Save the Best for Last
"Save the Best for Last" is the third single from American singer and actress Vanessa Williams' second studio album, "The Comfort Zone". The song was written by Phil Galdston, Wendy Waldman, and Jon Lind. It is considered Williams' signature song. The song is a ballad about a young female admirer of a single man who stands by and watches as the object of her desires goes through years of dating, before he finally unexpectedly decides to initiate a relationship with the singer. The lyrics' redemptive themes resonated with Williams' story, as she had put together  a successful music career following her earlier Miss America resignation scandal. The song was a commercial and critical success. It topped the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart for five weeks, and was ranked fourth on "Billboard"s Top 100 hits of 1992 list, becoming the biggest success of Williams' music career. ASCAP named it Song of the Year in 1992; it was nominated for the Grammy Award for Song of the Year and Record of the Year in 1993. Composition. The song is performed in the key of E major with a tempo of 96 beats per minute in common time. Williams ' vocals span from F to C in the song. Critical reception. Mark Chappelle from Albumism wrote, "In this sweet ditty, Williams observes a parade of bad love choices by a platonic partner before they finally fall in love with each other. Its sound and aesthetic proved perfect for every wedding reception, graduation, prom, and sentimental occasion." AllMusic editor Michael Gallucci deemed the song as a "glorious ballad", adding that when she is "handed torch songs that emphasized her natural slow burn", Williams is a "genuinely sexy and capable performer." Larry Flick from "Billboard" described it as a "nicely orchestrated pop /soul ballad", noting that it "proves that she is possibly best suited to such soothing fare, as her crystalline voice is caressed by soft and wafting strings. A beautiful offering from the excellent "Comfort Zone" collection." Randy Clark and Bryan DeVaney from "Cashbox" stated that it is "beautifully sung by Williams and tastefully produced and arranged by Keith Thomas." Arion Berger from "Entertainment Weekly" wrote that Williams "closes Act One with the show-stopping happy tears of "Best for Last"". Dave Sholin from the "Gavin Report" said that "every artist needs that "career record", and while Vanessa is by now  accustomed to chart success, this effort takes her to a whole new level. It deserves to become her biggest hit to-date and it's well on the way with Top Ten status..." Another editor, John Martinucci noted that Williams "gives this beautiful ballad a simple and delicate presentation that'll lift any romantic spirit." Insider declared it as "a gorgeous ballad", stating that "this song has stood the test of time." A reviewer from "The Orlando Sentinel" described it as "a sophisticated ballad". R. LaMont Jones Jr. from "The Pittsburgh Press" picked it as the album's "centerpiece", calling  it "a real-life, down-to-earth song", that Barbra Streisand "will no doubt wish she had been given. But with Williams' soulful delivery, it's hard to imagine anyone doing it better." Steve Pick from "St. Louis Post-Dispatch" said that "the first thing to notice is that Williams can really sing. I'm talking phrasing and dynamics that could stand up to fine jazz singers. Then, we realize that this is a nice little tune". The song was used in the UK in a series of 1990s adverts for Bisto Best gravy granules. The adverts featured slow motion  shots of gravy being poured over a roast dinner while the song played in the background. The track features in the closing credits of the 1994 film The Adventures Of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert, showing a drag queen lip synching to the original recording. It is also on the film's original soundtrack album. Commercial performance. The single was Williams's third number-one on the Soul singles chart and topped the US "Billboard" Hot 100 for five weeks in 1992. "Save the Best for Last" was ranked fourth in the "Billboard" Top 100 hits of 1992, becoming the  biggest success of Williams's music career. The song also went to number one on the U.S. Adult Contemporary and R&B charts; it remained atop these charts for three weeks apiece. Internationally, the single reached number one in Australia and Canada, number two in Ireland, and number three in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. ASCAP named it as its Song of the Year, meaning it was performed more than any other song in 1992; it was nominated for the Grammy Award for Song of the Year and Record of the Year in 1993, losing to Eric Clapton's "Tears  in Heaven" in both categories. Music videos. There were produced two versions of the music video to promote the single. The original version of the music video, which primarily aired on MTV, was directed by Ralph Ziman. It begins with Williams walking around in a winter landscape for the first few seconds, then intercuts between black-and-white footage of Williams singing in front of a dark curtain, an orchestra playing along to the blue-tinted footage as it is being projected on a screen, and Williams singing in a living room with candles, a fireplace and a sofa. A  behind the scenes cut was also later made of the video, which primarily aired on VH1, predominantly zooming on the orchestra scenes and the blue-tinted footage of Williams as well as showcasing footage from the making of the video. Other-language versions. The tune is the basis of Märchenland Gefühl (German: Fairy Tale Feeling) and Iets Heeft je Zachtjes Aangeraakt (Flemish/Dutch: Something you softly touched), both by Belgian artiste Dana Winner. Hong Kong cantopop singer Shirley Kwan also has a Cantonese cover version entitled "Why Us" ().