For All We Know

Music written by Fred Karlin. Lyrics penned by Arthur James (aka James Griffin) and Robb Wilson Royer.

For All We Know recorded: June, 1971 released:   UK: July, 1971 on United Artists single UP 35267   US: August 29, 1971 on United Artists single UA 50833 charted: single UK: #6, August 7, 1971

Originally released on a single 1971, which reached number 6 in the UK charts, beating off stiff competition from "The Carpenters". In August 1971 the single entered the British charts at number 46 but disappeared after just one week. It proved to be a false start however because the recording re-entered the Top 50, eventually nestling at number 6 and enjoying 23 weeks in the Top 50. For All We Know in fact proved to have, with the exception of 1960's As Long As He Needs Me, the longest chart duration of any of Shirley's many hit singles. The single's runaway success paved the way for the following album which hit the record shops just as "For All We Know" was dropping out of the nation's pop charts.

The following album which also contained the hit song was 1972 I Capricorn (this album has recently been re-released on CD by EMI.)
Another recording is available together with the London Symphony Orchestra on the 1984 album I Am What I Am. (This the song became more classical, but it is one of the few songs that came not so good out together with the LSO.)
You can find one of these two versions on many collections too.
Shirley Bassey has also performed this song live in many TV shows, and one live performance has been released 1973 on the album Live At Carnegie Hall.

This song had been written for the film "Lovers And Other Strangers" 1970, and has originally been sung for the soundtrack by Larry Meredith. The song won an Oscar 1970 as best song. Additionally the movie got two more nominations for: Best Adapted Screenplay (Joseph Bologna, David Zelag Goodman, and Renée Taylor), and Best Supporting Actor (Richard Castellano).
I found the following review of this film on the net:

A well-done, multifaceted comedy containing several romantic vignettes that take place before and during the wedding of a young couple, Bonnie Bedelia and Michael Brandon, who have decided to marry after living together for a year and a half. Though both the couple's families are thrilled, the tension and excitement leading up to the wedding and the wedding itself bring out many family squabbles heretofore repressed. Castellano is wonderful (it was his first major role and led to his being cast as a major character in THE GODFATHER) as the groom's father Gig Young, whose happiness is disturbed by the news that his other son, Hindy, is considering divorcing his wife, Diane Keaton (this was also Keaton's first major role). On the other side of the family, Young, the rich, strict Irish-Catholic father of the bridge, finds himself trapped by his longtime mistress, Jackson, who suddenly decides to force him into choosing between her and his wife. Meanwhile, Anne Meara, the bride's sister, is going through the collapse of her marriage because her husband, Guardino, has become more interested in television than sex. The evening before the wedding, Brandon and Bedelia arrange a blind date between her cousin, Hailey, and one of the ushers, Dishy. Dishy, hoping to score with Hailey, finds his efforts at seduction frustrated by the girl's nonstop chatter. The next day all the emotional turmoil works itself out and the wedding proceeds smoothly.

"The Carpenters" have reached position number three in the US Billboard with this song 1971. It is reported that in November 1970, the Carpenters were in Canada opening for Engelbert Humperdinck, and they were concerned about where their next hit would come from. It was their manager Sherwin Bash's idea for them to take it easy, and to go see a comedy that was playing at a local theater: Lovers and Other Strangers. For All We Know was a song written for a wedding scene in the movie. Richard and Karen Carpenter were immediately taken with it and decided they should record it for single release as soon as they returned home. It was released in mid-December and in two months became their third gold single.
In the UK The Carpenters only reached position number 18 in the charts, which Shirley Bassey was able to beat later that year. (Read more about "The Carpenters" in Someday.)

The songwriter Fred Karlin is an composer, who has scored over 150 motion pictures and television projects. He received also 12 Emmy nominations and won an Emmy for Best Original Score for the TV drama, the Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman. He also received more Oscar and Grammy nominations.
The original singer Larry Meredith disappeared from the music world, and I don't know anything else of him, except that he 1978 released an album "Pakalamere Dith".
 

Lyrics:

Love, look at the two of us
Strangers in many ways
We've got a lifetime to share
So much to say
And as we go
From day to day
I'll feel you close to me
But time alone will tell
Let's take a lifetime to say
"I knew you well"
For only time
Will tell us so
And love may grow
For all we know

Love, look at the two of us
Strangers in many ways
Let's take a lifetime to say
"I knew you well"
For only time
Will tell us so
And love may grow
For all we know

Strangers (, strangers, strangers)
For all we know
(transcribed by Roman <scribbler@gmx.net>)