Have You Ever?
"Have You Ever?" is a song by American recording artist Brandy Norwood for her second studio album, Never Say Never (1998). The song was written by Diane Warren, while production was handled by David Foster. It was released as the album's third single by Atlantic Records in October 1998. The song became Norwood's second song to reach the top position on the US Billboard Hot 100, following the worldwide chart-topping of "The Boy Is Mine". The former further reached number one in New Zealand, number two in Iceland, number eight in Australia, and the top 30 in Canada, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.
For other uses, see Have You Ever (disambiguation)."Have You Ever?"
"Happy"
October 6, 1998[1]
- Chartmaker (Malibu, California)
- Record Plant (Hollywood, California)
4:33
The song's music video, directed by Kevin Bray, depicts Norwood looking after the empty house of her best friend, whom she is secretly in love with, waiting for his return while she watches the videos of the two of them. At the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards, the video was nominated for Best R&B Video, but eventually lost to Lauryn Hill's "Doo Wop (That Thing)". The visual was a great success on the music video channels BET and MTV, where it reached fourth and third place, respectively. Following the release of the song, Norwood performed it on several televised programs, including the American Music Awards of 1999, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and VH1 Divas 1999. After the release, "Have You Ever?" was later included frequently on the setlists for the singer's concerts and tours, including the Never Say Never World Tour and the Human World Tour.
Composition and lyrics[edit]
According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com, the song is set in the time signature of common time and has a tempo of 72 beats per minute.[10] The song was written in the key of A major, and Norwood's voice ranges from the tone of F3 and D5.[11] According to Rolanje D. Armstead of the TimesDaily, it has a "low-pitched, beat-based tune" consisting of keyboards and guitars.[12] Music journalist, Chuck Taylor from Billboard considered "Have You Ever?" to be Norwood's "restrained song," which has a "searching and abandoned texture" that makes the listener understand she "draws emotions far from within herself.In the song's lyrics, Norwood sings about unrequited love with lyrics such as "Have you finally found the one you've given your heart to / Only to find that one will not give their heart to you.".
Release and critical reception[edit]
The song was met generally mixed reviews from music critics. In his single review for Billboard, journalist Chuck Taylor noted that it is hard "to imagine this single as anything but another jewel in the pop and Contemporary R&B princess' crown." He called the song's melody "instantly gratifying, with a harmony-soaked hook that's dedicated to memory after just a couple listens," and concluded that "Have You Ever?" is "a prime example of how, in the course of just a few short years, Brandy has proved to be one of the most versatile and promising stars on the fast real track to superstar royalty."[13] Richard Harrington of The Spokesman-Review called the song a "luxurious [...] inevitable Diane Warren-penned power ballad," which was "begging to be redone as a duet, perhaps with Usher?"[14]
In a generally negative review of Never Say Never, Angela Lewis of The Independent found that Norwood's "voice is pure honey, but she lacks real command of tracks like 'Have You Ever?', showing she's better at playing by the rules than anything else."[15] Daryl Easlea of BBC Music wrote that [w]orking with session players the calibre of bassist Nathan East and David Foster on keyboards, Never Say Never was aimed at the widest audience possible. This was most evident on 'Have You Ever?'. She elaborated, writing that "the ballad sounds a little too formulaic and off-the-peg, aimed for the summit of the hit parade".[16] Music Week called "Have You Ever?" a highlight from the album and felt that it was bound to achieve the same success as her previous singles.[17] Grant Rindner of Oprah Magazine called that song is "slowburning and soulful throwback" and Norwood's voice sing in a "complex and knotted harmony."[18]
Commercial performance[edit]
"Have You Ever?" debuted on the UK Singles Chart, at number 13 on the chart dated December 12, 1998.[19] On January 9, 1999, Fred Bronson of Billboard announced that the commercial release had made the single climb from ninth to third place on the Billboard Hot 100 list with sales of 250,000 copies.[20] The song reach the top position on the Billboard Hot 100 following the worldwide number-one success of "The Boy Is Mine."In the week of January 16, 1999, "Have You Ever?" reach the top 5 on Billboard [8]
The song also reached number one in New Zealand, peaked within the top ten in Australia, and managed to reach the top 30 in Canada and the United Kingdom and the top 30 in Ireland.[21]
Live performances[edit]
Norwood performed the song on several televised shows in the United States. On January 11, 1999, Norwood hosted the American Music Awards of 1999, where she was also nominated in two categories. During that evening, she performed "Have You Ever?" in a gold-colored evening dress while accompanied by an orchestra.[31][32] Norwood also performed the song on the American talk show The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. On April 13, 1999, the American gala, Divas Live '99 aired, where Norwood performed three songs from Never Say Never in a white evening gown. "Have You Ever?" was the opening number which after a few minutes turned into "Almost Doesn't Count" and then "(Everything I Do) I Do It for You". The performance was seen by over nine million Americans and received a positive response from Jet magazine which described her performance of the song as "enchanting."[33] The track was later included on the DVD of the same name. On May 16, 1999, Norwood performed the song in the TV movie Double Platinum, in which she played the lead role as the singer Kayla, daughter of the superstar Olivia King, played by Diana Ross. Since the release of "Have You Ever?," the song has often been included on the setlists for Norwood's concerts and tours, including the TV special, Brandy in Concert: A Special for the Holidays, which aired on UPN on November 20, 1999,[34] and her two world tours Never Say Never World Tour and the Human World Tour.
Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Never Say Never.[43]