Love Affair – Everlasting Love

“Everlasting Love” is a song penned by Buzz Cason and Mac Gayden, originally a 1967 hit for Robert Knight and subsequently reinterpreted numerous times, notably by Love Affair, Town Criers, Rex Smith & Rachel Sweet, Carl Carlton, Sandra Cretu, U2, and Gloria Estefan. The initial rendition of “Everlasting Love” was recorded by Knight in Nashville, with Cason and Gayden aiming for a Motown style reminiscent of the Four Tops and the Temptations. Upon its single release, the song secured the 13th position on the US chart in 1967. Over time, the song made its way into the US top 40 thrice, with Carl Carlton’s rendition reaching the highest point at No. 6 in 1974. Rex Smith and Rachel Sweet also achieved moderate success, peaking at No. 32 in 1981, and Gloria Estefan reached No. 27 in 1995.

In the UK, the Love Affair covered “Everlasting Love,” attaining No. 1 status in January 1968, surpassing the original by Robert Knight. Additionally, in 1968, a cover by the Australian group Town Criers reached No. 2 in the Australian charts. In the 1990s, “Everlasting Love” made its way to the UK top 20 three times through remakes by Worlds Apart (No. 20 in 1993), Gloria Estefan (No. 19 in 1995), and, notably, a charity single by the cast from Casualty, which reached No. 5 in 1998. Jamie Cullum’s version in 2004 peaked at No. 20. Consequently, “Everlasting Love” holds the distinction of being one of two songs to achieve a Billboard Hot 100 top 40 placement in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s (the other being “The Way You Do the Things You Do”) and the sole song to secure a spot in the UK top 40 in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s.