| The Best Years of Our Lives | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 13 December 1988 | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | Adult contemporary | |||
| Length | 44:44 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Producer | David Foster | |||
| Neil Diamond chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
The Best Years of Our Lives is the eighteenth studio albumbyNeil Diamond. It was released by Columbia Records in 1988 and reached number 46 on the Billboard 200 chart, number 42 on the UK album chart, and number 92 on the Australian chart.[2] The album was certified gold by the RIAA on February 16, 1989.[3] In his review of The Best Years of Our Lives music critic Bryan Buss referred to it as "a strong entry in Diamond's oeuvre" and as "an album that is romantic and sentimental without being manipulative".[4]
Three singles from the album, the title track, "This Time", and "Baby Can I Hold You" reached numbers 7, 9, and 28, respectively on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart.[4] "This Time" also reached #17 on the Irish Singles Chart.[5] Cash Box said of the title track that it was "not a terribly inspired tune, but served up with predictable skill by Mr. D."[6]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Best Years of Our Lives" | Neil Diamond | 4:00 |
| 2. | "Hard Times for Lovers" | Neil Diamond | 4:25 |
| 3. | "This Time" | Neil Diamond, David Foster, Jeremy Lubbock | 3:57 |
| 4. | "Everything's Gonna Be Fine" | Neil Diamond, Weldon Dean Parks | 3:59 |
| 5. | "Hooked on the Memory of You" | Neil Diamond | 3:53 |
| 6. | "Take Care of Me" | Neil Diamond, David Foster | 3:39 |
| 7. | "Baby Can I Hold You" | Tracy Chapman | 3:55 |
| 8. | "Carmelita's Eyes" | Neil Diamond, David Foster | 4:05 |
| 9. | "Courtin' Disaster" | Neil Diamond, David Foster | 4:32 |
| 10. | "If I Couldn't See You Again" | Neil Diamond | 4:02 |
| 11. | "Long Hard Climb" | Neil Diamond, Tom Hensley, Alan Lindgren | 4:42 |
| Chart (1988-1989) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[7] | 92 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[8] | 43 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[9] | 42 |
| USBillboard 200[10] | 46 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[11] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
