''Wonderful Life'' is the debut album by English singer Black (the stage name of Colin Vearncombe). Released in 1987, it peaked at #3 on the UK Albums Chart in September of that year. Three of the songs were co-written with Vearncombe's friend and musical collaborator, keyboardist Dave "Dix" Dickie.

Background

In 1985 Vearncombe wrote the minor key song " Wonderful Life". It was released independently through Ugly Man Records, and got Black noticed by A&M Records who signed Vearncombe and launched his international career. Vearncombe said:

By the end of 1985 I had been in a couple of car crashes, my mother had a serious illness, I had been dropped by a record company, my first marriage went belly-up and I was homeless. Then I sat down and wrote this song called 'Wonderful Life'. I was being sarcastic.

Vearncombe suffered from the feeling of being a

one-hit wonder A one-hit wonder or viral hit is any entity that achieves mainstream popularity, often for only one piece of work, and becomes known among the general public solely for that momentary success. The term is most commonly used in regard to music p ...

, however, saying later:

Once you have had a hit, it's hard to write another song without having that in the back of your mind. For a long time, I would find myself hearing, 'I like it but it's not Wonderful Life'.

The album's second single "Everything's Coming Up Roses" was also accompanied by a video, but reached only No 76 in the UK Singles Chart, although also making No. 8 in both Austrian and German charts. The follow-up "

Sweetest Smile "Sweetest Smile" is a song by English singer Black, released in June 1987 as the third single from his debut album '' Wonderful Life''. It became his first UK top ten hit, peaking at number 8 on the UK Singles Chart. On the back of its success ...

", however, became a UK top-10 hit. The third single, a re-release of "Wonderful Life", was a massive hit worldwide. The album of the same name, released in 1987, had similar success, reaping commercial and critical acclaim. When interviewed in 2013 for superdeluxeedition.com, Vearncome was asked if the album had turned out how he wanted and if the record company had forced producers on him. He replied:

No, we were very, very lucky. You see I’d already been through the mill with Warners and stuff, and then I’d been homeless. There wasn’t much you could scare me with. I was actually homeless when I wrote "Sweetest Smile" and "Wonderful Life," but I was couch-surfing, and nothing touches you when you’re that age. For a while you can get away with it.

Ugly Man Records issue a double-pack single, in September 1986 (Cat. JACK 71D), featuring "Wonderful Life", "Birthday Night", "Sometimes For The Asking" and "Everything's Coming Up Roses"

Track listing

Singles

The album produced five singles: "Wonderful Life", "

I'm Not Afraid ''I'm Not Afraid'' is the fourth full-length album released by John Mark Nelson John Mark Nelson (born November 23, 1993) is an American songwriter and producer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. John Mark Nelson released his debut album ''Still ...

" "Everything's Coming Up Roses", "Sweetest Smile" and " Paradise".

Personnel

Musicians

* Colin Vearncombe – vocals, guitar * Roy Corkill – fretless bass * Jimmy Hughes –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

* Martin Green – saxophone * Dave "Dix" Dickie –

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

, programming * The Creamy Whirls (Tina Labrinski, Sara Lamarra) – backing vocals * Jimmy Sangster – electric bass * Doreen Edwards – additional backing vocals * The Sidwell Brothers – brass section Source:

Production

*Recorded at Powerplant Studios ( London), Square One Studio ( Bury). *Engineered by Stephen Boyce-Buckley, and Pink Studio ( Liverpool).

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Sales and certifications

References

External links

Information
at Colin Vearncombe's official website * * {{Authority control 1987 debut albums Black (singer) albums Albums produced by Robin Millar A&M Records albums