Sweetest Smile Explained

Sweetest Smile
Cover:File:Black Sweetest Smile.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Black
Album:Wonderful Life
B-Side:Sixteens
Released:[1]
Genre:
Length:
  • (7" version)
  • (12" and album version)
Label:A&M
Producer:Dave "Dix" Dickie
Prev Title:Everything's Coming Up Roses
Prev Year:1987
Next Title:Wonderful Life
Next Year:1987

"Sweetest Smile" is a song by English singer Black, released in June 1987 as the third single from his debut album Wonderful Life. It became his first UK top ten hit, peaking at number 8 on the UK Singles Chart. On the back of its success, "Wonderful Life" was re-released, becoming an international hit.

Meaning and reception

Speaking in an interview with Smash Hits in 1987, he said of the song "It's me singing me story of everything that happened to me in 1985, which was a rotten year. Basically my heart was broken. I was… erm, I'm technically married. Er… I've got an imminent divorce – I've been separated for two years. Er… I've never told anyone that, I shouldn't have said it! Er… yeah, so that was 1985, along with lots of other things, me family falling ill and me friends going through all sorts of stuff… I'm alright now though. Just about."[2]

The song was reviewed in Record Mirror and was described as "a beautiful, slow croon. Sufficiently different from the usual conveyor-belt of identikit hits to distract the listener and stretch their attention span to four minutes."[3]

Track listings

7"

  1. "Sweetest Smile" – 4:22
  2. "Sixteens" – 3:56

12" / CD / cassette

  1. "Sweetest Smile" – 5:21
  2. "Sixteens" – 3:56
  3. "Leave Yourself Alone" – 4:32
  4. "Hardly Star-Crossed Lovers" – 2:51

Personnel

Musicians

Technical

Charts

Chart (1987)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[4] 87
Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)[5] 41
Spain (AFYVE[6] 29

Notes and References

  1. Strickland . Andy . 20 June 1987 . News Digest . . 17 . 0144-5804.
  2. Black. Smash Hits. 15–22 July 1987. 39. sites.google.com. 20 November 2020.
  3. Web site: Black aka Colin Vearncombe » Music » Wonderful Life. 2020-11-20. Black. en-GB.
  4. Book: Kent, David. David Kent (historian)

    . David Kent (historian). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. illustrated. Australian Chart Book. St Ives, N.S.W.. 1993. 0-646-11917-6.

  5. Eurochart Hot 100 Singles. Music & Media. 4. 24. 25 July 1987. 20 November 2020.
  6. Book: Salaverri, Fernando. Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002. 1st . September 2005. Fundación Autor-SGAE. Spain. 84-8048-639-2.