You Light Up My Life (song)

Original Cast soundtrack recording

Cisyk's original soundtrack recording was included on the film's soundtrack album, and later released as a single to bolster sales of the soundtrack album after Debby Boone included her version on her first solo album (also entitled You Light Up My Life). Although the soundtrack album was certified Gold, peaking at #17 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, it never included Boone's hit single version of the song.

Cisyk's single was credited to "Original Cast", not to Cisyk herself, and even though Brooks is listed on the A-side of the single, the "Original Cast" B-side charted on the Billboard Hot 100 and only reached #80. Brooks also released an instrumental version of the song from the soundtrack as a promotional single, but that version failed to chart.

Following the success of Boone's version, the song earned Brooks a Grammy Award for Song of the Year, an Academy Award for Best Original Song, a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and an American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) award.

Track listing

1. "You Light Up My Life" (Instrumental) — 3:02
2. "You Light Up My Life" (Original Cast) — 3:29

Joseph Brooks controversies

In a 2013 biographical essay about Cisyk, Cisyk's second husband, Ed Rakowicz (who worked as a sound engineer, but not for this song), wrote that songwriter Brooks was initially pleased with Cisyk's recording of the song with orchestra (and her version appeared in the movie and soundtrack) but "tried to evade payment by false promises and by asking her to be an incidental actor in his film, implying huge rewards yet to come..." Rackowicz claimed that Brooks made improper advances toward Cisyk, and after being rebuffed, didn't speak directly to her again, and continued to evade payments to her while commissioning another recording with Debby Boone. According to Rackowicz, "Besides wanting Boone to copy Kacey’s [sic] iconic hit reading of his songs, Brooks needed to cover up Kacey’s vocal leakage in the microphones in the piano recorded at the original demo session on which was overdubbed the orchestral track used in the film. Brooks didn’t want to pay to re-record the piano and orchestra again." In a 2003 interview with Entertainment Weekly, Boone said, "I had no freedom whatsoever. Joe told me exactly how to sing it and imitate every inflection from the original recording." Cisyk later retained a lawyer and sued Brooks for the fees she earned for her work on the record and for credit on the soundtrack, which she later received.

In 2009, Brooks became the subject of an investigation after being accused of a series of casting-couch rapes. He was indicted in May 2009 by the state Supreme Court for Manhattan (a trial-level court) on 91 counts of rape, sexual abuse, criminal sexual act, assault, and other charges. While awaiting trial, Brooks killed himself in May 2011.

Debby Boone cover version

In 1977, Debby Boone, Pat Boone's daughter, recorded the song under the guidance of Curb Records executive Mike Curb and songwriter Joseph Brooks. Boone recorded her vocals over a pre-existing instrumental track already developed by Brooks for the film soundtrack, and it was released as both a Warner-Curb Records single and as the title track to her first solo album You Light Up My Life on Warner Bros. Records.

The single was an enormous success, topping the Billboard Hot 100 chart for a (then) record-setting ten consecutive weeks. It became the most successful single of the 1970s in the United States, and set a new Hot 100 record for most weeks spent at Number One. (Elvis Presley's double-sided hit "Don't Be Cruel/ Hound Dog", then recognized as the longest-running Number One of the rock era, spent eleven weeks atop the Billboard Best Sellers chart in 1956, before the 1958 debut of the Hot 100. The previous Hot 100 record was held by Percy Faith's recording of "Theme from A Summer Place" (1960) and The Beatles' "Hey Jude" (1968), both of which remained at #1 for nine weeks.) The ten-week record was matched in 1982 by Olivia Newton-John's "Physical", but never surpassed until a 1991 change in chart methodology allowed songs to achieve longer reigns at #1 ("End of the Road" by Boyz II Men set the new record, thirteen weeks). After its tenth week at number one, "You Light Up My Life" was finally surpassed by The Bee Gees with their smash hit "How Deep Is You Love."

The single, which was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), also hit #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart and reached #4 on the Country chart. The single peaked at #48 in the UK Singles Chart.

Boone's hit single led to her winning the 1977 Grammy for Best New Artist, with additional Grammy nominations for Best Pop Vocal Performance Female and Record of the Year. Boone also won the 1977 American Music Award for Favorite Pop Single.

Decades after its release, the Debby Boone version is still considered one of the top ten Billboard Hot 100 songs of all time. In 2008, it was ranked at #7 on Billboard's "Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs" list (August 1958 - July 2008). An updated version of the all-time list in 2013 ranked the song at #9.

Although it was written by Brooks as a love song, the devout Boone interpreted it as inspirational and proclaimed that it was instead God who "lit up her life." This fact was later alluded to when the song appeared in The Simpsons episode "I Married Marge" (Season 3, Episode 12).

Track listing

1. "You Light Up My Life"* — 3:35
2. "Hasta Mañana"** — 3:12

* Note: Produced and arranged by Joe Brooks.
** Note: Produced by Mike Curb and arranged by Al Capps.

LeAnn Rimes cover version

LeAnn Rimes released her version as a single in 1997, 20 years after Boone's version was released and on the same record label (Curb Records). Her version fared modestly by comparison to the original at radio (No. 34 Pop, No. 48 Country). However, her single was certified gold and was the title track to her No. 1 pop and country album, You Light Up My Life: Inspirational Songs.

Track listing

1. "You Light Up My Life"* — 3:37
2. "I Believe"** — 2:22

* Note: Produced by Wilbur C. Rimes, Chuck Howard and Mike Curb.
** Note: Produced by Wilbur C. Rimes.

Other live and recorded versions

Many artists have covered "You Light Up My Life" since 1977.