"As I Lay Me Down" is a song composed and performed by singer-songwriter

Singer-songwriter

Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...

 Sophie B. Hawkins

Sophie B. Hawkins

Sophie Ballantine Hawkins is an American singer, songwriter, musician and painter. Her biggest hits are "Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover", "Right Beside You", and "As I Lay Me Down".- Career :...

. It is from her album Whaler

Whaler (album)

Whaler is the second album by American singer-songwriter Sophie B. Hawkins, released in 1994 .-Track listing:All songs written by Sophie B...

and also appears on The Best of Sophie B. Hawkins. The song is one of her two biggest hits, reaching number six on the Billboard Hot 100

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

 and number one on the Adult Contemporary chart

Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks

The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...

 for six weeks during its year of release, 1995.

Song information

The song is a ballad in memory of Hawkins' father. It also appeared in the TV show Dawson's Creek

Dawson's Creek

Dawson's Creek is an American teen drama television series which debuted on January 20, 1998, on The WB Television Network and was produced by Sony Pictures Television. The show is set in the fictional seaside town of Capeside, Massachusetts, and in Boston, Massachusetts, during the later seasons...

, Party of Five

Party of Five

Party of Five is an American teen drama television series that aired on Fox for six seasons, from September 12, 1994, until May 3, 2000.Critically acclaimed, the show suffered from low ratings and after its first season was slated for cancellation...

(with Hawkins performing it as a guest star), and Now and Then, a 1995 film directed by Lesli Linka Glatter.

"As I Lay Me Down" was actually the second U.S. single released from the album Whaler. With disappointing sales of the first single, "Right Beside You

Right Beside You

"Right Beside You" is a single released by American singer Sophie B. Hawkins. The single was released in autumn of 1994 and reached number 13 in the UK...

", the song was released with little fanfare (a photograph of Sophie dressed as a sailor graced the cover). Sophie then insisted that her label (Columbia

Columbia Records

Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...

) allow her to tour the country with only an acoustic piano

Piano

The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...

. The song then began receiving airplay on adult contemporary stations. During the summer of 1995, it became a huge A/C hit as well as a top ten song. A remix also helped the song gain airplay on other kinds of stations. As I Lay Me Down (with two different video versions) peaked on the charts in the autumn of 1995. While many speculate that the backup singers chant "Pull my taco" throughout the song, Hawkins clarified in October 2011 that the backup vocalist (Hawkins herself) is saying "ooh la kah koh". After initially explaining this meant "wash your feet before you sleep" in an African language, Hawkins admitted that she actually made up the phrase while recording, and it has no particular meaning.

The song was also included in the album All Time Greatest Movie Songs

All Time Greatest Movie Songs (Album)

All Time Greatest Movie Songs is a joint effort with Columbia Records of Sony Music UK to released movie compilations in 1999.-Track listing:#"My Heart Will Go On" - Celine Dion#"Men in Black" - Will Smith...

, released by Sony

Sony

, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....

in 1999. The song was a Top Ten hit in Australia peaking at #7.

http://www.australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Sophie+B.+Hawkins&titel=As+I+Lay+Me+Down&cat=s

Peak positions

Chart (1995)	Peak position
US Hot 100	6
Australian ARIA Single Charts	7

End of year charts

End of year chart (1995)	Position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	39
End of year chart (1996)	Position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	76