“No One Else On Earth”
Wynonna
Written by Jill Colucci, Stewart Harris, and Sam Lorber
Billboard
#1 (4 weeks)
October 24 – November 14, 1992
Radio & Records
#1 (1 week)
October 30, 1992
Wynonna’s third No. 1 single makes chart history.
The Road to No. 1
Wynonna had already spent four cumulative weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard chart with her first two singles from Wynonna. With “No One Else On Earth,” she doubled that to eight, as “No One Else On Earth” became the first single by a female artist to spend four weeks at No. 1 since Dolly Parton stayed there for five with “Here You Come Again” in 1977.
The No. 1
“No One Else On Earth” was originally the B-side to “She is His Only Need,” but the label spruced the bluesy number up with a radio remix that freshened up the track considerably.
It was already a great song, with Wynonna giving a ferocious performance that effortlessly alternated between bravado and vulnerability. She just sounds so annoyed as she growls, “How did you get to me?”
It’s probably her signature song as a solo artist, and it’s easy to understand why. It perfectly distills her musical talent and public persona into one perfect record that sounded great on the radio, no matter how many times they played it.
The Road From No. 1
Wynonna would produce one more No. 1 from her self-titled album. We’ll get to it in early 1993 when it tops the Radio & Records survey.
“No One Else On Earth” gets an A.
Every No. 1 Single of the Nineties
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I remember knowing this song before I started listening to country music, because it crossed over to my local pop stations. I loved the song, so I was pleasantly surprised when I started listening to country music and discovered that it was actually a country song. This song holds up in every way 30 years later!
This song did what Leanne described, and cut a path like wildfire through other formats. You could hear it everywhwere in 1992. It will be interesting to note that many of the female artists from this era find wider cross-over success than someone as insanely popular as Garth Brooks.
I agree with Kevin that this song still crunches and crackles with personality today.
How many of these songs can I label as “classics” before the distinction ceases to matter?
Who cares! Keep the classic machine turning!
@ Peter – it’s amazing how many “A” songs there are in this feature! (And while I might slightly disagree with Kevin on a few of the rankings, by no means do I think that he is being too generous with his rankings – there were so many classics released during this time period).