The Sweetest Days Explained

The Sweetest Days
Type:	studio
Artist:	Vanessa Williams
Cover:	Vanessa Williams - The Sweetest Days.jpg
Recorded:	January 1993–October 1994
Length:	52:08
Label:	Wing Mercury
Producer:	Babyface Gerry E. Brown Keith Thomas Vanessa Williams
Prev Title:	The Comfort Zone
Prev Year:	1991
Next Title:	Star Bright
Next Year:	1996

The Sweetest Days is the third studio album by American singer and actress Vanessa Williams. It was released on December 6, 1994, by Wing Records and Mercury Records. The album peaked at number 57 on the US Billboard 200 and at number 25 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

The album includes the singles "You Can't Run", "Betcha Never", "The Way That You Love", and the title track. It also includes the first recording of the song "Higher Ground" later covered by Barbra Streisand as the title track from her 1997 self-titled album, as well as cover versions of songs previously recorded by Patti Austin and Sting. The album was re-released in 1995 with the additional track "Colors of the Wind", the theme from the Disney animated film Pocahontas.

"The Way That You Love" and "You Can't Run" were nominated at the 1996 Grammy Awards for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female and Best R&B Song, respectively.

Track listing

Notes

• signifies a co-producer

Personnel

Adapted from AllMusic.

• Abenaa – composer, background vocals
• Laythan Armor – arranger, composer, fender rhodes, programming, rhythm arrangements
• Ryan Arnold – assistant engineer
• Patti Austin – composer
• Roy Ayers – guest artist, vibraphone
• Babyface – composer, drum programming, guest artist, keyboards, producer
• Ron Blake – saxophone
• Anthony Block – cover typeset
• Jeff Bova – keyboards, mellotron, programming, strings, synthesizer programming
• Gerry Brown – arranger, composer, guitar, keyboards, mixing, electric piano, producer, special effects, tape effects
• Jackie Brown – assistant producer, production assistant
• Larry Carlton – guest artist, guitar
• Eric Carmen – composer
• Bryan Carrigan – assistant engineer
• Ron Carter – acoustic bass, guest artist
• Marietta Ciriello – stylist
• Tim Conklin – assistant engineer
• Mick Corey – technical support
• Dominic Cortese – accordion
• Martin Czembor – assistant engineer
• Paulinho Da Costa – guest artist, percussion
• Kenwood Dennard – drums
• Joel Diamond – organ
• J. Dibbs – arranger, composer, producer, programming, rhythm arrangements
• Tim Donovan – assistant engineer
• Steve Dorff – composer
• Derek Duffey – production assistant
• Barry Duryea – technical support
• Suzanne Dyer – assistant engineer
• Ed Eckstine – executive producer
• Peter Erskine – drums
• Tabitha Fair – background vocals
• Brent Fischer – orchestration, strings orchestrator
• Clare Fischer – conductor, string arrangements
• Eric Fischer – assistant engineer
• Phil Galdston – arranger, composer, keyboards, producer, synthesizer, synthesizer programming, vocal arrangement
• Odile Gilbert – hair stylist
• Brad Gilderman – engineer
• Carl Glanville – assistant engineer
• Carl Gorodetzky – contractor
• George Gree – composer
• Roger Guth – composer
• Mick Guzauski – mixing
• Mark Hammond – drum programming, programming
• Roy Hargrove – guest artist, trumpet
• Kenny Hicks – vocal arrangement, background vocals
• Dann Huff – acoustic guitar, electric guitar
• Ronn Huff – conductor, string arrangements
• Bunny Hull – composer, background vocals
• Anthony Jackson – bass
• Tim Leitner – assistant engineer, engineer, mixing assistant
• Jon Lind – composer
• Peter Lindbergh – photography
• Marty Maidenberg – artwork, cover design, package layout
• Bill Malina – digital editing, engineer, mixing
• Stephanie Marais – make-up
• James Mayer – composer
• Peter Mayer – composer
• Brian McKnight – guest artist
• Joe Mennona – accordion
• Vaughn Merrick – assistant engineer
• Jay Militscher – assistant engineer
• Jen Monnar – assistant engineer
• Todd Moore – production coordination
• Nick Moroch – arranger, composer, guitar, guitars, mandolin, mellotron, synthesizer, synthesizer bass
• James Murphy – drums
• The Nashville String Machine – strings
• Marty Ogden – assistant engineer
• Pino Palladino – bass, bass slide
• Greg Parker – assistant engineer
• Leon Pendarvis – piano
• Jamey Perenot – assistant engineer
• Greg Phillinganes – fender rhodes
• Joe Pirrera – assistant engineer
• Herb Powers – mastering
• Morris Repass – conductor, string contractor
• Marnie Riley – assistant engineer
• Max Risenhoover – digital Editing
• Donald Robinson – composer
• Rory Romano – assistant engineer
• Armand Sabal-Lecco – bass
• Philippe Saisse – keyboards, piano
• Al Schmitt – engineer
• Ivy Scott – production coordination
• Mike Scott – mixing, assistant engineer
• Ira Siegel – guitar
• Ricardo Silveira – guitar
• Dexter Simmons – assistant engineer
• Artie Smith – technical support
• Bill Smith – assistant engineer
• Robert Smith – assistant engineer
• Soul Man – rap
• Brian Sperber – assistant engineer
• Carol Steele – percussion
• Sting – composer, guest artist, background vocals
• Casey Stone – assistant Engineer
• Toots Thielemans – guest artist, harmonica
• Keith Thomas – arranger, bass, piano, producer, programming, string arrangements, synthesizer programming
• Chris Thompson – art direction
• Fonzi Thornton – background vocals
• Wendy Waldman – composer
• Randy Walker – MIDI programming, programming
• Brock Walsh – arranger, composer, vocal arrangement, background vocals
• Bill Whittington – engineer, mixing
• Christian "Wicked" Wicht – technical support
• King Williams – assistant engineer
• Vanessa Williams – arranger, lead vocals, primary artist, producer, vocal arrangement, vocals, background vocals
• Victor Winograd – cartage
• Dann Wojnar – assistant engineer

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1994–1995)! scope="col"

Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)^[1]	72
Japanese Albums (Oricon)^[2]	36

Year-end charts

Chart (1995)! scope="col"

Position
US Billboard 200^[3]	142
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[4]	68

Notes and References

1. 303.
2. Web site: スウィーテスト・デイ. ja. Oricon. March 16, 2023. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20230316140647/https://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/257941/products/185334/1/. March 16, 2023 .
3. Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1995. Billboard. March 14, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210122000255/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1995/top-billboard-200-albums. January 22, 2021.
4. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1995. Billboard. March 14, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210511013011/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1995/top-r-and-b-hip-hop-albums. May 11, 2021.