Only You (Yazoo song)

In 1981, English musician Vince Clarke left the electronic band Depeche Mode, citing touring fatigue and disdain for pop stardom as his reasons for the departure. Clarke was worried Mute Records would drop him as a result, and decided to write for the label a song called "Only You". Clarke originally wrote the music for the song on a guitar, and transposed the riff into synthesizer notes. While writing the lyrics, Clarke remarked "It was a very simple arrangement. I just formed words on a piece of paper. I was just hoping Daniel Miller, Mute Records founder, would like it". Before Clarke presented the song to Miller, he offered it to Andy Fletcher and Martin Gore of Depeche Mode, although the two of them rejected it. Clarke had written "Only You" as a sentimental ballad, and wanted to find a vocalist who could sing with emotion. Clarke had heard Moyet perform with a few other bands in the pub circuit, and felt she was a good fit for the song. He responded to the ad and asked Moyet if she was interested in singing for a demo. ==Composition==

"Only You" is a synth-pop and new wave song with a tempo of 108 beats per minute. The song features an arpeggio chord progression, and is composed in the key of A major. Stewart Mason of AllMusic noted the use of layered melodies performed on multiple monophonic synthesizers, which add what he called "depth and melodic substance" to the song. Moyet's soulful, almost masculine vocals span a tonal range of F3 to D4. Mason compared Moyet's vocals to those of 1970s singer Ann Peebles. ==Release and chart performance==

"Only You" was released in March 1982, as a 7" and 12" single. "Only You" stayed within the top ten for the next three weeks, after which it began to drop in position. It spent fourteen weeks on the chart, and last appeared on 11 July. In the United States, "Only You" debuted at number ninety on the Billboard Hot 100 on 26 February 1983. The song slowly rose in positions, and on 19 March peaked at number sixty-seven, where it remained for three weeks. It spent eight weeks on the chart, and last appeared on 16 April. ==Critical reception==

Upon its release, Richard Cook of NME noted that "Only You" "could quite easily have emanated from Depeche Mode" and added, "The emotional dial is on yearning and it trips through a melodic multiplication table that charms a passage to the heart by the end." Betty Page of Sounds called it an "incongruous but addictive mix of distinctive Clarkian techno-melodies and rich is-it-a-she-or-a-he raspy R'n'B vocals from Alf". Sunie, writing for Record Mirror, felt that the song was "60s-derived" and noted, "Lovely stuff it is, too, though in parts it's naggingly reminiscent of 'Do That to Me One More Time'." The song was ranked at number 7 among the top ten "Tracks of the Year" for 1982 by NME, and in 2012 the website ranked it at number 8 on their list of the Greatest Pop Songs in History. ==Track listing==

• 7": Mute/7 MUTE 20 (UK) • "Only You" – 3:10 • "Situation" – 2:22 • 7": Sire/9 2-98447 (US) • "Only You" – 3:10 • "Winter Kills" – 4:01 • 12": Mute/12 MUTE 20 (UK) • "Only You" – 3:10 • "Situation" (extended version) – 5:20 • CD: Mute/CD MUTE 20 (UK) • "Only You" – 3:10 • "Situation" – 2:26 • "Situation" (extended version) – 5:20 (*) CD released on 30 September 1996 ==Charts==

Weekly charts Year-end charts ==Certifications==

==Use in film and television==

"Only You" features in the films ''Can't Hardly Wait and The Chocolate War, and the closing scenes of the final episode of the British TV series The Office. The song is played during the romantic boat ride in the 2013 romcom Austenland and in the closing scene of The Americans episode "Dimebag", in the closing scene of the Lucifer episode "High School Poppycock", the Once Upon a Time episodes "The Price" and "Dreamcatcher" (and lends its title to the 22nd episode of the fifth season), the Fringe episode "Transilience Thought Unifier Model-11", and over the closing scenes and credits of episode 3 of the BBC/Hulu mini-series Normal People. It was also the closing scenes music in the American TV series 9-1-1'' episode "What's Next?" broadcast May 11, 2020. An a cappella version, similar to The Flying Pickets, is performed by the cast in the 2019 film Military Wives. In episode 7 of The Penguin ("Top Hat"), the song is playing in the background when young Oz returns home to his mother after leaving his brothers in the abandoned train station. Coinciding with the date of The Flying Pickets' cover of the song, Christmas 1983 is when Ritchie and Jill sing their version of the song in the second episode of 2021's ''It's a Sin''. ==Cover versions==

The Flying Pickets version An a cappella version by the Flying Pickets was even more successful than the 1982 original on the UK Singles Chart, being released towards the end of the following year and becoming the Christmas number one in 1983. It spent five weeks at the top. This made "Only You" the first a cappella chart-topper in the UK. The song was also the 1983 Christmas number one in Ireland. It was released in other overseas markets the following year. The Flying Pickets version went on to become a number one hit on the West German Singles Chart in 1984, and also charted in Canada, though it did not chart in the United States. The song also spent 5 weeks atop the Irish Singles Chart, also becoming a Christmas number one. The song is also used at the end of Wong Kar-wai's 1995 film Fallen Angels. The Flying Pickets version was reportedly one of then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's favourite songs, a fact that has been noted with irony, due to the band's socialist views and support of the 1984–1985 miners' strike which Thatcher opposed. This cover was also used in the 2024 and 2025 Vodafone Christmas advert in the uk Track listing • 7" single 10,106,103 (1983) • 7" single 10 TEN 14 (1983) • "Only You" – 3:20 • "Disco Down" – 3:27 Charts Enrique Iglesias version Spanish singer-songwriter Enrique Iglesias recorded a Spanish version of the song, which was featured on his second studio album Vivir (1997), released by Fonovisa on 17 February 1997. The track was released as the second single from the album and debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot Latin Tracks chart on 3 May 1997 (his second in a row, and the first artist to do so), and spent ten non-consecutive weeks at the top. Iglesias also recorded the song in English, which is included on the album Bailamos Greatest Hits (1999). Track listing • "Only You" (English) 3:30 • "Solo En Ti" (Spanish) 3:29 • "Solo En Ti/Only You" (Spanglish) 3:30 Charts Kylie Minogue & James Corden version }} "Only You" is the lead single from Kylie Minogue's 2015 album, Kylie Christmas. Minogue and James Corden (who have been friends since 2009) reportedly saw the duet as a novelty inclusion for the album. However, it was elevated to single status. Charts Release history Selena Gomez version A cover version performed by Selena Gomez was included on the soundtrack for 13 Reasons Why (2017), a series adaptation of the eponymous book. Its official lyric video was uploaded to Gomez's Vevo account on 18 April 2017. Charts Certifications ==See also==