One Sweet Day

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"One Sweet Day"
Single by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men
from the album Daydream
Released	November 14, 1995 (U.S.) November 19, 1995 (UK)
Format	CD single, CD maxi single, cassette single, cassette maxi single, 7" single, 12" single
Genre	Pop
Length	4:41
Label	Columbia
Writer(s)	Mariah Carey, Walter Afanasieff, Wanya Morris, Nathan Morris, Shawn Stockman, Michael McCary
Producer(s)	Mariah Carey, Walter Afanasieff
Certification	2x platinum (RIAA)
Chart positions
#1 (U.S.) #2 (Canada, Australia) #5 (France) #6 (UK, Norway)
Mariah Carey singles chronology
"Fantasy" (1995)	"One Sweet Day" (1995)	"Open Arms" (1996)
Boys II Men singles chronology
"Vibin'" (1995)	"One Sweet Day" (1995)	"I Remember" (1996)

"One Sweet Day" is a song recorded by American singer Mariah Carey and quartet Boyz II Men and co-written by Carey, Walter Afanasieff and Boyz II Men members Wanya Morris, Shawn Stockman, Nathan Morris, and Michael McCary. It was co-produced by Carey and Afanasieff for Carey's sixth album Daydream, and was released as the album's second single in 1995 (see 1995 in music). It holds the record for the longest run at number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 (16 weeks total), and is the biggest hit of both Carey's and Boyz II Men's careers. Popular both within and outside the U.S., it is widely considered the most successful non-charity single of the 1990s in the United States.

Contents 1 About the record 2 Reception 3 Audio samples 4 Track listings 5 Charts 6 See also

[edit] About the record

"One Sweet Day" was inspired by the death of David Cole, who worked with Mariah on her two previous albums including her MTV Unplugged album. During this period, she had arranged to record a song with Boyz II Men. [1]

In terms of Billboard magazine charts, the single is the most successful ever for both Carey and Boyz II Men. The protagonists of this memorial pop anthem lament the deaths of friends, but say that they will be together again "one sweet day". The single's video, directed by Larry Jordan, is made up of footage showing Carey and Boyz II Men writing and recording the song in the studio as it was difficult for both Boyz II Men and Carey to schedule a time to film a video.

There are no major remixes of the song, but there is a Chuck Thompson-produced remix, "One Sweet Day" (Chucky's remix), which gives the song a slightly more R&B feel. An a capella version of the song, known as the "Sweet a capella", features slightly different vocal arrangements and a new intro which also serves as a countermelody throughout the song.

[edit] Reception

The single became Carey's tenth number-one single on the Hot 100 and Boyz II Men's fourth, remaining at the peak for a record-breaking sixteen weeks from November 26, 1995 to March 16, 1996. Boyz II Men had previously held this record twice, with "End of the Road" (1992) spending thirteen weeks at the top and "I'll Make Love to You" (1994) spending fourteen. (The latter song shared its record with Whitney Houston's cover of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You".) "One Sweet Day" replaced "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" by Whitney Houston at number one, and was replaced by Celine Dion's "Because You Loved Me".

The single also debuted at number one, making Carey the first artist to have more than one number-one debut, and also the only artist ever to have two consecutive singles debut at number one; the record hasn't been broken yet. The single spent twenty-six weeks in the top forty, was certified two times platinum by the RIAA, and ranked number two on the Hot 100 1996 year-end charts.

Despite its success in the United States, it was not as big a hit elsewhere as previous Carey singles such as "Hero" (1993) and "Fantasy" (1995), the first release from Daydream. It failed to top any chart outside the U.S aside of New Zealand's, but was a top ten hit in the United Kingdom, France, Australia, and Canada. It had some success across Continental Europe, but failed to match the success of "Fantasy". It was Boyz II Men's biggest success outside the U.S. since "End of the Road", and was later included on their greatest hits release Legacy: The Greatest Hits Collection (2001).

"One Sweet Day" was nominated for the 1996 Grammy Awards for "Record of the Year" and "Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals", losing both categories. As two of the top nominees at the 1996 Grammy Awards, Carey and Boyz II Men were invited to perform, and sang "One Sweet Day". Carey began the evening happily as she had been nominated for six Grammys that night. "One Sweet Day" was the current #1 record on the Hot 100 at that time,and the following morning it was announced that it had just broken the record set by Whitney Houston,giving Mariah a "consolation prize". She later stated that not to win any of them felt humiliating, and she did not attend the Grammy Awards ceremony again until 2006. "One Sweet Day" was included on the 2001 Songs of the Century list, at number 351.

[edit] Audio samples

[edit] Track listings

UK CD maxi single

1. "One Sweet Day" (album version)
2. "Fantasy" (Def Drums mix)
3. "Joy to the World" (Celebration mix)
4. "Joy to the World" (club mix)

[edit] Charts

Chart (1995)	Peak position	No. of chart topper
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	1 (16 weeks)	10th (Carey) 4th (Boyz II Men)
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks	2	—
U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary	1 (13 weeks)	6th (Carey)
U.S. ARC Weekly Top 40	1 (11 weeks)	13th (Carey) 6th (Boyz II Men)
Australian ARIA Singles Chart	2	—
Canadian Singles Chart	2	—
French Singles Chart	5	—
Norwegian Singles Chart	6	—
UK Singles Chart	6	—
Swiss Singles Chart	12	—
Italian Singles Chart	23	—
German Singles Chart	25	—
Japanese Oricon Singles Chart	87	—

Preceded by "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" by Whitney Houston	Billboard Hot 100 number-one single December 2, 1995- March 16, 1996	Succeeded by "Because You Loved Me" by Céline Dion
Preceded by "Gangsta's Paradise by Coolio	RIANZ (New Zealand) number one single 22 December 1995, 19 January 1996	Succeeded by "How Bizarre" by OMC

[edit] See also

• Hot 100 number-one hits of 1995 (USA)
• Hot 100 number-one hits of 1996 (USA)