Stay Another Day
Encyclopedia
"Stay Another Day" is an award-winning 1994 pop song recorded by British boy band
East 17
. It was released in late 1994 and became their first and only UK number-one single reaching Christmas number one, and also topped the charts in Sweden, Ireland and Denmark.
, written by the band's lead songwriter Tony Mortimer
and said to be about his brother Ollie, who committed suicide. Mortimer was aided in the composition by his co-manager Rob Kean and songwriter Dominic Hawken
, who had once been Boy George
's keyboard player. "Stay Another Day" included Christmas
bells towards the end of the song to give it a Christmassy feel and appeal to the lucrative Christmas singles market. The most familiar arrangement is unusual among pop records in that it features almost no drum
s, apart from some timpani
toward the end of the track.
as the B-side to their debut single "Sound of the Underground"
. Also the song that was played when Wellard
the dog was put down on the BBC
soap opera
EastEnders
and it was referenced during the episode. The most recent cover was a semi-acoustic version by Glasvegas
in a session for BBC
Radio 1's Live Lounge in 2008.
It was also the 4th biggest selling boyband single of the 90's in the UK selling 778,000 copies and has received a Platinum sales status certification. Tony Mortimer won an Ivor Novello songwriting award for this song. The single was also nominated for 'Best Single' at the Brit Awards in 1995.
CD single
Boy band
A boy band is loosely defined as a popular music act consisting of only male singers. The members are expected to dance as well as sing, usually giving highly choreographed performances. More often than not, boy band members do not play musical instruments, either in recording sessions or on...
East 17
East 17
East 17 are a pop boy band comprising Tony Mortimer, John Hendy and Terry Coldwell. Tony Mortimer is the group's frontman and primary songwriter. Formed in Walthamstow, London in 1991, the group have achieved eighteen Top 20 singles and four Top 10 albums, and were one of the UK's most popular boy...
. It was released in late 1994 and became their first and only UK number-one single reaching Christmas number one, and also topped the charts in Sweden, Ireland and Denmark.
Background and release
"Stay Another Day" was the third single from East 17's second album Steam, following up "Around The World" and the albums title track. It was their first balladBallad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
, written by the band's lead songwriter Tony Mortimer
Tony Mortimer
Anthony Michael "Tony" Mortimer is a British songwriter, composer, singer and rapper.-Career:Mortimer is a member of the 1990s, UK chart-topping boy band, East 17, with who had seven Top 10 singles and four hit albums between 1992 and 1997...
and said to be about his brother Ollie, who committed suicide. Mortimer was aided in the composition by his co-manager Rob Kean and songwriter Dominic Hawken
Dominic Hawken
Dominic J. Hawken was a keyboard player and session musician in the 1990s, originally playing with Boy George and Marilyn.In 1994, he co-wrote 'Stay Another Day', the UK number one selling single performed by East 17...
, who had once been Boy George
Boy George
Boy George is a British singer-songwriter who was part of the English New Romantic movement which emerged in the early 1980s. He helped give androgyny an international stage with the success of Culture Club during the 1980s. His music is often classified as blue-eyed soul, which is influenced by...
's keyboard player. "Stay Another Day" included Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
bells towards the end of the song to give it a Christmassy feel and appeal to the lucrative Christmas singles market. The most familiar arrangement is unusual among pop records in that it features almost no drum
Drum
The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s, apart from some timpani
Timpani
Timpani, or kettledrums, are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani mallet...
toward the end of the track.
Cover versions
In 2002, the song was covered by Girls AloudGirls Aloud
Girls Aloud are a British and Irish pop girl group based in London. They were created through the ITV1 talent show Popstars The Rivals in 2002. The group consists of Cheryl Cole , Nadine Coyle, Sarah Harding, Nicola Roberts and Kimberley Walsh. They are signed to Fascination Records, a Polydor...
as the B-side to their debut single "Sound of the Underground"
Sound of the Underground (song)
"Sound of the Underground" is the debut single by British all-female pop group Girls Aloud, later featured on their debut album of the same name. The song was written by Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins, and Niara Scarlett, and produced by Higgins and his production team Xenomania...
. Also the song that was played when Wellard
Wellard
Wellard is a fictional Belgian Tervuren dog from the BBC soap opera EastEnders. He first appeared in the series on 18 October 1994, and became EastEnders longest-serving pet, before being killed off on 15 August 2008. Although the character is male, he has been played primarily by three female...
the dog was put down on the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
EastEnders
EastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
and it was referenced during the episode. The most recent cover was a semi-acoustic version by Glasvegas
Glasvegas
Glasvegas are a Scottish indie rock band from Glasgow. The band consists of James Allan , Rab Allan , Paul Donoghue and Jonna Löfgren . The band received critical acclaim for their debut album Glasvegas which was released in September 2008, reaching No...
in a session for BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Radio 1's Live Lounge in 2008.
Single Success
"Stay Another Day" was released on Monday 21 November 1994, and entered the chart at #7. The following week it climbed to #1 where it remained for 5 weeks, thus becoming the 1994 Christmas number-one and the third best-selling single of that year.It was also the 4th biggest selling boyband single of the 90's in the UK selling 778,000 copies and has received a Platinum sales status certification. Tony Mortimer won an Ivor Novello songwriting award for this song. The single was also nominated for 'Best Single' at the Brit Awards in 1995.
Track listings
CD maxi - UK [LONCD354]- "Stay Another Day" (S.A.D. mix) – 4:29
- "Stay Another Day" (less sad mix) – 4:44
- "Stay Another Day" (more sad mix) – 8:34
- "Stay Another Day" (not so sad mix) – 6:16
CD single
- "Stay Another Day" (S.A.D. mix) – 4:29
- "Stay Another Day" (less sad mix) – 4:42
Peak positions
| Chart (1994) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart | 3 |
| Dutch Top 40 Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
6 |
| German Singles Chart | 4 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 1 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 2 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 1 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 2 |
| UK Singles Chart | 1 |
| Chart (1995) | Peak position |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 2 |
| Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart | 27 |
| Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart | 10 |
| Danish Singles Chart | 1 |
| French SNEP Singles Chart | 7 |
End of year charts
| End of year chart (1994) | Position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart | 3 |
| End of year chart (1995) | Position |
| Australian Singles Chart | 28 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 14 |
| Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart | 41 |
| Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart | 27 |
| Dutch Top 40 | 51 |
| French Singles Chart | 57 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 17 |
Certifications
| Country | Certification | Date | Sales certified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | Gold | 27 March 1995 | 15,000 |
| Germany | Gold | 1995 | 250,000 |
| Sweden | Gold | 29 March 1995 | 10,000 |
| UK | Platinum | 1 December 1994 | 600,000 |