Stay Another Day

Background and release

"Stay Another Day" was the third single from East 17's second album Steam, following up "Around The World" and the album's title track. It was their first ballad, 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. Christmas bells were included towards the end of the song to appeal to the lucrative Christmas singles market. The most familiar arrangement is unusual among pop records in that it uses almost no drums, apart from some timpani during the introduction to and towards the end of the track.

Music videos

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 furry 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.

Commercial reception

In November 1994, "Stay Another Day" entered at number seven on the UK Singles Chart. The following week it climbed to its peak of number one on the chart, where it remained for 5 weeks, thus becoming the 1994 Christmas number-one and Britain's third best-selling single of 1994. It was also the 4th biggest selling boy band single of the 1990s in the United Kingdom. It has sold 910,000 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 1995 Brit Awards.

Track listings

1. "Stay Another Day" (S.A.D. mix) – 4:29
2. "Stay Another Day" (less sad mix) – 4:44
3. "Stay Another Day" (more sad mix) – 8:34
4. "Stay Another Day" (not so sad mix) – 6:16

1. "Stay Another Day" (S.A.D. mix) – 4:29
2. "Stay Another Day" (less sad mix) – 4:42

Background

Girls Aloud were formed through Popstars: The Rivals by a public vote on 30 November 2002. The concept of the programme was to produce a boyband and a girlband who would be "rivals" and compete for the Christmas number one single in 2002. Girls Aloud competed against One True Voice, managed by music producer Pete Waterman. Girls Aloud recorded a cover version of "Stay Another Day" as their debut single, with Cheryl Cole providing lead vocals. After Girls Aloud recorded "Sound of the Underground", "Stay Another Day" was instead released as its B-side. The release was originally meant to be a double A-side, and it is often mistakenly labelled as such. "Stay Another Day" was performed on This Morning, Top of the Pops and Top of the Pops Saturday to promote its parent single.

Girls Aloud gave the song a "romantic slant," which surprised East 17's Mortimer since it is about his brother's suicide. Mortimer said, "I found it really odd they were singing a song about my dead brother. It should've been left alone for a few years," adding that he did like Girls Aloud.

Reception

Colin Paterson of The Guardian remarked on the unoriginality of Girls Aloud's cover: "A group formed on a TV show by a phone poll and then doing a cover of a former Christmas No 1. Life seldom gets less imaginative."

Other versions

In 2007 the band Maps covered the song and gave it away as a free mp3 download online.

In 2003 at Keele University Students' Union, Chesney Hawkes and his band performed an (intentionally farcical) punk rock version of "Stay Another Day" in response to East 17 cancelling their appearance later in the night. The song was not performed in full as the band could not stop laughing when they tried to perform it.

In 2012 metal band THE HELL covered the song as a Christmas single and is offered as a free download on their bandcamp account.

In 2013, Bastille included it in their BBC Radio 1 Christmas mashup.

In 2016, Kylie Minogue covered the song for her album Kylie Christmas: Snow Queen Edition.