"You and Your Sister" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Chris Bell, that appears on his only solo album I Am the Cosmos. It was released as the B-side to Bell's only single "I Am the Cosmos". Comparisons have been made to Big Star's "Thirteen", which Bell co-wrote with bandmate Alex Chilton,[1] and is also an acoustic love ballad. Chilton sings backing vocals on the song.
| "I Am the Cosmos / You and Your Sister" | |
|---|---|
 Cover of the 1978 US single | |
| Single by Chris Bell | |
| from the album I Am the Cosmos | |
| A-side | "I Am the Cosmos" |
| Released | 1978 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 3:14 |
| Label |
|
| Songwriter(s) | Chris Bell |
| Producer(s) | Chris Bell |
Mark Deming of AllMusic described it as a "sweet, guileless love song" that "represents the sincerity and emotional innocence that Bell brought to his brief tenure in the band Big Star" that "make[s] more emotional sense than literal sense" [2] and as "one of the great unknown love songs in the pop canon, a luminous and fragile ballad almost otherworldly in its beauty."[3]
Two alternate versions of the song appear on the posthumous 1992 I Am the Cosmos release, an "acoustic version" and a "country version".[3] The song is included in the 2009 Big Star box set Keep an Eye on the Sky.[4]
Other versions
edit"You and Your Sister" was covered, along with "I Am the Cosmos", by This Mortal Coil on the 1991 album Blood. The single was a No. 13 hit in the Netherlands.[5] It has also been covered by Mike Daly on the 2001 album A Tribute to Big Star,[6] by Seana Carmody on the 2007 album Barn Songs,[7] by James Yorkston on The Cellardyke Recording and Wassailing Society in 2014, and by Susanna Hoffs on her 2021 covers album, Bright Lights.
References
edit- ^ Ruhlmann, William. "#1 Record - Big Star". AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
- ^ Deming, Mark. "You and Your Sister". AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
- ^ a b Ankeny, Jason (1992-02-21). "I Am the Cosmos - Chris Bell". AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
- ^ Thomas, Stephen (2009-09-15). "Keep an Eye on the Sky - Big Star". AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
- ^ Mason, Stewart (1991-05-13). "Blood - This Mortal Coil". AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
- ^ Birchmeier, Jason (2001-11-13). "A Tribute to Big Star - Various Artists". AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-12-02.
- ^ "Barn Songs - Seana Carmody". 2007.