One Sweet Day
| "One Sweet Day" | ||||
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| Single by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men | ||||
| from the album Daydream | ||||
| B-side | "Open Arms" | |||
| Released | November 13, 1995 | |||
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| Length | 4:42 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
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| Mariah Carey singles chronology | ||||
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| Boyz II Men singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "One Sweet Day" on YouTube | ||||
"One Sweet Day" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey and American vocal group Boyz II Men. The song was released on November 14, 1995, as the second single from the former's fifth studio album, Daydream (1995) by Columbia Records. The artists co-wrote the song with Walter Afanasieff, who co-produced it with Carey. Lyrically, the song speaks about the death of a loved one, how the protagonist took their presence for granted and misses them, and finally about seeing the person in heaven. The artists wrote the song about specific people in their lives, being inspired by sufferers of the AIDS epidemic, which was globally prevalent at the time.
"One Sweet Day" received universal acclaim from music critics, many of whom praised its lyrical content and vocals while calling it a standout track on Daydream. It was ranked first in Rolling Stone's reader's poll for the Best Collaboration of All Time. Debuting at number one, the song spent 16 weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, becoming the longest-running number-one song in the chart's history at the time, a record it held for 23 years, and remains the longest-running number-one song to debut atop the chart. The song ranked first on Billboard's Hot 100 decade-end chart.[2] Subsequently, the publication ranked it as the ninth best charting single of the 1990s with post-'90s sales and streaming figures incorporated.[3] Internationally, the song topped the charts in Canada and New Zealand and reached the top-ten in Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Panama, Sweden and the United Kingdom.
Carey performed "One Sweet Day" live alongside Boyz II Men at the 38th Grammy Awards ceremony, held on February 28, 1996. Additionally, the song was performed at Princess Diana's memorial service in September 1997. "One Sweet Day" was part of the set list on several of Carey's succeeding tours, making its debut during the album's accompanying set of concerts, the Daydream World Tour. It is featured on her compilation albums, #1's (1998), Greatest Hits (2001), The Ballads (2008), and #1 to Infinity (2015).
The music video for "One Sweet Day" was filmed in February 1995 and directed by Larry Jordan. It features snippets of Carey and Boyz II Men in and around the studio, and recording the song. The busy schedule of both acts did not allow time to shoot a proper video. Carey later said that she was content a real music video was never filmed, fearing that no video could truly capture the song's strong lyrical message. Critics felt the video choice was wise, and agreed that the simple concept paid homage to the song's selfless message.
Background
[edit]"When I found out she had AIDS I cried for days. She really could never care for her son again, he now lives with my mother. This sad story made me care more about other children in need. To give them advice and see that they get a better life."
"One Sweet Day" was a song that Carey wrote with the R&B group Boyz II Men. After Carey's friend and past collaborator David Cole (of C&C Music Factory) died, she began writing and developing a song that would pay homage to him and all the friends and family her fans had lost along life's journey.[5] Carey had the idea and chorus composed, and after meeting with Boyz II Men, they realized they too had a similar idea in development.[5] Together, using Carey's chorus and idea, as well as the melody they had produced, they wrote and composed the song. The song was produced by Carey and Walter Afanasieff, who built on its melody and added various grooves and beats.[5] Carey expressed how the song was "meant to be" and how all the pieces fit into place:
I wrote the initial idea for 'One Sweet Day' with Walter, and I had the chorus...and I stopped and said, 'I really wanna do this with Boyz II Men,' because...obviously I'm a big fan of theirs and I just thought that the work was crying out for them, the vocals that they do, so I put it away and said, 'Who knows if this could ever happen, but I just don't wanna finish this song because I want it to be our song if we ever do it together. [The] whole idea of when you lose people that are close to you, it changes your life and changes your perspective. When they came into the studio, I played them the idea for the song and when [it] was finished, they looked at each other, a bit stunned, and told me that Nathan "Nate" Morris had written a song for his road manager who had passed away. It had basically the same lyrics and fitted over the same chord changes. It was really, really weird, we finished the song right then and there. We were all kinda flipped about it ourselves. Fate had a lot to do with that. I know some people won't believe it, but we wouldn't make up such a crazy story.[5]
After they began working on the song, Carey began to incorporate other lyrics into the chorus, trying to make the song relatable to the AIDS epidemic that was in full force in the mid-1990s.[6] Additionally, Mariah's sister Alison Carey had been diagnosed with HIV in 1988 when she was 27, an event that ruined their relationship and tore them apart.[7] Carey stated that she wrote the song hoping that all her fans that have lost someone could relate to "One Sweet Day" and maybe help ease the pain of the loss.[7]
Composition
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"One Sweet Day" is a "big" R&B ballad.[8] It incorporates organ instrumentation and different contemporary grooves and beats into its primary arrangement, adding percussion and synthesizers as well,[9] while incorporating "flourishes and harmonies" from both Carey and Boyz II Men.[8] The song is set in the time signature common time and moves at a slow tempo of 64 beats per minute. It is written in the key of A♭ major.[9] The song contains lyrics written by Carey, who also arranged and co-produced the song alongside Walter Afanasieff.[5] Author Chris Nickson complimented the song's instrumentation and arrangement, calling its use of synthesizers "wise" and "efficient." Additionally, he claimed Afanasieff's production and Carey's vocal and production arrangement helped the song's vocals and lyrical content flow together.[5] The song finishes with the last chorus and coda in the key of B major.[citation needed]
Reception and accolades
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Music Week | 3/5[10] |
| Smash Hits | 2/5[11] |
| Stereogum | 3/10[12] |
"One Sweet Day" has been met with universal acclaim from contemporary music critics. AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine praised the song for its craft and writing, commenting that "[in] 'One Sweet Day', a duet with Boyz II Men, Carey appeals to both audiences equally because of the sheer amount of craft and hard work she puts into her albums.[13] Steve Baltin from Cash Box wrote, "This single could be thrown at the bottom of the 99 cents bin, buried under the Partridge Family and Starlite Vocal Band, and it would still find its way into the hands of fans. This is as big a guaranteed hit as anything that's come out in some time". He added, "You will never find a surer bet than whether this song will make number one."[14] James Masterton for Dotmusic deemed it "a saccharine piece of American soul slush."[15]
Ken Tucker from Entertainment Weekly felt the song truly highlighted the album, "['One Sweet Day'] radiates a breezy sexiness that Carey, for all the brazen hussiness of her public persona, rarely permits herself to reveal in song.[16] In 2018, the magazine noted, "Goosebumps, every time. Carey's heavenly vocals, combined with the song's universal message and the sweet harmonies of Boyz II Men."[17] Music & Media named it a "skillful ballad", complimenting Boyz II Men, "who add a soulful touch to Carey's perfectionist vocals."[18] Stephen Holden from The New York Times shared similar sentiments and wrote, "On 'One Sweet Day', the singer joins forces with Boyz II Men, those masters of pleading post-doo-wop vocal harmonies, for a tender eulogy that suggests that the singers have been personally touched by the AIDS crisis."[19] A reviewer from People magazine named the song a "stand-out track" and called Carey's vocal performance "bravura belting."[20] Gina Morris from Smash Hits gave it two out of five, calling it a "soulful, purer-than-pure twee little number".[11]
"One Sweet Day" won many prestigious awards throughout 1996. At the Blockbuster Entertainment Awards, the song won the award for "Favorite Adult Contemporary Single Female 'One Sweet Day'".