The Platters were a successful vocal group of the early rock and roll era. Their distinctive sound was a bridge between the pre-rock Tin Pan Alley tradition, and the burgeoning new genre. The original group members were Alex Hodge, Cornell Gunther, David Lynch, Joe Jefferson, Gaynel Hodge and Herb Reed.

After signing with Buck Ram, the act went through several personnel changes before hitting the charts, with the most successful incarnation comprising lead tenor Tony Williams, David Lynch, Paul Robi, Herb Reed, and Zola Taylor.

The first recording of the song by The Platters turned out poorly, but after a re-recording, the song scored a major hit when it was released on July 3, 1955. The song held strong in the #1 position on the U.S. R & B charts for seven weeks, and hit #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It remained there for 30 weeks, beating out a rival cover version by a white band called The Hilltoppers. When the Platters track "The Great Pretender" (which eventually surpassed the success of "Only You") was released in the UK as Europe's first introduction to The Platters, "Only You" was included on the flipside. In the 1956 film Rock Around The Clock The Platters participated with both songs "Only You" and "The Great Pretender".