"Stay Another Day" is a pop song recorded by British boy bandEast 17. Released in late 1994, it was their only number one on the UK Singles Chart, becoming the Christmas number one of 1994, and also topped the charts in Sweden, Ireland and Denmark.
Background and release
"Stay Another Day" was the third single from East 17's second albumSteam, 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 is about his brother Ollie, who had taken his own life. 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, save for timpani rolls during the introduction 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
Receiving largely positive reviews from critics, in late 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. The single is also the 31st biggest seller of the 90s decade. "Stay Another Day" was not released as a single in the United States; however, 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.
Impact and legacy
The Guardian ranked "Stay Another Day" at number 41 in their list of "The 100 greatest UK No 1s" in 2020. They added,
"One of the greatest Christmas No 1s of all time is a triumph of emotional candour. It resembles a breakup song with its talk of final kisses, but was written by Tony Mortimer after his brother killed himself. The pain of those sudden calls of “stay now” is so acute, voicing the suddenness of loss."
Girls Aloud were formed through 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", intended 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."
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.
