"Sweet Blindness" is a song written by

Laura Nyro Laura Nyro ( ; born Laura Nigro; October 18, 1947 – April 8, 1997) was an American songwriter and singer. She achieved critical acclaim with her own recordings, particularly the albums ''Eli and the Thirteenth Confession'' (1968) and ''Ne ...

, released in 1968, and included on her '' Eli and the Thirteenth Confession''.

Background

The song is a drinking song with an old fashioned sound, with tempo changes and a brass section. The song ends with a piano riff associated with Count Basie before the brass holds a long jazzy cadenza.

The 5th Dimension recording

The best known version was recorded by

The 5th Dimension The 5th Dimension is an American vocal group. Their music encompasses sunshine pop, pop soul, and psychedelic soul. They were an important crossover music act of the 1960s and 1970s, although both praised and derided for their particular music ...

later in 1968. It was featured on their 1968 album '' Stoned Soul Picnic''. The song was produced by

Bones Howe Dayton Burr "Bones" Howe (born March 18, 1933) is an American record producer and recording engineer who scored a string of hits in the 1960s and 1970s, often of the sunshine pop genre, starting in 1965 with The Turtles (band), the Turtles cover o ...

and arranged by Bill Holman,

Bob Alcivar Bob Alcivar (born July 8, 1938, in Chicago, Illinois) is an American music producer, arranger, composer, conductor and keyboard player. He is the father of rock keyboard player Jim Alcivar ( Montrose, Gamma). Discography Film *''Butterflies ...

, Ray Pohlman, and Howe. It reached #13 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and #45 on the U.S. R&B chart. Outside the US, "Sweet Blindness" went to #15 in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and #19 in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

.The 5th Dimension, "Sweet Blindness" Chart Positions
Retrieved January 17, 2015.

Other versions

Holly Cole Holly Cole (born November 25, 1963) is a Canadian jazz singer and actress. For many years she performed with her group The Holly Cole Trio. Background Cole was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, Nova Scotia. Her father, Leon Cole, was a note ...

released a version of the song on the 1997 tribute album '' Time and Love: The Music of Laura Nyro''.

In media

*The 5th Dimension sang a version of the song with

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

on his 1968 television special, ''

Francis Albert Sinatra Does His Thing ''Francis Albert Sinatra Does His Thing'' is a television special starring Frank Sinatra, Diahann Carroll and The 5th Dimension recorded in November 1968 and broadcast on CBS. The title references Sinatra's attempts at engaging with the youth cu ...

''.

References

1968 songs 1968 singles Songs written by Laura Nyro The 5th Dimension songs Laura Nyro songs Frank Sinatra songs Song recordings produced by Bones Howe Songs about alcohol {{1960s-single-stub