B-side "Situation" Length 3:11 | Recorded 1982 Label Mute – MUTE 20 | |
Released 15 March 1982 (UK)
November 1982 (USA)
23 August 1999 (remix) Format 7", 12" (1982)
12", CD (1999) | ||
"Only You" is a song written by musician Vince Clarke. He wrote it while with Depeche Mode, but recorded it in 1982 after forming the duo Yazoo with Alison Moyet. It was released as Yazoo's first single on 15 March 1982 in the United Kingdom. Upon its UK release, the single became an instant success, hitting number two on the charts. In the US, the song was released in November 1982 and charted at number sixty-seven on Billboard Hot 100, a feat only attained by one other Yazoo single (coincidentally, that single was "Situation," the original UK B-side of "Only You"). "Only You" also made the US Adult Contemporary chart at number thirty-eight.
A remix of "Only You" made the UK Top 40 again in 1999, while reaching number sixteen on the US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. The music video for the new version was created using the Houdini 3D animation software package.
Composition
Clarke's melody in the song "has a sweetly yearning quality, elegantly arranged by Clarke and producer E.C. Radcliffe in a fashion that links several different monophonic synths together to give the tune more depth and melodic substance" according to Allmusic [1]. Moyet's vocals, they say, is a "perfectly understated vocal performance, soulful yet dignified in the manner of '70s soul star Ann Peebles, of Clarke's gentle and romantic lyrics."