"The Best Man in the World" by Ann Wilson

Song#:  2945
Date:  11/29/1986
Debut:  97
Peak:  61
Weeks:  12
Genre:  Pop, Rock, Soundtrack



Pop Bits:  Heart's Ann Wilson didn't have any inclinations to start a solo career, but she was persuaded to lend her voice to a few movie tunes in the mid-80s. The first one was a duet with Loverboy's Mike Reno, "Almost Paradise," which became a #7 hit from the soundtrack to Footloose. A couple years later, Wilson would be asked to help with another soundtrack song, this time for the Eddie Murphy comedy The Golden Child. The track would end up being a solo-billed effort by Wilson titled "The Best Man in the World" and it would be issued out as the soundtrack's first single. The tune would do well at Rock getting to #5, but it just didn't catch fire at Pop where it stopped short of the top half of the chart. A second single from the soundtrack, "Deeper Love" by Meli'sa Morgan, was released. It only got to #74 on the R&B chart. Without a significant single to promote it, the soundtrack stalled at a low #126. 

ReduxReview:  With Nancy Wilson, songwriter Sue Ennis, and producer Ron Nevison on board with this tune along with Ann Wilson, it is more-or-less a Heart song. The verse rocks along quite well, but there are odd sections in half-time that sound like they were written by a film composer (which they were, see below) and they don't quite fit the song. There is also no real chorus or hook to the tune. Half of the tune is rockin', the other half is not. It's a bit like under-baked bread. This one needed more time in the oven.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) Composer John Barry was selected to do the film's score. He began the work, but issues arose with producers and he ended up leaving the project. French composer Michel Colombier then stepped in to complete the score. Although most of Barry's original music would not be used, a couple portions did make the cut. An instrumental titled "Wisdom of the Ages" would be in the film and on the soundtrack. He also wrote the music to this song. Ann Wilson, Nancy Wilson, and Sue Ennis would supply the lyrics.  2) The Golden Child was Eddie Murphy's next film after the hugely successful Beverly Hills Cop. It ended up being a mild box office hit, but most critics panned the flick and audience reaction was mixed. Even Murphy wasn't a fan. He stated in a 1989 interview with Rolling Stone that the movie "was a piece of shit" even though it did well and made money.

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