It’s You That I Need – Enchantment | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#33) & R&B (#1); 1978
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
Four fifths of Enchantment met at Detroit’s Pershing High School in 1966; the final fifth arrived a year later in the form of lead singer Emanuel “E.J.” Johnson. Like childhood friend, Stevie Wonder, Johnson was visually handicapped and started singing in church. E.J. and Enchantment’s big break came in 1969 when they won a talent contest sponsored by radio station WCHB.
In 1973 they partnered up with Pershing High alum Michael Stokes who, in turn, hooked them up with Fred Frank of Roadshow Records. Frank, who already had B.T. Express and Brass Construction on his roster, was looking for a doo-wop style group, and Enchantment fit the bill.
His new charges debuted on the rhythm list in 1976 with the disco-ish Come On And Ride. At the end of the year, Roadshow released Enchantment’s #5 R&B breakout single, Gloria, written by Stokes and E.J.
The two also penned Sunshine which stepped up two notches to #3. Stokes then co-created Enchantment’s crowning achievement, the chart-topping It’s You That I Need.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- Michael Stokes
Lyrics Written by:
- Michael Stokes
- Verdell Lanier
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).