"This Will Be"
Single by Natalie Cole
from the album Inseparable
B-side"Joey"
ReleasedJune 20, 1975
GenreSoul[1]
Length2:51
LabelCapitol
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Chuck Jackson
  • Marvin Yancy
Natalie Cole singles chronology
"This Will Be"
(1975) 		"Inseparable"
(1975)
Official audio
"This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)" (2003 Remaster) on YouTube

"This Will Be" is a song written by Chuck Jackson and Marvin Yancy, arranged by Richard Evans and performed by American singer Natalie Cole. Often appended with "(An Everlasting Love)" but not released as such, this was Cole's debut single, released in April 1975 and one of her biggest hits, becoming a number-one R&B and number-six pop smash in the United States,[2] also reaching the UK Top 40. Cole won a Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, a category that had previously been dominated by Aretha Franklin. It would also help her win the Grammy Award for Best New Artist.

Having been repeatedly rejected by other record companies, Cole sent demos to Larkin Arnold, CEO of Capitol Records, who agreed to release the song. Jackson and Yancy had written the song at the end of sessions for Arnold, just as he and Cole were about to leave town.

In popular culture

The song has featured in several films:

In 2012 the song was also used in the "Lip Sync for Your Life" segment of the third episode of the fourth season of the reality competition series RuPaul's Drag Race, which also featured Cole as a guest judge. Contestant DiDa Ritz's performance of the song has since been acclaimed as one of the best in the show's history and received admiration from Cole herself.[4][5]

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[12] Gold 400,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ Tower, Chris (January 1, 1998). "Natalie Cole". In Knopper, Steve (ed.). MusicHound Lounge: The Essential Album Guide. Detroit: Visible Ink Press. pp. 98–100.
  2. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 127.
  3. ^ A Cinderella Story (2004) - IMDb, retrieved 2021-12-14
  4. ^ Virtel, Louis (4 January 2016). "Here's Natalie Cole having a blast watching a drag queen nail 'This Will Be'". Uproxx. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
  5. ^ Megarry, Daniel (4 September 2019). "Michelle Visage reveals her favourite ever moment from Drag Race". Gay Times. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
  6. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". 2012-03-30. Retrieved 2017-04-04.
  7. ^ "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved 2 September 2018.
  8. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 54.
  9. ^ Cash Box Top 100 Singles, November 29, 1975
  10. ^ Bac-lac.gc.ca
  11. ^ "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 27, 1975". Archived from the original on October 22, 2016. Retrieved October 17, 2017.
  12. ^ "British single certifications – Natalie Cole – This Will Be". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 21 April 2023.

External links

Natalie Cole
Authority control databases
Categories