will have to do
Our memories alone will get us through
Think about the days of me and you
You and me against the world
Great lyrics, in any case, thanks to the expert wordsmithing of Paul Williams.
Helen Reddy was born in Australia and moved to the U.S. in the late 1960s. She had a number of big hits in the 1970s, including “I Don’t Know How to Love Him” (1971), “Delta Dawn” (1973), “Leave Me Alone (Ruby Red Dress)” (1973), “Angie Baby” (1974), “Ain’t No Way to Treat a Lady” (1975), and, of course, her signature song, the chart-topping feminist anthem, “I Am Woman” (1972). Helen Reddy passed away in 2020 at the age of 78.
And here’s your daily bonus video of the day, Helen Reddy and her daughter Traci performing “You and Me Against the World” on the July 19, 1974, episode of The Midnight Special. This one means more the older you get.
