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It was released as a single in February 1983 on Washington's Elektra label. It became Washington's second biggest hit following the success of his Bill Withers duet, "Just the Two of Us", reaching number fourteen on the Billboard R&B singles chart and number four on the Billboard Hot 100's Bubbling Under chart. The song features Washington's trademark saxophone riffs and an inspiring vocal delivery from LaBelle, who first sings it in her mid-range, before reaching higher vocal ranges near the end of the song, similar to the direction she took when she recorded "If Only You Knew" several months earlier.
The song later won LaBelle her first Grammy Award nomination in the Best Female R&B Vocal Performance category. After the success of "The Best Is Yet To Come", LaBelle's label, Philadelphia International Records, released "If Only You Knew", also written by Biggs and Wansel with minor contribution by Kenny Gamble as the first single off her second PIR album, I'm in Love Again. It led to LaBelle finding chart success with the single. LaBelle rarely performed "The Best Is Yet To Come" live in concert. After the 1980s, it was not included in her set list; LaBelle included the song back in her set list during recent tours however.
