It’s been hailed as one of the first ever power ballads and unlike many vocal belters unleashed in the last half century, its soaring bombast is more than matched by an achingly beautiful and heartfelt vocal performance.
According to the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), Without You has been recorded by over 180 artists, but it was the recording released by singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson on 11 October, 1971, that is the defining version. It’s a haunting, deeply emotive song, which over five decades on, remains an enduring classic.
