Stay (Shakespears Sister song)

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"Stay"
File:Shakespears Sister Stay.jpg
Single by Shakespears Sister
from the album Hormonally Yours
B-side "The Trouble with Andre"
Released 13 January 1992 (1992-01-13)
Format CD single, 7" single, cassette
Recorded 1991
Genre Pop rock
Length 3:50 (album version)
3:45 (7" edit)
Label London
Writer(s) Siobhan Fahey, Marcella Detroit and David A. Stewart
Producer(s) Shakespears Sister, Alan Moulder, Chris Thomas
Shakespears Sister singles chronology
"Goodbye Cruel World"
(1991)		 "Stay"
(1992)		 "I Don't Care"
(1992)

"Stay" is a song by UK based pop act Shakespears Sister, released by London Records in January 1992 as the second single from their album Hormonally Yours. Upon release, the single became the duo's first and only No. 1 single in numerous territories, including the UK, where it topped the UK Singles Chart for eight consecutive weeks;[1] the longest UK No. 1 reign for any girl band, and was the fourth biggest selling single of 1992. The single also held the No. 1 position for six weeks in Ireland, and No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US.[2]

At the 1993 Brit Awards "Stay" won the award for Best British Video.[3] In November 2010, The X Factor contestant Cher Lloyd performed the song on series 7 of the show. Following this, the original version re-entered the UK, Ireland and the European Hot 100 Singles charts.

"Stay" was the only Shakespears Sister song that featured Siobhan Fahey less prominently on vocals than Marcella Detroit, with Detroit singing the verses and lead chorus and Fahey singing the song's dramatic bridge. Detroit is noted for singing in whistle register before the last chorus of the song, going up to a high F (F6). The piano, synth and bass guitar were performed by Ian Maidman, and the drums by Steve Ferrera, both musicians whose contributions featured throughout the 'Hormonally Yours' album.

Music video

Background and development

Sophie Muller directed the promo video for the single, the concept of which was inspired by the film Cat Women of the Moon.[4] The video featured Detroit and Fahey fighting over a comatose man (played by Dave Evans, former boyfriend of Fahey's Bananarama bandmate Keren Woodward).[5]

The video won Best Video at the 1993 Music Week Awards and Brit Awards, and was the subject of a spoof by comediennes French & Saunders. The epic promo was featured in the Top 100 Music Videos of all time by Channel 4.[6]

Synopsis

In some rare versions the beginning quotes a variation of the opening of William Shakespeare's Macbeth: The original quote of the play ("When shall we three meet again") is changed to "When shall we two meet again", referring to the story told in the video.[7] The video starts with a view of a calm night sky. A shooting star passes over a full moon and the song begins. The camera pans back into a hospital room. Detroit is seen tending to her lover, played by Evans, who is in a coma and on the verge of death, while singing to him not to leave her. At the bridge of the song, a portal opens and the angel of death, played by Fahey, appears at the top of a staircase, wearing a sparkling catsuit. She dances around in front of a bright light whilst mocking Detroit with a verse that she cannot save her lover and the best she can hope for is to return safely to her own world. Detroit tries her best to wake the man up, while Death slowly makes her way down the stairs to claim his soul. The two women begin fighting over the man, making it literally and figuratively a fight between life (Detroit) and death (Fahey). During their struggle, the man finally wakes up, he and Detroit embrace while Death, having failed to seduce him into her realm, walks away in disgust and goes back up the staircase to the light, presumably being the stairway to Heaven.[8]

Track listing

Charts and certifications

Appearances in other media

Cover versions

Parodies

  • French and Saunders did a parody of the song and video in their sketch-show in the early nineties called "Dickens' Daughter". The sketch also parodied other videos by the band, including "I Don't Care" and "Goodbye Cruel World".
  • Newman and Baddiel also sent up the song on the 1992 comedy sketch show The Mary Whitehouse Experience. David Baddiel played Marcella Detroit and Rob Newman lampooned Siobhan Fahey; when she opens her mouth to sing the more uptempo bridge of the song the sound of a ship's foghorn is heard instead.
  • In 1993 a parody of the video featured in the video to Mr Blobby where it is Mr Blobby not the man lying on the bed which he then falls off.

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ [1][dead link]
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Shakespears Sister – Stay" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  13. ↑ Canadian Top Singles
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ "Chart Track: Week 43, 2010". Irish Singles Chart.
  25. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2010-11-13". Scottish Singles Top 40.
  26. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2010-11-13" UK Singles Chart.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Enter Stay in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
  31. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  32. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
  33. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  34. ↑ http://www.almightyrecords.com/product/ALMY167/

External links

Preceded by UK number one single
22 February 1992
(eight weeks)		 Succeeded by
"Deeply Dippy" by Right Said Fred
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