The Best (song)


"The Best" is a song recorded by Bonnie Tyler for her seventh studio album, Hide Your Heart. In the following year, the song was covered by Tina Turner for her seventh studio album, Foreign Affair. The song was written by Mike Chapman and Holly Knight.

Bonnie Tyler version

Tyler's version was produced by Desmond Child and released on her 1988 album Hide Your Heart.
The single was released on a CD in 1988 along with two rare tracks that Tyler recorded, "The Fire Below" and "Under Suspicion".
The single reached number 10 in Norway and number 95 in the United Kingdom.

Music video

In the music video, Tyler performs the song in front of a band and interactions between other people present are filmed.

Track listings

7" Single
  1. "The Best" – 4:15
  2. "The Fire Below" – 5:08

12" Maxi
CD-Single
  1. "The Best" – 4:15
  2. "The Fire Below" – 5:08
  3. "Under Suspicion" – 4:24

    Chart performance

Tina Turner version

In 1989, American singer and songwriter Tina Turner released a cover version that became a highly successful single. It was included on her hit album Foreign Affair. The saxophone solo on Turner's version is played by Edgar Winter.
The song title is often colloquially mis-cited as Simply the Best, reflecting a phrase in the chorus. This became so commonplace that the bracketed word 'Simply' was included in the titles for releases of some subsequent versions, and in the track listing for some Tina Turner compilation albums.
Holly Knight told Songfacts: "'Simply the Best' is one of those rare gems that's a positive song, and it's not cheesy. But the hard part is to write something in a positive mode that really is sincere — that's a tall order."

Versions and remixes

Weekly charts

Chart Peak
position
Europe 35

Chart Peak
position

Year-end charts

Chart Position
Slovenia 39

Certifications and sales

Tina Turner and Jimmy Barnes version

In 1992, Turner recorded " The Best", a duet version of the song with Australian rock singer Jimmy Barnes, to promote that year's New South Wales Rugby League season in Australia. The single subsequently appeared on a limited edition bonus disc as part of the Australian release of her compilation album Simply the Best.

Versions and remixes

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

In popular culture

The theme song of Besti Flokkurinn, an Icelandic political party standing in the 2010 Reykjavik local council elections, was "The Best". Prior to the 2010 election the party published a localized version of the song with a new lyric.
"The Best" is played at Ibrox Stadium, Scotland when the players of Rangers Football Club and the visiting team run onto the park. On April 19, 2010 Rangers FC fans began a campaign to get "The Best" to number one in the UK Pop Charts. It subsequently charted at number nine on the UK Singles Chart.
In the 1990s, Chris Eubank used "The Best" as both his nickname and entrance music before all of his world championship boxing matches.
At around mid-1990s, Hong Kong Tourist Association established a series of television advertisement and used "The Best" who was sang by Elisa Chan as the theme song.
Research by Co-op Funeralcare regularly places "The Best" in the Top Ten most popular songs requested to be played at funerals.
"The Best" has appeared several times in the CBC sitcom Schitt's Creek, often in scenes involving Daniel Levy and Noah Reid. In the episode "Open Mic", Noah Reid performs an acoustic version of the song that Reid arranged himself. In the episode "The Olive Branch", Levy performs a dance routine while lip-syncing to Tina Turner's recording of the song. In the series finale, "Happy Ending", several cast members perform an a capella version of the song during the wedding of Levy's and Reid's characters.