Stay Another Day
"Stay Another Day" is a song recorded by British boy band East 17, released on 21 November 1994 as the third single from their second album, Steam (1994). It is their only number-one song on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the Christmas number one of 1994. "Stay Another Day" also topped the charts of Denmark, Ireland, and Sweden and peaked within the top 10 of the charts in several other countries, including Australia, France, and the Netherlands. Two different music videos were produced for the song.
"Stay Another Day"
Reception[edit]
Commercial reception[edit]
In late November 1994, "Stay Another Day" entered at number seven on the UK Singles Chart.[3] The following week it climbed to its peak of number one.[4] For the last three weeks of the year, "Stay Another Day" faced stiff competition for the 1994 Christmas number-one from the popular Mariah Carey single "All I Want for Christmas Is You".[5] It outsold Carey's hit single for the weeks commencing 11, 18 and 25 December, selling roughly 130,000, 120,000 and 160,000 copies respectively.[5] The sales lead over Carey in the week before Christmas was around 60,000, and thus securing 1994's Christmas number one to East 17.[5]
It was also the 4th biggest selling boy band single of the 1990s in the United Kingdom. The single is also the 31st biggest seller of the 90s decade. As of December 2019, the single has accrued 1.14 million charts sales, including streams.[5]
Tony Mortimer won an Ivor Novello songwriting award for this song. The single was also nominated for 'Best Single' at the 1995 Brit Awards.[6]
"Stay Another Day" was not released as a single in the United States but did receive limited Christmas-time airplay on KYSR-FM "Star 98.7" in Los Angeles in 1996, owing to the market's influence and exposure to international hit singles; after its success in the UK it went on to become a major hit all over Europe and internationally, topping the charts in five European countries, as well as reaching the top spot in Zimbabwe and reaching the Top 3 in Australia.
Critical reception[edit]
The song received largely positive reviews from critics. Ross Jones from The Guardian felt that "teen-town's hard men show their soft side on a Christmas number one contender" and "a beautiful thing".[7] In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton noted, "East 17 prove that there is more to them than the usual 'bad boy' image and sing in astonishingly perfect harmony to create what is certain to be one of the biggest seasonal successes, especially when you consider they were a fixture of the Christmas charts last year with "Its Alright"."[8] Pan-European magazine Music & Media wrote, "Like anybody else the Walthamstowe posse knows that this time of the year is reserved for woeful ballads. The "less sad", "even more sad" and "not so sad" remixes, however, have a club spirit."[9] Alan Jones from Music Week gave the song five out of five, naming it Pick of the Week. He wrote, "This exquisitely arranged, close harmony ballad, piano-led and draped with strings, is a hot favourite for the Christmas number one but may fail by being released a tad too early. East 17's most accomplished piece of work yet, and a song that will be played in years to come, long after Steam has evaporated."[10] A reviewer from Sunday Mirror commented, "A tinkling piano, a gorgeous melody, a sweet and soulful lead vocal those little devils East 17 have gone all angelic for Christmas. The result, a slow and lovelorn ballad called 'Stay Another Day'".[11]
Music videos[edit]
Two music videos were made for the song. One video features the band recording and performing the song in a studio. The other video features the band in a black background. The group are seen wearing white fur trimmed parkas and black leather jackets. A woman wearing a dress and veil also appears whilst it snows. The latter video is shown usually around Christmas, while the first version is shown outside Christmas. The black-and-white video version was published on YouTube in 2017.[12]
"Stay Another Day"
16 December 2002
4:24
- Tony Mortimer
- Rob Kean
- Dominic Hawken
- Andrew Ian Murray
- Christian Ballard
- Denis Ingoldsby
Waltham Forest Youth Choir version[edit]
On 3 December 2019, London Recordings uploaded a new version of the song to YouTube, performed by Waltham Forest Youth Choir, with Mortimer on piano. Mortimer himself appears in the video. The track was released to raise money for mental health charity CALM.[76]