Happy Anniversary: Bread, “Everything I Own”

41 years ago today, Bread – the band, not the tasty baked treat – released the single that gave them their fourth top-five hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

Like the three big hits that preceded it, “Everything I Own” was written by David Gates, who – along with Jimmy Griffin and Rob Royer – was one of the founding members of Bread. The song was written by Gates as a tribute to his late father. “My success would’ve been so special to him, as he was my greatest influence,” Gates said in the book 1000 UK #1 Hits. “So I decided to write and record ‘Everything I Own’ about him. If you listen to he words, ‘You sheltered me from harm, kept me warm, gave my life to me, set me free,’ it says it all.”

When “Everything I Own” was released in 1972, it made it to #5 on the Billboard