- As I Lay Me Down
-
"As I Lay Me Down" Single by Sophie B. Hawkins from the album Whaler Released 7 February 1995 Format CD single Recorded 1994 Genre Pop Length 4:11 Label Columbia
Sony Records[1]Writer(s) Sophie B. Hawkins Producer Organized Noize Certification RIAA: Platinum "As I Lay Me Down" is a song composed and performed by singer-songwriter Sophie B. Hawkins. It is from her album Whaler and also appears on The Best of Sophie B. Hawkins. The song is one of her two biggest hits, reaching number six on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Adult Contemporary chart for six weeks during its year of release, 1995.
Contents
Song information
The song is a ballad in memory of Hawkins' father. It also appeared in the TV show Dawson's Creek, Party of Five (with Hawkins performing it as a guest star), and Now and Then, a 1995 film directed by Lesli Linka Glatter.
"As I Lay Me Down" was actually the second U.S. single released from the album Whaler. With disappointing sales of the first single, "Right Beside You", the song was released with little fanfare (a photograph of Sophie dressed as a sailor graced the cover). Sophie then insisted that her label (Columbia) allow her to tour the country with only an acoustic piano. The song then began receiving airplay on adult contemporary stations. During the summer of 1995, it became a huge A/C hit as well as a top ten song. A remix also helped the song gain airplay on other kinds of stations. As I Lay Me Down (with two different video versions) peaked on the charts in the autumn of 1995. While many speculate that the backup singers chant "Pull my taco" throughout the song, Hawkins clarified in October 2011 that the backup vocalist (Hawkins herself) is saying "ooh la kah koh". After initially explaining this meant "wash your feet before you sleep" in an African language, Hawkins admitted that she actually made up the phrase while recording, and it has no particular meaning.
The song was also included in the album All Time Greatest Movie Songs, released by Sony in 1999. The song was a Top Ten hit in Australia peaking at #7.
Chart
Peak positions
Chart (1995)[2] Peak position US Hot 100 6 Australian ARIA Single Charts 7 End of year charts
End of year chart (1995) Position U.S. Billboard Hot 100[3] 39 End of year chart (1996) Position U.S. Billboard Hot 100[4] 76 External links
References
- ^ http://www.amazon.com/As-I-Lay-Me-Down/dp/B00000DEPN
- ^ "As I Lay Me Down" in various Singles Chart Lescharts.com (Retrieved January 5, 2008)
- ^ "Billboard Top 100 - 1995". http://longboredsurfer.com/charts.php?year=1995. Retrieved 2010-08-27.
- ^ "Billboard Top 100 - 1996". http://longboredsurfer.com/charts.php?year=1996. Retrieved 2010-08-27.
- The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 6th Edition, 1996
Preceded by
"Kiss from a Rose" by SealBillboard Adult Contemporary number-one single
November 18 - December 23, 1995Succeeded by
"One Sweet Day" by Mariah Carey and Boys II MenCategories:- 1995 singles
- Sophie B. Hawkins songs
- Music videos directed by Sophie Muller
- Billboard Adult Contemporary number-one singles
- Billboard Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks number-one singles
- 1990s pop song stubs
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.