"Sweetest Thing" is a song by Irish

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band U2. It was originally released as a

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

on the "

Where the Streets Have No Name "Where the Streets Have No Name" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the opening track from their 1987 album ''The Joshua Tree'' and was released as the album's third single in August 1987. The song's hook is a repeating guitar arpeggio ...

" single in 1987. The song was later re-recorded and re-released as a single in October 1998 for the band's compilation album ''

The Best of 1980–1990 ''The Best of 1980–1990'' is the first greatest hits compilation by Irish rock band U2, released in 2 November 1998. It mostly contains the group's hit singles from the 1980s, but also mixes in some live staples, as well as one new recording, ...

''. "Sweetest Thing" became a number-one hit in Ireland, Canada, and Iceland and reached the top 10 in several countries, including Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. In the United States, the song peaked at number 63 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number nine on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...

chart.

Writing and recording

The song was reportedly written by

Bono Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by his stage name Bono (), is an Irish singer-songwriter, activist, and philanthropist. He is the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the rock band U2. Born and raised in Dublin, he attended ...

as an apology to his wife

Ali Hewson Alison Hewson (née Stewart; born 23 March 1961) is an Irish activist and businesswoman. She is the wife of singer and musician Paul Hewson, known as Bono, from the rock group U2. Raised in Raheny, she met her future husband at age 12 at Mou ...

for having to work in the studio on her birthday during ''

The Joshua Tree ''The Joshua Tree'' is the fifth studio album by Irish rock band U2. It was produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, and was released on 9 March 1987 on Island Records. In contrast to the ambient experimentation of their 1984 release, ...

'' sessions. In 1998, a new version of the song was recorded for inclusion on the group's greatest hits compilation ''

''. Producer

Steve Lillywhite Stephen Alan Lillywhite, (born 15 March 1955) is a British record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited on over 500 records, and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including new wave acts XTC, Bi ...

spent five days with the band to re-record vocals and guitar parts. At Alison's request, profits from the single went to her favoured charity, Chernobyl Children International.

Release

A version by New York gospel choir, The New Voices of Freedom, appears on the soundtrack to the 1988

Bill Murray William James Murray (born September 21, 1950) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his deadpan delivery. He rose to fame on '' The National Lampoon Radio Hour'' (1973–1974) before becoming a national presence on ''Saturday Ni ...

film ''

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''. It was recorded following U2's performance of "

I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the second track from their 1987 album ''The Joshua Tree'' and was released as the album's second single in May 1987. The song was a hit, becoming the band's ...

" with the choir at

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsyl ...

, which appears on the band's 1988 album ''

Rattle and Hum ''Rattle and Hum'' is a hybrid live/studio album by Irish rock band U2, and a companion rockumentary film directed by Phil Joanou. The album was produced by Jimmy Iovine and was released on 10 October 1988, while the film was distributed b ...

''. To promote the release of the single in 1998,

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in 1959 by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in Jamaica, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, an ...

distributed "Sweetest Thing"

chocolate bar A chocolate bar (Commonwealth English) or candy bar (some dialects of American English) is a confection containing chocolate, which may also contain layerings or mixtures that include nuts, fruit, caramel, nougat, and wafers. A flat, easily b ...

s, 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 number one in Canada, Iceland, and Ireland, number three in the United Kingdom, number six in Australia, number 63 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, number nine on the ''Billboard''

chart, and number 31 on the ''Billboard''

Mainstream Rock Tracks Mainstream Rock is a music chart in '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks the most-played songs on mainstream rock radio stations in the United States, a category that combines the formats of active rock and heritage rock. The chart was launched i ...

chart.

Live performances

The song made its live debut on the opening night of the

Elevation Tour The Elevation Tour was a worldwide concert tour by Irish rock band U2. Staged in support of the group's 2000 album '' All That You Can't Leave Behind'', the tour visited arenas across North America and Europe in 2001. Contrasting with the extra ...

, and was played occasionally over the first and second legs. It was then not played again until the

Innocence + Experience Tour Innocence is a lack of guilt, with respect to any kind of crime, or wrongdoing. In a legal context, innocence is to the lack of legal guilt of an individual, with respect to a crime. In other contexts, it is a lack of experience. In relatio ...

, 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 was directed by

Kevin Godley Kevin Michael Godley (born 7 October 1945) is an English singer, songwriter, musician and music video director. He is known as the singer and drummer of the art rock band 10cc and later as part of collaboration duo Godley & Creme with Lol Creme ...

. It features Bono taking his wife

on a carriage ride along the Georgian mile in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

, from Fitzwilliam Place onto Upper Fitzwilliam Street, enlisting various performers along the way in an effort to apologise to her. The performers featured include

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Boyzone Boyzone were an Irish boy band, created in 1993 by talent manager Louis Walsh. Before even recording any material, Boyzone made an appearance on RTÉ's ''The Late Late Show''. Their most successful line-up was composed of Keith Duffy, Step ...

Steve Collins Stephen Collins (born 21 July 1964) is an Irish former professional boxer who competed from 1986 to 1997. Known as the Celtic Warrior, Collins is the most successful male Irish boxer in recent professional boxing history, having held the WBO ...

, the

Artane Boys Band The Artane Band () is a marching band for young musicians based at the Artane School of Music in Artane in Dublin, Ireland. Name The band was originally called the Artane Boys Band, with members drawn from the pupils at Artane Industrial ...

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dancers, and the Celtic Knights. The other three members of U2—

The Edge David Howell Evans (born 8 August 1961), better known as the Edge or simply Edge,McCormick (2006), pp. 21, 23–24 is an English-born Irish musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the lead guitarist, keyboardist, and backing voca ...

Adam Clayton Adam Charles Clayton (born 13 March 1960) is an English-born Irish musician who is the bass guitarist of the rock band U2. He has resided in County Dublin, Ireland since his family moved to Malahide in 1965, when he was five years old. Cla ...

Larry Mullen Jr. Laurence Joseph Mullen Jr. (; born 31 October 1961) is an Irish musician, best known as the drummer and co-founder of the rock band U2. Mullen was born in Dublin, where he attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School. In 1976, he co-founded U2 ...

—Norman Hewson (Bono's brother) and Dik Evans (The Edge's brother) also appear in the video.

Track listings

The back cover lists the third track simply as a live version of "An Cat Dubh".

Personnel

– lead vocals *

– piano, guitar, backing vocals *

– bass guitar *

– drums

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sweetest Thing, The 1987 songs 1998 singles Irish Singles Chart number-one singles RPM Top Singles number-one singles Canadian Singles Chart number-one singles Music videos directed by Kevin Godley Number-one singles in Iceland Island Records singles Rock ballads Song recordings produced by Brian Eno Song recordings produced by Daniel Lanois Song recordings produced by Steve Lillywhite Songs written by Adam Clayton Songs written by Bono Songs written by the Edge Songs written by Larry Mullen Jr. U2 songs