I Don't Need Anything But You Lyrics
I Don't Need Anything But You
[WARBUCKS AND ANNIE]Together at last!
Together for ever!
We're tying a knot,
They never can sever!
[WARBUCKS]
I don't need sunshine now,
To turn my skies at blue --
[WARBUCKS AND ANNIE]
I don't need anything but you!
[WARBUCKS]
You've wrapped me around
That cute little finger.
You've made life a song .....
You've made me the singer!
[ANNIE]
And what's the bathtub tune
You always "Bu-Bu-Boo?"
[WARBUCKS]
Bu-Bu-Bu
Anything but you
[ANNIE]
Yesterday was plain awful
[WARBUCKS]
You can say that again
[ANNIE]
Yesterday was plain awful
[WARBUCKS]
But that's
[ANNIE]
Not now
[WARBUCKS AND ANNIE]
That's then
[ANNIE]
I'm poor as a mouse,
[WARBUCKS]
I'm richer than Midas.
[WARBUCKS AND ANNIE]
But nothing on earth
Could ever divide us!
And if tomorrow, I
'm an apple seller, too--
I don't need anything but you!
[SERVANTS]
Annie Annie Annie
Everything's humming now
Annie Annie
Good times are coming now
Since you came our way
It's Christmas,
Christmas everyday
We dismiss
Bad times, sad times
Now they're all yesterday news
Since Annie
Kicked out
The blues
Annie Annie Annie
Look what you've done for us
Annie Annie Annie
Turned on the sun for us
[GRACE]
Have they sent the cheese?
[DRAKE]
Yes and ice camemberts and bries
[GRACE
Judge Brandeis
[ALL]
Annie Annie
You filled our life with a song
They're two of a kind
The happiest pair now
Like Fred and Adelle, they're floating
On air now
And what's the title of the dream
[WARBUCKS]
I don't need anything
[ANNIE]
Anything
[ALL]
Anything
I don't need anything
But you
Song Overview

Song Credits
- Main Vocals: Andrea McArdle (Annie), Reid Shelton (Oliver Warbucks)
- Featured: Sandy Faison & 1977 Broadway Ensemble
- Composer: Charles Strouse
- Lyricist: Martin Charnin
- Producers: Charles Strouse, Larry Morton
- Musical Director & Arranger: Peter Howard
- Orchestration: Philip J. Lang
- Recording Engineer: Bud Graham
- Album: Annie (Original Broadway Cast Recording)
- Release Year: 1977
- Genre: Show-tune / Soft-shoe swing
- Instruments: pizzicato strings, clarinet swagger, upright bass, tap-board shuffle
- Mood: jubilant, paternal-daughter glow
- Label: Columbia Masterworks
- Length: 2 min 44 sec
- Copyright © 1977 Strouse & Charnin • ? 1977 Columbia Records
Song Meaning and Annotations

A single cymbal kiss, a buoyant two-step, and Annie bursts through Warbucks’ study like a sunbeam through mahogany gloom. I Don’t Need Anything But You pirouettes in a quick-silver fox-trot, equal parts Broadway razzmatazz and father-daughter handshake. Strouse’s melody pops with dotted-eighth optimism while Charnin’s lines volley back-and-forth quips—proof that banter can be rhythmic if the heart’s in 4/4.
Dramatically, the duet is the musical’s emotional champagne cork: billionaire and orphan finally declare they’ve filled each other’s missing puzzle piece. The stanza-for-stanza structure mimics a tennis rally—Annie lobs a compliment, Warbucks smashes back a dad joke—until both voices lock in octave unison for the title hook. That unison is the musical embodiment of adoption papers.
Opening Fireworks
“Together at last / Together forever”
The major-third leap on “last” literally lifts the phrase off the ground—aural confetti
Comic Name-Drops
“Hamlet needed his mother / Woolworth needed his shop”
The writers couch Shakespeare and five-and-dime retail in the same breath, flattening high culture and pop commerce—perfect for a tycoon who’s discovered feelings outrank profits.
Key Change Glow
Mid-song, the orchestra slides up a semi-tone, turning warm applause into hot-tamale celebration. It’s a classic Broadway trick: modulate, signal euphoria, cue curtain-time grin.
Metaphoric Bathtub Tune
“And what’s that bathtub tune you always ba-ba-boo?”
Even a titan of industry hums nonsense in the tub; the line yanks Warbucks from marble pedestal to bubble-bath humanity.
Similar Songs

- “Anything You Can Do” – Anne Get Your Gun Cast
Another playful duet where bragging morphs into bonding. Both tracks thrive on rapid-fire repartee, though Annie’s number swaps competitive sass for cozy alliance. - “People Will Say We’re in Love (Reprise)” – Oklahoma!
Laurey and Curly drop pretense and sing out their newfound certainty, mirroring Warbucks and Annie’s mutual “aha” moment—minus the parental dynamic. - “For Good” – Wicked
Decades later, Glinda and Elphaba echo the same theme: relationships, not riches, redraw the sky. Both use intertwined melodies to illustrate hearts knitting together.
Questions and Answers

- Why does the song arrive near the show’s finale?
- It seals the emotional arc—Annie secures family, Warbucks finds heart. After this duet, the plot can merrily sprint to its fireworks.
- Is the number ever danced?
- Most productions add a soft-shoe sequence: Warbucks shuffles, Annie mirrors, laughter ensues. Tap boards optional but encouraged.
- How many key changes occur?
- Typically one half-step lift halfway through; some revivals add a final whole-step bump for show-stopping sparkle.
- Did the 2014 film alter the tempo?
- Yes—Jamie Foxx’s version slows the swing, adds R&B snaps, but keeps the hook intact.
- Why reference Midas and Woolworth?
- They contrast rags and riches, underlining how love bulldozes economic distance.
Fan and Media Reactions
“That key change still makes my inner orphan do cartwheels.” @BroadwayHeartbeat
“Reid Shelton’s dad-joke ‘ba-ba-ba’ is peak wholesome cringe—in the best way.” @DadRockTapShoes
“My wedding band slipped this tune into our first dance set—instant tear-factory.” @JustMarriedMusicalNerd
“Proof that a duet can be both sappy and swingin’. Not easy, folks.” @CriticOnTheCushion
“Whenever my kid beats a video game, he yells ‘I don’t need anything but you!’ at the screen. Strouse would cackle.” @GamerDadSings