The Most Beautiful Girl

"The Most Beautiful Girl" is a song recorded by Charlie Rich and written by Billy Sherrill, Norro Wilson, and Rory Bourke. The countrypolitan ballad reached No. 1 in the United States in 1973 on three Billboard music charts: the pop chart (two weeks), the country chart (three weeks), and the adult contemporary chart (three weeks),^[6] as well as in Canada on three RPM charts: the RPM 100 Top Singles chart, the Country Tracks chart, and the Adult Contemporary chart. Billboard ranked it as the No. 23 song for 1974.

"The Most Beautiful Girl"
Single by Charlie Rich
from the album Behind Closed Doors
B-side	"I Feel Like Going Home"
Released	29 August 1973[1]
Recorded	1973
Studio	Columbia (Nashville, Tennessee)[2]
Genre	Country[3] country pop[4] blue-eyed soul[5]
Length	2:43
Label	Epic
Songwriter(s)	Rory Bourke Billy Sherrill Norro Wilson
Producer(s)	Billy Sherrill
Charlie Rich singles chronology
"Behind Closed Doors" (1973) "The Most Beautiful Girl" (1973) "A Very Special Love Song" (1974)

It is actually a merging of two songs previously recorded by Wilson: "Hey Mister" (from 1968). which forms a major part of the song; and "Mama McCluskie”, used in part in the chorus.

The B-side, Rich's own "I Feel Like Going Home”, was later covered by Rita Coolidge and was released on her 1974 album Fall into Spring. British pop singer Engelbert Humperdinck covered "The Most Beautiful Girl" on his 1973 album Engelbert: King of Hearts.

"The Most Beautiful Girl" was also recorded by Slim Whitman in the 1970s. Andy Williams released a version in 1974 on his album The Way We Were. In 1975 ABBA singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad recorded a Swedish-language version called "Vill du låna en man?" (with Swedish lyrics by Stig Anderson) on her solo album Frida ensam. Sergio Franchi recorded the song on his 1976 DynaHouse album 20 Magnificent Songs. Country music boy band South 65 recorded an updated version of the song, titled "The Most Beautiful Girl (2001 Version)”. on their 2001 album Dream Large.

The song receives a very brief airing by Brenda Fricker in the film So I Married an Axe Murderer. Jason Alexander offered a rendition as his character George Costanza on the December 16, 1992, episode of the sitcom Seinfeld titled "The Pick", where he bemoaned the loss of his girlfriend, Susan.^[7] The song is featured prominently in the 2018 horror film The Ranger.

Chart performance

Weekly charts Chart (1973–1974) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report)[8] 7 Belgian VRT Top 30 1 Canadian RPM Country Tracks 1 Canadian RPM Top Singles 1 Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary 1 Danish Singles Chart 5 French Singles Chart 10 German Singles Chart 14 Irish Singles Chart 2 Netherlands 3 Norwegian Singles Chart 8 UK Singles Chart 2 US Billboard Hot 100[9] 1 US Billboard Hot Country Singles[10] 1 US Billboard Easy Listening 1 US Cash Box Top 100 1

Year-end charts Chart (1973) Rank Canada[11] 84 Chart (1974) Rank Australia (Kent Music Report)[12] 57 UK[13] 25 US Billboard Hot 100[14] 23 US Cash Box[15] 3

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[16]	Gold	1,000,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "Charlie Rich - the Most Beautiful Girl".
2. Kosser, Michael (2006). How Nashville Became Music City, U.S.A.: A History Of Music Row. Lanham, Maryland, US: Backbeat Books. pp. 155–160. ISBN 978-1-49306-512-7.
3. Breithaupt, Don; Breithaupt, Jeff (October 15, 1996). "The Energy Crisis: MOR". Precious and Few - Pop Music in the Early '70s. St. Martin's Griffin. p. 159. ISBN 031214704X.
4. Marsh, Dave (1989). The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made. Plume. p. 473. ISBN 0-452-26305-0.
5. Smith, Troy L. (14 December 2021). "Every No. 1 song of the 1970s ranked from worst to best". Cleveland.com. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
6. Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 203.
7. "The Pick". Seinfeld Scripts. Retrieved 2016-10-08.
8. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 251. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
9. "Charlie Rich Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
10. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 289.
11. Canada, Library and Archives (July 28, 2017). "Image : RPM Weekly". Library and Archives Canada.
12. "National Top 100 Singles for 1974". Kent Music Report. 30 December 1974. Retrieved 15 January 2022 – via Imgur.
13. "Top 100 1974 - UK Music Charts". Uk-charts.top-source.info. Retrieved 2016-10-08.
14. "Top 100 Hits of 1974/Top 100 Songs of 1974". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016-10-08.
15. "Cash Box Top 100 Singles of 1974". Archived from the original on 2019-07-22. Retrieved 2018-04-05.
16. "American single certifications – Charlie Rich – The Most Beautiful Girl". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 15, 2024.