"I Won't Last a Day Without You" is a song composed by Paul Williams

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",...

 and Roger Nichols

Roger Nichols (songwriter)

Roger Nichols Roger Nichols Roger Nichols (born in Missoula, Montana, is an American composer and songwriter. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays violin, guitar, bass, and piano.-Biography:...

. Williams released his version as a single in 1973

1973 in music

-January–April:*January 9 – Mick Jagger's request for a Japanese visa is rejected on account of a 1969 drug conviction, putting an abrupt end to The Rolling Stones' plans to perform in Japan during their forthcoming tour.*January 14...

, but garnered only minor success. Maureen McGovern

Maureen McGovern

Maureen Therese McGovern is an American singer and Broadway actress, well known for her premier renditions of the Oscar winning songs "The Morning After" from the 1972 film The Poseidon Adventure, and "We May Never Love Like This Again" from The Towering Inferno in 1974.-Early life:McGovern was...

 recorded the song and also released it as a single in 1973 (and included on her album The Morning After

The Morning After (Maureen McGovern album)

-Personnel and production:*Arranged by Joe Hudson , Michael Rubini , Gene Page , Gary Kekel & Bob Hill...

), with results similar to those of Williams. It became a hit single for The Carpenters

The Carpenters

Carpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo, consisting of sister Karen and brother Richard Carpenter. The Carpenters were the #1 selling American music act of the 1970s. Though often referred to by the public as "The Carpenters", the duo's official name on authorized recordings and...

 in 1974

1974 in music

-January–April:*January 3 – Bob Dylan and The Band kick off their 40-date concert tour at Chicago Stadium. It's Dylan's first time on the road since 1966.*January 17...

, reaching number eleven 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...

 chart and number one on the easy listening

Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks

The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...

 chart, becoming their ninth number one on the chart.

In 1972, Richard Carpenter had learned of a new song from his partners, Paul Williams and Roger Nichols (composers of the famous Carpenters singles "We've Only Just Begun

We've Only Just Begun

"We've Only Just Begun" is the signature song of The Carpenters, written by Roger Nichols and Paul Williams , and is often used as a wedding song. The song was ranked at #405 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".The song was recorded by Smokey Roberds, a friend...

" and "Rainy Days and Mondays

Rainy Days and Mondays

"Rainy Days and Mondays" is a 1971 song by The Carpenters that went to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was certified Gold by the RIAA. It was also the duo's fourth #1 song on the Adult Contemporary singles chart...

"), and he put it on their A Song for You

A Song for You (Carpenters album)

A Song for You is the fourth album released by the Carpenters, released on June 13, 1972. According to Richard Carpenter, "A Song for You was intended to be a concept album with the title tune opening and closing the set and the bookended selections comprising the 'song'."In Cash Box's Top 100...

album. Shortly after, Diana Ross

Diana Ross

Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...

 heard it and put it on her album Touch Me in the Morning

Touch Me in the Morning (album)

Touch Me in the Morning is a 1973 album released by American singer Diana Ross on the Motown Records.-Reception:The album spawned the hit title track, which became her second #1 single on the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, and helped the album peak at #5 on the US Billboard 200 albums chart...

the following year. In 1974, Barbra Streisand

Barbra Streisand

Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...

 included the song on her album ButterFly

ButterFly (Barbra Streisand album)

ButterFly is a studio album by Barbra Streisand, recorded and released in 1974. The credited producer is Streisand's then-boyfriend Jon Peters, with arrangements by Tom Scott. The album contains contemporary material from a diverse selection of writers, as well as interpretations of standards...

. Mel Torme

Mel Tormé

Melvin Howard Tormé , nicknamed The Velvet Fog, was an American musician, known for his jazz singing. He was also a jazz composer and arranger, a drummer, an actor in radio, film, and television, and the author of five books...

also sang a version of the song, culminating in holding one of the longest last notes in showbiz history, with a full six and a half four-counts.

Chart

Chart	Peak position
Canadian Singles Chart	7
Oricon International Singles Chart	1
Oricon (Japanese) Singles Chart	40
UK Singles Chart	9
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	11
U.S. Billboard Easy Listening	1