"The Sweetest Thing This Side of Heaven" | |
---|---|
Single by Chris Bartley | |
from the album The Sweetest Thing This Side of Heaven | |
B-side | "Love Me Baby" |
Released | July 1967 |
Genre | Soul, R&B |
Label | Vando |
Songwriter(s) | Van McCoy |
Producer(s) | Van McCoy |
"The Sweetest Thing This Side of Heaven" is a love song [1] by Chris Bartley, written and produced by Van McCoy. It was the title track of his Bartley's first LP, and became his only hit single. He was 17 at the time of its recording, and 18 at the time it became a hit.
"The Sweetest Thing This Side of Heaven" became a hit during the summer of 1967. It reached number 32 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. It was a much bigger R&B hit, reaching number 10 in the U.S. and number 14 in Canada. [2]
Chart (1967) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada RPM R&B [3] | 14 |
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 [4] | 32 |
U.S. Billboard R&B | 10 |
U.S. Cash Box Top 100 [5] | 35 |
"The Sweetest Thing This Side of Heaven" was covered by The Presidents and released as a single in the spring of 1971. [6] Their version, however, failed to chart.
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Leroy "Chris" Bartley was an American R&B singer. Bartley grew up listening to 1950s soul and doo wop, and formed his own group in the early 1960s with William Graham, Henry Powell, Sam Nesbitt, and Ronald Marshall. The group was initially called The Soulful Inspirations, but changed names several times, including a stint as The Mindbenders.
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