A Special Part of Me


A Special Part of Me is an album by American pop singer Johnny Mathis that was released on January 22, 1984, by Columbia Records and reunited him with his "Too Much, Too Little, Too Late" partner Deniece Williams on one of the LP's two duets, "Love Won't Let Me Wait", which is also the only song on the album that was previously recorded and released by another artist. This continuing trend away from the cover album genre would reach its limit with his next studio release, Right from the Heart, which only had original material.
A Special Part of Me made its first appearance on Billboard magazine's Top LPs & Tapes chart in the issue dated March 10, 1984, and remained there for 19 weeks, peaking at number 157. It also made it to number 45 during a three-week run on the UK album chart that began on September 15 of that year.
"Love Won't Let Me Wait" had its chart debut on Billboard magazine's list of the 100 most popular R&B singles in the US in the issue dated February 25, 1984, where it peaked at number 32 over the course of 12 weeks. The March 24 issue marked its first appearance on the magazine's list of the 50 most popular Adult Contemporary records in the US, where it spent 13 weeks and reached number 14. The next issue, dated March 31, saw its debut on the "Bubbling Under the Hot 100" chart, where it got as high as number 106.
Another song from the album, "Simple", began a 12-week run on the R&B chart two months later, in the May 19 issue, that took the song to number 43. The Adult Contemporary chart in the following issue, dated May 26, was its next debut and the beginning of a 16-week stay, during which time it made it to number six. It also enjoyed eight weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 that began the following month, in the issue dated June 23, giving Mathis a number 81 hit, and reached number eight on the Canadian AC chart.
The fact that the front cover photograph was taken at the Carlyle Hotel in Miami, Florida, and the choice of pastels for both the album design and the clothing Mathis wears in the photo might suggest that the look was inspired by the influential hit show Miami Vice, but the television series debuted on September 16, 1984—eight months after this album was released.
On January 15, 2013, Funkytowngrooves released an expanded edition of the album on compact disc that included two additional versions of "Simple" that came out in 1984 on a separate 12-inch single.

Track listing

From the liner notes for the original album:
  1. "Simple" – 3:43
  2. * Dennis Belfield – bass
  3. * Michel Colombier – Fender Rhodes, piano, Jupiter 8
  4. * Bill Cuomo – Prophet
  5. * David Williams – guitar
  6. * Jerry Hey – horn arrangements
  7. "Love Won't Let Me Wait" performed with Deniece Williams – 4:16
  8. * Abe Laboriel – bass
  9. * Michel Colombier – Fender Rhodes, Jupiter 8, DX7, horn arrangements
  10. * David Williams – guitar
  11. "The Best Is Yet to Come" – 4:14
  12. * Abe Laboriel – bass
  13. * Michel Colombier – Fender Rhodes, Jupiter 8, horn arrangements
  14. * David Williams – guitar
  15. "Lead Me to Your Love" – 4:21
  16. * Dennis Belfield – bass
  17. * Paulinho da Costa – percussion
  18. * Michel Colombier – Fender Rhodes, piano, Jupiter 8
  19. * Bill Cuomo – Prophet
  20. * Marty Walsh – acoustic guitar
  21. "You're a Special Part of Me" performed with Angela Bofill – 4:13
  22. * Abe Laboriel – bass
  23. * Michel Colombier – Fender Rhodes, Jupiter 8, horn arrangements
  24. * Luis Conte – percussion
  25. * David Williams – guitar
  26. "Love Never Felt So Good" – 4:20
  27. * Nathan East – bass
  28. * Michel Colombier – Fender Rhodes, Jupiter 8
  29. * Luis Conte – percussion
  30. * Marty Walsh – acoustic guitar
  31. * David Williams – guitar
  32. * Bill Cuomo – Prophet, Yamaha Chroma
  33. * Jerry Hey – horn arrangements
  34. "Priceless" – 4:05
  35. * Dennis Belfield – bass
  36. * Paulinho da Costa – percussion
  37. * Michel Colombier – Fender Rhodes, piano, Jupiter 8
  38. * Bill Cuomo – Prophet
  39. * Larry Carlton –guitar
  40. "One Love" – 3:58
  41. * Dennis Belfield – bass
  42. * Michel Colombier – Fender Rhodes, piano, Jupiter 8
  43. * Bill Cuomo – Prophet
  44. * Marty Walsh – guitar
  45. "Right Here and Now" – 3:27
  46. * Nathan East – bass
  47. * Michel Colombier – Fender Rhodes, piano, Jupiter 8, horn arrangements
  48. * Marty Walsh – acoustic guitar
  49. * David Williams – guitar
  50. * Bill Cuomo – Prophet, Yamaha Chroma
  51. * Jerry Hey – horn arrangements

2013 and 2017 CD bonus tracks

These two tracks were mixed by David Todd and Nick Martinelli and released in 1984 as a 12-inch single:
  1. "Simple" – 5:55
  2. "Simple" – 4:52
Both tracks were also included on the 2013 Funkytowngrooves reissue and the album's CD release as part of the 2017 box set The Voice of Romance: The Columbia Original Album Collection.

Recording dates

From the liner notes for the 2013 CD reissue:
  • March 9, 1983 – "Lead Me to Your Love", "Love Never Felt So Good", "One Love", "Right Here and Now", "You're a Special Part of Me"
  • April 13, 1983 – "Priceless", "Simple"
  • August 16, 1983 – "The Best Is Yet to Come", "Love Won't Let Me Wait"

Song information

The only cover on this album, "Love Won't Let Me Wait", was a number one R&B hit for Major Harris in 1975. Additionally, the song "Love Never Felt So Good" was based on a demo track by pop singer Michael Jackson, recorded in 1983. The following year, writer Paul Anka gave Mathis permission to use the song, at which point Mathis recorded an R&B remix with revised lyrics by Anka and Kathleen Wakefield. The Jackson version was eventually leaked online in 2006, and received a proper release under Jackson's branding in 2014 as a part of his posthumous album Xscape.

Personnel

Original album

From the liner notes for the original album:
; Performers
; Production

Funkytowngrooves reissue

From the liner notes for the 2013 reissue:
  • Tony Calvert – reissue producer
  • Randy Mahon – assistant reissue producer
  • Matt Murphy – production manager
  • Gavin Wallace – package design
  • Alex Henderson – liner notes
  • Mastered by Sean Brennan at Battery Studios, New York, from the original master tapes