Chesney Hawkes -The One and Only

This has to be one of the few top 10 hits of the 90's that rarely gets played and rarely appears on any compilations.

With that being said I was trying to identify the correct hit version.

There are 3 versions on the CD single

Chrysalis ‎– DPRO 23730 Promo

The One and Only (Single Mix) 3:43
The One and Only (US Remix) 3:44
The One and Only (Rock Remix) 3:43

Aaron was able to let me listen to the 3 versions, of which I already had two but could not identify which version was from where.

My memory of the hit version of this song is fuzzy. But I seem to recall the US Remix was the radio version as it sounds like the version I heard. The single mix sounds very close. The Rock Remix I don't recall hearing at all.

If anyone wants to chime in let me know. Again this has to be one of the few top 10 hits of the early 90's to be underrepresented on comps.

It peaked at #12 on the R&R pop chart and spent 14 weeks on the chart. Not a massive hit, but it got a fair amount of airplay in my area.

I did an A/B of the US Remix and Rock Remix from start to finish, and I cannot detect any differences between the two.

The "Single Mix" sounds a little duller on the high end and has some very minor differences from the US Remix. Most notably, the opening line has the vocal held longer on the word "only" in the US Remix. There are also some changes in instrumentation levels throughout between the two, but I don't really hear anything "new" introduced in the US Remix. It simply sounds like a slightly hotter, more polished mix.

I agree. Without hearing from someone who was in CHR radio at the time, it's hard to say. The mixes are very similar. There's nothing that really stands out in the US Remix that would distinguish it when heard on the air. Furthermore, radio uses so much compression and processing, the "Single Mix" would probably sound a lot less dull when played on the air.

For what it's worth, TM Century issued the "Single Mix" on both HitDisc and GoldDisc, so I'm sure there are many small and medium market stations who would've aired it from this disc. Also, I think it's possible that a lot of programmers would've chosen cut #1 from the promo CD, especially since there aren't any major differences between the three choices they had.