On the Way to the Sky
{{more citations needed|date=August 2023}}
{{Infobox album
| name = On the Way to the Sky
| type = studio
| artist = Neil Diamond
| cover = On the Way to the Sky cover.jpeg
| alt =
| released = October 9, 1981
| recorded = 1981
| venue =
| studio =
| genre = Rock
| length = 42:09
| label = Columbia
| producer = Neil Diamond
| prev_title = The Jazz Singer
| prev_year = 1980
| next_title = Heartlight
| next_year = 1982
| misc = {{Singles
| name = On My Way to the Sky
| type = studio
| single1 = Yesterday's Songs
| single1date = November 1981
| single2 = On The Way To The Sky
| single2date = February 1982
| single3 = Be Mine Tonight
| single3date = May 1982
}}
}}
{{Album reviews
|rev1 = AllMusic
|rev1score = {{Rating|2.5|5}}{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r5675}}
|rev2 = The Rolling Stone Album Guide
|rev2score = {{rating|1|5}}{{cite book |title=The Rolling Stone Album Guide |date=1992 |publisher=Random House |page=195}}
|noprose=yes
}}
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."{{cite magazine|title=Reviews|magazine=Cash Box|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Cash-Box/80s/1982/CB-1982-05-15.pdf|date=May 15, 1982|accessdate=2022-07-07|page=8}} Billboard said that it's a "bristling midtempo rocker with much of the energy and sass of 'America' or 'Longfellow Serenade.'"{{cite magazine|magazine=Billboard|date=May 15, 1982|accessdate=2023-01-21|page=71|title=Top Single Picks|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JSQEAAAAMBAJ}}
For shipments of a million copies, the album was certified Platinum by the RIAA,{{Certification Cite Ref|title=On the Way to the Sky|artist=Neil Diamond|type=album|region=United States|access-date=20 September 2022}} 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.
{{track listing |headline=Side one |title1 = Yesterday's Songs |writer1 = |length1 = 2:51 |title2 = On the Way to the Sky |writer2 = Diamond, Carole Bayer Sager |length2 = 3:47 |title3 = Right By You |writer3 = Diamond, Richard Bennett, Doug Rhone |length3 = 3:37 |title4 = Only You |writer4 = Diamond, Tom Hensley, Alan Lindgren |length4 = 4:39 |title5 = Save Me |writer5 = |length5 = 3:23 |title6 = Be Mine Tonight |writer6 = |length6 = 2:39}}
{{track listing |headline=Side two |title1 = The Drifter |writer1 = |length1 = 4:55 |title2 = Fear of the Marketplace |writer2 = |length2 = 4:18 |title3 = Rainy Day Song |writer3 = Diamond, Gilbert Bécaud |length3 = 4:31 |title4 = Guitar Heaven |writer4 = |length4 = 3:37 |title5 = Love Burns |writer5 = Hensley, Lindgren |length5 = 3:45}}
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
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" |
| Chart (1981-1982)
! Peak |
|---|
| scope="row"| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report){{Cite book |last=Kent |first=David |title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 |publisher=Australian Chart Book |year=1993 |isbn=0-646-11917-6 |location=St Ives, New South Wales |author-link=David Kent (historian)}}
| align="center"| 12 |
| {{album chart|Canada|36|artist=Neil Diamond|album=September Morn|chartid=0439|rowheader=true|accessdate=June 4, 2023}} |
| {{album chart|Netherlands|14|artist=Neil Diamond|album=On the Way to the Sky|rowheader=true|accessdate=June 4, 2023}} |
| {{album chart|Germany4|56|artist=Neil Diamond|album=On the Way to the Sky|id=21826|rowheader=true|accessdate=June 4, 2023}} |
| {{album chart|New Zealand|11|artist=Neil Diamond|album=On the Way to the Sky|rowheader=true|accessdate=June 4, 2023}} |
| {{album chart|UK|39|artist=Neil Diamond|rowheader=true|accessdate=June 4, 2023}} |
| {{album chart|Billboard200|17|artist=Neil Diamond|rowheader=true|accessdate=June 4, 2023}} |
Certifications
{{certification Table Top}}
{{certification Table Entry|type=album|region=New Zealand|artist=Neil Young|title=On the Way to the Sky|award=Gold|id=1981-12-18|source=newchart|access-date=2024-11-20|relyear=1981}}
{{certification Table Entry|type=album|region=United Kingdom|artist=Neil Young|title=On the Way to the Sky|award=Silver|certyear=1981|relyear=1981|id=7481-3130-2|access-date=10 June 2019}}
{{certification Table Entry|type=album|region=United States|artist=Neil Young|title=On the Way to the Sky|award=Platinum|certyear=1982|relyear=1981|access-date=20 September 2022}}
{{Certification Table Bottom | nosales=true}}