abstract
| - %22The Most Beautiful Girl%22 is a song recorded by Charlie Rich and written by Bill Sherrill, Norris Wilson, and Rory Bourke. The country & western ballad reached #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), 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 song was originally recorded as %22Hey Mister%22 in 1968 by by co-writer Norris Wilson. The song also uses a part of %22Mama McCluskie%22, also by Norris Wilson.Rich's B-side, his own I Feel Like Going Home, was later covered by Rita Coolidge and was released on her 1974 album Fall into Spring.British Pop star Engelbert Humperdinck included %22The Most Beautiful Girl%22 on his 1973 album Engelbert: King of Hearts.%22The Most Beautiful Girl%22 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 %22Vill du låna en man?%22 (with Swedish lyrics by Stig Anderson) on her solo album %22Frida ensam%22. Sergio Franchi recorded the song in his 1976 DynaHouse album 20 Magnificent Songs. Country music boy band South 65 recorded an updated version of the song, titled %22The Most Beautiful Girl (2001 Version)%22, 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 also offered a rendition as his character George Costanza on the Dec. 16, 1992 episode of the sitcom Seinfeld titled %22The Pick,%22 where he bemoaned the loss of his girlfriend, Susan.
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