Williams himself debuted "You and Me Against the World" on his 1974 album Here Comes Inspiration, singing it as a traditional love ballad.

Helen Reddy considered the lyrics too "paternalistic" to be convincing as a woman's declaration of love for a man.

Instead, she interpreted it as a mother singing to a child, which her version clarified by her young daughter Traci's speaking to "Mommy" at the start and end.

[2] Williams’s version includes additional lyrics pertaining to circus: “Life can be circus/They underpay and overwork us/Though we seldom get our due/And when each day is through/I bring my tired body home/And look around for you...” Released as the second single from Love Song for Jeffrey, "You and Me Against the World" reached number 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 in September 1974 and became the fourth of Reddy's six consecutive Adult Contemporary number ones.

"You and Me Against the World" had also been recorded by Ann Burton, Robert Goulet, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Vera Lynn, Johnny Mathis, Matt Monro, and Matt Monro Jr. A Swedish rendering, "Du Och Jag Emot En Värld", was recorded by Lill-Babs.