You Light Up My Life (1977)

You Light Up My Life is the solo debut album by American singer Debby Boone. Released by Curb Records and Warner Bros. Records in the fall of 1977, Boone needed to quickly assemble her first album, due to the success of the title song topping the Billboard 100 chart.

"You Light Up My Life" is a song taken from the 1977 motion picture of the same name, but Boone's recording was not on the film's soundtrack. The vocals for the soundtrack was recorded by American vocalist Kasey Cisyk. The film's lead actress Didi Conn lip-synced to Cisyk's vocals in the film. The song was written and produced by Joe Brooks as a love song, but Boone interpreted the song as inspirational and stated that she recorded the song for God. When Boone recorded her version, it was originally released as a non-album single. "You Light Up My Life" ascended to the top of the Billboard 100 chart where it stayed for 10 consecutive weeks, the longest of any song on the Hot 100 up to that point. Surprisingly, some Christian radio stations were playing Boone's recording of the song at the time. The song has since been covered by many mainstream and Christian artists like LeAnn Rimes and Whitney Houston.

"You Light Up My Life" also topped the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart for a week and peaking at number 4 on the Country Songs chart. The single and album were both certified Gold and Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The rest of the album consisted of some original songs, covers and a couple of songs Boone recorded with her three sisters as part of the act The Boones like their cover of the Swedish pop quartet ABBA's "Hasta Mañana" and The Supremes' 1963 Top 10 R&B and Top 20 Hot 100 hit "When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes." Both songs have charted on the AC chart making the Top 40 between 1975 and 1977. Boone also records her version of the Keith Green classic "You Love Broke Through." You Light Up My Life climbed to number 6 on both the Billboard 200 and Country Albums charts.

In 1978, Boone won her first Grammy Award for Best New Artist at the 20th Grammy Awards. Boone's recording of "You Light Up My Life" won Song of the Year at the Grammys and an Academy Award for Best Original Song, both awarded to Brooks. Boone performed the song at both award shows. Boone also won Favorite Pop/Rock Song for "You Light Up My Life" at the 1978 American Music Awards.

Track listing

1. You Light Up My Life (original theme from the motion picture You Light Up My

Life) (Joe Brooks) -3:37

2. A Rock and Roll Song (Joe Brooks) -3:39

3. Micol's Theme (Joe Brooks) -3:08

4. It's Just a Matter of Time (Cherry Boone) -3:06

5. Hey Everybody (Joe Brooks) -4:28

6. When I Look At You (My Love) (Bob Gaudio, Larry Finley) -3:52

7. From Me to You (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) -2:22

8. Baby I'm Yours (Van McCoy) -2:38

9. When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes (Brian Holland, Lamont

Dozier, Eddie Holland) -3:10 (*)

10. End of the World (Sylvia Dee, Arthur Kent) -2:33

11. Your Love Broke Through (Keith Green, Randy Stonehill, Todd Fishkind) -2:58

12. Hasta Mañana (Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Stig Anderson) -3:14 (*)

(*) -tracks recorded as The Boones

Production credits

Joe Brooks -producer (tracks 1 -3 and 5)

Mike Curb -producer (tracks 4, 6 -12)

Michael Lloyd -co-producer (tracks 6 -8 and 10)

Bob Gaudio -producer (track 6)

RIAA certifications

Gold and Platinum certified in 1977.

"You Light Up My Life" single

Gold and Platinum certified in 1977.

Accolades

Grammy Award -Best New Artist

American Music Award -Favorite Pop/Rock Song ("You Light Up My Life")

Academy of Country Music Award -Top New Female Artist

Radio singles

1977 "You Light Up My Life" -#1 Billboard Hot 100 for 10 weeks, -#1 Billboard AC, -#4

Billboard Hot Country Songs, -#1 R&R National Airplay (CHR) for 6 weeks, -#1 R&R

AC for 6 weeks, -#4 R&R Country Airplay

Next release: Midstream (1978)

Watch a performance clip of "You Light Up My Life" here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAH-pbsN1Xw