"I Don't Want to Walk Without You" is a popular song.

The song was published in 1941. The music was written by Jule Styne with the lyrics by Frank Loesser.[1]

Background

Composer Irving Berlin was a huge admirer of the song.[1] Berlin reportedly said that of all the songs by other composers he had heard, he would have been most proud to have written "I Don't Want to Walk Without You".[1] Writing of Berlin's praise for the song, Loesser wrote in his diary, "Irving Berlin came in today and spent a solid hour telling me that 'Walk' is the best song he ever heard. He played and sang it over, bar by bar, explaining why it's the best song he ever heard. I was flattered like crazy."[1]

A review in the trade publication Billboard called the composition "one of those natural songs with a down-to-earth story that boy sings to girl and vice versa, with a matching melody that makes it contagious on the first listen".[2]

1942 recordings

Later recordings

There have been several charting versions of this song during the rock era:

  • Phyllis McGuire charted with her 1964 version, peaking at No. 13 on the Middle-Road Singles chart, and No. 79. on the Hot 100.[8]
  • Barry Manilow released a version of the song in early 1980.[9] It was the third single released from his album One Voice (1979). His rendition reached No. 36 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and No. 2 on the Adult Contemporary chart.[10] Its best chart performance was in Canada, where it spent two weeks atop the Adult Contemporary chart.[11]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Vallance, Tom (2012-01-30). "Betty Jane Rhodes: Actress and singer who charmed the US as a wartime sweetheart". The Independent. Retrieved 2012-01-30.
  2. 1 2 Orodenker, M.H. (January 3, 1942). "On the Records" (PDF). Billboard. p. 14. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  3. Orodenker, M.H. (January 17, 1942). "On the Records" (PDF). Billboard. p. 12. Retrieved 14 March 2015.
  4. "Pop Chronicles 1940s Program #6". 1972.
  5. Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Wisconsin, USA: Record Research Inc. p. 514. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
  6. Abrams, Steven and Settlemier, Tyrone. "The Online Discographical Project – Okeh (CBS) 6500 - 6747 (1941 - 45)". Retrieved February 21, 2011
  7. "The Online Discographical Project". 78discography.com. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  8. Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 165.
  9. "45cat.com". 45cat.com. Retrieved September 5, 2017.
  10. Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 150.
  11. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1980-07-12. Retrieved 2019-08-07.
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