On the Way to the Sky

On the Way to the Sky
Studio album by
Neil Diamond
ReleasedOctober 9, 1981
Recorded1981
GenreRock
Length42:09
LabelColumbia
ProducerNeil Diamond
Neil Diamond chronology
The Jazz Singer
(1980) 		On the Way to the Sky
(1981) 		Heartlight
(1982)
Singles from On My Way to the Sky
  1. "Yesterday's Songs"
    Released: November 1981
  2. "On The Way To The Sky"
    Released: February 1982
  3. "Be Mine Tonight"
    Released: May 1982
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
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.

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Yesterday's Songs" 2:51
2."On the Way to the Sky"Diamond, Carole Bayer Sager3:47
3."Right By You"Diamond, Richard Bennett, Doug Rhone3:37
4."Only You"Diamond, Tom Hensley, Alan Lindgren4:39
5."Save Me" 3:23
6."Be Mine Tonight" 2:39
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Drifter" 4:55
2."Fear of the Marketplace" 4:18
3."Rainy Day Song"Diamond, Gilbert Bécaud4:31
4."Guitar Heaven" 3:37
5."Love Burns"Hensley, Lindgren3:45

Personnel

  • Neil Diamond – lead vocals, arrangements (5)
  • Alan Lindgren – keyboards, synthesizers, acoustic piano, orchestra arrangements and conductor (1, 2, 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 – guitar, backing vocals
  • Reinie Press – bass
  • Dennis St. John – drums
  • King Errisson – percussion
  • Vince Charles – percussion
  • Patricia Henderson – backing vocals
  • Linda Press – backing vocals
  • H.L. Voelker – backing vocals
  • Julia Waters – backing vocals
  • Luther Waters – backing vocals
  • Maxine Waters – backing vocals
  • Oren Waters – backing vocals

Production

  • Producer – Neil Diamond
  • Co-Producer – Dennis St. John
  • Associate Producers – Andy Bloch, Ron Hitchcock and Alan Lindgren.
  • Engineered and Mixed by Andy Bloch and Ron Hitchcock
  • Assistant Engineers – Bill Benton, David Bianco, Jack Crymes, Mark Eshelman, Brad Gilderman, John Markland, Karen Segal and Gary Singleman.
  • Recorded at Arch Angel Studios, Record Plant and The Village Recorder (Los Angeles, CA); Sunset Sound Recorders and Cherokee Studios (Hollywood, CA).
  • Mastered by Mike Reese at The Mastering Lab (Los Angeles, CA).
  • Art Direction and Design – David Kirschner
  • Artwork – Jan Weinberg
  • Photography – Kenneth McGowan

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

  1. ^ On the Way to the Sky at AllMusic
  2. ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 195.
  3. ^ "Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. May 15, 1982. p. 8. Retrieved 2022-07-07.
  4. ^ "Top Single Picks". Billboard. May 15, 1982. p. 71. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
  5. ^ "American album certifications – Neil Diamond – On the Way to the Sky". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  6. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, New South Wales: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  7. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0439". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  8. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Neil Diamond – On the Way to the Sky" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  9. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Neil Diamond – On the Way to the Sky" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  10. ^ "Charts.nz – Neil Diamond – On the Way to the Sky". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  11. ^ "Neil Diamond | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  12. ^ "Neil Diamond Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  13. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Neil Young – On the Way to the Sky". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  14. ^ "British album certifications – Neil Young – On the Way to the Sky". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
  15. ^ "American album certifications – Neil Young – On the Way to the Sky". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 20 September 2022.