“Only You” is a song by English synth-pop duo Yazoo. It was written by member Vince Clarke, while he was still with Depeche Mode, but recorded in 1982 after he formed Yazoo with Alison Moyet. It was released as Yazoo’s first single on 15 March 1982 in the United Kingdom, taken from their first album, Upstairs at Eric’s (1982), and became an instant success on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number two on 16 May 1982. It would also reach the top 10 in neighbouring Ireland as well as Australia. In the US, “Only You” was released as the band’s second single in November 1982 and charted at number 67 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also made the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart (number 38).
Clarke had written “Only You” as a sentimental ballad, and wanted to find a vocalist who could sing with emotion. Around this time, the rhythm and blues band The Screamin’ Ab Dabs split, and singer Alison Moyet placed an ad in Melody Maker looking for a new band. 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. Moyet was reluctant at first, as she never aspired to perform pop songs, and noted “A part of me was thinking I’ll never hear the end of it if I go and sing with this pretty boy”. She eventually agreed, saying she needed the money and had no way of making a demo on her own.
Clarke recorded the demo of “Only You” on a four-track tape recorder, and had already finished the backing track when Moyet arrived. Once the demo was finished, Clarke presented it to Miller, who at first found it to be uninteresting. That evening, publishing associates from Scandinavia heard the demo and liked it, which Clarke noted may have influenced Miller’s opinion of the song. About a week later, Miller called Clarke and told him that he and Moyet should re-record the song as a group and release it as a single. Moyet was surprised by the news, as neither she nor Clarke had intended to start a band together. The two knew virtually nothing about each other besides musical abilities, and Moyet described the pairing as “almost like an arranged marriage”. Regardless, the newly formed duo recorded “Only You” at Blackwing Studios. Eric Radcliffe produced the song, along with Clarke and Miller.
A remix of “Only You” made the UK top 40 again in 1999, while reaching number 16 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. The music video for the new version was created using the Houdini 3D animation software package. An orchestral remix of “Only You” was created for the Boots 2017 Christmas advert on British TV. Yazoo released the track on their YouTube channel on 17 November 2017, promising that it would be released as a single-track download the following week. The remix features Moyet’s original vocal with a brand new orchestral backing track.
The Flying Pickets recorded an a cappella cover of “Only You” which was the Christmas number one in the UK in December 1983. It also reached number 17 in Canada in April 1984. 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. Becky Hill released a stripped-back version which featured in the McDonald’s Christmas ad for 2022. 10 pence from every download of Hill’s version in the UK until spring 2023 was donated to BBC Children in Need. The track went on to become Hill’s tenth top 40 record and has accumulated over 9.9 million streams to date.
