Songs You Might Not Know Were Covers Vol. 9: The Air That I Breathe (#3)

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As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t rank the songs in these cover countdowns in terms of “favorites,” but rather the “shock value.” I was shocked over this one, so I think it counts. Wait till you see the next two!!! Meanwhile, here’s today’s classic cover. #3: The Air That I Breathe By 1974 the Hollies’ career was more or less in the rear view mirror, overtaken by the strange, glorious mix of various styles that comprised the early-mid 70s. Graham Nash, an original member, was having plenty of success….with Crosby and Stills. The guy who played piano on the Hollies hit “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” was well on his way to owning the 70s (some guy named Reggie John or Elton Dwight or something like that….). Ah, but they had one last ace up their sleeve: “The Air That I Breathe.” This has the distinction of being the Hollies’ final US top ten hit. Later on they would acknowledge that they stole their arrangement from Warren Zevon. No, Zevon did not record it first, but at the time (1973) he was working with Phil Everly as pianist and arranger. The Hollies’ rendition of the song was - by their own admission — basically stolen from the arrangement Zevon came up with for Phil Everly’s version. And you know what? Even that was a cover. Remember that one-hit wonder song, “It Never Rains in Southern California”? They didn’t have good air out there, either, which would have prompted a song called “The Air That I Breathe.” Albert Hammond, the man behind “It Never Rains….”, wrote and originally recorded “The Air That I Breathe.” Three post scripts. First, he’s from England, not Southern California. Secondly, he wasn’t a one hit wonder: “I’m a Train” was a top 20 hit for him before “It Never Rains….” Finally, despite the fact that he didn’t make the charts much as a singer, his songwriter skills have put him at the top of the charts a number of times. Among the other songs he’s written are Leo Sayer’s #1 hit “When I Need You” and the Willie/Julio duet “To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before.” He’s got lots of air to breathe thanks to his career. The Air That I Breathe Written by Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood Originally recorded by Albert Hammond, 1972 Famously covered by the Hollies, 1974 Albert Hammond’s original version: