Everything But The Girl (EBTG) are a British two-person band formed in Hull, England in 1982 by lead singer and bassist Tracey Thorn (born September 26, 1962) and guitarist Ben Watt (born December 6, 1962).
They were separately signed to Cherry Red records as solo artists, with Thorn also forming one-third of the Marine Girls trio, and just happened to be attending the University of Hull at the same time. The band's name came from the slogan of an old-fashioned furniture shop on Beverley Road, Hull (now demolished). The idea behind the slogan was that they could provide every imaginable item to furnish your home, except the girl.
After a one-off single, a cover version of Cole Porter's "Night and Day", their first hit single, " Each and Every One", had a jazzy sound, and EBTG was considered part of a jazz/pop movement that included other British acts like Sade, Matt Bianco, and The Style Council, on whose Café Bleu album they guested. Their first album was released in the UK as Eden and in the United States eponymously as Everything But The Girl.
Subsequent releases underscored EBTG's versatility and range. 1985's Love Not Money featured a shimmering pop sound with jangly guitars, and featured a cover of The Pretenders song "Kid". The following year, they released Baby The Stars Shine Bright, an album of Bacharach-esque songs recorded with an orchestra. In 1988, EBTG released Idlewild, a collection of mellow pop songs that began a trend towards middle-of-the-road, adult contemporary music that they would continue with subsequent releases The Language of Life (featuring the single "Driving"), Worldwide and Acoustic.