WONDERFUL LIFE (BLACK ALBUM)

Wonderful Life
Wonderful Life
Studio album by Black
Released	18 September 1987
Studio	Powerpoint Studios, London; Square One Studio, Bury
Genre	Pop rock; new wave;
Length	44:40
Label	A&M
Producer	Dave "Dix" Dickie; Robin Millar ("I'm Not Afraid" only);
Black chronology
Singles from Wonderful Life
	" Wonderful Life"; Released: September 1986; "Everything's Coming Up Roses"; Released: April 1987; " Sweetest Smile"; Released: June 1987; " I'm Not Afraid"; Released: October 1987; " Paradise"; Released: 4 January 1988;
Audio sample
	" Sweetest Smile" file; help;

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[2]
Record Mirror	^[3]
Smash Hits	71⁄2/10^[4]

Wonderful Life is the debut album by English singer Black (the stage name of Colin Vearncombe). Released in 1987, it peaked at No. 3 on the UK Albums Chart in September of that year. Three of the songs were co-written with Vearncombe's friend and musical collaborator, keyboardist Dave "Dix" Dickie.

Background

In 1985 Vearncombe wrote the minor key song " Wonderful Life". It was released independently through Ugly Man Records, and got Black noticed by A&M Records who signed Vearncombe and launched his international career. Vearncombe said:

By the end of 1985 I had been in a couple of car crashes, my mother had a serious illness, I had been dropped by a record company, my first marriage went belly-up and I was homeless. Then I sat down and wrote this song called 'Wonderful Life'. I was being sarcastic.^[5]^[6]

Vearncombe suffered from the feeling of being a one-hit wonder, however, saying later:

Once you have had a hit, it's hard to write another song without having that in the back of your mind. For a long time, I would find myself hearing, 'I like it but it's not Wonderful Life'.^[7]

The album's second single "Everything's Coming Up Roses" was also accompanied by a video,^[8] but reached only No. 76 in the UK Singles Chart, although also making No. 8 in both the Austrian and German charts.^{[
citation needed]} The follow-up " Sweetest Smile", however, became a UK top-10 hit. The third single, a re-release of "Wonderful Life", was a massive hit worldwide. The album of the same name, released in 1987, had similar success, reaping commercial and critical acclaim.^[9]^[10]

When interviewed in 2013 for superdeluxeedition.com, Vearncome was asked if the album had turned out how he wanted and if the record company had forced producers on him. He replied:

No, we were very, very lucky. You see I’d already been through the mill with Warners and stuff, and then I’d been homeless. There wasn’t much you could scare me with. I was actually homeless when I wrote "Sweetest Smile" and "Wonderful Life," but I was couch-surfing, and nothing touches you when you’re that age. For a while you can get away with it.^[11]

Ugly Man Records issue a double-pack single, in September 1986 (Cat. JACK 71D), featuring "Wonderful Life", "Birthday Night", "Sometimes for the Asking" and "Everything's Coming Up Roses".^[12]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Colin Vearncombe unless otherwise noted

Side A
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	" Wonderful Life"		4:46
2.	"Everything's Coming Up Roses"		4:04
3.	"Sometimes for the Asking"		4:09
4.	"Finder"		4:12
5.	" Paradise"	Colin Vearncombe, Dave Dickie	4:51

Side B
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
6.	" I'm Not Afraid"	Colin Vearncombe, Dave Dickie	5:00
7.	"I Just Grew Tired"		4:15
8.	"Blue"	Colin Vearncombe, Dave Dickie	3:38
9.	"Just Making Memories"		4:26
10.	" Sweetest Smile"		5:19
Total length:			44:40

CD Bonus tracks
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
11.	"Ravel in the Rain"	Colin Vearncombe, Dave Dickie	3:47
12.	"Leave Yourself Alone"		4:32
13.	"Sixteens"		3:56
14.	"It's Not You Lady Jane"	Colin Vearncombe, Dave Dickie	3:25
15.	"Hardly Star-Crossed Lovers"		2:51
Total length:			63:11

Singles

The album produced five singles: "Wonderful Life", " I'm Not Afraid" "Everything's Coming Up Roses", "Sweetest Smile" and " Paradise".

Personnel

Musicians

Colin Vearncombe – vocals, guitar
Roy Corkill – fretless bass
Jimmy Hughes – drums
Martin Green – saxophone
Dave "Dix" Dickie – keyboards, programming
The Creamy Whirls (Tina Labrinski, Sara Lamarra) – backing vocals
Jimmy Sangster – electric bass
Doreen Edwards – additional backing vocals
The Sidwell Brothers – brass section

Source:^[13]

Production

Recorded at Powerplant Studios ( London), Square One Studio ( Bury).
Engineered by Stephen Boyce-Buckley, and Pink Studio ( Liverpool).

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1987–1988)	Peak position
Australian Albums ( ARIA)^[14]	34
Austrian Albums ( Ö3 Austria)^[15]	6
Dutch Albums ( Album Top 100)^[16]	11
Finnish Albums ( Suomen virallinen lista)^[17]	31
German Albums ( Offizielle Top 100)^[18]	9
New Zealand Albums ( RMNZ)^[19]	21
Swedish Albums ( Sverigetopplistan)^[20]	30
Swiss Albums ( Schweizer Hitparade)^[21]	5
UK Albums ( OCC)^[22]	3

Year-end charts

Chart (1987)	Position
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[23]	76

Chart (1988)	Position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)^[24]	25
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[25]	29

Sales and certifications

Certifications for *Wonderful Life*
Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
France ( SNEP)^[26]	Gold	100,000^*
Germany ( BVMI)^[27]	Gold	250,000^{^}
Spain ( PROMUSICAE)^[28]^[29]	Platinum	100,000^{^}
Switzerland ( IFPI Switzerland)^[29]	Gold	25,000^{^}
United Kingdom ( BPI)^[30]	Platinum	300,000^{^}
^* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

^ "Index". Record Mirror. 12 September 1987. p. 4. ISSN 0144-5804.
^ Black: Wonderful Life – Review at AllMusic
^ Cohen, Lysette (12 September 1987). "Albums". Record Mirror. p. 12. ISSN 0144-5804.
^ Patterson, Sylvia (9–22 September 1987). "Albums" (PDF). Smash Hits. Vol. 9, no. 17. p. 68. ISSN 0260-3004. Retrieved 21 November 2023 – via World Radio History.
^ The Daily Telegraph, [paper only] (28 Jan 2016), p.27
^ Roche, Barry (3 February 2016). "Funeral of singer 'Black' to take place in Co Cork". The Irish Times.
^ The Daily Telegraph, ibid., p.27
^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Black - Everything Is Coming Up Roses. YouTube.
^ Sweeting, Adam (26 January 2016). "Colin Vearncombe obituary" – via www.theguardian.com.
^ "Colin Vearncombe: Singer known as Black who wrote Wonderful Life". The Independent. 28 January 2016.
^ "Wonderful Life: The 'lost' interview with Colin Vearncombe RIP - superdeluxeedition".
^ "Black - Wonderful Life".
^ "Wonderful Life - Black" – via www.allmusic.com.
^ "Australiancharts.com – Black – Wonderful Life". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
^ "Austriancharts.at – Black – Wonderful Life" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Black – Wonderful Life" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
^ Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Black". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021. Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 31. ISBN 978-952-7460-01-6.
^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Black – Wonderful Life" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
^ "Charts.nz – Black – Wonderful Life". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
^ "Swedishcharts.com – Black – Wonderful Life". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
^ "Swisscharts.com – Black – Wonderful Life". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
^ "Black | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1987". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
^ "Jahreshitparade Alben 1988". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
^ "French album certifications – Black – Wonderful Life" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 22 July 2022. Select BLACK and click OK.
^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Black; 'Wonderful Life')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
^ Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (PDF) (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. p. 924. ISBN 84-8048-639-2. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
^ ^a ^b Stratton, Sally (28 October 1989). "Spotlights - Black's Future Looks Bright" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 6, no. 43. p. 40. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 15 August 2023 – via World Radio History.
^ "British album certifications – Black – Wonderful Life". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 22 July 2022.

External links

Information at Colin Vearncombe's official website
Wonderful Life at Discogs (list of releases)
Black - Everything Is Coming Up Roses on YouTube

[1] "Index". Record Mirror. 12 September 1987. p. 4. ISSN 0144-5804.

[2] Black: Wonderful Life – Review at AllMusic

[3] Cohen, Lysette (12 September 1987). "Albums". Record Mirror. p. 12. ISSN 0144-5804.

[SH-4] Patterson, Sylvia (9–22 September 1987). "Albums" (PDF). Smash Hits. Vol. 9, no. 17. p. 68. ISSN 0260-3004. Retrieved 21 November 2023 – via World Radio History.

[5] The Daily Telegraph, [paper only] (28 Jan 2016), p.27

[Irish_Times_Obit-6] Roche, Barry (3 February 2016). "Funeral of singer 'Black' to take place in Co Cork". The Irish Times.

[7] The Daily Telegraph, ibid., p.27

[8] Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Black - Everything Is Coming Up Roses. YouTube.

[9] Sweeting, Adam (26 January 2016). "Colin Vearncombe obituary" – via www.theguardian.com.

[10] "Colin Vearncombe: Singer known as Black who wrote Wonderful Life". The Independent. 28 January 2016.

[11] "Wonderful Life: The 'lost' interview with Colin Vearncombe RIP - superdeluxeedition".

[12] "Black - Wonderful Life".

[13] "Wonderful Life - Black" – via www.allmusic.com.

[ac_Australia_Black-14] "Australiancharts.com – Black – Wonderful Life". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 March 2021.

[ac_Austria_Black-15] "Austriancharts.at – Black – Wonderful Life" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 March 2021.

[ac_Netherlands_Black-16] "Dutchcharts.nl – Black – Wonderful Life" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 March 2021.

[17] Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Black". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021. Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 31. ISBN 978-952-7460-01-6.

[ac_Germany4_Black-18] "Offiziellecharts.de – Black – Wonderful Life" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 5 March 2021.

[ac_New_Zealand_Black-19] "Charts.nz – Black – Wonderful Life". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 March 2021.

[ac_Sweden_Black-20] "Swedishcharts.com – Black – Wonderful Life". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 March 2021.

[ac_Switzerland_Black-21] "Swisscharts.com – Black – Wonderful Life". Hung Medien. Retrieved 5 March 2021.

[ac_UK_Black-22] "Black | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 5 March 2021.

[23] "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1987". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 5 March 2021.

[24] "Jahreshitparade Alben 1988". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 5 March 2021.

[25] "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 5 March 2021.

[FranceBlackWonderful_LifealbumCertRef-26] "French album certifications – Black – Wonderful Life" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 22 July 2022. Select BLACK and click OK.

[GermanyBlackWonderful_LifealbumCertRef-27] "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Black; 'Wonderful Life')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 22 July 2022.

[28] Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (PDF) (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. p. 924. ISBN 84-8048-639-2. Retrieved 22 July 2022.

[Music_&_Media-29] Stratton, Sally (28 October 1989). "Spotlights - Black's Future Looks Bright" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 6, no. 43. p. 40. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 15 August 2023 – via World Radio History.

[United_KingdomBlackWonderful_LifealbumCertRef-30] "British album certifications – Black – Wonderful Life". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 22 July 2022.

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v t e Black
Studio albums	Wonderful Life (1987) Comedy (1988) Black (1991) Are We Having Fun Yet? (1993) Between Two Churches (2005)
Compilation albums	Black (1987)
Singles	" Wonderful Life" " Sweetest Smile" " I'm Not Afraid" " Paradise" " The Big One" " Now You're Gone" " Feel Like Change" " Here It Comes Again" " Fly Up to the Moon"

v t e Black
Studio albums	Wonderful Life (1987) Comedy (1988) Black (1991) Are We Having Fun Yet? (1993) Between Two Churches (2005)
Compilation albums	Black (1987)
Singles	" Wonderful Life" " Sweetest Smile" " I'm Not Afraid" " Paradise" " The Big One" " Now You're Gone" " Feel Like Change" " Here It Comes Again" " Fly Up to the Moon"

Background

Track listing

Singles

Personnel

Musicians

Production

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Sales and certifications

References

External links

Background

Track listing

Singles

Personnel

Musicians

Production

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Sales and certifications

References

External links

Videos

Websites

Encyclopedia

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