Released 19 October 1998 Recorded 1987, 1998 Label Island | Format CD, cassette Genre Pop rock | |
Length 3:03 (Single mix)
3:06 (Original version) | ||
"Sweetest Thing" is a song by Irish group U2. It was originally released in 1987 as a B-side on the "Where the Streets Have No Name" single. The song was later re-recorded and re-released, as a single in October 1998 for the U2 compilation album, The Best of 1980-1990.
Contents
Content
The song was reportedly written by Bono as an apology to his wife Ali Hewson for having to work in the studio on her birthday during The Joshua Tree sessions. At Alison's request, profits from the single went to her favoured charity, Chernobyl Children's Project International.
History
A version by New York gospel choir, The New Voices of Freedom, appears on the soundtrack to the 1988 Bill Murray film Scrooged. It was recorded following U2's performance of "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" with the choir at Madison Square Garden, which appears on the band's 1988 album Rattle and Hum.
To promote the release of the single in 1998, Island Records distributed "Sweetest Thing" chocolate bars, wrapped to look like the single, throughout Europe. They have become a very valuable collectors item among U2 fans during the 2000s. The song reached #1 in both Canada and Ireland, #3 in the UK, #6 in Australia, #63 on the Billboard Hot 100, #9 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart and #31 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in the United States.
Live performances
The song made its live debut on the opening night of the Elevation Tour, and was played occasionally over the first and second legs. It was then not played again until the Innocence + Experience Tour, where once again it only made occasional appearances over the course of the tour.
Performances on the Elevation Tour featured Bono playing the piano parts while the Edge played electric guitar. On the Innocence + Experience Tour, it was played on the e-stage in a stripped down version, with the Edge playing acoustic guitar and Bono joining in on the piano about halfway through the song.
Music video
The video, directed by Kevin Godley, features Bono taking his wife Ali Hewson on a carriage ride along Fitzwilliam Place, and on to Upper Fitzwilliam Street in Dublin, enlisting various performers along the way in an effort to apologize to her. The performers featured include Riverdance, Boyzone, Steve Collins, the Artane Boys Band, and the Celtic Knights. The Edge, Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen, Jr., Norman Hewson (Bono's brother), Dik Evans (The Edge's brother), and Ali herself appear in the video as well.
Track listings
The back cover listed the third track simply as a live version of "An Cat Dubh".