"You Are My Friend" is a ballad co-written and recorded by American singer Patti LaBelle, released as the second single off her self-titled debut album, in 1978 on the Epic label.
While it only reached as high as number sixty-one on the Billboard Hot-Selling Soul Singles chart upon its initial release,[1] it has gone on to become one of the singer's signature anthems.
In the middle of recording her debut album in New Orleans with Chameleon producer David Rubinson, Labelle and Edwards wrote lyrics to a James "Budd" Ellison composition they called "You Are My Friend".
Ellison played piano on the song and some of the background vocals were handled by The Waters and members of The Valentinos (Bobby Womack's former family group).
Released in early 1978 as the second single from Patti LaBelle, the song was a relative failure on the R&B chart only peaking as high as number 61 and failing to even enter the Billboard Hot 100.