You and Me Against the World (song)
Encyclopedia
"You and Me Against the World" is a song written by Kenny Ascher and Paul Williams
, recorded by Helen Reddy
for her 1974 album Love Song for Jeffrey.
"You and Me Against the World" was the first song written by Kenny Ascher and Paul Williams and began as a gag song: Williams and Ascher, a member of Williams' band, had a discussion about their favorite songwriters which led to the spontaneous composition of a song on the subject whose tune, Ascher then realized, had real hit potential.
Williams himself debuted "You and Me Against the World" on his 1974 album Here Comes Inspiration, singing it as a traditional love ballad. Reddy considered the song's lyrics too "paternalistic" to be convincing as a woman's declaration of love for a man. Instead Reddy interpreted the song as a mother singing to a child, which her version clarified via Reddy's daughter Traci speaking to "Mommy" at the start and end of the track.
Released as the second single from Love Song For Jeffrey, "You and Me Against the World" reached number nine on the Billboard Hot 100
in September 1974 and became the fourth of Reddy's six consecutive - eight overall - Adult Contemporary number ones .
"You and Me Against the World" had also been recorded by Ann Burton
, Robert Goulet
, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Vera Lynn
, Johnny Mathis
, Matt Monro
and Matt Monro Jr
. A Swedish rendering: "Du Och Jag Emot En Värld", was recorded by Lill-Babs
.
Paul Williams (songwriter)
Paul Hamilton Williams, Jr. is an Academy Award-winning American composer, musician, songwriter, and actor. He is perhaps best known for popular songs performed by a number of acts in the 1970s including Three Dog Night's "An Old Fashioned Love Song", Helen Reddy's "You and Me Against the World",...
, recorded by Helen Reddy
Helen Reddy
Helen Reddy , often referred to as "The Queen of 70s Pop", is an Australian-American singer and actress. In the 1970s, she enjoyed international success, especially in the United States, where she placed fifteen singles in the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. Six of those 15 songs made the Top 10...
for her 1974 album Love Song for Jeffrey.
"You and Me Against the World" was the first song written by Kenny Ascher and Paul Williams and began as a gag song: Williams and Ascher, a member of Williams' band, had a discussion about their favorite songwriters which led to the spontaneous composition of a song on the subject whose tune, Ascher then realized, had real hit potential.
Williams himself debuted "You and Me Against the World" on his 1974 album Here Comes Inspiration, singing it as a traditional love ballad. Reddy considered the song's lyrics too "paternalistic" to be convincing as a woman's declaration of love for a man. Instead Reddy interpreted the song as a mother singing to a child, which her version clarified via Reddy's daughter Traci speaking to "Mommy" at the start and end of the track.
Released as the second single from Love Song For Jeffrey, "You and Me Against the World" reached number nine on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in September 1974 and became the fourth of Reddy's six consecutive - eight overall - Adult Contemporary number ones .
"You and Me Against the World" had also been recorded by Ann Burton
Ann Burton
Ann Burton is the pseudonym of Johanna Rafalowicz , a Dutch jazz singer.-Discography:* Ann Burton * Blue Burton...
, Robert Goulet
Robert Goulet
Robert Gerard Goulet was a Canadian American entertainer as a singer and actor. He played the role of Lancelot in the Broadway musical Camelot of 1960.-Early life:...
, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Vera Lynn
Vera Lynn
Dame Vera Lynn, DBE is an English singer-songwriter and actress whose musical recordings and performances were enormously popular during World War II. During the war she toured Egypt, India and Burma, giving outdoor concerts for the troops...
, Johnny Mathis
Johnny Mathis
John Royce "Johnny" Mathis is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standards, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum status, and 73 making the Billboard charts...
, Matt Monro
Matt Monro
Matt Monro was an English singer who became one of the most popular entertainers on the international music scene during the 1960s...
and Matt Monro Jr
Matt Monro, Jr.
Matthew Frederick Monro , is the son of the English singer Matt Monro and is a singer in his own right, often performing his father's work....
. A Swedish rendering: "Du Och Jag Emot En Värld", was recorded by Lill-Babs
Lill-Babs
Lill-Babs is a Swedish singer and actress.-Biography:Lill-Babs was born in Järvsö, Gävleborg County, as the first daughter of Britta and Ragnar Svensson...
.