The Air That I Breathe (4:05)

“The Air That I Breathe” is a ballad written by Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood, initially recorded by Albert Hammond on his 1972 album It Never Rains In Southern California.

This song is best remembered as having been a major hit for The Hollies in early 1974, reaching No. two in the U.K. - this band’s last hit single, besides a rerelease of “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” in 1988. In the summer of 1974, this song reached No. six in the United States on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. three on the Adult Contemporary chart. [2] In Canada, this song peaked at No. five on the RPM Magazine charts. The audio engineering for “The Air That I Breathe” was done by Alan Parsons.

Alfalfa sings this to Darla in The Little Rascals (1994).

The song is played in the 1999 film, The Virgin Suicides.

The Hollies’ version of the song appears in the May 2003 series finale of teen drama Dawson’s Creek, the second season episode “Donut Run” of Veronica Mars, the 2007 film I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, starring Adam Sandler and Kevin James, and the 2012 film Seeking A Friend for the End of the World. It also appears in the Fringe episode “Fracture.”