We've Saved The Best For Last
by Kenny G (featuring Smokey Robinson)

Album: Silhouette (1988)
Charted: 47
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Kenny G's label, Arista Records, was convinced his hits would come in the form of songs written by others that paired him with vocalists. That was until "Songbird," his self-penned instrumental, became a surprise hit in 1987.

    Arista learned their lesson, issuing a similar instrumental, "Silhouette," as the lead single from his next album. But there was still room in his canon for vocal recordings, and Kenny loved to collaborate, so after "Silhouette" came "We've Saved The Best For Last," a duet with Smokey Robinson. By this time, big names like Robinson were happy to work with him.
  • This was written by Paul Gordon, Dennis Matkosky and Louis Pardini. Gordon's other co-writes include two popular duets: "The Next Time I Fall" (Peter Cetera and Amy Grant) and "Friends and Lovers" (Gloria Loring and Carl Anderson); Matkosky had worked with Michael Sembello, co-writing the Diana Ross hit "Mirror, Mirror" as well as Sembello's #1 hit "Maniac"; Pardini worked on Smokey Robinson's "Just To See Her." These guys certainly had the goods to deliver another lite favorite.
  • In this song, two people have reached a stage when they both know what they want, and it's each other. They've made their mistakes and don't want to waste any more time, so they're both ready to end their search, saving the best for last.

    It's the kind of love song Smokey Robinson scored with a lot in the '80s; another is "One Heartbeat."
  • As he did on "Songbird" and "Silhouette," Kenny G played his soprano saxophone on this one. He also plays alto and tenor sax, but the soprano is his money maker.
  • The music video got a fair amount of airplay on VH1, where Smokey Robinson and Kenny G were both core artists. In the clip, they meet up in a concert hall and hang out around town.
  • "We've Saved The Best For Last" was a solid hit, going to #47 in the US, but neither Kenny G nor Smokey Robinson added it to their concert repertoires.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Who Wrote That Song?

Who Wrote That Song?Music Quiz

Do you know who wrote Patti Smith's biggest hit? How about the Grease theme song? See if you can match the song to the writer.

Amanda Palmer

Amanda PalmerSongwriter Interviews

Call us crazy, but we like it when an artist comes around who doesn't mesh with the status quo.

Psychedelic Lyrics

Psychedelic LyricsMusic Quiz

Whoa man! Do you know which band came up with these cosmic lyrics?

Graham Parker

Graham ParkerSongwriter Interviews

When Judd Apatow needed under-appreciated rockers for his Knocked Up sequel, he immediately thought of Parker, who just happened to be getting his band The Rumour back together.

John Parr

John ParrSongwriter Interviews

John tells the "St. Elmo's Fire (Man In Motion)" story and explains why he disappeared for so long.

Song Cities

Song CitiesMusic Quiz

Nirvana, Billy Joel and Bruce Springsteen are among those who wrote songs with cities that show up in this quiz.