On the Way to the Sky
| On the Way to the Sky | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 9, 1981 | |||
| Recorded | 1981 | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 42:09 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer |
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| Neil Diamond chronology | ||||
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| Singles from On My Way to the Sky | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | [1] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [2] |
On the Way to the Sky is the fourteenth studio album by Neil Diamond, released in 1981. It contains the hit "Yesterday's Songs", which reached number eleven on the Billboard Hot 100 (and number one on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart), title track which peaked at number 27 in the US and a third single, "Be Mine Tonight", which also reached the Top 40, peaking at number 35.
Cash Box said of "Be Mine Tonight" that "from the full production to the singer's unique charisma and delivery, everything works here."[3] Billboard said that it's a "bristling midtempo rocker with much of the energy and sass of 'America' or 'Longfellow Serenade.'"[4]
For shipments of a million copies, the album was certified Platinum by the RIAA,[5] but underperformed the previous year's 5× Platinum Jazz Singer, which reached number three on the albums chart and spawned three Billboard Top 10 hits.
Track listing
All songs written by Neil Diamond, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Yesterday's Songs" | 2:51 | |
| 2. | "On the Way to the Sky" | Diamond, Carole Bayer Sager | 3:47 |
| 3. | "Right By You" | Diamond, Richard Bennett, Doug Rhone | 3:37 |
| 4. | "Only You" | Diamond, Tom Hensley, Alan Lindgren | 4:39 |
| 5. | "Save Me" | 3:23 | |
| 6. | "Be Mine Tonight" | 2:39 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Drifter" | 4:55 | |
| 2. | "Fear of the Marketplace" | 4:18 | |
| 3. | "Rainy Day Song" | Diamond, Gilbert Bécaud | 4:31 |
| 4. | "Guitar Heaven" | 3:37 | |
| 5. | "Love Burns" | Hensley, Lindgren | 3:45 |
Personnel
- Neil Diamond – lead vocals, arrangements (5)
- Alan Lindgren – acoustic piano, synthesizers, orchestra arrangements and conductor (1-3, 5, 7, 10)
- Tom Hensley – keyboards, acoustic piano, backing vocals, orchestra arrangements and conductor (4, 6, 8, 10)
- Richard Bennett – acoustic guitar, electric guitar
- Doug Rhone – guitars, backing vocals
- Reinie Press – bass
- Dennis St. John – drums
- King Errisson – percussion
- Vince Charles – percussion
- The John Rosenberg Horns and Strings – orchestra
- Assa Drori – concertmaster
- Patricia Henderson – backing vocals
- Linda Press – backing vocals
- H.L. Voelker – backing vocals
- Julia Tillman Waters – backing vocals
- Luther Waters – backing vocals
- Maxine Waters Willard – backing vocals
- Oren Waters – backing vocals
Production
- Neil Diamond – producer
- Dennis St. John – co-producer
- Alan Lindgren – associate producer
- Andy Bloch – associate producer, recording, mixing
- Ron Hitchcock – associate producer, recording, mixing
- Bill Benton – first assistant engineer
- David Bianco – first assistant engineer
- Jack Crymes – second assistant engineer
- Mark Eshelman – second assistant engineer
- Brad Gilderman – second assistant engineer
- John Markland – second assistant engineer
- Karen Siegel – second assistant engineer
- Gary Singleman – second assistant engineer
- Mike Reese – mastering at The Mastering Lab (Hollywood, California)
- Sam Cole – production coordinator
- Barry Cardinael – production assistant
- Terry Merchant – production assistant
- Juanita Scherf – production assistant
- Alison Zanetos – production assistant
- David Kirschner – art direction, design
- Jan Weinberg – contributing artist
- Kenneth McGowan – photography
- David Rosner – music publisher
- Rita Zak – music publisher
Charts
| Chart (1981–1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[6] | 12 |
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[7] | 36 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[8] | 14 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[9] | 56 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[10] | 11 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[11] | 39 |
| US Billboard 200[12] | 17 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[13] | Gold | 7,500^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[14] | Silver | 60,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[15] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
- ^ On the Way to the Sky at AllMusic
- ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 195.
- ^ "Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. May 15, 1982. p. 8. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
- ^ "Top Single Picks". Billboard. May 15, 1982. p. 71. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
- ^ "American album certifications – Neil Diamond – On the Way to the Sky". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
- ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, New South Wales: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0439". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Neil Diamond – On the Way to the Sky" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Neil Diamond – On the Way to the Sky" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
- ^ "Charts.nz – Neil Diamond – On the Way to the Sky". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
- ^ "Neil Diamond | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
- ^ "Neil Diamond Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
- ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Neil Young – On the Way to the Sky". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
- ^ "British album certifications – Neil Young – On the Way to the Sky". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved June 10, 2019.
- ^ "American album certifications – Neil Young – On the Way to the Sky". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
