"Sweet Blindness" is a song written by

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

, released in 1968, and included on her ''

Eli and the Thirteenth Confession ''Eli and the Thirteenth Confession'' is the second album by New York City-born singer, songwriter, and pianist Laura Nyro, released in 1968. History Nyro premiered some of the songs that were to appear on the album at the 1967 Monterey Pop Fes ...

''.

Background

The song was a drinking song that sounded old fashioned, noted for its rhythm changes as well as its brass section. The song ends with a noted Count Basie piano riff 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 popular music vocal group, whose repertoire includes pop, R&B, soul, jazz, light opera, and Broadway. Formed as the Versatiles in late 1965, the group changed its name to "the 5th Dimension" by 1966. Betwee ...

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 cover of Bob Dylan's "It ...

and arranged by Bill Holman,

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

, 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 ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and #19 in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

.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. Her father, Leon Cole, was a noted radio broadcaster ...

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. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

on his 1968 television special, ''

Francis Albert Sinatra Does His Thing ''Francis Albert Sinatra Does His Thing'' was 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