Stay (I Missed You)
"Stay (I Missed You)" | ||||
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alternative pop[2] | ||||
Length | 3:04 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | Lisa Loeb | |||
Producer(s) | Juan Patiño | |||
Lisa Loeb and Nine Stories singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Stay (I Missed You)" on YouTube |
"Stay (I Missed You)" is a song by American singer-songwriter Lisa Loeb. It was released in May 1994 by RCA and BMG as the lead single from the original movie soundtrack to Reality Bites (1994). The song was written and composed by Loeb herself, while production was handled by Juan Patiño. "Stay" was originally conceived in 1990, at one point with the intent of selling it to Daryl Hall for a project he was seeking music for.[3] Upon deciding to use the song herself, Loeb's neighbor and friend, actor Ethan Hawke, heard the song and submitted it to Ben Stiller for use in the film he was directing, Reality Bites. The song plays over the film's closing credits. Musically, "Stay" is a pop rock song influenced by folk rock music. Lyrically, the song deals with a relationship that has recently ended, but the narrator is now regretful.
"Stay" received positive reviews from most music critics, who praised the lyrical and production side and the song's commercial potential. Several critics had listed the song in some of the best song lists. "Stay" ultimately went on to become a number-one hit on the
".Background
Before "Stay (I Missed You)" was commercially released, Loeb had previous musical ventures. After graduating from high school in 1986, she went to
She attended
Loeb was discovered by actor and friend Ethan Hawke, who lived in an apartment across the street from her in New York City.[8] She met Hawke through mutual friends in the NYC theatre community. Loeb had been performing "Stay" to positive response at her shows, and Hawke gave a tape of Loeb's song to director Ben Stiller during the making of the film Reality Bites.[8] Stiller subsequently agreed to use the song in the film and on the film's soundtrack. The song was titled simply "Stay" on the Reality Bites soundtrack.[9] As the single moved up the airplay charts, the title was changed to "Stay (I Missed You)" to avoid confusion with previous rock hits that had the same one-word name.[10]
In 2023, Loeb performed a send-up of the song for a video promoting the return of
Composition and writing
"At the time I was having arguments with my boyfriend, who was actually my co-producer as well – we made records together. And then I go off into some other areas: I remember somebody close to me was going through severe, severe depression. A lot of times in my songs, I get into some phase where I describe some other situation, and there's a whole verse in there about somebody who is very, very depressed. But yeah, it was a story about a breakup I was going through, and that situation where it's gotten into your head too much..."
- —Lisa Loeb talking about the inspiration of "Stay (I Missed You)"
Musically, "Stay" is a pop rock song with folk rock influence. Vocally, according to a publication, "The tonal shifts in the vocals also are quite affecting. Loeb rants and rails through much of the song with barely contained emotion only to pull back for some tenderness in the refrain. It's an outstanding performance of an enduring song."[12] The song is structured around a central passage of sonic catharsis. After the tentative opening, the pace and density of Loeb's roiling litany of self-recrimination increases; the personal pronouns pile up; the accents of the bass and backing voices grow unruly and insistent, like nagging, negative thoughts heaping on one another.[13]
According to Rhik Samadder, Loeb's guitar picks out a simple arpeggio as she admonishes: "You say I only hear what I want to," warning us that this may be the most self-involved song ever written. Almost every line contains a clutch of first person singulars: "I turn the radio on, I turn the radio up, and this woman was singing my song."[13] Based on the song's theme, the break-up song is not about a relationship with a departed lover, but the relationship with ourselves [...] About accepting that our basic loneliness is unsophisticated and shared, and that we have to abandon the selfish dramas of our malaise to properly love. It's a point of emotional development [...]"[13] Regarding the lyrical content, Loeb's explained; "I turn the radio on, I turn the radio up, and this woman was singing my song," Lisa explained: "That was when you hear somebody telling your exact story. It's funny, because it wasn't until later, after a couple of major breakups, that I realized when you're depressed and you're going through these breakups, the breakup was supposed to happen. If you're going through difficult times, it's hilarious how you turn on the radio and even the most cliché things perfectly capture how you're feeling. And then you realize why people wrote those songs."
According to Jim Beviglia of American Songwriter, "Loeb's lyrics definitely capture the breathless way of expressing oneself that was common at the time. Considering all of the lines that start with 'And,' the song can seem like one big run-on sentence. Yet in the midst of all of the breathlessness, she focuses enough to spin out several couplets that really nail the topsy-turvy feeling that romantic mind games can play on you."[12]
Critical reception
"Stay (I Missed You)" was well received by music critics. Larry Flick of Billboard wrote: "Harmonic rock ballad from New York-based upstarts perfectly balances on the fine line between modern rock, AC, and top 40 pop sensibilities. With a vulnerable, determined delivery, Loeb's vocals recall the sweetness of the Sundays' Harriet Wheeler and the brashness of Edie Brickell."[14] In the UK, Alan Jones from Music Week stated that "its pleasing amalgam of semi-acoustic stumming and sublime vocals is attractive enough to do rather well."[15] Mark Surtherland in Smash Hits predicted UK chart success akin to that on the US charts, calling it "a rather touching acoustic ballad thingy in its own right. Just right for when you're feeling a bit angstful, and could be just as big here.[16] In his retrospective review of the album Tails, Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic said: "Tails delivers on the promise of 'Stay'. While the basic folk-rock elements of the song are present, much of the material on the record doesn't sound like her breakthrough hit; there are some distorted guitars here and there, and she even rocks out a little bit. Nothing on Tails is as good as 'Stay'."[1] In 2005, Erlewine wrote of the song in a review of The Very Best of Lisa Loeb. He said "'Stay (I Missed You)' took her from obscurity to minor celebrity when it was included on the soundtrack of Reality Bites [...] While Loeb never strayed very far from the sweet, gentle template she laid down with 'Stay (I Missed You),' she always was friendly, melodic, and rather ingratiating."[17]
Almost 20 years after the release of Reality Bites, Jim Beviglia from American Songwriter wrote: "What [Reality Bites] did yield was a song that not only succinctly summed up that era but also managed to transcend it [...] Lisa Loeb's 'Stay (I Missed You)' is not just the relic of a specific era. It still resonates with anyone who ever loved someone not mature enough to properly reciprocate."[12] Rhik Samadder from The Guardian centered the song in an "Old Music" article, praising the song saying: "Listening to the song now is like looking into a crystal ball backwards, seeing myself looking into it forwards. For that convoluted and dubious reason, whenever I hear Stay, I always turn the radio up."[13]
Recognition
Chart performance
After being featured in the film Reality Bites, "Stay (I Missed You)" entered the US
The song debuted at number 23 on the
Music video
The music video for "Stay (I Missed You)", directed by
Track listings
- "Stay (I Missed You)" (album version) – 3:04
- "Stay (I Missed You)" (Living Room mix) – 2:54
- UK, European, and Australian CD single[46]
- Australian cassette single[47]
- "Stay (I Missed You)" (album version) – 3:04
- "Stay (I Missed You)" (Living Room mix) – 2:54
- "Stay (I Missed You)" (instrumental) – 3:00
Credits and personnel
Credits are taken from the US and UK CD single liner notes.[42][46]
Studios
- Mastered at Sterling Sound Studios (New York City)
Musicians
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Other personnel
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Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
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Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI)[36] | Silver | 200,000^ |
United States (RIAA)[30] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Cover versions
"Stay" was covered in 2006 by Filipino singer Chris Cayzer for his self-titled debut album. In 2007, it was covered by pop-punk band New Found Glory for From the Screen to Your Stereo Part II and featured Loeb on supporting vocals. Sarah Silverman performed a cover version of the song in the episode "I Thought My Dad Was Dead, But It Turns Out He's Not" from the second season of The Sarah Silverman Program. Two lines from the song ("You say I only hear what I want to/You say I talk so all the time") can be heard from "Much has Been Said", a song by the Filipino rock band Bamboo from their album Light Peace Love.
The song was used in the movie,
References
- ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories: Tails". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
- ^ Billboard Staff (October 19, 2023). "The 500 Best Pop Songs: Staff List". Billboard. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
The emotion-overload, stream-of-feelings, alt-pop charmer that so enchanted the nation upon contact in 1994 that it went to No. 1 before Lisa Loeb even had a record deal.
- ^ "25 years ago, Lisa Loeb reached No. 1 with 'Stay (I Missed You)'".
- ^ a b c d "Lisa Loeb – Biography, Albums, Streaming Links – AllMusic". AllMusic.
- ^ a b "Lisa Loeb".
- ^ "Lisa Loeb". The A.V. Club. 28 July 2011.
- ^ Patridge, Kenneth (August 19, 2014). "With 'Stay', Lisa Loeb Taught a Generation How Screwed-Up Love Really Is". The A.V. Club. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
- ^ a b Wloszczyna, Susan (26 July 1994). "After fast chart climb, Loeb settles in to 'Stay'". USA Today.
- YouTube(May 4, 2019). Soundtrack credit at 2:50.
- ISSN 0006-2510.
- ^ "Old Bay Seasoned Goldfish Are Back". Food & Wine. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
- ^ a b c Beviglia, Jim (9 September 2013). "Lisa Loeb, "Stay (I Missed You)"". American Songwriter. Archived from the original on 12 September 2013.
- ^ a b c d Samadder, Rhik (15 May 2012). "Old music: Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories – Stay (I Missed You)". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
- ^ Flick, Larry (9 April 1994). "Single Reviews". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 15. p. 51. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
- ^ Jones, Alan (13 August 1994). "Market Preview: Mainstream - Singles" (PDF). Music Week. p. 16. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
- ^ Sutherland, Mark (17 August 1994). "New singles". Smash Hits. No. 410. p. 51.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Lisa Loeb: The Very Best Of". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
- ^ Aaron, Charles (December 1994). "Top 20 Singles of the Year". Spin. p. 77. Retrieved 27 January 2023.
- ^ Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories | Music Artist, Videos, Photos, News, Ringtones, Album and Movie Info | VH1.com
- ^ The 100 Greatest Summer Songs: Nos. 100–76. Entertainment Weekly.
- ^ "1994 Grammy Winners". Grammy Awards. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
- ^ "1995". Brit Awards. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
- ^ John Bush, Lisa Loeb – Overview – Biography, AllMusic
- ^ "Macklemore's 'Thrift Shop' Is First Indie Hit to Top Charts in Nearly Two Decades". Time. January 25, 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
- ^ "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. August 20, 1994. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
- ^ "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. November 26, 1994. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
- ^ a b "Adult Contemporary". Billboard. September 3, 1994. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
- ^ a b "Alternative Airplay". Billboard. July 30, 1994. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
- ^ a b "Pop Airplay". Billboard. August 20, 1994. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
- ^ a b "American single certifications – Lisa Loeb – Stay". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
- ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved May 5, 2015.
- ^ "Single Top 100: 14/08/1994". charts.nz. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
- ^ a b "Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories – Stay (I Missed You)". Top 40 Singles.
- ^ a b "Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories – Stay (I Missed You)". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
- ^ a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- ^ a b "British single certifications – Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories – Stay (I Missed You)". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
- ^ a b "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (01.9.–07.9. '94)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). September 1, 1994. p. 16. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
- ^ a b "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Stay (I Missed You)". Irish Singles Chart.
- ^ a b "Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories – Stay (I Missed You)" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
- ^ Loeb, Lisa. "Lisa Loeb Official Page". Facebook.com. Retrieved 7 August 2014.
- ISSN 0886-3032.
- ^ a b Stay (I Missed You) (US CD single liner notes). Lisa Loeb and Nine Stories. RCA Records. 1994. 07863 62870-2.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Stay (I Missed You) (US cassette single sleeve). Lisa Loeb and Nine Stories. RCA Records. 1994. 07863-62870-4.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Stay (I Missed You) (UK 7-inch single sleeve). Lisa Loeb and Nine Stories. RCA Records, BMG. 1994. 74321 21252-7.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Stay (I Missed You) (UK cassette single sleeve). Lisa Loeb and Nine Stories. RCA Records, BMG. 1994. 74321 21252-4.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ a b Stay (I Missed You) (UK, European & Australian CD single liner notes). Lisa Loeb and Nine Stories. RCA Records, BMG. 1994. 74321212522.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Stay (I Missed You) (Australian cassette single sleeve). Lisa Loeb and Nine Stories. RCA Records. 1994. 74321212524.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories – Stay (I Missed You)" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
- ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2585." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
- ^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 2579." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
- ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 41. October 8, 1994. p. 14. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
- ^ "Adult Contemporary Europe Top 25" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 38. September 17, 1994. p. 22. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
- ^ "Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories – Stay (I Missed You)" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
- ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
- ^ "Lisa Loeb & Nine Stories – Stay (I Missed You)". Singles Top 100.
- ^ "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. August 6, 1994. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
- ^ "Rhythmic Airplay". Billboard. September 3, 1994. Retrieved June 24, 2023.
- ^ "ARIA Top 50 Singles for 1994". ARIA. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
- ^ "RPM Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1994". RPM. Retrieved April 7, 2018 – via Library and Archives Canada.
- ^ "RPM Top 100 AC tracks of 1994". RPM. Retrieved April 7, 2018 – via Library and Archives Canada.
- ^ "Árslistinn 1994". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). January 2, 1995. p. 16. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
- ^ "Top 100 Singles 1994". Music Week. January 14, 1995. p. 9.
- ^ "Billboard Top 100 – 1994". Billboardtop100of.com. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
- ^ "The Year in Music: Hot Adult Contemporary Singles & Tracks". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 52. December 24, 1994. p. YE-68. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
- ^ "The Year in Music: Hot Modern Rock Tracks". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 52. December 24, 1994. p. YE-62. Retrieved December 29, 2023.
- ^ Mayfield, Geoff (December 25, 1999). "1999 The Year in Music Totally '90s: Diary of a Decade – The listing of Top Pop Albums of the '90s & Hot 100 Singles of the '90s". Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2010.