The Best of Me (David Foster song)
"The Best of Me" is a song originally by David Foster and the title-track of his debut solo album in 1983.[1] The song was composed by David Foster, Jeremy Lubbock and Richard Marx. It has since been recorded by numerous artists, the most notable being Cliff Richard, who chose it for his 100th single milestone in 1989.
David Foster & Olivia Newton-John version
David Foster re-recorded the track with Olivia Newton-John for his 1986 self-titled solo album. It was released as a single and made #6 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and #80 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Charts
| Chart (1986) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[2] | 17 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[3] | 80 |
| US Billboard Adult Contemporary[4] | 6 |
Cliff Richard - 100th single
| "The Best of Me" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
.png) Front cover of standard edition | ||||
| Single by Cliff Richard | ||||
| from the album Stronger | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | 30 May 1989 | |||
| Recorded | March–April 1989 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Label | EMI | |||
| Songwriter(s) | David Foster, Jeremy Lubbock, Richard Marx | |||
| Producer(s) | Cliff Richard | |||
| Cliff Richard singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "The Best of Me" on YouTube | ||||
| Alternative cover | ||||
.jpg) Front cover of special edition | ||||
Cliff Richard selected the song for his milestone 100th single in 1989. Released on 30 May 1989, the song debuted at #2 on the UK Singles Chart and stayed there another week in its 7-week run on the chart.[5] It was certified Silver by the BPI for sales over 200,000.[6]
Before releasing his 100th single, Richard invited 2,000 British fans to the London Palladium for a preview of six songs from his forthcoming album (which would be Stronger), to vote on which one they liked most as possible 100th single. Ironically, "The Best of Me" came second to "Stronger Than That", but Richard had also revealed by mistake that the latter was composed by Alan Tarney who had written most of Richard's biggest hits since 1979. Regardless, it was enough confirmation for Richard to choose "The Best of Me" with its fitting lyrics as a tribute to his audience. Coming third in the vote was "I Just Don't Have the Heart", ahead of "Joanna" and "Lean on You".[7]
Charts and certifications
Weekly charts
| Chart (1989) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[8] | 59 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[9] | 32 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[10] | 55 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[11] | 2 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[12] | 25 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[5] | 2 |
| West Germany (GfK)[13] | 61 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1988) | Position |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom (OCC)[14] | 65 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[6] | Silver | 200,000^ |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
Other covers
- Kenny Rogers studio track, The Heart of the Matter, 1985
- Phil Perry studio track, The Heart of the Man album, 1991
- Barry Manilow studio track, The Complete Collection and Then Some... album, 1992
- Richard Marx live track, 2010[15]
- Michael Bublé studio track, Crazy Love (Hollywood edition bonus disc) album, 2010
- Paul Potts studio track, Home album, 2014[16]
References
- ^ "The Best of Me (1983 album) - David Foster" at AllMusic. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
- ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0710." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
- ^ "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. 5 July 1986. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
- ^ "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. 12 July 1986. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
- ^ a b "Cliff Richard: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
- ^ a b "British single certifications – Cliff Richard – The Best of Me". British Phonographic Industry. Select singles in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type The Best of Me in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
- ^ Edwards, Eileen (June 1989). "Cliff at the Palladium". Dynamite International (124): 1,3.
- ^ Scott, Gavin. "25 Years Ago This Week: August 13, 1989". blogspot.com. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
- ^ "Cliff Richard – The Best of Me" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
- ^ "Cliff Richard – The Best of Me" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
- ^ "Irish Singles Chart". Irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
- ^ "Cliff Richard – The Best of Me". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Cliff Richard – The Best of Me" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
- ^ "UK Top 100 1989". Retrieved 26 December 2016.
- ^ "The Best of Me (Live) - Richard Marx". YouTube. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
- ^ "The Best of Me - Paul Potts". paulpottsofficial.com. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
