(Everything I Do) I Do It for You

"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You"
Single by Bryan Adams
from the album Waking Up the Neighbours
B-side	"She's Only Happy When She's Dancing" (live)
Released	18 June 1991
Format	7", CD single
Recorded	March 1991
Genre	Pop
Length	4:06 (radio edit) 6:34 (album edit)
Label	A&M Records
Writer(s)	Bryan Adams, Michael Kamen, Robert John "Mutt" Lange
Producer	Adams, Lange
Certification	3x platinum (RIAA)
Bryan Adams singles chronology
"Only the Strong Survive" (1987) "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" (1991) "Can't Stop This Thing We Started" (1991)
Music video "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" at YouTube (requires Adobe Flash)

"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" is a hugely-successful song co-written and performed by Bryan Adams, featured on his 1991 album Waking up the Neighbours and on the soundtrack for the film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991). It was an enormous chart success internationally, spending seven weeks at number one in the United States' Billboard Hot 100, sixteen consecutive weeks at number one on the UK Singles Chart (the longest in British chart history), and nine weeks atop the RPM singles chart in Canada.^[1][2]

The record won a Grammy Award for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television at the Grammy Awards of 1992,^[3] and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Song.^[4] Subsequently, the song has been covered by numerous singers around the world.

The song ranked at #16 on Billboard's All Time Top 100.^[5]

Writing and background

The idea of a song to promote the movie Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves came late in the making of the film. Michael Kamen, had originally wanted the song to be as if it were Maid Marian singing it to Robin Hood. He offered it to Kate Bush, Annie Lennox and Lisa Stansfield but they all turned it down. David Kerschenbaum of Morgan Creek Records invited Adams – whom he had worked with in the early 1980s at A&M Records – to write the song based on the score from Kamen. Initially, Adams was to write the lyrics for another artist to perform, but it was decided that he should perform the song after writing it with Waking up the Neighbours producer Mutt Lange. The pair recorded the song in Mayfair Studios in London.

Neither Kamen nor the film company were happy with the song and tried at length to have Adams change it due to Adams and Lange writing an entirely different melody to the theme, but Adams refused.^{[citation needed]}.

The song is credited to Adams, Lange, and Kamen, and is played over the film's credits. A&M Records were at first reluctant to have the song appear on the film soundtrack, which was released through Morgan Creek, but the success of the record benefited both companies.

Chart performance

"I Do It for You" was the last of three songs added to Waking up the Neighbours. The album benefited from the success of the lead single; the song proved to be a hit throughout the world. In all, it topped the charts in thirty countries, becoming the best-selling song of 1991 and one of the best-selling singles of all time.

In the U.S. it topped the chart for seven weeks, selling three million singles, making it the second-best-selling song after "We Are the World" by USA for Africa, and it also broke the record for longest run at number one on the Hot 100 Single Sales, becoming the best-selling single in America for 17 weeks.

In the UK, it sold almost 1.53 million copies, making it the best selling single in the UK since "Band Aid" in 1984. The success of the single led to Waking up the Neighbours enjoying pre-order sales of 200,000. The song also broke the record for the most consecutive weeks on top of the United Kingdom charts, with 16 weeks at number one from 7 July 1991 (famously holding Right Said Fred's "I'm Too Sexy" at number two for six consecutive weeks). The previous record-holder, "Rose Marie" by Slim Whitman, had been top of the charts for 11 weeks in 1955. It is a common misconception, however, that this song has spent the most weeks at number one of the UK music charts, because in 1953 Frankie Laine spent 18 non-consecutive weeks at number one, with his song "I Believe", a record which he still holds.

Elsewhere in Europe, the song reached number one in Germany, Holland, Belgium, Austria, Switzerland, Finland, France, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. The success of the single led to pre-order sales of a million for Waking up the Neighbours throughout Europe. The album went on to sell 15 million copies around the world due in part to the song but also due to other singles.

Charts

Brandy version

In 1998, American R&B singer Brandy re-recorded the song for her second studio album Never Say Never (1998). A year later, her cover version was released as the album's final single on a double A-side with "U Don't Know Me (Like U Used To)" on the New Zealand music market, where it reached the top 30 on the RIANZ singles chart.

Formats and tracklistings

These are the formats and track listings of major single-releases of "I Do It for You".

1. "I Do It For You"
2. "U Don't Know Me (Like U Used To)"
3. "Have You Ever?" (Soul Shank remix)

Charts

Other artists who have covered this song

• The Fatima Mansions, Ruby Trax - The NME's Roaring Forty, 1992. Charted at #7 in the UK as a double A-side charity record with Manic Street Preachers "Suicide is Painless (Theme From M*A*S*H)", which was also on the same album.
• Hank Marvin, Into The Light, 1992.
• Henry Mancini, As Time Goes By and Other Classic Movie Love Songs, RCA, 1992.
• Roger Whittaker, I Will Always Love You And Other Hits from The Movies, 1994.
• Michael Chapdelaine, Guitar By Moonlight, Time/Life Music, 1997.
• Engelbert Humperdinck, Meisterstucke, 1998.
• Zamfir, Love Themes from The Movies, Excelsior Records, 1998.
• Brandy and Faith Hill VH-1 Divas Live from New York's Beacon Theatre, 1999.
• Michael Kamen, Michael Kamen Concerto for Saxophone Featuring David Sanborn, Pioneer Entertainment (USA), 1999.
• King's Singers, Circle of Life, RCA, 1999.
• New Found Glory, From the Screen to Your Stereo, MCA Records, 2000.
• Cliff Richard, The Countdown Concert, 2000.
• Stan Bush, Wedding Collection Vol 2, Dominion Records, 2000.
• Acker Bilk, All The Hits Plus More. Dressed To Kill Records, 2001.
• Double You, Mixdown 2004 - MC Mario. Sony International, 2004.
• James Last and Richard Clayderman. The Very Best [Disc 3]. Disky Records, 2004.
• Kenny G and LeAnn Rimes, At Last...The Duets Album, Arista Records, 2004.
• T.G. Sheppard, Greatest Songs, Curb Records, 2004.
• Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Love Songs, Vol. 2, Fabulous Records, 2004.
• Byron Lee & The Dragonaires, Soft Lee, Vol. 8, VP Records, 2004.
• Guy Sebastian, Australian Idol, 2004.
• Gob Bluth and Franklin Delano Bluth, Franklin Comes Alive, 2004.
• Razz Tazz, Razz Tazz, Tsud Productions, 2006.
• Clay Aiken, A Thousand Different Ways, RCA, 2006.
• Katherine Jenkins, Serenade, UCJ Music, 2006.
• Danny Saucedo, Felicia Brandström, Swedish Idol 2006.
• The Wombats, Moving to New York, 14th Floor, 2006.
• Nate & Jim, Babylon, 2008
• Cidia e Dan (Brazilian Romantic duo) 2008
• Stewie Griffin (voiced by Seth MacFarlane), Family Guy (in the episode Ocean's Three and a Half), 2009
• Anoop Desai, American Idol, 2009
• Linda Eder, Soundtrack, 2009

Foreign language versions

• Spanish: Bryan Adams, 1992.
• Italian: Katherine Jenkins, 2006.
• Spanish: Yuridia, Lo Que Hago Lo Hago Por Ti, 2006.

References

External links

• Allmusic.com article on Waking Up The Neighbours