"Without You" is a romantic song written by the American songwriter and music producer Lamont Dozier, and recorded in 1987 as a duet by the R&B singers Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle. The song was the love theme from the comedy film Leonard Part 6, released the same year, and was also recorded for the Peabo Bryson album Positive, released in 1988, the only album that contains the original version of "Without You". The single was released in November 1987, and peaked at #8 on the Adult Contemporary Tracks, #14 on the R&B chart, #85 on the UK Singles, and #89 on the Billboard Hot 100, between 1987/1988.
"Without You" was the first duet recorded by Bryson and Belle, who recorded four songs together, and was also the first successful duet of the two. Another success the duo came in 1992 with "A Whole New World", the theme of the animated feature film Aladdin.
In addition to its original English version by Bryson and Belle, "Without You" also received two adaptations in different languages. The first was in Portuguese sing by Rosanah Fiengo and the second was in Spanish, in 1989 and 1990, respectively. Both adaptations received the title "Amor Dividido", and were recorded by the same Brazilian singer. The adaptation in Portuguese was a success in Brazil in 1989.
Music video
"Without You" has no official video clip, only a video with a presentation of Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle in the American musical variety television program Soul Train in 1987, presented by American television show host Don Cornelius. The video can be watched on .
Description
"Without You" was composed by Lamont Dozier to be the love theme in Leonard Part 6, released in the United States on December 18, 1987, and the film starred Bill Cosby in the lead role. That same year, Regina Belle released her first album, All by Myself, but "Without You" was not included on the album. In 2012, All by Myself was remastered on CD and "Without You" was included at the end of the album as a bonus track, however, it was not the original 1987 version, but a "single mix" of the song. "Without You" was not included in any of Belle's other albums, nor in her compilations. Unlike her, Bryson included the song on his album Positive, released in 1988, the only album that contains the original version of "Without You", which was also included in his compilations Anthology, released in 2001, and Bedroom Classics Vol. 2 – Peabo Bryson, released in 2004. On every album that the song is present, it is titled "Without You (Love Theme from Leonard Part 6)", but its title is only "Without You". It was the first of four duets recorded by Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle, who recorded together "Without You" (in 1987), "I Can't Imagine" (in 1991), "A Whole New World" (in 1992) and "Total Praise" (in 2009).
Track listing
Chart positions
Weekly charts
B-side
The B-side of the original single contains the song "The Higher You Climb", which had been recorded by Bryson only in 1986. It was written and produced by himself, with co-production from Dwight Watkins, and released on his album Quiet Storm in the same year. It was a simple song from their album that was not released as a single.
Personnel
Credits
Writer – Lamont Dozier
Lead Vocals – Peabo Bryson, Regina Belle
Producer – Michael J. Powell, Sir Gant
Arranged By (Backing Vocals) – Michael J. Powell, Sir Gant
Arranged By (Strings) – George Del Barrio
Arranged By (Backing Vocals) – Cindy Mizelle
Backing Vocals – Cindy Mizelle, Jim Gilstrap, Bunny Hull, Marva King, Valerie Pinkston-Mayo Guitar – Michael J. Powell Piano Acoustic – Sir Gant Bass – Anthony Jackson Drums – Steve Ferrone Engineer – Barney Perkins Engineer (Assistant) – Andrew Spiegelman, Elliott Peters, Gerard Smerek, Milton Chan Synthesizer (Synclavier) – Sir Gant Programmed By (Synclavier) – Gary Barlough Recorded By – Barney Perkins Recorded By (Additional) – Keith Seppanen Mixed By – Barney Perkins
Companies
Recorded & Mixed at: Yamaha R&D Studio, Glendale, California Additional recording at: Ambience Recorders, Farmington Hills, Michigan Electric Lady Studios, New York City, New York Mastered at: Bernie Grundman Mastering
Final Notes
℗ 1987, Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. 1988, Elektra Records / Asylum Records for the United States and WEA International Inc. for the world outside of the United States. From Elektra LP Positive, 1988 (Peabo Bryson album). Regina Belle appears courtesy of CBS Records (Columbia Records).