A Song For You - Leon Russell, Donny Hathaway, Amy Winehouse, & Karen Carpenter 

One of the most beautiful songs ever written. This is Leon's song....

Leon Russel was not underrated as some people would have us believe. His songs, like "Superstar" and "Song for You," very famous and covered by a lot of artists including himself. Didn't know he wrote the George Benson hit, "This Masquerade." What a great songwriter.

No argue!No one can beat an angel named Karen Anne Carpenter...Period

Leon said he didn't want to write 'pop' music. He wanted to write 'Standards', music that would endure the test of time. Leon succeeded! Love Karen Carpenter's cover and Donny Hathaway's cover is a GEM!

they all bring their own magic to this song but Donny will always blow me away.

Leon Russell wrote this masterpiece from a personal experience. Fabulous! Karen Carpenter’s version takes you to a place where there’s no place or time. It’s not just her amazing vocals : it touches your soul! One of my favourite songs ever!

My favorite is Leon Russel's version of this song.

I like all the versions, but I agree. Karen Carpenter's voice is special 💖. Leon sings it pretty well too.

It’s only that when I got older did I gain a appreciation for songs like this. I am 75 now and this is the first time I really listen to this masterpiece. I have listened to about 7 different singers sing it. Leon’s heart and soul is in this song and Ray Charles did it only as he can. I feel and a 75 year old guy can still get emotional and shed a tear. Thank you Leon Russell and Rest In Peace in the arms of the one that gave you to us.

I miss Leon so much

Phenomenal song writer. song for you by Donny Hathaway is absolutely sublime and one of my favourite songs.

I'm an Amy fan. But the only people who do this song justice is Karen and Donny.

I agree with the song’s writer. Donny Hathaway’s version is by FAR the best.

Leon's song has stood the test of time. Thanks for sharing

I have been to a lot of live performances. I seen Leon 4 times The 4 best performances I have ever seen. All others were a distant 2nd. The best love song writer of all time. My favorite artist of all time . RIP Leon. You have left much art for us to enjoy.

Leon was an incredible producer, producing some of the greatest hits of the early 60s. He puts his own distinctive mark on every song he produces.

This is one of my favorite songs. Especially when it is sung by contralto voices like Karen Carpenter, Amy Winehouse and Diana Krall. That said, the tune and the words are by Leon Russell, nonetheless, and I am so happy Russell shared it with us. I do recall visiting RU-vid to listen to this tune one time and saw a very upsetting commenting by one who claimed that Russell was an egomaniac with the line: I've acted out my life in stages with ten thousand people watching. I am writing this to say, just read the lyrics again. Any popular musician like Russell will having many 10,000 people looking on his life. And that is the point of the song. Russell very much was and is still enjoyed for his public side, that public side that he shared with us. And this song proclaims his private side (I have mine, and hope everyone else does too) to that special one, to just "listen to the melody cause my love is in there hiding."

MY Favorite Musician 50 years ago. My favorite Musician Today. And still learning just how good Leon really Was!

Leon will be always the greatest of all.

My favorite is Willie Nelson’s version. Just a man and his guitar singing a love song to his audience

Saw him in Marietta, GA a few weeks before he passed. What a great performance. Played his classics... We're all on the tightrope...

I love this song. I've loved it FOREVER. I heard it as a little girl listening to Donny Hathaway and the live album by Betty Wright. Both thanked Leon for such a beautiful song. Hearing Leon's original version about 20 plus years ago whew! Just a good song ... The best voices have recorded this masterpiece ... You feel the lyrics.

Donny Hathaway version will always be better than anyone elses

Leon Russell you are the best and in my ❤️🙏😎

Leon Russell..I remember this great 💎

Karen Carpenter sets the standard for this Leon cover. Absolutely sublime, nobody comes close.

He wrote Superstar which Karen Carpenter nailed. Leon was brilliant.

Karen's reading and Richard's arrangements is the definitive one

I love this song so much and there have been so many great covers by artists like Ray Charles, Willie Nelson, Christina Aguilera, but this is the first time that I have ever heard this mix Wow it just goes to show that a great song will always be around and appreciated. 🎶🎵

For me it is Donny Hathaway and Karen Carpenter! Thank you Leon for writing such a powerful and enduring song!

Heard this and thinking of my wire Judy...she passed July 14th.... you are out of pain now....luv ya

The first time I saw Leon was at Cayo carnival in key west! Will always love his music especially A SONG FOR YOU!!

Dennis EDWARD'S TEMPTATIONS VERSION IS A MASTER PIECE...SOULFUL,PASSION, HARMONY..RIP

I love singing this song... Especially that special line that many of you mentioned. To me this song describes a deep love and vulnerable intimacy. Loved it from the first time I heard Leon sing it. 🎵

Absolute magic ...irreplaceable masters of music

Beautiful just beautiful

Great but they left out some of my favorite lines: "and if my words don't come together, listen to the melody. My love's in there, hiding"♡

Beautiful tribute to Leon and All .. and the Song .. oh what music we have known .. thank you for sharing this medely of voices and souls ..

COME BACK LEON, PLEASE!

Leon said he thought the artist Mr Hathaway, did the best recording of his song. Song for You, written by Leon, was recorded by over 200 different people.

Love Donny Hathaway

all it takes is a hard-working genius

Simply beautiful

I saw Leon along with FreddIE King and B.B. in the early 70's about 100 times , Ray Charles version is amazing too. i do this song too, no one can do it without a ton of emotion.

Karen❤️

Wonderful

THERE IS NO SPACE AND TIME FOR OUR LOVE

Also hope to hear mashup of Lalah and Donny Hathaway someday.

Best Song Ever!

I read somewhere that Mr. Russell was a classically trained pianist.

Leon, and only Leon could do his song justice. The way he sang the song came directly from his heart. Other artists purchased rights to the song, but the song is a empty shell when they sing it for monetary profits only. Mr. Russell may have been only a studio musician to these so called "stars", but Leon really really was the star.

I love Russell11

Donny!!!!

Ray Charles also did a great cover of this song, both in the studio and live in concert.

Never knew a Hill Billy wrote such a soulful song. I know Donny Hathaway’s version since I was a teen. Much respect to Mr. Russell and Mr. Hathaway.

All wonderful covers of this great song, but i would have to say Richard Carpenters arrangement sung by the beautiful Karen Carpenter is the top of the tree for me.

He wrote this song to Rita Coolidge.❤

Karen Carpenter The Best

Beautiful!

Love em all except Winehouse. Don't think she did the beauty of the song justice. Donny Hathaway's take is gorgeous. Leon nails it.

Leon's is the best version

I know this is not going to be a popular opinion but I really like Amy winehouse vocals are obscured a bit so you get the feeling which transpires. I’ve spent many night crying to this song. The pain needs to get out for her to keep going. Just hearing the karen version song. Love the horns. I’ve always preferred sound/rnb But yeah this is what heartbreak does. Keep you up all night. One love y’all. Just a beautiful song. Thank you Leon Russell

somehow this mix up editing showed the best vocal and musical arrangement ...carpenters

YEAH DAD I AM CRYING FOR YOU NOW

Lovely! Thank you!

The carpenters version was also great for that arrangement & Sax

Miss you

Damn this is nice!!!

You were a good friend of ours...

THANK YOU FOR THE MUSIC YOU LEFT ME

Wow now this is awesome work

Oh my, it does for me. Hope that this can be purchased

Are we seriously not going to mention Claudia Linnear? One of the greatest backing singers of all time, she is also a beautiful and intelligent human being. You would have to be made of stone not to be smitten by her.

YEAH YOU FOLKS I MISS YOU DAD

yeah you folks are the best I miss you dad

Wonderful "Sound Collage." Great idea and well executed - very smooth transitions - the crowd sounds and different breaks make for a really cool mental picture of what might have been. Excellent.

Love this song.... Love these people. Not quite sure I love this mix as is melded together ....too many decades the brain won't allow arriving in one space and time at the same listening

Miss Leon.

A huge song by Leon Russel , Donny made it immortal, nevertheless, the true deep feelings of love in it I heard in the version of Steffen Morrison though.

Kathi McDonald 1948- 2012

Leon did it best…but I love them all❤

UH-MAZING.

Donny sings it so sexy and full of heart! Amy's is nice! Of course Karen's is beautiful.

John, thank you for putting this together. What memories! But did you have to show their birth and death dates at the end? I was already crying just from the words of the song...

Interesting mash-up, Mr. King.

Karen is the shit outside of Leon.

I REMEMBER YOU MY DAD

Nobody touches Karen Carpenter's version of this...

Merry Clayton owns the song

I like Leon's original best RIP , then Lalah Hathaway , and then the singer Kodi Lee from AGT

Lara Price also sings a pretty descent cover of this masterpiece. . . :>/

Who wrote this masterpiece of music ?? 🎶💕 Karen, had a voice that touches my soul, her ability to use her voice as her instrument 🙏💕🎶

Donny Hathaway's version is by far the best. It's not mentioned here but the Temptations version is good too. Dennis Edwards bodied this song.

The Carpenters is the best: the sax solo, accompanied by the piano... And Karen singing.

Leon, ci hai regalato questo CAPOLAVORO❤️

Did he write this song?

One of the most thoughtless insults in modern music history. Lionel Ritchie on AI, credited Donnie Hathaway with this song when a contestant sang it!!! He never corrected it or acknowledged Leon in any way!!! I wonder how this thoughtless has-been “songwriter” Ritchie would’ve liked it if Paula Abdoul had said after a contestant sang “Lady” ... “that was a beautiful interpretation of the Kenny Rogers timeless classic”! Lionel, you’re a hack!

Are all the singers here passed away? Along with Ray Charles. Maybe it's the curse of the line, when my life is over ..

Occurs to me I'd love to hear Nina Simone sing this one...

It's a hard no for Amy! I don't like music I can't understand! It's a hard YES for Karen Carpenter!! Her emotion is unsurpassed!