Best of My Love (The Emotions song)

"Best of My Love" is a song by American band The Emotions from their fourth studio album Rejoice (1977). It was composed by Maurice White and Al McKay of Earth, Wind & Fire, and produced by White and Clarence McDonald.

For other songs with the same title, see Best of My Love.
"Best of My Love"
Single by The Emotions
from the album Rejoice
B-side"A Feeling Is"
ReleasedJune 9, 1977 (1977-06-09)
Genre
Length3:42
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
The Emotions singles chronology
"I Don't Wanna Lose Your Love"
(1976)		 "Best of My Love"
(1977)		 "Don't Ask My Neighbors"
(1977)
Music video
"Best of My Love" on YouTube

Released as the album's lead single on June 9, 1977, the song topped both the US Billboard Hot 100 and US Billboard R&B charts. It also reached the Top 5 in the UK and Canada, the Top 10 in New Zealand, and the Top 20 in Australia.

"Best of My Love" won a Grammy at the 20th Annual Grammy Awards (1977) for Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals; it also won an American Music Award for Favourite Soul/R&B Single.[1][2]

Overview

The song was ranked at number 87 on "The Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs".[3] It was also the third biggest pop song of 1977 and the fifth biggest R&B song of 1977.[4][5] "Best of My Love" has been certified platinum in the US by the RIAA and silver in the UK by the BPI.[6]

Recent reviews have been largely positive, and the song continues to appear on "Best of the '70s" lists.[7][8] In 2015, Billboard ranked the song at number one on their list of the Top 40 Biggest Girl Group Songs of All Time on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[9] Billboard also ranked the track at number 10 on their list of 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time.[10] In 2018, "Best of My Love" was ranked at number six on Heavy's list of Top 51 Best Love Songs: The Heavy Power List.[11]

Song description

The song has an upbeat vibe, with a prominent bass line and horns accenting the drums between the verses and chorus.

Composition

"Best of My Love" was originally published in the key of C major in common time with a tempo of 120 beats per minute. The vocals span from C4 to A5.[12]

Critical reception

Craig Lytle of AllMusic called "Best of My Love" a "rapidly paced" song. Lytle added "This spirited cut is seasoned with a fierce arrangement, in particular the horns, and incomparable vocals."[13] Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times described the tune as "one of the year's most delightful singles".[14]

Commercial performance

The single achieved huge success, remaining on top of the US Billboard Hot 100 chart for five non-consecutive weeks and reaching number one on the R&B Singles Chart.[15] On the disco chart, "Best of My Love" peaked at number 11.[16] Eventually, the single received a Platinum certification from (RIAA), becoming the Emotions' biggest hit to date and their only single to receive a certification.

Personnel

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[27]
Physical Release 		Silver 250,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[27]
Digital Release 		Silver 250,000
United States (RIAA)[28] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Covers

The song has been covered by numerous artists, including Christina Milian with Carol Duboc and Minae Noji (featured in the film Be Cool), Sakura, Dee Lewis (number 47 UK in 1988), Unchain, and Lisa. Mary J. Blige also covered the song in 2004 for the GAP clothing store company. Pop diva Sheena Easton covered the song for her disco album "Fabulous" in 2001. Phoebe Snow does a version on her 1989 album Something Real with a horn section backing her up that includes Randy Brecker, Tom Scott and John Faddis. In 2002, En Vogue performed the song on their concert DVD, "Live in the USA".

There is also a Dutch version of the song, sung by former Dutch Idols-finalist Dewi Pechler. This version is called "Het Beste Van Mij" and is an exclusive airplay single for the Dutch radio station 100%NL.

In 1994, C.J. Lewis did a cover that reached number 13 in the UK.

In 2012, Nicci Gilbert and the R&B Divas sang it for AIX Records.

In September 2015, English recording artist Ella Eyre released her cover version of the song as a non-album single.

In February 2018 Australian singer Samantha Jade announced “Best of My Love” as the first single from her third album of the same name.

In reality competition TV shows

The song has also been used in reality shows, such as in Australian Idol 2006, in which it was sung by Lavina Williams, in the fourth season of American Idol, in which it was sung by Vonzell Solomon, in the second season of Pinoy Dream Academy, in which it was sung by Liezel Garcia, and in the sixth season of the American Dancing with the Stars (Jason Taylor and Edyta Sliwinska danced the Cha-Cha-Cha to it in the sixth week of competition), in the fourteenth season of the American Dancing with the Stars (Gladys Knight & Tristan MacManus danced the Cha-Cha-Cha to it in the first week of competition, in the tenth season of RuPaul's Drag Race (contestants Eureka and Kalorie Karbdashian Williams lip-synced to it on the second week of the competition).

Usage in film

The song has appeared in many films, including Night at the Museum 3: Secret of the Tomb (2014), Summer of Sam (1999), The Wendell Baker Story (2005), Mission Impossible III (2006), The Holiday (2006), and Boogie Nights (1997). The song was also used in various TV spots for the 2010 dramedy Why Did I Get Married Too?

The song was also covered by Christina Milian, Carol Duboc and Minae Noji featured in the film Be Cool (2005).

Derivatives and other uses

"Best of My Love" was allegedly sampled without permission in Mariah Carey's hit 1991 single, appropriately titled "Emotions," resulting in a lawsuit.[29]

The hip hop group 3rd Bass sampled the song in their song "Brooklyn-Queens."

R&B artist Tamia sampled "Best of My Love" for her track "Falling For You" from her self-titled album, Tamia (1998).

Italian Brazilian singer Maurício Manieri samples "Best of My Love" for his track "Minha Menina"(My Girl) from the 1998 album A Noite Inteira (All Night Long).

B-Rock and the Bizz sampled the bassline for their song "My Baby Daddy".

Rapper Positive K sampled the song's bassline and vocals for his 1993 remix of his single "Car Hoppers".

The lyrics of the chorus hook and a line from the fourth verse were quoted in the closing lines of The Mountain Goats' song "International Small Arms Traffic Blues" on their album Tallahassee (2002).

Gospel singer Anita Wilson samples "Best of my love" for her track "You Love Me (Best of My Love)" from her 2014 album Vintage Worship.

In the video game Sonic The Hedgehog, the theme song to the "Labyrinth Zone" stages has been repeatedly described as having distinct similarities to the song.

The song "Got to Be Real" by Cheryl Lynn may have been inspired by the song as the intro and main beat share similarities.

Since 2019, the song has been used in numerous advertisements by Australian supermarket chain Coles.

References
  1. "Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals - The 20th Annual Grammy Awards (1977)". The Recording Academy. Archived from the original on February 6, 2018. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
  2. "American Music Award: Favourite Soul/R&B Single". Rock on the Net. Archived from the original on June 28, 2017. Retrieved March 25, 2009.
  3. "The Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs (90-81)". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 13, 2008. Retrieved October 4, 2008.
  4. "The Billboard Hot 100 of 1977". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 20, 2006. Retrieved March 8, 2009.
  5. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs of 1977". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 20, 2006. Retrieved March 8, 2009.
  6. "Gold & Platinum - RIAA". RIAA. Retrieved March 8, 2009.
  7. "Top 500 Songs of the 1970s". Bradboard. Archived from the original on October 28, 2011. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
  8. "The Top 100 Seventies Singles". Super Seventies. Retrieved November 10, 2011.
  9. "Top 40 Biggest Girl Group Songs of All Time on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart". Billboard. March 2, 2015. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  10. "100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time: Critics' Picks". Billboard. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  11. Ryan, Sean (24 September 2018). "Top 51 Best Love Songs: The Heavy Power List". Heavy.com. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
  12. "The Emotions - Best of My Love". musicnotes.com. Retrieved April 28, 2018.
  13. Lytle, Craig. "The Emotions: Rejoice". allmusic.com. AllMusic.
  14. Hilburn, Robert (October 2, 1977). "International Disk Derby: Emphasis on Rock 'n' Roll". Los Angeles Times. p. 82 – via newspapers.com. Missing or empty |url= (help)
  15. "Best of My Love - The Emotions". AllMusic. Retrieved April 13, 2008.
  16. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 89. ISBN 978-0898201567.
  17. UK Official Singles Chart, UK Official Charts Company, September 10, 1977, retrieved February 18, 2019
  18. "Best of My Love - The Emotions". AllMusic. Retrieved April 13, 2008.
  19. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart - Billboard", Billboard, retrieved January 6, 2018
  20. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 89. ISBN 978-0898201567.
  21. "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, September 3, 1977". Archived from the original on October 20, 2018. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  22. "Top 200 Singles of '77 – Volume 28, No. 14, December 31 1977". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved January 3, 2018.
  23. Hunter, Nigel; Scaping, Peter, eds. (1978). "Top 100 Singles in 1977". BPI Year Book 1978 (3rd ed.). London, England: The British Phonographic Industry Ltd. pp. 216–17. ISBN 0-906154-01-4.
  24. "Billboard Year-End Hot 100 chart - 1977". Music Outfitters. 1977. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  25. "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles". Cash Box. December 31, 1977. Archived from the original on October 20, 2018. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
  26. "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  27. "British single certifications – Emotions – Best of My Love". British Phonographic Industry.
  28. "American single certifications – Emotions – Best of My Love". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
  29. Unterberger, Andrew (March 1, 2006). "Mariah Carey: Emotions". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved August 6, 2007.
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