Some of this article's listed sources may not be reliable. Please help this article by looking for better, more reliable sources. Unreliable citations may be challenged or deleted. (February 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You"
Everythingido Idoitforyou.png
Single by Bryan Adams
from the album Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (Original Soundtrack) and Waking Up the Neighbours
B-side
ReleasedJune 17, 1991 (1991-06-17)[1]
RecordedMarch 1991
Genre
Length
  • 6:34 (album version)
  • 4:06 (single/video version)
LabelA&M
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Robert "Mutt" Lange
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"] on YouTube on YouTube
Audio sample

"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" is a song by Canadian singer-songwriter Bryan Adams. Written by Adams, Michael Kamen, and Robert John "Mutt" Lange, the power ballad was the lead single for both the soundtrack album from the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and Adams's sixth studio album, Waking Up the Neighbours (1991). The single was released on June 17, 1991.

The song was an enormous chart success internationally, reaching the number-one position on the music charts of at least nineteen countries, notable exceptions in the Western World being Italy (number three) and Spain (number four). It is particularly notable for its success in the United Kingdom, where it spent sixteen consecutive weeks at number one on the UK Singles Chart, the longest uninterrupted run ever on that chart as of 2023. It also topped the Europe-wide sales chart for eighteen continuous weeks. In the United States, it topped the Billboard Hot 100, which combines radio airplay and sales, for seven weeks, but stayed at number one for seventeen consecutive weeks on the sales-only chart.[3] It went on to sell more than 15 million copies worldwide, making it Adams's most successful song, and one of the best-selling singles of all time.[4] The song has been covered by hundreds of singers and artists around the world.

Background

The musicians on the original recording are Adams on lead vocals, backing vocals and rhythm guitar, Bill Payne (piano), Mickey Curry (drums), Larry Klein (bass), Keith Scott (lead guitar and backing vocals), Robbie King (organ), and Mutt Lange (synthesizers). The song was based on the film's love theme by Kamen, "Maid Marian".[5] The song was written in London, UK at the studio Adams was working at in 1990, and he and Lange wrote it in 45 minutes, recording it the following March, and releasing it three months later.[6] The song is performed in the key of C♯ major.[7]

Commercial performance

In the United Kingdom, "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" had the longest unbroken run at number one, spending sixteen consecutive weeks at the top of the UK Singles Chart from July 7, 1991, to October 27 when it dropped to number four.[8] It also topped the Europe-wide sales chart for eighteen continuous weeks, still an all-time record, and topped the European-wide radio airplay chart for ten weeks.[9]

In the United States, the power ballad[10] spent seven weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, which combines radio airplay and sales, the longest running number one song since 1983, and seventeen consecutive weeks at number one on the sales-only chart, which at the time set the all-time record for consecutive weeks at one.[3] Billboard ranked it as the number-one pop song for 1991.[11] It also held the number one spot on the US Adult Contemporary Chart for eight consecutive weeks, the longest run atop that chart since 1979, and was the number one song of the year on that chart.[12]

"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" also spent nine weeks atop the singles chart in Adams's native Canada,[13] eleven weeks atop the Australian Singles Chart, and twelve weeks atop the Sweden Singles Chart. In most of the countries which hit ascended to number one, it was the number one song for the year 1991, exceptions being Germany (number two), Austria (number two) and Switzerland (number three).

Music videos

The official music video for the song was directed by Julien Temple.[14] It shows Adams and his band performing the song in a forest with a silk mill in the background, and Adams alone performing on a rocky beachside, intercut with scenes from Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. The video was filmed in a forest with the derelict silk mill near Holford in the Quantock Hills and on a beach with geological cliff formations near Kilve, Somerset.[15][16] A video was also commissioned for a live version of the song, directed by Andy Morahan.[17]

Awards and accolades

Adams, Kamen, and Lange won a Grammy Award for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television,[18] and was nominated for the Grammy Award for Record of the Year at the Grammy Awards of 1992. It was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song, but lost to "Beauty and the Beast."[19] As recently as July 2020, it placed at number 13 on YouTube's "Most Listened to Rock Countdown", a monthly tally of the most viewed and listened to songs of the rock genre, both in current release and from the past; this was the second highest song by Adams' after "Please Forgive Me" at number 10.[20] The song was placed 18th in a survey of the favourite songs of British readers of the Guinness Book of Records.[21]

Charts

Sales and certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[48] 2× Platinum 140,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[71] Platinum 50,000*
Belgium (BEA)[72] Platinum 50,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[73] 2× Platinum 200,000^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[74] Gold 45,000double-dagger
France (SNEP)[75] Gold 250,000*
Germany (BVMI)[76] Platinum 500,000^
Italy (FIMI)[77] Gold 25,000double-dagger
Netherlands (NVPI)[78] Platinum 100,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[79] Platinum 10,000*
Sweden (GLF)[80] Platinum 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[82] 3× Platinum 1,850,000[81]
United States (RIAA)[83] 3× Platinum 4,100,000[3]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
double-dagger Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Fatima Mansions version

The Irish band Fatima Mansions released a heavily altered cover of the song as part of an NME tribute album in aid of the charity, the Spastics Society.[84] The single was a double A-side with the Manic Street Preachers' version of "Suicide Is Painless". The single entered the UK top ten in 1992,[84] and reached number 12 in the Republic of Ireland.[85] However, the Manic Street Preachers song received most of the UK radio airplay.[84][86]

Brandy version

"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You"
Brandy Norwood – (Everything I Do) I Do It for You.jpg
Single by Brandy
from the album Never Say Never
Released1999
Length4:06
LabelAtlantic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)David Foster
Brandy singles chronology
"U Don't Know Me"
(1998) 		"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You"
(1999) 		"Never Say Never"
(2000)
Audio
"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" on YouTube

American singer Brandy rerecorded "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" for the standard version of her second studio album, Never Say Never (1998). Producer David Foster reworked the arrangement of the original song, with Dean Parks playing the acoustic guitar.

In 1999, her cover version was released as the album's final single on a double A-side with "U Don't Know Me" on the Oceanic music market, where it reached the top 30 of New Zealand's RIANZ singles chart. That same year, she performed the song live at VH1 Divas Live '99 alongside Faith Hill.

Track listings

  1. "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" – 4:10
  2. "U Don't Know Me" – 4:29
  3. "Have You Ever?" (Soul Skank Remix) – 5:40

Credits and personnel

Credits are taken from Never Say Never liner notes.[88]

Charts

Chart (1999) Peak
position
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[89] 28

See also

References

  1. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. June 15, 1991. p. 21.
  2. ^ a b c "The Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs (20–11)". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 13, 2008. Retrieved January 2, 2010.. Billboard.
  3. ^ a b c Sandiford-Waller, Theda (November 9, 1996). "Hot 100 Singles Spotlight". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 45. BPI Communications Inc. p. 83. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on November 1, 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
  4. ^ Pareles, Jon (March 8, 1994). "Review/Pop; Bryan Adams, More Mr. Nice Guy". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 26, 2015. Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  5. ^ Crow, David (June 24, 2021). "How Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and Bryan Adams Conquered the World". Den of Geek. Retrieved August 4, 2022.
  6. ^ "Bryan Adams Songwriting Interview – Writing His Classic Hits". Songwriter Universe. May 2, 2014. Archived from the original on December 20, 2014. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  7. ^ Michael, Kamen; Bryan, Adams; John 'Mutt', Lange, Robert; Bryan, Adams (March 9, 2009). "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
  8. ^ "(Everything I do) I do it for you in Official Charts". Official Charts. Archived from the original on February 12, 2017. Retrieved March 19, 2017.
  9. ^ "European Airplay Top 50" (PDF). Music & Media. 3 August 1991. Retrieved 31 July 2019.
  10. ^ "24 of the Biggest and Best Movie Power Ballads". Den of Geek. November 4, 2016. Archived from the original on November 20, 2020. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  11. ^ a b "Billboard Top 100 – 1991". Archived from the original on July 7, 2009. Retrieved September 15, 2009.
  12. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Joel Whitburn's Top Adult Contemporary, 1961–2001. Record Research Incorporated. pp. 345–348. ISBN 9780898201499.
  13. ^ a b "Top RPM Singles: Issue 1588." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  14. ^ Garcia, Alex S. "mvdbase.com – Bryan Adams – "(Everything I do) I do it for you [version 1: concept]"". Music Video DataBase. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
  15. ^ "Bryan Adams at The Silk Mills Holford – Holford Silk Mills Holford Somerset". sites.google.com. Archived from the original on September 9, 2021. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
  16. ^ "Four family walks in the Quantock Hills, Somerset". Afamilydayout.co.uk. November 22, 2016. Archived from the original on September 9, 2021. Retrieved September 9, 2021.
  17. ^ Garcia, Alex S. "mvdbase.com – Bryan Adams – "(Everything I do) I do it for you [version 2: live]"". Music Video DataBase. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
  18. ^ "1992 Grammy Awards". metrolyrics.com. Archived from the original on February 9, 2009. Retrieved January 1, 2009.((cite web)): CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  19. ^ "The 64th Academy Awards (1991) Nominees and Winners". oscarguy.com. Archived from the original on January 24, 2009. Retrieved January 1, 2009.
  20. ^ "Top 100 Most Listened Rock Songs in July 2020". Archived from the original on February 1, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021 – via www.youtube.com.
  21. ^ "Full list: Britain's favourite 100 songs". The Guardian. London. May 8, 2002. Archived from the original on January 31, 2021. Retrieved October 9, 2021.
  22. ^ "Bryan Adams – (Everything I Do) I Do It for You". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  23. ^ "Bryan Adams – (Everything I Do) I Do It for You" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  24. ^ "Bryan Adams – (Everything I Do) I Do It for You" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  25. ^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 1583." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  26. ^ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 8, no. 30. July 27, 1991. p. 20. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 13, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  27. ^ "Discos más populares en Latinoamérica". El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish): 61. July 3, 1992. Archived from the original on May 26, 2021. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
  28. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 8, no. 31. August 3, 1991. p. 21. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 17, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  29. ^ Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
  30. ^ "Bryan Adams – (Everything I Do) I Do It for You" (in French). Les classement single.
  31. ^ "Bryan Adams – (Everything I Do) I Do It for You" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  32. ^ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 8, no. 40. October 5, 1991. p. 23. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 14, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  33. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – (Everything I Do) I Do It for You". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  34. ^ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 8, no. 42. October 19, 1991. p. 39. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 14, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  35. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 32, 1991" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  36. ^ "Bryan Adams – (Everything I Do) I Do It for You" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  37. ^ "Bryan Adams – (Everything I Do) I Do It for You". Top 40 Singles.
  38. ^ "Bryan Adams – (Everything I Do) I Do It for You". VG-lista.
  39. ^ "Discos más populares en Latinoamérica". El Siglo de Torreón (in Spanish): 55. November 8, 1991. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  40. ^ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 8, no. 31. August 3, 1991. p. 20. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 17, 2020. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  41. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  42. ^ "Bryan Adams – (Everything I Do) I Do It for You". Singles Top 100.
  43. ^ "Bryan Adams – (Everything I Do) I Do It for You". Swiss Singles Chart.
  44. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  45. ^ Billboard Billboard.com Archived October 31, 2005, at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved April 10, 2008)
  46. ^ "Bryan Adams Chart History (Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
  47. ^ "Bryan Adams Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
  48. ^ a b "1991 ARIA Singles Chart". ARIA. Archived from the original on October 28, 2020. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  49. ^ "Jahreshitparade Singles 1991" (in German). Archived from the original on December 3, 2019. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  50. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1991" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Archived from the original on May 2, 2019. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  51. ^ "RPM 100 Hit Tracks of 1991". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Archived from the original on August 30, 2017. Retrieved November 23, 2017.
  52. ^ "RPM 100 Adult Contemporary Tracks of 1991". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Archived from the original on December 3, 2019. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  53. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles 1991" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 8, no. 51–52. December 21, 1991. p. 21. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 31, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  54. ^ "Top 100 Singles–Jahrescharts 1991" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Archived from the original on May 9, 2015. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  55. ^ "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 1991". Dutch Top 40. Archived from the original on March 3, 2020. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  56. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1991" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Archived from the original on March 24, 2019. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  57. ^ "End of Year Charts 1991". Recorded Music NZ. Archived from the original on November 6, 2020. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  58. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1991" (in German). Archived from the original on December 3, 2019. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
  59. ^ "1991 Top 100 Singles". Music Week. London, England: Spotlight Publications. January 11, 1992. p. 20.
  60. ^ "1991 The Year in Music" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 103, no. 51. December 21, 1991. p. YE-36. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 17, 2021. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  61. ^ "Top 100 Single–Jahrescharts 1992" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Archived from the original on May 9, 2015. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  62. ^ "Bestenlisten – Singles 1990er" (in German). Archived from the original on April 30, 2019. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
  63. ^ "Ultratop Nineties 500". Hung Medien. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  64. ^ Lwin, Nanda. "Top 100 singles of the 1990s". Jam!. Archived from the original on August 29, 2000. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
  65. ^ Karen Bliss (June 29, 2017). "Canada 150: Celine Dion & Shania Twain Lead Nielsen Music Canada's Top Canadian Artists Chart". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 25, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  66. ^ "Top 100 – Decenniumlijst: 90s". Dutch Top 40 (in Dutch). Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Archived from the original on December 18, 2014. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  67. ^ "Top 10 selling singles of the 1990s in the UK". Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  68. ^ Geoff Mayfield (December 25, 1999). 1999 The Year in Music Totally '90s: Diary of a Decade – The listing of Top Pop Albums of the '90s & Hot 100 Singles of the '90s. Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
  69. ^ Justin Myers (December 14, 2018). "The best-selling singles of all time on the Official UK Chart". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on September 28, 2018. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  70. ^ "Hot 100 turns 60". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 3, 2018. Retrieved August 6, 2018.
  71. ^ "Austrian single certifications – Bryan Adams – Everything I Do ..." (in German). IFPI Austria.
  72. ^ "Platinum Wake up Call" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9, no. 3. January 18, 1992. p. 6. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 5, 2020. Retrieved October 13, 2019.
  73. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Bryan Adams – (Everything I Do) I Do It for You". Music Canada.
  74. ^ "Danish single certifications – Bryan Adams – (Everything I Do) I Do It for You". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved October 7, 2019. Scroll through the page-list below until year 2019 to obtain certification.
  75. ^ "French single certifications – Bryan Adams – (Everything I Do) I Do It for You" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved November 9, 2021. Select BRYAN ADAMS and click OK. 
  76. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Bryan Adams; '(Everything I Do) I Do It for You')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  77. ^ "Italian single certifications – Bryan Adams – (Everything I Do) I Do It for You" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved February 25, 2019. Select "2019" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
  78. ^ "Dutch single certifications – Bryan Adams – Everything I Do, I Do It for You" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved November 12, 2019. Enter Everything I Do, I Do It for You in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1991 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle statussen"
  79. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – Bryan Adams – (Everything I Do) I Do It for You". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  80. ^ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 17, 2011.
  81. ^ Myers, Justin (February 12, 2018). "These are the UK's 20 biggest selling love ballads of all time". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on February 14, 2017. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
  82. ^ "British single certifications – Bryan Adams – (Everything I Do) I Do It for You". British Phonographic Industry.
  83. ^ "American single certifications – Bryan Adams – (Everything I Do) I Do It for You". Recording Industry Association of America.
  84. ^ a b c Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 196. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  85. ^ "The Irish Charts". irishcharts.ie. Archived from the original on June 2, 2009. Retrieved September 8, 2014. Search by Artist: Fatima Mansions
  86. ^ Nick Dale, "Fatima Mansions" in Peter Buckley (ed.) The Rough Guide To Rock.London; Rough Guides, 2003 ISBN 1843531054 (p. 364).
  87. ^ "Brandy (2)– (Everything I Do) I Do It For You (Australian CD Single)". Discogs. Archived from the original on October 22, 2014. Retrieved February 9, 2013.
  88. ^ Never Say Never (Media notes). Atlantic Records. 1998.
  89. ^ "Brandy – (Everything I Do) I Do It For You". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 23 May 2011.
Categories