“I would like to think of Badfinger‘s music as mood music, something with a bit of feeling, whether it’s hard or soft,” said late Badfinger singer and songwriter Pete Ham. He added, “Songwriting is one of the greatest pleasures in my life.”
From the Welsh rocker’s 1969 debut Maybe Tomorrow, as The Iveys, through Badfinger’s seventh album Wish You Were Here, Ham and bassist Tom Evans were the band’s primary storytellers, co-writing or solo writing a majority of the band’s catalog of songs, including the heartbreaking ballad “Without You.”
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“I Can’t Live”
Released on Badfinger’s third album No Dice in 1970, the song was inspired by Evans’ relationship with his future wife Marianne and originally titled “I Can’t Live.”
At the same time, Ham was also working on a song called “If It’s Love,” but it was missing a chorus, which Evans would find. When Marianne left Evans, he flew to Bonn, Germany to find her, where he wrote “I Can’t Live.”
The chorus said everything he needed to say to her: I can’t live, if living is without you / I can’t live, I can’t give anymore.
Ham and Evans eventually merged their two songs to create their heartbreaking ballad.
Well, I can’t forget this evening
And your face when you were leaving
But I guess that’s just the way the story goes
You always smile, but in your eyes your sorrow shows
Yes, it shows
Well, I can’t forget tomorrow
When I think of all my sorrow
I had you there, but then I let you go
And now it’s only fair that I should let you know
What you should know
I can’t live, if living is without you
I can’t live, I can’t give any more
I can’t live, if living is without you
I can’t live, I can’t give anymore
Well, I can’t forget this evening
And your face when you were leaving
But I guess that’s just the way the story goes
You always smile, but in your eyes your sorrow shows
Yes, it shows
[RELATED: Review: An Exceptional Endeavor, ‘Shine On—A Tribute to Pete Ham’ is Absolutely Essential]
Harry Nilsson
When Harry Nilsson first heard Badfinger’s “Without You” at a party he mistook it for a Beatles song at first. Instantly drawn to the ballad, Nilsson recorded his version of “Without You” on his 1971 album Nilsson Schmilsson.
After 10 weeks on the charts, on February 19, 1972, Nilsson’s version of “Without You” went to No. 1 in the UK and on the Billboard Hot 100, where it remained for four weeks. The song also earned Nilsson a Grammy for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.
A Tragic End
Signed under The Beatles’ Apple Records from 1968 through 1973, Badfinger released five albums and had great success with hits like “Baby Blue,” “Day After Day,” and “No Matter What.” Paul McCartney even wrote Badfinger’s first hit “Come and Get It,” released in 1970. Badfinger also performed at George Harrison‘s 1970 Concert for Bangladesh and Evans and guitarist Joey Molland backed John Lennon on his Imagine album.
The subsequent success of “Without You” caused more hardship than good within the band years later after Apple Records started to dissolve following the breakup of The Beatles. Once the label fell apart, it left Badfinger in a legal mess, which prevented Ham and Evans from receiving their due royalties around the hit they wrote. The legal and financial issues took a toll on Ham, who committed suicide in 1975 at the age of 27.
In 1983, after having a quarrel with Molland about the royalties around ‘Without You” the night before, Evans also died by suicide at 36.
Mariah Carey
When Mariah Carey was a little girl, her mother used to sing Nilsson’s version of “Without You” to her. More than 20 years after Nilsson recorded “Without You,” Carey released her version of the song on her 1993 album Music Box.
Released as the third single in 1994, Carey’s “Without You” went to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, where it remained for six weeks.
Around the 20th anniversary of Music Box, Carey took a moment to thank the writers behind the song on X, along with Nilsson. “Must thank Pete Ham and Tom Evans for writing ‘Without You,’” wrote Carey. “And Harry Nilsson for performing it and inspiring my mom to sing it to me as a kid.”
Anyone in need of help can reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1–800–273–8255 or SuicidePreventionLifeline.org to chat with someone online.
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