One Sweet Day
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| "One Sweet Day" | ||
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| Single by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men | ||
| from the album Daydream | ||
| Released | November 14, 1995 (U.S.) November 19, 1995 (UK) | |
| Format | CD single, CD maxi single, cassette single, cassette maxi single, 7" single, 12" single | |
| Genre | Pop | |
| Length | 4:41 | |
| Label | Columbia | |
| Writer(s) | Mariah Carey, Walter Afanasieff, Wanya Morris, Nathan Morris, Shawn Stockman, Michael McCary | |
| Producer(s) | Mariah Carey, Walter Afanasieff | |
| Certification | 2x platinum (RIAA) | |
| Chart positions | ||
| Mariah Carey singles chronology | ||
| "Fantasy" (1995) |
"One Sweet Day" (1995) |
"Open Arms" (1996) |
| Boys II Men singles chronology | ||
| "Vibin'" (1995) |
"One Sweet Day" (1995) |
"I Remember" (1996) |
"One Sweet Day" is a song recorded by American singer Mariah Carey and quartet Boyz II Men and co-written by Carey, Walter Afanasieff and Boyz II Men members Wanya Morris, Shawn Stockman, Nathan Morris, and Michael McCary. It was co-produced by Carey and Afanasieff for Carey's sixth album Daydream, and was released as the album's second single in 1995 (see 1995 in music). It holds the record for the longest run at number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 (16 weeks total), and is the biggest hit of both Carey's and Boyz II Men's careers. Popular both within and outside the U.S., it is widely considered the most successful non-charity single of the 1990s in the United States.
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[edit] About the record
"One Sweet Day" was originally inspired by the death of Def Leppard guitarist Steve Clark who died in 1991. Carey had always seen him as an idol and loved the way he went around everything as she thought he was her "Guitar Legend". Carey began writing a song. She had also arranged to record a song with Boyz II Men. It is unknown why she chose this group to cover the legend. As ideas were being thrown together for a song, Carey learned that Boyz II Men had also written a song about their road manager, Khalil Roundtree, who was murdered while they were on tour. The two songs were merged together to become "One Sweet Day".
In terms of Billboard magazine charts, the single is the most successful ever for both Carey and Boyz II Men. The protagonists of this memorial pop anthem lament the deaths of friends, but say that they will be together again "one sweet day". The single's video, directed by Larry Jordan, is made up of footage showing Carey and Boyz II Men writing and recording the song in the studio as it was difficult for both Boyz II Men and Carey to schedule a time to film a video.
There are no major remixes of the song, but there is a Chuck Thompson-produced remix, "One Sweet Day (Chucky's remix)", which gives the song a slightly more R&B feel. An a capella version of the song, known as the "Sweet a capella", features slightly different vocal arrangements and a new intro which also serves as a countermelody throughout the song.
[edit] Reception
The single became Carey's tenth number-one single on the Hot 100 and Boyz II Men's fourth, remaining at the peak for a record-breaking sixteen weeks from November 26, 1995 to March 16, 1996. Boyz II Men had previously held this record twice, with "End of the Road" (1992) spending thirteen weeks at the top and "I'll Make Love to You" (1994) spending fourteen. (The latter song shared its record with Whitney Houston's cover of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You".) "One Sweet Day" replaced "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" by Whitney Houston at number one, and was replaced by Celine Dion's "Because You Loved Me".
The single also debuted at number one, making Carey the first artist to have more than one number-one debut, and also the only artist ever to have two consecutive singles debut at number one; the record hasn't been broken yet. The single spent twenty-six weeks in the top forty, was certified two times platinum by the RIAA, and ranked number two on the Hot 100 1996 year-end charts.
Despite its success in the United States, it was not as big a hit elsewhere as previous Carey singles such as "Hero" (1993) and "Fantasy" (1995), the first release from Daydream. It failed to top any chart outside the U.S., but was a top ten hit in the United Kingdom, France, Australia, and Canada. It had some success across Continental Europe, but failed to match the success of "Fantasy". It was Boyz II Men's biggest success outside the U.S. since "End of the Road", and was later included on their greatest hits release Legacy: The Greatest Hits Collection (2001).
"One Sweet Day" was nominated for the 1996 Grammy Awards for "Record of the Year" and "Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals", losing both categories. As two of the top nominees at the 1996 Grammy Awards, Carey and Boyz II Men were invited to perform, and sang "One Sweet Day". Carey began the evening happily as she had been nominated for six Grammys that night. She later stated that not to win any of them felt humiliating, and she did not attend the Grammy Awards ceremony again until 2006. "One Sweet Day" was included on the 2001 Songs of the Century list, at number 351.
[edit] Audio samples
- "One Sweet Day" (file info) — play in browser (beta)
- Problems playing the files? See media help.
[edit] Track listings
- U.S. CD maxi single (cassette maxi single/12" single)
- "One Sweet Day" (album version)
- "One Sweet Day" (Sweet a cappella)
- "One Sweet Day" (a cappella)
- "One Sweet Day" (Chucky's remix)
- "One Sweet Day" (live version)
- "Fantasy" (Def Drums mix)
[edit] Charts
| Chart (1995) | Peak position |
No. of chart topper |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 (16 weeks) | 10th (Carey) 4th (Boyz II Men) |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | 2 | — |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary | 1 (13 weeks) | 6th (Carey) |
| U.S. ARC Weekly Top 40 | 1 (11 weeks) | 13th (Carey) 6th (Boyz II Men) |
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart | 2 | — |
| Canadian Singles Chart | 2 | — |
| French Singles Chart | 5 | — |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 6 | — |
| UK Singles Chart | 6 | — |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 12 | — |
| Italian Singles Chart | 23 | — |
| German Singles Chart | 25 | — |
| Japanese Oricon Singles Chart | 87 | — |
| Preceded by: "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" by Whitney Houston |
Billboard Hot 100 number-one single December 2, 1995 |
Succeeded by: "Because You Loved Me" by Céline Dion |
| Preceded by: "Gangsta's Paradise by Coolio |
RIANZ (New Zealand) number one single 22 December 1995, 19 January 1996 |
Succeeded by: "How Bizarre" by OMC |
[edit] See also
| Mariah Carey |
|---|
| Albums | Singles | Awards | DVDs and videos |
