Who sang "I can't live if living is without you"?

"Without You" is a song originally recorded by Badfinger for their album No Dice (1970), and written by Pete Ham and Tom Evans and produced by Geoff Emerick. Its verse was composed by Ham, originally titled "If It's Love", but had lacked a strong chorus. Evans had written a chorus without a strong verse, so the duo fused the two sections together. The protagonist of this ballad lets a lover know that they "can't live if living is without you". Badfinger's recording of the song, which is more brusque than its successors' versions, languished as an obscure album track until it was noticed a year later by Harry Nilsson. Both Ham and Evans later committed suicide, Ham on 24 April 1975, and Evans on 19 November 1983. The suicides were unrelated.

"Without You" became a hit single after being covered by Nilsson for his album Nilsson Schmilsson in 1971; it stayed at number-one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks, from February 13 to March 11, 1972. It replaced "Let's Stay Together" by Al Green, and was replaced by Neil Young's "Heart of Gold". The song has been covered by several other artists, including:

Shirley Bassey, for the album And I Love You So released in August 1972;
the rock band Heart, for the album Magazine released in April 1978;
the band Air Supply, for the album The Earth Is... released in 1991;
Mariah Carey, for the album Music Box released in 1993;
Jade Kwan, for the album Jade-2 Special Edition released in January 2003;
Clay Aiken, for the album A Thousand Different Ways released in September 2006.

Mariah Carey version

Mariah Carey co-produced her cover of the song with Walter Afanasieff, and the production is based on Harry Nilsson's version. It was released as the album's third single in the first quarter of 1994, and in the United States it was released on January 24, 1994, the day that Nilsson died of heart failure. In the U.S. it was promoted as a double A-side with "Never Forget You" and reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100, remaining in the top forty for twenty-one weeks. Both radio airplay and sales were strong, and it was certified gold by the RIAA. It was ranked sixteenth on the Hot 100 1994 year-end charts.

"Without You" was Carey's biggest hit outside the U.S. (until "We Belong Together") and was largely successful across Europe. It became her first UK number-one single, and still remains her only number one there as a solo artist. It stayed at number one for four weeks and became her third number-one single in Brazil. It was also her first chart-topper in Italy, but was most successful in Switzerland (with ten non-consecutive weeks at number one) and the Netherlands (twelve weeks). It also topped the singles chart in Germany for four weeks and Austria for eight weeks, where Carey's success had previously been limited. It was able to make the top three in Canada, France, Norway and Australia. "Without You" was later included on some non-U.S. pressings of her compilation album #1's (1998).

The single's video, directed by Larry Jordan, is derived from Carey's 1993 concert at Proctor Theatre. In addition to "Never Forget You", the UK CD single for "Without You" included a live recording of "Dreamlover" (1993).

The song is "Without You" by P. Ham and T. Evans, sung in 1991 by Air Supply

No, I can't forget this evening
Or your face as you were leaving
But I guess that's just the way the story goes
You always smile but in you eyes your sorrow shows
Yes, it shows

No I can't forget tomorrow
When I think of all my sorrow
When I had you there but then I let you go
And now its only fair that I should let you know
What you should know

Chorus:
I can't live if living is without you
I can't give, I can't give anymore
Can't live if living is without you
Can't give, I can't give anymore

No, I can't forget this evening
Or your face as you were leaving
But I guess that's just the way the story goes
You always smile but in you eyes your sorrow shows
Yes, it shows

Chorus(2x)

Make Note: Use Google to find a song title, when all you know is a line, or part of one. Just put quotes around what you know in the search line and there you go! Tons of lyrics sites will come up for you, offering up what you need/want. It's easy!

A group called Badfinger wrote it and performed it first on an album called "No Dice." The first person to make it famous was Harry Nilsson, who performed it on his album "Nilsson Schmilsson" in the 1970s. Anyone else who performed it since -- Mariah Carey, Air Supply, and Whitney Houston, for example -- is also doing just a "cover" of the Badfinger tune.

Amazon.Com will let you play a sample of Nilsson's version -- see #10 here:
http://www.amazon.com/Harry-Nilsson-All-Time-Greatest-Hits/dp/B000002WD4/sr=8-1/qid=1170109904/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-7443513-9613729?ie=UTF8&s=music

This question is a duplicate of
http://www.answerbag.com/q_view/96302

Many artists have released this song. It was written by Pete Hamm and Tom Evans.

Badfinger originally released the song in 1970 on their album "No Dice". It basically went unnoticed.

Harry Nilsson released it in 1971 on his album "Nilsson Schmilsson". This release becomes a hit.

Shirley Bassey, for the album "And I Love You So" released it in August 1972.

Cilla Black for her January 1973 record, "Day By Day With Cilla" released it.

The band Air Supply, for the album "The Earth Is..." released it in 1991.

Mariah Carey, for the album Music Box released in 1993.

Jade Kwan, for the album Jade-2 Special Edition released in January 2003.

Clay Aiken, for the album "A Thousand Different Ways" released in September 2006.

The operatic pop band Il Divo, for the album Siempre released in November 2006.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Without_You
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Nilsson

Mariah Carey also did a cover of it on her first album.

air supply

Mariah Carey she wrote the lyrics too

I read that too quickly and thought you said Eric Cartman!

No it was Air Supply

mariah carey covered that track too

That was written and first performed by Harry Nillson

Actually if you listen to the second movement 'Adagio Sostenuto' from Rachmaninov's Piano concerto No 2 in C minor you will find that the verse for this song has been ripped right from it.

Can't Live (If Living Is Without You) Lyrics - Mariah Carey


Copied and pasted from Wilkedia

Without You....Nilsson

Actually Airsupply and Mariah Carey did covers of this sang.
It was made famous in the 70's by a gentleman named "Harry Nielson"
He was the dude who sang "Put the Lime in the Coconut"

Take No Doubt's "It's My Life" for instance, all the youngies thought it was one of those brilliant Gwenn-Songs, in fact it was a cracker from a not-too-well-known trio called Talk Talk, really major in the early '80's, they wrote and made it famous, well in Europe that is.
Nilsson was the guy who made this one great, greater, greatest, and will always be the man who made "Can't Live" the top hit.

The original artist that sang "I Can't Live" is Harry Nilson in the 70's. Mariah Carey popularized this song in recent years also.

Without You....Nilsson (Harry Nilsson)I have this record, no it is not Air Supply like someone answered.

it twas harry neilson.
1971 roughly.
x

Wasn't that Mariah Carey. Depends on the version of the song. If the next line is... I Can't Give, Can't give anymore!

neilson

neilson

Interestingly, Rachmaninoff's 2nd is the background music for the old movie "Brief Encounter", and this love song expresses the deep heart ache of the character narrating the story very well... coincidence?

Well you learn somthing new every day. thought nilsson was the original.
shows how much i know!!!!!!!
Not quite so bright Angie X

Nilsson in the 70's


No, I can't forget this evening
Or your face as you were leaving
But I guess that's just the way the story goes
You always smile but in your eyes your sorrow shows
Yes it shows

No I can't forget tomorrorow
When I think of all my sorrow
When I had you there but then I let you go
And now it's only fair that I should let you know
What you should know

I can't live if living is without you
I can't live, I can't give any more
Can't live if living is without you
I can't give, I can't give any more

Well I can't forget this evening
Or your face as you were leaving
But I guess that's just the way the story goes
You always smile but in your eyes your sorrow shows
Yes it shows

Can't live if living is without you
I can't live, I can't give anymore
I can't live if living is without you
I can't live, I can't give anymore
(Living is without you)

Badfinger did it originally. I still have the original vinyl. I also have the original Nilsson vinyl. I miss those old LP days.
Isn't Il Divo wonderful? Theirs is done opera style in Italian.

Answered correctly and comprehensively by tris992000. Why on earth people post less informative stuff after that, I do not get. In brief, originally, artists Badfinger, on album No Dice, 1970. Made a hit a bit later by Harry Nilsson on album Nilsson Schmilssson, 1971, and covered ever since inc. by Mariah Carey q. recently.

G'day Smurf10,

Thank you for your question.

It was originally written and performed by Badfinger and performed by every man and his dog since.

Regards

Originally, Hearry Nilson did int he 70's! You kids somehow think that just because a good song comes on the radio, someone in "your time" wrote it and sang it......sorry to burst your bubble, but there are a lot of song out there now that came from the 60's and 70's originally. The songwriters of today have to look to the past to come up with good material......sorry kids, but your mothers and fathers are cooler than you think!

I know this question was posed quite awhile ago but I found it under Harry Nillson. On the music download site PIOLET.

Lots of great info here about the song, and it's a great song.

I'm confident of all the releases, Harry Nilsson's version and Air Supply's version are the two that are universally recognized.

When I first read the question, I immediately thought of the Harry Nilsson release.