"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 compan ...

on the " Where the Streets Have No Name" single in 1987. The song was later re-recorded and re-released as a single in October 1998 for the band's

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

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 advertise ...

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 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 M ...

as an apology to his wife, Ali Hewson, for forgetting her birthday during '' The Joshua Tree'' sessions. In 1998, a new version of the song was recorded for inclusion on the group's greatest hits compilation ''

''. Producer Steve Lillywhite spent five days with the band to re-record vocals and guitar parts. At Ali's request, profits from the single went to her favoured charity,

Chernobyl Children International Chernobyl Children International (CCI) is a non-profit, international development, medical, and humanitarian organisation that works with children, families and communities that continue to be affected by the economic outcome of the 1986 Chernob ...

Release

A version by New York gospel choir, The New Voices of Freedom, appears on the soundtrack to the 1988 Bill Murray film '' Scrooged''. It was recorded following U2's performance of " I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" 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 Pennsylva ...

, which appears on the band's 1988 album '' Rattle and Hum''. 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, anoth ...

distributed "Sweetest Thing" chocolate bars, 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 in Ma ...

chart.

Live performances

The song made its live debut on the opening night of the Elevation Tour, and was played occasionally over the first and second legs. It was then not played again until the Innocence + Experience Tour, where once again it only made occasional appearances over the course of the tour. It also made a few appearances in the acoustic section of U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere. 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. During the band's 2023–2024 concert residency U2:UV ''Achtung Baby'' Live at Sphere, it was played with the Edge on acoustic guitar while Bono joined in halfway through the song on piano.

Music video

The video was directed by Kevin Godley. It features Bono taking Hewson on a carriage ride along the

Georgian mile The Georgian mile is an unofficial term used to describe a continuous, near mile-long thoroughfare largely lined with Georgian townhouses in Dublin, Ireland. It comprises Fitzwilliam Place, Fitzwilliam Square East, Fitzwilliam Street, and Merri ...

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

, Chippendales dancers, and the Celtic Knights. The other three members of U2— The Edge, Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen Jr.—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 * The Edge – piano, guitar, backing vocals * Adam Clayton – bass guitar * Larry Mullen Jr. – drums

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sweetest Thing, The 1987 songs 1998 singles Canadian Singles Chart number-one singles Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Island Records singles Music videos directed by Kevin Godley Number-one singles in Iceland RPM Top Singles number-one singles 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