The Air That I Breathe
Encyclopedia
"The Air That I Breathe" is a ballad
written by Albert Hammond
and Mike Hazlewood, initially recorded by Albert Hammond
on his 1972 album It Never Rains In Southern California.
in early 1974, reaching No. 2 in the UK - their last major hit single, apart from a reissue of "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother
" in 1988. The song reached #6 in the US on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart in the summer of 1974 and #5 in Canada on the RPM Magazine
charts. "The Air That I Breathe" was engineered by Alan Parsons
.
.
The Hollies' version of the song appears in the May 2003 series finale of teen drama Dawson's Creek
, the second season episode "Donut Run" of Veronica Mars
, and the 2007 film I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry
, starring Adam Sandler and Kevin James. It also appears in the Fringe
episode "Fracture."
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
written by Albert Hammond
Albert Hammond
Albert Hammond OBE is a British singer, songwriter and record producer from Gibraltar.-Birth and early success:Hammond was born in London, England, where his family had been evacuated to from Gibraltar during World War II. His family returned to Gibraltar shortly after his birth, and there he grew...
and Mike Hazlewood, initially recorded by Albert Hammond
Albert Hammond
Albert Hammond OBE is a British singer, songwriter and record producer from Gibraltar.-Birth and early success:Hammond was born in London, England, where his family had been evacuated to from Gibraltar during World War II. His family returned to Gibraltar shortly after his birth, and there he grew...
on his 1972 album It Never Rains In Southern California.
History
It is best remembered as having been a major hit for The HolliesThe Hollies
The Hollies are an English pop and rock group, formed in Manchester in the early 1960s, though most of the band members are from throughout East Lancashire. Known for their distinctive vocal harmony style, they became one of the leading British groups of the 1960s and 1970s...
in early 1974, reaching No. 2 in the UK - their last major hit single, apart from a reissue of "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother
He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother
"He Ain't Heavy... He's My Brother" is a popular music ballad written by Bobby Scott and Bob Russell. Originally recorded by Kelly Gordon in 1969, the song became a worldwide hit for The Hollies later that year and again for Neil Diamond in 1970....
" in 1988. The song reached #6 in the US on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart in the summer of 1974 and #5 in Canada on the RPM Magazine
RPM (magazine)
RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,...
charts. "The Air That I Breathe" was engineered by Alan Parsons
Alan Parsons
Alan Parsons is a British audio engineer, musician, and record producer. He was involved with the production of several significant albums, including The Beatles' Abbey Road and Let It Be, as well as Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon for which Pink Floyd credit him as an important contributor...
.
Cultural references
The song is played in the 1999 film, The Virgin SuicidesThe Virgin Suicides (film)
The Virgin Suicides is a 1999 American drama film written and directed by Sofia Coppola, produced by her father Francis Ford Coppola, starring James Woods, Kathleen Turner, Kirsten Dunst, Josh Hartnett, and A.J...
.
The Hollies' version of the song appears in the May 2003 series finale of teen drama Dawson's Creek
Dawson's Creek
Dawson's Creek is an American teen drama television series which debuted on January 20, 1998, on The WB Television Network and was produced by Sony Pictures Television. The show is set in the fictional seaside town of Capeside, Massachusetts, and in Boston, Massachusetts, during the later seasons...
, the second season episode "Donut Run" of Veronica Mars
Veronica Mars
Veronica Mars is an American television series created by Rob Thomas. The series premiered on September 22, 2004, during television network UPN's final two years, and ended on May 22, 2007, after a season on UPN's successor, The CW Television Network. Veronica Mars was produced by Warner Bros...
, and the 2007 film I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry
I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry
I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry is a 2007 comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan, written by Barry Fanaro, and starring Adam Sandler and Kevin James as the title characters. The film was released on July 20, 2007, in the U.S., August 16, 2007, in Australia and on September 21, 2007, in the UK and...
, starring Adam Sandler and Kevin James. It also appears in the Fringe
Fringe (TV series)
Fringe is an American science fiction television series created by J. J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. The series follows a Federal Bureau of Investigation "Fringe Division" team based in Boston, Massachusetts under the supervision of Homeland Security...
episode "Fracture."
Cover versions
- The song was first covered by Phil Everly of the Everly Brothers.
- Also covered by Olivia Newton-JohnOlivia Newton-JohnOlivia Newton-John AO, OBE is a singer and actress. She is a four-time Grammy award winner who has amassed five No. 1 and ten other Top Ten Billboard Hot 100 singles and two No. 1 Billboard 200 solo albums. Eleven of her singles and 14 of her albums have been certified gold by the RIAA...
in 1975 on the album Have You Never Been MellowHave You Never Been MellowHave You Never Been Mellow was an album by Olivia Newton-John, released in 1975.-Reception:Both the title single and the album rose to the top of their respective U.S. charts . The title song and its follow-up, "Please Mr...
. - Dutch popgroup Champagne covered the song in 1977 on their album "Champagne".
- Hank Williams Jr. covered this song on his 1983 album, Man of SteelMan of Steel (album)Man of Steel is a studio album by American country music artist Hank Williams, Jr.. It was released by Warner Bros./Curb Records in September 1983. "Queen of My Heart" and the title track were released as singles...
. - Rex Allen Jr. recorded a cover version in 1983, releasing his version for the country music market. Allen's version peaked in the top 30 of the Billboard Hot Country SinglesHot Country SongsHot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart in January 1984. - Julio IglesiasJulio IglesiasJulio José Iglesias de la Cueva , better known simply as Julio Iglesias, is a Spanish singer who has sold over 300 million records worldwide in 14 languages and released 77 albums. According to Sony Music Entertainment, he is one of the top 15 best selling music artists in history,...
offered his version of the song on 1984's 1100 Bel Air Place1100 Bel Air Place-Production:*Track 1 arranged by Tony Renis & John Barnes; Tracks 2, 3, 5, 6 & 7 arranged by Michel Colombier; Track 4 arranged by Robbie Buchanan & Ramon Arcusa, with Beach Boys' vocals arranged by Brian Wilson; Tracks 8 & 9 arranged by Randy Kerber, with percussion arrangements on track 8 by...
. The Beach Boys sang the background harmonies on this version. - In the film version of The Little Rascals, released in 1994, the character of AlfalfaAlfalfaAlfalfa is a flowering plant in the pea family Fabaceae cultivated as an important forage crop in the US, Canada, Argentina, France, Australia, the Middle East, South Africa, and many other countries. It is known as lucerne in the UK, France, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, and known as...
sings the song during a contest for his sweetheart, Darla. - Barry ManilowBarry ManilowBarry Manilow is an American singer-songwriter, musician, arranger, producer, conductor, and performer, best known for such recordings as "Could It Be Magic", "Mandy", "Can't Smile Without You", and "Copacabana ."...
covered the song on his 1996 album, Summer of '78Summer of '78Summer of '78 is an album by singer-songwriter Barry Manilow, released in 1996. The album was a collections of popular songs mostly from the 1970s, and was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee.- Track listing :#"Summer Of '78" - 1:48... - Steven HoughtonSteven HoughtonSteven Houghton is a British actor and singer.-Early life and career:Born in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, Houghton trained at the Northern School of Contemporary Dance in Leeds. His first West End production was Children of Eden...
covered the song on his 1997 self titled album. - kd lang covered the track on her 1997 album Drag.
- The song was also covered by Simply RedSimply RedSimply Red were a British soul band that sold more than 50 million albums over a 25-year career. Their style drew influences from blue-eyed soul, new romantic, rock, reggae and jazz...
in 1998 on the album BlueBlue (Simply Red album)Blue is the sixth studio album by Simply Red, released on East West Records on May 19, 1998.The album includes five cover versions: "Mellow My Mind" from the 1975 Neil Young album Tonight's the Night; two versions of the frequently-covered "The Air That I Breathe" written by Albert Hammond and Mike...
. - Jorge GonzálezJorge González (musician)Jorge González is the former lead singer, main songwriter and sole composer of the Chilean band Los Prisioneros, and is currently the frontman of Los Updates. Los Prisioneros enjoyed a huge level of popularity and success initially in Chile and eventually all of Latin America beginning in 1984...
, former leader of the Chilean band Los PrisionerosLos PrisionerosLos Prisioneros was a chilean rock band formed in San Miguel, Santiago, Chile in 1982. They began as a local band during the early 1980s, playing small shows in their neighborhood and high school...
, covered it as Necesito poder respirar (Spanish for "I need to be able to breathe") on his 1999 album Mi destinoMi DestinoMi destino is the fifteenth album from Mexican pop music singer and actress Lucero. It was released in 2000.On this album is the second time in Lucero's career that she writes her own material, as she did the Spanish version of the first single "Mi destino eres tú" , and eventually the song went...
. - The MavericksThe MavericksThe Mavericks is a country music band founded in 1989 in Miami, Florida, United States. Between 1991 and 2003 they recorded six studio albums, in addition to charting 14 singles on the Billboard country charts...
covered the song on their self-titled 2003 album. Their version peaked at #59 on the Billboard Hot Country SongsHot Country SongsHot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart. - Tom Fuller covers the song on his 2007 album Abstract Man.
- This song was covered by the group SemisonicSemisonicSemisonic is an American alternative rock band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1995. The band consisted of three members: Dan Wilson , John Munson , and Jacob Slichter...
and appears on the CD single for "Singing In My Sleep." It appears as "Air That I Breathe." - This song was covered by the Brazilian country group Chitãozinho & XororóChitãozinho & XororóChitãozinho & Xororó are a Brazilian sertanejo duo. Chitãozinho is the stage name of José Lima Sobrinho and Xororó that of Durval de Lima. Their music, which combines traditional Brazilian caipira with pop, was instrumental in establishing the sertanejo genre...
with Portuguese lyrics under the title "É Assim Que Eu Te Amo" (translated as "This is how I love you"). - Thom Yorke of Radiohead shares royalties and writing credits with Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood on "Creep" due to similarities between that song and "The Air That I Breathe."
- Steve WynnSteve Wynn (songwriter)Steve Wynn is a songwriter based in New York . He led the band the Dream Syndicate from 1981 to 1989 and afterward began a solo career.- Career in bands :...
covers the song on his 1999 album Pick Of The Litter. - Broadway actress Patti LuPone covers the song on her 1999 solo album Matters of the Heart.