"You Needed Me" is a song written byRandy Goodrum, who describes it as being about "unconditional undeserved love".[3] It was a number-one single in the United States in 1978 for Canadian singerAnne Murray, for which she won a Grammy Award. In 1999, Irish pop bandBoyzone recorded a hit cover of the song that reached number one on theUK Singles Chart.
"You Needed Me" was first recorded by singer Anne Murray in 1978. The song peaked at number one on theBillboard Hot 100 chart and revitalized her career after several years of declining popularity as it became her first Top 40 US single since her 1974 remake ofThe Beatles' "You Won't See Me". The song, included on her 1978 albumLet's Keep It That Way, was also a top-five country single and won Song of the Year at theAcademy of Country Music awards, and is her most successful single in the United Kingdom, where it made the top 30. Murray is quoted inThe Billboard Book of Number One Hits byFred Bronson as saying she was not surprised by the song's success, as she knew from the start the song would be a hit because she broke down in tears the first time she tried to sing it.
Although the song reached number one on theBillboard Hot 100 chart (and is her only song to top that chart), it never topped the twoBillboard charts where Murray has had the most success—Country andAdult Contemporary. However, it spent a then-record 36 weeks on the Adult Contemporary chart, a record for chart longevity that stood until 1990. The song spent 10 weeks at number one in Malaysia.
The song was featured in an ongoing storyline on the CBS soapGuiding Light in 1980–81, as a theme song for the characters Kelly Nelson and Morgan Richards. In 2013, the song was performed bySeth MacFarlane in character asStewie Griffin on theFamily Guy episode "Chris Cross", in which Anne Murray herself guest-starred.
"You Needed Me" was covered by Irish boy bandBoyzone in 1999. It was released as the second single from their albumBy Request. It became their sixth and final single to reach number one on theUK Singles Chart,[22] outselling Spice GirlGeri Halliwell's debut single, "Look at Me", by 748 copies.[23] The song received a gold disc for sales of 400,000 copies in the UK.[24]
Howard Keel – for his 1985 albumReminiscing – The Howard Keel Collection. This peaked at #20 in the UK album chart during a 12-week stay.[55]
Lynn Anderson recorded her version of "You Needed Me" for the 1983 albumUp Close.[56] The song was subsequently included in various country and love song compilation albums that include her.
^You Needed Me (UK CD1 liner notes). Boyzone. Polydor Records. 1999. 563 933-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^You Needed Me (UK CD2 liner notes). Boyzone. Polydor Records. 1999. 563 935-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^You Needed Me (UK cassette single sleeve). Boyzone. Polydor Records. 1999. 563 932-4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^By Request (UK CD album booklet). Boyzone. Polydor Records. 1999. 547 599-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
