The Finest (song)

"The Finest" is a 1986 hit single for the American band the S.O.S. Band. It is the fifth track on their sixth studio album Sands of Time and it is one of the group's last songs to feature the vocals of original lead singer Mary Davis. Labelmate and fellow R&B singer Alexander O'Neal shares vocals with Mary Davis during the bridge.

"The Finest"
Single by the S.O.S. Band
from the album Sands of Time
B-side"I Don't Want Nobody Else"
Released1986
Genre
Length6:06
LabelTabu
Songwriter(s)Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis
Producer(s)Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis
The S.O.S. Band singles chronology
"Even When You Sleep"
(1986)		 "The Finest"
(1986)		 "No Lies"
(1987)

Chart performance

"The Finest" was a success on the US Hot Black Singles chart, reaching number two and was their last entry on the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at number 44. On the US dance chart, "The Finest" peaked at number eight, and was also their second top-20 hit on the UK Singles Chart, reaching number 17.

Track listings

7-inch single

  1. "The Finest" – 4:35
  2. "I Don't Want Nobody Else" – 4:19

12-inch single

  1. "The Finest" (extended version) – 6:38
  2. "The Finest" (instrumental) – 6:17
  3. "The Finest" (acapella) – 2:05

Charts
Chart (1986) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[1] 32
Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)[2] 19
Ireland (IRMA)[3] 28
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[4] 26
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[5] 34
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[6] 13
UK Singles (OCC)[7] 17
US Billboard Hot 100[8] 44
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[8] 8
US Dance Singles Sales (Billboard)[8] 1
US Hot Black Singles (Billboard)[8] 2
West Germany (Official German Charts)[9] 26

"Finest Dreams"
"Finest Dreams"
Single by Richard X featuring Kelis
from the album Richard X Presents His X-Factor Vol. 1
B-side"Music for an Imaginary Mobile Phone Commercial"
ReleasedAugust 11, 2003 (2003-08-11)
Length4:14
LabelVirgin
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Richard X
Richard X singles chronology
"Being Nobody"
(2002)		 "Finest Dreams"
(2003)
Kelis singles chronology
"Young, Fresh n' New"
(2001)		 "Finest Dreams"
(2003)		 "Milkshake"
(2003)

In 2003, English mashup producer Richard X covered "The Finest" as "Finest Dreams", featuring vocals from American R&B singer–songwriter Kelis. This version is a mash-up with backing based upon an instrumental remix of the Human League track "The Things That Dreams Are Made Of" (taken from their 1982 re-mix album, Love and Dancing).

The song was released on August 11, 2003, in the United Kingdom as the third single from Richard X's debut album, Richard X Presents His X-Factor Vol. 1. The single peaked at number eight on the UK Singles Chart the week ending August 23, 2003, and also reached number 35 in Ireland. The music video was directed by Oli Goldsmith.

Track listings

UK CD single

  1. "Finest Dreams" (Richard X featuring Kelis) – 4:14
  2. "Finest Dreams" (Part Two) (Richard X featuring Kelis) – 5:15
  3. "Music for an Imaginary Mobile Phone Commercial" – 3:05

UK 12-inch single

A1. "Finest Dreams" (Richard X featuring Kelis) – 4:14
B1. "Finest Dreams" (Part Two) (Richard X featuring Kelis) – 5:15
B2. "Music for an Imaginary Mobile Phone Commercial" – 3:05

Charts
Chart (2003) Peak
position
Australia Hitseekers (ARIA)[10] 14
Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[11] 6
Belgium Dance (Ultratop Flanders)[12] 10
Ireland (IRMA)[13] 35
Ireland Dance (IRMA)[14] 6
Scotland (OCC)[15] 15
UK Singles (OCC)[16] 8
UK Dance (OCC)[17] 3

Release history
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United Kingdom August 11, 2003 (2003-08-11)
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
 Virgin [18]
Australia September 29, 2003 (2003-09-29) CD [19]

Other versions
  • Foul Play sampled and sped up the vocals for their 1993 jungle/hardcore track "The Finest"
  • The song was sampled in MF Doom track, The Finest from 1999 album Operation: Doomsday.
  • British all-girl R&B trio Truce covered the song in 1995. The track peaked at number 54 on the UK singles chart.
  • Italian DJ and producer Roberto Surace sampled the vocals for his 2019 track "Joys". This track hit number one on the US Dance Club Songs chart.[20]

References
  1. "S.O.S. Band – The Finest" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  2. "European Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 3 no. 19. May 17, 1986. p. 13. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  3. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – The Finest". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  4. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 23, 1986" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  5. "S.O.S. Band – The Finest" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  6. "S.O.S. Band – The Finest". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  7. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  8. "The S.O.S. Band Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on March 15, 2016. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  9. "Offiziellecharts.de – S.O.S. Band – The Finest". GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  10. "The ARIA Report: ARIA Hitseekers – Week Commencing 6th October 2003" (PDF). ARIA. October 6, 2003. p. 16. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  11. "Richard X feat. Kelis – Finest Dreams" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  12. "Richard X feat. Kelis – Finest Dreams" (in Dutch). Ultratop Dance. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  13. "Irish-charts.com – Discography Richard X". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  14. "Top 10 Dance Singles, Week Ending 14 August 2003". GfK Chart-Track. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
  15. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  16. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  17. "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  18. "Key Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. August 9, 2003. p. 19. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
  19. "The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 29th September 2003" (PDF). ARIA. September 29, 2003. p. 25. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  20. "Dance Club Songs – October 12, 2019". Billboard. October 9, 2019. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
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