You Are So Beautiful
Encyclopedia
"You Are So Beautiful" is a song written by Billy Preston
and Bruce Fisher
and Dennis Wilson
of The Beach Boys
. It was first recorded by Preston and made popular in a version by Joe Cocker
.
Preston's original version first appeared on his 1974 album, The Kids & Me. Cocker's producer, Jim Price
created a slowed-down arrangement for Cocker's version, which first appeared on the album, I Can Stand a Little Rain
(released later in 1974). Released as a single, the Joe Cocker version reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100
singles chart in 1975 and helped the album become a hit.
Billy Preston
William Everett "Billy" Preston was a musician who gained notoriety and fame, first as a session musician for the likes of Sam Cooke, Ray Charles and The Beatles, and later finding fame as a solo artist with hits such as "Space Race", "Will It Go Round in Circles" and "Nothing from...
and Bruce Fisher
Bruce Fisher
Bruce Fisher is an American songwriter, record producer, playwright and guitarist best known for his collaborations with Billy Preston.-Career:Born January 8, 1951, in Washington D.C., Fisher was raised in Chicago, Illinois, by his grandmother...
and Dennis Wilson
Dennis Wilson
Dennis Carl Wilson was an American rock and roll musician best known as a founding member and the drummer of The Beach Boys. He was a member of the group from its formation until his death in 1983...
of The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
. It was first recorded by Preston and made popular in a version by Joe Cocker
Joe Cocker
John Robert "Joe" Cocker, OBE is an English rock and blues musician, composer and actor, who came to popularity in the 1960s, and is most known for his gritty voice, his idiosyncratic arm movements while performing, and his cover versions of popular songs, particularly those of The Beatles...
.
Preston's original version first appeared on his 1974 album, The Kids & Me. Cocker's producer, Jim Price
Jim Price (musician)
Jim Price was, together with Bobby Keys and Jim Horn, one of the most in demand horn session players of the 1970s. He toured extensively with The Rolling Stones from 1970 until 1973, including their 1972 American Tour, and appears on the albums, Sticky Fingers, Exile on Main St. and Goats Head Soup...
created a slowed-down arrangement for Cocker's version, which first appeared on the album, I Can Stand a Little Rain
I Can Stand a Little Rain
I Can Stand a Little Rain is the fourth studio album by Joe Cocker, released in 1974 .-Track listing:#"Put Out the Light" - 4:11#"I Can Stand a Little Rain" - 3:33...
(released later in 1974). Released as a single, the Joe Cocker version reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
singles chart in 1975 and helped the album become a hit.
"You Are So Beautiful" and Dennis Wilson
According to Beach Boys member Dennis Wilson's biographer, Jon Stebbins, Wilson claimed that he and Preston spontaneously collaborated on the words to the song at a party. Wilson sang the song as an encore at Beach Boys shows intermittently between 1975 and 1983.Renditions
- In 1993, Bonnie TylerBonnie TylerBonnie Tyler is a Welsh singer, most notable for her hits in the 1970s and 1980s including "It's a Heartache", "Holding Out for a Hero" and "Total Eclipse of the Heart".-Early life:...
recorded a version similar to Joe Cocker's on her album Silhouette In RedSilhouette in RedSilhouette in Red is the tenth studio album recorded by Bonnie Tyler, released in Scandinavia, Europe, and South Africa in 1993, and Japan and Brazil in 1994....
. - In 2006, saxophonist Jimmy Sommers released a cover from his Standards album "Time Stands Still."
- It is also on ZuccheroZuccheroAdelmo Fornaciari, Commander , more commonly known by his stage name Zucchero Fornaciari or simply Zucchero /ˈtsukkero/, is an Italian rock singer. His music is largely inspired by gospel, blues and rock music, and alternates between ballads and more rhythmic boogie-like pieces.Zucchero is the...
's All the Best Album. - Captain and Tennille covered the song in 1995 on their "Twenty Years of Romance" CD.
- Diana RossDiana RossDiana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
covered the song in 2006 on her "I Love You" CD. - WestlifeWestlifeWestlife are an Irish boy band established on 3 July 1998. They are to disband in 2012. The group's line-up was Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Shane Filan, and Brian McFadden . The group are the only act in British and Irish history to have their first seven singles peak at number one...
covered the song in 2006 for their album, The Love AlbumThe Love Album (Westlife album)The Love Album is the seventh studio album and second cover album by boy band Westlife from the Republic of Ireland and it was released on 20 November 2006. The songs on the album centers around the theme of "love". During their Face To Face Tour, the band performed "The Dance". The song was said...
. - Babyface covered the song in 1993 on his "For The Cool In You" CD.
- CowsCows (band)Cows are a post-hardcore/punk blues band from Minneapolis, Minnesota. The band formed in 1987 and disbanded in 1998. They were known for a unique mixture of punk rock and blues played with large amounts of noise and surreal humour; their music is often considered noise rock...
covered the song in 1991 on an Amphetamine Reptile Peel Sessions CD. - Trombonist Urbie Green recorded 'You are so beautiful' in 1977 on his album Señor Blues with Grover Washington Jr & David Matthews' Big Band (CTI Super7079)
- Perry Como recorded the song in his 1983 album "So It Goes".
- Doris DayDoris DayDoris Day is an American actress, singer and, since her retirement from show business, an animal rights activist. With an entertainment career that spanned through almost 50 years, Day started her career as a big band singer in 1939, but only began to be noticed after her first hit recording,...
included the song on her 2011 album My HeartMy Heart (Doris Day album)My Heart is the 29th studio album by Doris Day, released on September 5, 2011. On September 11, 2011 the album entered the UK chart at number nine, making Doris Day the oldest artist to score a UK Top 10 with an album featuring new material....
.
In other media
As with many other popular songs, You are have been briefly featured in several movies and TV programs:- On an episode of Full HouseFull HouseFull House is an American sitcom television series. Set in San Francisco, the show chronicles widowed father Danny Tanner, who, after the death of his wife, enlists his best friend Joey Gladstone and his brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis to help raise his three daughters, D.J., Stephanie, and...
. - On the sitcom Two and a Half MenTwo and a Half MenTwo and a Half Men is an American television sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 22, 2003. Starring Charlie Sheen, Jon Cryer, and Angus T. Jones, the show was originally about a hedonistic jingle writer, Charlie Harper; his uptight brother, Alan; and Alan's growing son, Jake...
in the 2007 episode "Anteaters. They're Just Crazy-lookin" sung by Enrique IglesiasEnrique IglesiasEnrique Iglesias is a Spanish pop music singer, a son of singer Julio Iglesias.Enrique started his musical career on Mexican label Fonovisa...
as the handyman Fernando. - An episode of Desperate HousewivesDesperate HousewivesDesperate Housewives is an American television comedy-drama series created by Marc Cherry and produced by ABC Studios and Cherry Productions. Executive producer Cherry serves as Showrunner. Other executive producers since the fourth season include Marc Cherry, Bob Daily, George W...
where it was revealed to have been Karl and Susan MayerSusan MayerSusan Delfino is a fictional character played by Teri Hatcher on the American Broadcasting Company television series Desperate Housewives. The character was created by television producer and screenwriter Marc Cherry and first appeared in the pilot episode of the series on October 3, 2004...
's song. - Used in the film Carlito's WayCarlito's WayCarlito's Way is a 1993 crime film directed by Brian De Palma, based on the novels Carlito's Way and After Hours by Judge Edwin Torres. The film adaptation was scripted by David Koepp. It stars Al Pacino, Sean Penn, Penelope Ann Miller, Luis Guzman, John Leguizamo, Jorge Porcel, Joseph Siravo, and...
. - UK movie Get Real played Ian Harrison version in the school's ball.
- In the Simpsons episode Simpson and DelilahSimpson and Delilah"Simpson and Delilah" is the second episode of The Simpsons second season and first aired on October 18, 1990. Homer uses the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant medical insurance plan to buy Dimoxinil, a miracle hair growth formula. Homer grows hair, and is given a promotion at work which allows him...
Marge sing it to Homer at the very end of the episode. - Seann William ScottSeann William ScottSeann William Scott is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for playing Steve Stifler in the American Pie film series...
sings the song in the movie "Evolution" (2001). - Bug HallBug HallBrandon "Bug" Hall is an American actor, acting teacher and musician.-Biography:Brandon Hall, nicknamed "Bug" by his family, was born in Fort Worth, Texas on February 4, 1985. He is the second oldest in his family...
performed the song in the 1994 movie "The Little Rascals". - Danny GokeyDanny GokeyDaniel Jay "Danny" Gokey is an American country music singer and church music director from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was the third place finalist on the eighth season of American Idol...
performed the song on American Idol during the week of the top 3 and was eliminated the next night. - X FactorThe X Factor (UK series 7)The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent; the winner of which receives a £1 million recording contract with the Syco Music record label. The seventh series started on ITV on 21 August 2010 and ended on 12 December 2010. The winner was Matt Cardle and...
contestants One DirectionOne DirectionOne Direction are a British-Irish boy band, consisting of members Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson. They finished third on the seventh series of The X Factor. Following The X Factor, the group signed a record contract with Syco Music.One Direction's debut single...
performed the song on 27 November 2010. - Singer Babyface performed the song during the marriage ceremony of Martin and Gina of MartinMartin (TV series)Martin is an American sitcom produced by HBO Independent Productions that aired for five seasons, from August 27, 1992 to May 1, 1997 on Fox...
. - Johnson & Jodeyne skating to You Are So Beautiful in week 9 of DOI.
- Though not directly used, the Saint SeiyaSaint Seiya, also known as Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac or simply Knights of the Zodiac, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada and serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1986 to 1991, and adapted into an anime TV series by Toei Animation from 1986 to 1989.The story follows...
OVA Legend of Crimson YouthSaint Seiya: Legend of Crimson Youthis the third anime film by Toei Animation based on the Saint Seiya manga. Unlike its predecessors, which premiered on the Toei Manga Matsuri film festivals, this installment was instead shown at the Weekly Jump 20th Anniversary Festival along with the animated movie version of Sakigake!!...
features at the end credits a song called "You are my reason to be". At one point the phrase "You are so beautiful to me" is sung.