Down So Long
Encyclopedia
"Down So Long" is a folk
pop
song written by Jewel
and produced by Patrick Leonard
for Jewel's second album, Spirit
(1998). Jewel wrote the song in 1992 when she was eighteen years old and that she "like[s] it on a musical level, not message-wise." This was the second single that Jewel had not re-recorded vocals for its single release. The guitar in the song was slightly altered creating a stronger sound. A commercial single was not released within the U.S., but was outside of the U.S. The single received a very slight change in the instrumental, which is almost undetected from the album version, it's credited as the radio edit or sometimes the radio remix.
The single peaked at number fifty-nine on the Billboard Hot 100
chart, it also peaked at number ten on the Billboard
Adult Top 40 chart. It also charted in the UK and New Zealand, reaching the top forty and the top twenty respectively.
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
song written by Jewel
Jewel (singer)
Jewel Kilcher , professionally known as Jewel, is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, actress and poet...
and produced by Patrick Leonard
Patrick Leonard
Patrick Raymond Leonard is an American songwriter, keyboardist and music producer, known for his longtime collaboration with Madonna on many different recordings....
for Jewel's second album, Spirit
Spirit (Jewel album)
Spirit is the second album by singer/songwriter Jewel, released in 1998 by Atlantic. Singles include "Hands", "Down So Long," and a newly recorded version of "Jupiter," followed by a remix of "What's Simple Is True" to promote Jewel's debut film Ride with the Devil...
(1998). Jewel wrote the song in 1992 when she was eighteen years old and that she "like[s] it on a musical level, not message-wise." This was the second single that Jewel had not re-recorded vocals for its single release. The guitar in the song was slightly altered creating a stronger sound. A commercial single was not released within the U.S., but was outside of the U.S. The single received a very slight change in the instrumental, which is almost undetected from the album version, it's credited as the radio edit or sometimes the radio remix.
The single peaked at number fifty-nine 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...
chart, it also peaked at number ten on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Adult Top 40 chart. It also charted in the UK and New Zealand, reaching the top forty and the top twenty respectively.
Charts
| Chart (1999) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart | 16 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
38 |
| U.S. 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... |
59 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Top 40 | 10 |
| U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream | 21 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalogue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... |
March 15, 1999 | Atlantic Records Atlantic Records Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz... |
CD Compact Disc The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,... |
7567-84433-2 |
| New Zealand | April 12, 1999 | Atlantic | CD | — |
| United Kingdom | June 14, 1999 | Atlantic | CD | AT0064CD |
Personnel
- Robbie BuchananRobbie BuchananRobbie Buchanan is a Canadian keyboardist, songwriter, arranger, and producer.Buchanan began playing the piano at the age of 6. He acquired his first paying gig as a pianist at the age of 12 playing 6 nights a week in Dawson City, Yukon Territory. While still a teenager, Buchanan joined a band...
— pianoPianoThe 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...
. - Paul Bushnell — bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
. - David Channing — electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
. - Josh Clayton-FeltJosh Clayton-FeltJosh Clayton-Felt was an American singer-songwriter. He grew up outside of Boston, Massachusetts, and attended high school at the Cambridge School of Weston. He later enrolled at Brown University, but discontinued studies soon after to found the band School of Fish.He worked for acclaimed comedy...
— electric guitar. - Jude ColeJude ColeJude Cole is a manager, record producer and singer/songwriter/guitarist.-Career:Cole's solo records, "Jude Cole", "A View from 3rd Street" and "Start the Car" were released on Warner Bros./Reprise Records, and contained the singles "Baby, It's Tonight", "Time for Letting Go" and "Start the Car"...
— acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
. - Luis Conte — bass.
- Omar HakimOmar HakimOmar Hakim is an American jazz, jazz fusion and pop music drummer.Hakim credits jazz vibraphonist Mike Mainieri with giving him his first break in 1980; Hakim appeared in a video with Mainieri called The Jazz Life and began working with singer Carly Simon through Mainieri...
— drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
.
- James Harrah — electric guitar.
- JewelJewel (singer)Jewel Kilcher , professionally known as Jewel, is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, actress and poet...
— main performer, vocals. - Patrick LeonardPatrick LeonardPatrick Raymond Leonard is an American songwriter, keyboardist and music producer, known for his longtime collaboration with Madonna on many different recordings....
— electric pianoElectric pianoAn electric piano is an electric musical instrument.Electric pianos produce sounds mechanically and the sounds are turned into electrical signals by pickups. Unlike a synthesizer, the electric piano is not an electronic instrument, but electro-mechanical. The earliest electric pianos were invented...
, producer. - Brian MacLeodBrian MacLeodBrian MacLeod is a recording drummer and songwriter. He has been a member of Wire Train, Toy Matinee, and the "Tuesday Music Club" collective along with Sheryl Crow, the genesis of her album Tuesday Night Music Club....
— drums. - Tim Pierce — guitar.
- Craig Young — bass.