You And I

Album: Come Get It! (1978)
Charted: 46 13
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "You And I" was the first single from Rick James, one of the innovators of funk. It's an uptempo love song with lots of groove, a sign of things to come for James. It's very chaste by his standards, although he did slip in the line "You and I will be together until the six is nine." His later songs like "Give It To Me Baby" and "Super Freak" got a lot more raunchy but were just as funky musically.
  • James wrote this song about his first wife, Kelly Misener. He didn't keep his promise in the song, "you and me are going to be together eternally." The couple split about a year after it was released.
  • The song was released in 1978 on Rick James' debut album, Come Get It! By this time, he was 34 and had lots of miles on him: He had been in a band with Neil Young (The Mynah Birds), done time in Navy prison for going AWOL, and worked at Motown as a writer and producer. When Motown signed him as an artist in 1977, they had a very aging roster with acts like The Temptations and The Four Tops still hanging around. James brought a fresh sound that helped the label push forward into the '80s.
  • "You And I" was a #1 R&B hit for Rick James and also rose to #13 on the Hot 100. His next single was "Mary Jane," his tribute to marijuana. Over the next few years, James became one of biggest and most dynamic stars in the world of funk and R&B, but he never really crossed over to a mainstream (meaning white) audience, in part because MTV wouldn't play his videos. He had three more #1 hits on the R&B chart but "You And I" was the highest he got on Hot 100 at #13.
  • On the album, the song stretches to 8:04. The single is cut down to 3:08.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"They're Playing My Song

A song he wrote and recorded from "sheer spiritual inspiration," Allen's didn't think "Southern Nights" had hit potential until Glen Campbell took it to #1 two years later.

Richard Marx

Richard MarxSongwriter Interviews

Richard explains how Joe Walsh kickstarted his career, and why he chose Hazard, Nebraska for a hit.

Commercials

CommercialsFact or Fiction

Was "Ring Of Fire" really used to sell hemorrhoid cream?

John Doe of X

John Doe of XSongwriter Interviews

With his X-wife Exene, John fronts the band X and writes their songs.

Yoko Ono

Yoko OnoSongwriter Interviews

At 80 years old, Yoko has 10 #1 Dance hits. She discusses some of her songs and explains what inspired John Lennon's return to music in 1980.

Loreena McKennitt

Loreena McKennittSongwriter Interviews

The Celtic music maker Loreena McKennitt on finding musical inspiration, the "New Age" label, and working on the movie Tinker Bell.