That's What Friends Are For (Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams album)

That's What Friends Are For is an album by American singers Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams, released in July 1978 by Columbia Records. The project was a continuation of the pairing of the artists that began on his previous LP, You Light Up My Life, which included "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late", the duet that was on its way to number one on three different charts in Billboard magazine as the recording sessions for this album got underway.

On July 20, 1978, That's What Friends Are For received Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of 500,000 copies in the United States, and it debuted on Billboard's list of America's Top LP's & Tapes shortly thereafter, in the issue dated July 29, for the start of a 16-week chart run that took the album to number 19. That same issue also marked its debut on the magazine's Black Albums chart, where it remained for 11 weeks and peaked at number 14. The following month, on August 28, it made its first of 11 weekly appearances on the UK album chart, during which time it got as high as number 16, and October 31 of that year the British Phonographic Industry awarded the album with Gold certification for sales of 100,000 copies in the UK.

The album was first released on CD in 1997 and reissued on July 1, 2003, with four additional songs by the duo, including a previously unreleased version of "Without Us", the theme from the television series Family Ties.

Singles
Following quickly on the heels of the June 3, 1978, issue of Billboard in which "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" enjoyed its week at number one on the magazine's Hot 100, this album's opener, a cover of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's "You're All I Need To Get By", was released on June 15 and had a July 8 debut on the magazine's list of the 100 most popular R&B singles in the US, where it peaked at number 10 over the course of 12 weeks. The July 8 issue also marked its first appearance on the magazine's list of the 50 most popular Easy Listening records in the US, where it spent 11 weeks and got as high as number 16. The July 29 issue included the debut of the song on the Hot 100, where it stayed for eight weeks and reached number 47. The duet also became a new entry on the July 29 UK singles chart, where it made it to number 45 during a six-week run.

The title song from the album (not to be confused with the Bacharach/Sager composition later popularized by Dionne Warwick) was released as a single in the fall of 1978 but did not have any chart appearances.

Critical reception
Billboard remarked, "For the most part this is a set of slick, pretty R&B pop duets, marked by Mathis' best, most uninhibited singing to date, and the equally important participation of Williams."

Paul Sexton of Record Mirror commented that "their coupling is quite satisfactory from an artistic point of view." Dennis Hunt of the Los Angeles Times said that "Mathis' duets with Williams have rescued him from the MOR graveyard and given him new life in the pop/R&B market. This album, far superior to the last featuring this pair, brims with romantic material. To make sure no one mistakes these songs for MOR, producer Jack Gold has tacked on sprightly rhythm tracks which turn some of them into gentle rockers."

Ron Wynn of AllMusic stated: "Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams made a fine team on this collection of sentimental love songs and light pop ballads."

Side one

 * 1) "You're All I Need to Get By" (Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson) – 2:40
 * 2) "Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)" (Morris Broadnax, Clarence Paul, Stevie Wonder) – 3:39
 * 3) "You're a Special Part of My Life" (Lani Groves, Clarence McDonald, Deniece Williams) – 2:56
 * 4) "Ready or Not" (Amber DiLena, Jack Keller) – 2:50
 * 5) "Me for You, You for Me" (Fritz Baskett, Clarence McDonald) – 3:12

Side two

 * 1) "Your Precious Love" (Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson) – 3:22
 * 2) "Just the Way You Are" (Billy Joel) – 3:43
 * 3) "That's What Friends Are For" (Fritz Baskett, Lani Groves, Clarence McDonald, Deniece Williams) – 3:27
 * 4) "I Just Can't Get Over You" (Nat Kipner, Winston Sela) – 4:11
 * 5) "Touching Me With Love" (Marilyn Berglas, Charlee Maass) – 2:30
 * The title of this track was replaced on other LP pressings from 1978 and subsequent CD releases with:
 * "Heaven Must Have Sent You". It is however the same song.

2003 CD bonus tracks
This album's 2003 CD release included four bonus duets: As with "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late", "Emotion" was also recorded for the You Light Up My Life album. "Love Won't Let Me Wait" was recorded in 1983 for Mathis's 1984 album A Special Part of Me.
 * "Emotion" (Barry Gibb, Robin Gibb) – 3:18
 * "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" (Nat Kipner, John Vallins) – 3:00
 * "Love Won't Let Me Wait" (Vinnie Barrett, Bobby Eli) – 4:16
 * "Without Us" from Family Ties (Jeff Barry, Tom Scott) – 4:02

2017 CD bonus tracks
This album's CD release as part of the 2017 box set The Voice of Romance: The Columbia Original Album Collection included three bonus tracks: "Comme ci, comme ça" and "So Deep in Love" had not been available before. The former was recorded during the sessions for this album, the latter at the same session as the theme song for the series.
 * "Comme ci, comme ça" (J. S. Stewart) – 2:58
 * "Without Us" from Family Ties (Barry, Scott) – 4:02
 * "So Deep in Love" (Barry, Bruce Roberts) – 4:32

Recording dates
From the liner notes for the 2003 CD release:
 * April 20, 1978 – "You're a Special Part of My Life", "Ready or Not", "Me for You, You for Me", "I Just Can't Get Over You"
 * April 26, 1978 – "That's What Friends Are For"
 * April 28, 1978 – "Heaven Must Have Sent You"
 * May 5, 1978 – "You're All I Need to Get By", "Just the Way You Are", "Touching Me with Love"
 * May 12, 1978 – "Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)"

Bonus tracks
From the liner notes for The Voice of Romance: The Columbia Original Album Collection:
 * December 20, 1977 – "Emotion"
 * December 21, 1977 – "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late"
 * April 26, 1978 – "Comme ci, comme ça"
 * October 21, 1982 – "So Deep in Love", "Without Us"
 * August 16, 1983 – "Love Won't Let Me Wait"

Original album
From the liner notes for the original album:

Musicians

 * Murray Adler – violin
 * Dorothy Ashby – harp
 * Michael Baird – drums
 * Israel Baker – violin
 * Arnold Belnick – violin
 * Harry Bluestone – concertmaster
 * Ronald Cooper – cello
 * Paulinho da Costa – percussion
 * Rollice Dale – viola
 * Douglas Davis – cello
 * Vincent DeRosa – French horn
 * Glen Dicterow – violin
 * Kurt Dieterle – violin
 * Assa Drori – violin
 * David Allan Duke – French horn
 * Scott Edwards – bass
 * Jesse Ehrlich – cello
 * Alan Estes – percussion
 * Henry Ferber – violin
 * Ronald Folsom – violin
 * David Frisina – violin
 * Jim Gilstrap – backing vocals (6, 9)
 * Endre Granat – violin
 * Bill Green – flute, baritone saxophone
 * Ed Greene – drums
 * Lani Groves – backing vocals (6, 9)
 * Allan Harshman – viola
 * John Heitmann – flute
 * Robert Henderson – French horn
 * William Hymanson – violin
 * Plas Johnson – flute, flute solo ("I Just Can't Get Over You")
 * Armand Kaproff – cello
 * Dennis Karmazyn – cello
 * Ray Kelley – cello
 * Myra Kestenbaum – viola
 * Jacob Krachmalnick – violin
 * Raphael Kramer – cello
 * Ron Leonard – cello
 * Steve Lukather – guitar
 * Arthur Maebe – French horn
 * Virginia Majewski – viola
 * Leonard Malarsky – violin
 * Johnny Mathis – lead and backing vocals
 * Tim May – guitar
 * Alexander Neiman – viola
 * Gareth "Garry" Nuttycombe – viola
 * Don Palmer – violin
 * Richard Perissi – French horn
 * Greg Phillinganes – keyboards
 * Stanley Plummer – violin
 * George Price – French horn
 * Lee Ritenour – guitar
 * Sylvester Rivers – keyboards
 * Nathan Ross – violin
 * Henry Roth – violin
 * Michel Rubini – piano
 * Sheldon Sanov – violin
 * Harry Schultz – cello
 * David Schwartz – viola
 * Gene Sherry – French horn
 * Jack Shulman – violin
 * Henry Sigismonti – French horn
 * Ralph Silverman – violin
 * Leland Sklar – bass
 * Marshall Sosson – violin
 * Sheridon Stokes – flute
 * Gloria Strassner – cello
 * Alexander Treger – violin
 * Tommy Vig – percussion
 * David T. Walker – guitar
 * Wah Wah Ragin – guitar
 * Ernie Watts – tenor saxophone
 * Maxine Willard Waters – backing vocals (6, 9)
 * Deniece Williams – lead and backing vocals
 * Stevie Wonder – harmonica solo ("Just the Way You Are")
 * Robert Zimmitti – percussion

Production

 * Jack Gold – producer
 * Gene Page – arranger, conductor (except where noted)
 * Glen Spreen – arranger, conductor ("That's What Friends Are For")
 * Dick Bogert – recording engineer
 * Joe Gastwirt – digital remastering
 * Tom Perry – mix engineer at Hollywood Sound Recorders (Hollywood, CA); mastering engineer at The Mastering Lab (Los Angeles, CA).
 * Sam Emerson – photography

2003 CD reissue
From the liner notes for the 2003 CD release:

Bonus tracks
 * Jack Gold – producer (except where noted)
 * Denny Diante – producer ("Love Won't Let Me Wait")
 * Gene Page – arranger, conductor (except where noted)
 * Michel Colombier – arranger; conductor ("Love Won't Let Me Wait")

Reissue credits
 * Didier C. Deutsch – producer
 * Joseph M. Palmaccio – mastering engineer
 * Steve Berkowitz – Legacy A&R
 * Joy Gilbert Monfried – product manager
 * Darren Salmieri – A&R coordination
 * Howard Fritzson – art direction
 * Risa Noah – design
 * Sam Emerson – photography
 * Art Maillet/Sony Music Archives – photography
 * Linda Chang – packaging manager
 * Stacey Boyle – tape research
 * Matt Kelly – tape research
 * Ellis Widner – liner notes
 * Mastered at Sony Music Studios, New York