Released 1988 Recorded 1987 Length 4:17 | Label Solar | |
"Two Occasions" is an R&B song written by Babyface, Darnell Bristol and Sid Johnson (who was the former manager for Babyface's early group, Manchild) [1]. It was produced by Babyface and L.A. Reid for The Deele's third studio album Eyes of a Stranger (1987). The ballad was released as the album's second single in 1988. It's the only song on the album that features Babyface on lead vocals, which alternate between himself, Bristol, and Carlos "Satin" Greene throughout the course of the song. It has since been remade into a live version with added vocals from Babyface with all original vocals from The Deele intact; this version appeared on the 12" maxi single and also three years later on his album, A Closer Look.
The song and Babyface were later referenced by Mariah Carey in her 2005 hit song, "We Belong Together."
The song is also sampled in the 2009 hit song "Want It, Need It" by Plies featuring Ashanti. It was also sampled in the song "I Still Love You" by Next (group) on their Rated Next album. Rap/Hip Hop artist Charlie Manhattan, released his version of "Two Occasions," in 2007, which was taken from his solo debut album, The Manhattan Project.
Reception
Craig Lytle, in his review of the album for Allmusic, called "Two Occasions" a "quiet-storm classic" with "superb arrangement and production", declaring the song "worthy of a number-one ranking." In 1989, the song won a BMI Pop Award.
Although the band's first hit "Body Talk" actually had a higher placement on the R&B chart, "Two Occasions" is widely considered The Deele's most successful single. It peaked at number ten on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, number four on the Hot R&B and number twenty-one on the Adult Contemporary chart.