Song of the Day 4/7: Robert Knight, “Everlasting Love”

Despite his smooth voice, Robert Knight only had one hit — this song, written expressly for him by Buzz Cason and Mac Gayden, who owned a record company in Nashville. The song itself, though, has been a hit over and over again, with covers reaching the Top 40 in the US in the ’70s (Carl Carlton), ’80s (Rex Smith and Rachel Sweet) and ’90s (Gloria Estefan). I’m pretty sure it’s the only song that’s been covered by both country tenor Narvel Felts and Irish rockers U2.

Knight, born Robert Peebles, had been part of a vocal group, the Paramounts, who had a minor hit in 1961, but when no more followed he broke his contract, which kept him from recording for five years; he used the time to get a college degree in chemistry. Gayden discovered Knight singing at a Vanderbilt University frat party while his own band was playing at a different fraternity, and immediately signed him.

Gayden and Cason produced the record with a conscious nod to the Motown sound, which is why a lot of people think it was a Motown release. They intended “Everlasting Love” as the B-side for another song Knight recorded, but once they heard the result they scrapped that plan.

“Everlasting Love” didn’t reach the Top 40 until September 1967, by which point it was already No. 1 in both Philadelphia and Detroit. Because it peaked at different times in different regions, it topped out at No. 13 nationally.

Knight did have a couple more minor hits, but it wasn’t long before he left music for his day job doing chemical research. The song, however, was just getting started.

Later in 1967 it was recorded by a British band called Love Affair, who took it to No. 1 in the UK early the next year.

Carl Carlton’s disco version is actually the most often played on the radio. Here it is, introduced by the legendary Don Cornelius.

The song shows no sign of fading. Kenneth Branagh featured it near the end of his 2021 film “Belfast.”