Save the Best for Last

Last updated

"Save the Best for Last"
Vanessa Williams - Save The Best For Last.JPG
Single by Vanessa Williams
from the album The Comfort Zone
B-side "Freedom Dance"
ReleasedJanuary 14, 1992 (1992-01-14)
Genre
Length3:40
Label
Composers
Lyricists
Producer Keith Thomas
Vanessa Williams singles chronology
"The Comfort Zone"
(1991)		"Save the Best for Last"
(1992)		"Just for Tonight"
(1992)
Music video
"Save the Best for Last" on YouTube

"Save the Best for Last" is a song by American singer and actress Vanessa Williams from her second studio album, The Comfort Zone (1991). Written by Phil Galdston, Wendy Waldman and Jon Lind, and produced by Keith Thomas, Wing and Mercury Records released it as the album's third single on January 14, 1992. The song was rejected by several female singers until Williams' record label secured it on her behalf.

Contents

A pop ballad, the song is performed by a woman whose love interest overlooks her in favor of pursuing several unsuccessful relationships before ultimately realizing his feelings for her. Galdston originally intended the song as an ironic reference about partners who conceal their worst selves until a relationship is ending, but Waldman suggested a more hopeful, literal message. Some commentators have interpreted the song’s themes of timing and patience as reflecting Williams’ music career, which gained momentum in the 1990s following the 1984 nude photo scandal that forced her to resign as Miss America.

Music critics praised the song’s production, radio-friendly appeal, Williams’ vocal performance, and "Save the Best for Last" was a major commercial success, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks and becoming Williams’ first number-one single on the chart. It also achieved international success, reaching number one in Australia and Canada and entering the top-ten in five other countries. ASCAP named it Song of the Year in 1992. In 1993, it received three Grammy Award nominations, for Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Two music videos were produced to promote the single; the original version was directed by Ralph Ziman.

Although Williams had achieved moderate success on the pop charts prior to the song’s release, “Save the Best for Last” is widely credited with facilitating her crossover from urban to pop radio, helping rehabilitate her career following the Miss America scandal, and solidifying her status as a viable entertainer.

Background

In 1983, Vanessa Williams was crowned the first Black winner of the Miss America pageant. [1] The win proved controversial, and Williams received racist backlash and death threats from those who opposed her selection. [2] [3] Less than a year into her reign, the contest's organizers forced her to relinquish the title after Penthouse magazine announced plans to publish nude photographs she had posed for prior to participating in the pageant, [4] [5] without Williams' consent. [6]

Following her resignation, Williams distanced herself from the public eye and focused on reinventing herself as an entertainer, pivoting towards a music career. [1] [7] After securing a record deal with Wing Records general manager Ed Eckstine, [8] [9] she released her debut album, The Right Stuff , in 1988. [7] The album and its up-tempo title track were moderately successful, [9] [10] but the ballad “Dreamin’” ultimately became its breakthrough single. [11] Although her team was pleased with the album’s performance within the dance and R&B communities, Williams’ follow-up album was positioned to further expand her reach into the mainstream pop market. [9] [12]

Writing and recording

“Save the Best for Last” was written by Phil Galdston, Wendy Waldman, and Jon Lind. [13] Galdston and Lind began working on the song in March 1989 during a writing session in New York. [13] Lind began singing over a motif Galdston had been playing on the keyboard, helping shape its melody. [13] Galdston suggested the title “Save the Best for Last”, [13] a phrase he had rediscovered in his notebook, and they incorporated it into the song's melody. [8] The title, which Galdston typically prefers to begin writing from, guided the song’s evolution without a predetermined chorus or structure. [14] At the time, Galdston envisioned the title ironically, intending it to reflect a narrator hurt by a partner leaving at the end of a relationship. [15] He later described the early concept as rooted in a pessimistic view of relationships, in which people reserve their worst efforts for the final moments, often when the relationship are already failing. [16] While working on a different song that ultimately remained unfinished, [8] the pair wrote most of the music for “Save the Best for Last” during a single sitting in approximately 30 minutes. [17] Galdston described the songwriting process as “organic”, emphasizing small the development of ideas from the heart rather than formulaic patterns. [14]

Once the melody was finalized, Lind encouraged Galdston to collaborate with Waldman on its lyrics. [8] Nearly a month later, Galdston traveled to Nashville to work with Waldman, [13] at his wife's suggestion. [8] The tape he played for Waldman featured Lind singing "dummy lyrics". [14] Although she liked the melody, Waldman felt the song’s bitter, cynical premise did not compliment its positive-sounding melody, despite Galdston's explanations. [13] [17] She suggested reworking it into a hopeful song about a surprising turn of events. [13] [16] As the lyrics evolved, lines such as “Sometimes the sun goes ’round the moon” and “Sometimes the sun goes down in June” emerged, [8] although at first Galdston protested that these lyrics made little sense. [17] Once the lyrics were completed, Galdston and Waldman sent a writing tape to Lind in Los Angeles, who liked the work they had done. [13] The following month, the three reunited in Los Angeles to record a demo. [13] Lind and Galdston deliberately kept the demo’s production simple and underproduced, [8] omitting a drum machine in favor of electric piano, bass, synthesizer, synthesized strings, shaker, and Waldman’s vocals. [8] [18]

After finishing the demo, the songwriters pitched "Save the Best for Last" to at least three high-profile female singers, all of whom rejected it. [13] [16] Barbra Streisand and Bette Midler are believed to have been among them. [19] [20] Windswept Pacific Music publishing executive John Anderson had played the demo for Eckstine, now President of Mercury Records, who presented it to Mercury recording artist Williams. [13] Williams deeply enjoyed "Save the Best for Last" and expected it to be a career hit for herself, [13] although she claims the songwriters doubted she was the right singer despite her previous success with ballads. [19] Eckstine considered the song a good fit for producer David Foster but doubted he would have produced it at the time. [21] He enlisted Keith Thomas, [13] whose production style he considered similar to Foster's. [21] The songwriting trio were pleased with Thomas' production. [13] "Save the Best for Last" was released as the third single from Williams' second studio album, The Comfort Zone. [15] The singer considered "Save the Best for Last" her favorite of the album's 14 tracks. [17] However, by the time the song was released as a single, she had essentially forgotten about it. [22]

Music and lyrics

"Save the Best for Last" has been characterized as a pop and pop-soul ballad. [23] [24] Although Gina Vivinetto of Today described it as an R&B ballad, [25] Tom Breihan of Stereogum argued that the song "doesn't sound all that R&B". [8] The song is performed in the key of E♭ major with a tempo of 96 beats per minute in common time. Williams's vocals span from F3 to C5 in the song. [26] [27] Peter Piatkowski of PopMatters described it as a "lush, orchestrated ballad", [28] while Eric Snider of the Tampa Bay Times classified it as middle-of-the-road. [29] As a ballad, the song was a notable stylistic shift from the album's first two up-tempo singles and most of The Comfort Zone's tracks. [8] [15] Williams sings with a combination of innocence and wonder. [30] Instrumentation includes strings, piano, and acoustic guitars. [8]

"Save the Best for Last" addresses themes of unrequited love and the idea that patience can lead to eventual fulfillment. [31] The song depicts two friends finally entering a romantic relationship that one of them had long believed was destined to happen. [25] Lyrically, the singer observes a platonic partner of hers pursuing a series of ill-fated relations before finally falling in love with her, [32] ultimately realizing he had been overlooking what was right in front of him the entire time. [15] [33] According to Songfacts, the song's overall message "is that life is full of unexpected events that often lead to what's ultimately for the best". [34] The lyrics "Sometimes the snow comes down in June, sometimes the sun goes ’round the moon" have drawn particular attention, [35] [13] [30] [33] [36] with journalist Drew Magary writing that the lyrics make no sense. [37] Galdston himself joked about getting away with rhyming "June" with "moon", [14] and explained that they are meant to invoke surprise. [17] Singer-songwriter Eric Hutchinson said that while the lyric originally confused him, he came to interpret it as "about longing, about patience, about holding out hope for true love until the last possible second, against all odds, and without a promise of the future". [30] Morgan Enos of Grammy.com said the singer equates these images of cosmological reversals to "capricious love", continuing, "I see the passion in your eyes/ Sometimes it's all a big surprise". [38] Williams uses nuanced, rueful phrasing on some of the song's lyrics, such as "Isn’t this world a crazy place?". [39]

Some music writers have described the song as topical and poignant in the context of Williams’ career, particularly following the Miss America scandal that prompted her pivot into music and acting. [8] [15] [34] Beviglia felt that "the song’s message of happiness after a long period of trials and tribulations dovetailed with her story". [15] The writer felt that some of the lines directly "speak to the vagaries of fate and how it takes a special kind of perseverance to withstand them", making it easy to find parallels to the song's own career trajectory. [15]

Critical reception

Upon the release, "Save the Best for Last" received positive reviews from critics, [40] [31] who described it as the ideal combination of sexuality, softness and sophistication for the artist. [40] A reviewer from The Orlando Sentinel described it as "A sophisticated ballad". [41] Larry Flick from Billboard magazine complimented the song as a "nicely orchestrated pop/soul ballad", remarking that it "Proves that she is possibly best suited to such soothing fare, as her crystalline voice is caressed by soft and wafting strings. A beautiful offering from the excellent Comfort Zone collection." [24] Clark and DeVaney from Cashbox stated that it's "Beautifully sung by Williams and tastefully produced and arranged by Keith Thomas." [42] In his album review, Arion Berger from Entertainment Weekly noted that the singer closes Act One "With the show-stopping happy tears" of "Save the Best for Last." [43] Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report constated that "Every artist needs that "career record", and while Vanessa is by now accustomed to chart success, this effort takes her to a whole new level. It deserves to become her biggest hit to-date and it's well on the way with Top Ten status..." [44] Another GR editor, John Martinucci, felt that Williams "Gives this beautiful ballad a simple and delicate presentation that'll lift any romantic spirit." [45]

Other reviewers focused on Williams' vocal performance. R. LaMont Jones Jr. from The Pittsburgh Press named it the album's "Centerpiece", calling it a song Streisand "Will no doubt wish she had been given" but "hard to imagine anyone doing it better" than Williams. [46] Steve Pick from St. Louis Post-Dispatch said "The first thing to notice is that Williams can really sing", describing her phrasing and dynamics as on-par with jazz singers. "Then, we realize that this is a nice little tune". [47] Mike Joyce from The Washington Post called the album's most "likely candidate for radio exposure". [48] Some reviewers suggested that the song contributed to Williams’ recovery from her Miss America abdication. [22] [49] In December 1992, Entertainment Weekly named Williams one of its “Entertainers of the Year”, with writer Mark Harris noting that the success of “Save the Best for Last” helped solidify her mainstream popularity and render the Miss America controversy effectively “old news”. [22] Jonathan Bernstein from Spin declared Williams the "Most triumphant of all the year's late bloomers", and said "Save the Best for Last" continues to bring him to tears. [50]

AllMusic editor Michael Gallucci named it a "glorious ballad", adding that when she is "handed torch songs that emphasized her natural slow burn", Williams is a "genuinely sexy and capable performer." [51] In 2021, Peter Piatkowski of PopMatters said the song's "overproduced yet still perfect" production is balanced by Williams' vocals and "nuanced phrasing". [39] Chris Randle of Hazlitt wrote that while Williams’s voice is relatively indistinct, it ultimately suits the song’s material. [52] Insider featured "Save the Best for Last" in their list of the "Best Songs from the '90s" in 2019, declaring it as "a gorgeous ballad", that "has stood the test of time." [53]

ASCAP named it as its Song of the Year, meaning it was performed more than any other song in 1992. [34] It was nominated for three Grammy Awards at the 35th Annual Grammy Awards in 1993: Grammy Award for Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Pop Vocal Performance. [54] [55]

Commercial performance

The single was Williams's third number-one on the R&B singles chart and topped both the US Billboard Hot 100 and the US Cash Box Top 100. [56] [57] [58] It climbed from 20th to 11th the week of February 29th, 1992, and was predicted to become her first top-five hit on the Hot 100, surpassing 1989's "Dreamin'" which had peaked at number eight. [59] It reached the pole position on March 21, unseating "To Be With You" by Mr. Big. [60] The song remained at number one on the Hot 100 for five consecutive weeks, [49] tying Paula Abdul's "Rush Rush" (1991) as the longest-running number-one by a female artist of the previous seven years. [61] It prevented "Tears in Heaven" by Eric Clapton from reaching number-one for nearly two months. [62]

On March 28, it replaced "Diamonds and Pearls" by Prince & the New Power Generation at the top of the Hot R&B Singles chart. [63] The song also went to number one on the US Adult Contemporary chart. The ballad became the first single to simultaneously top the Billboard Hot 100, Hot R&B Singles and Adult Contemporary charts since Whitney Houston's "All the Man That I Need". [64] Its simultaneous Billboard run lasted three weeks from March 28 through April 11, falling short of the record set by Ray Charles, whose hit "I Can't Stop Loving You" spent four weeks simultaneously on all three charts in June 1962, and tying with Diana Ross and Lionel Richie's "Endless Love". Williams' three week simultaneous run was, however, a record set by a female artist at the time. Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" would eventually break both Williams' record as well as the all-time record by Charles in January 1993.

Internationally, the single reached number one in Australia and Canada, [65] number two in Ireland, and number three in the United Kingdom [65] and the Netherlands. The strong performance of the single helped The Comfort Zone climb to the top-20 of the Billboard 200 , by which month the album had already been 10-months old. [49] It remains the biggest hit of Williams' career, [13] [59] [32] and her only Hot 100 number-one to-date. [15]

Music videos

There were two versions of the music video produced to promote the single. The original version of the music video, which primarily aired on MTV, was directed by Ralph Ziman, [66] [67] and features Williams singing in a winter setting, intercut with closeups projected onto a screen in front of an orchestra. [59] It begins with Williams walking around in a winter landscape for the first few seconds, then intercuts between black-and-white footage of Williams singing in front of a dark curtain, an orchestra playing along to the blue-tinted footage as it is being projected on a screen, and Williams singing in a living room with candles, a fireplace and a sofa. A "Behind the scenes" cut was also later made of the video, which primarily aired on VH1, predominantly zooming on the orchestra scenes and the blue-tinted footage of Williams as well as showcasing footage from the making of the video. Drew Magary said the video cemented Williams as one of the most attractive women of the 1990s. [37]

Live performances

Williams performed “Save the Best for Last” at the 35th Annual Grammy Awards in 1993, [68] where the song had been nominated for three Grammy Awards. At the time, Williams was eight months pregnant, [69] with her third child. [70] She wore a loose-fitting black dress and performed while seated, with the broadcast relying largely on close-up shots of her face to minimize attention to her pregnancy. [69] Williams said that, during the performance, she experienced visions of going into labor and was worried she would struggle to maintain breath support. [70] In retrospect, both journalists and Williams herself have noted how society has since become more accepting of visible pregnancies at award shows and performances, as seen with artists like Beyoncé and Cardi B. [71] [72] [73]

Usage in media

The song was used in the UK in a series of 1990s adverts for Bisto Best gravy granules. The adverts featured slow motion shots of gravy being poured over a roast dinner while the song played in the background. [74]

The track features in the closing credits of the 1994 film The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert , showing a drag queen lip synching to the original recording. [75] It is also on the film's original soundtrack album.

The 1990s sketch comedy series In Living Color features a parody of the song called “Kiss My Ass”, in which Williams (portrayed by Kim Wayans) tells off the people who didn’t support her through the Miss America scandal. [76]

Waldman has performed the song live, both solo and as a member of the folk rock trio The Refugees. [77] In a 2021 episode of her talk show, singer Kelly Clarkson covered “Save the Best for Last” during the “Kellyoke” segment. [25] Clarkson had previously performed the song in 2002 while competing on the first season of the reality singing competition American Idol , [8] [78] which she ultimately won. [25]

Legacy

"Save the Best for Last" is considered to be Williams' signature song. [16] [39] The ballad is regarded as an "adult contemporary staple", becoming a popular choice for weddings, [79] graduations and proms, [32] frequently appearing on romantic compilation albums, and widely performed in karaoke during the 1990s. [40] Singer-songwriter Eric Hutchinson named "Save the Best for Last" the song he most closely associates with school dances, especially during fall 1992 when "Vanessa Williams reigned supreme". [30] The song’s success drew the attention of songwriters eager to have their own work featured on Williams’ follow-up album. [22] Peter Piatkowski of PopMatters believes the song's popularity established a trademark sound for Williams, "stirring (if somewhat treacly) ballads", which would inform the direction of much of her most successful songs throughout the decade, namely the Billboard hits “Love Is” (1993), “The Sweetest Days” (1994), and “Colors of the Wind” (1995). [39] "Save the Best for Last" also influenced the songwriters' careers. They frequently received requests for similar songs, but those they submitted were often regarded as lacking the memorable hooks of the original, even though Galdston has said the song itself succeeded without relying heavily on a hook. [14] A year later, Galdston, Waldman, and Lind reunited to write another song for Williams, "The Sweetest Days", which became the title track and lead single from the singer's 1994 follow-up album of the same name. [18] [80]

“Save the Best for Last” became one of the most commercially successful singles of the early 1990s. [40] Prior to its release, Williams had achieved some crossover success on pop radio with songs such as “Dreamin’”, though much of her airplay remained concentrated on urban contemporary stations. [40] While Black radio stations supported Williams’ music, [3] other formats appeared hesitant to grant her consistent airtime, even as contemporaries with similar-sounding records found success. [40] [49] Amit Vaidya of Rolling Stone India credits “Save the Best for Last” with completing Williams’ crossover into mainstream pop and adult contemporary music, describing it as “a ballad too strong for any radio programmer to not play across adult contemporary, R&B and Top 40 radio”. [40] In 2021, Williams selected “Save the Best for Last” as the defining recording of her music career, stating that its success demonstrated to critics that she could be taken seriously as a recording artist. [81]

Journalists have suggested that the song aided Williams in reforming her public image following the Miss America controversy. [8] [49] Vaidya characterized "Save the Best for Last" as the culmination of Williams’ prolonged effort to regain public acceptance, writing, “1983 may have been the year she first wore the crown, 1992 is the year she truly reigned supreme”. [40] Entertainment Weekly's Marl Harris reported that, by 1992, much of Williams' newer fans were already unaware that she had ever been Miss America. [22] Tom Breihan of Stereogum said the song essentially relegated the pageant to "a career footnote". [8]

Track listings

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [102] Platinum70,000^
United States (RIAA) [119] Gold500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)Ref.
United StatesJanuary 14, 1992
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
[ citation needed ]
JapanFebruary 26, 1992Mini-CD Polydor [120]
United KingdomMarch 9, 1992
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
 [121]
AustraliaMarch 16, 1992
  • CD
  • cassette
 [122]

Covers

Other-language versions

The tune is the basis of the German-language song "Märchenland Gefühl" (literal translation: fairy tale-land feeling) and the Dutch-language song "Lets Heeft je Zachtjes Aangeraakt" (literal translation: something touched you softly), both by Belgian artist Dana Winner. Hong Kong cantopop singer Shirley Kwan also has a Cantonese cover version entitled "Why Us." (為何是我們). [125] [126]

See also

References

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