Stay (I Missed You)

"Stay (I Missed You)"
Single by Lisa Loeb and Nine Stories
from the album Tails and Reality Bites soundtrack
B-side	"Stay (I Missed You)" (Living Room Mix-acoustic)
Released	April 25, 1994
Format	CD single
Genre	Pop, Folk pop
Length	3:04
Label	RCA
Writer(s)	Lisa Loeb
Lisa Loeb and Nine Stories singles chronology
"Stay (I Missed You)" (1994) "Taffy" (1995)

"Stay (I Missed You)" is a song and debut single by American singer-songwriter Lisa Loeb, which became her breakthrough song in 1994. It was included on the Reality Bites soundtrack, as well as her debut album, Tails.

"Stay" ultimately went on to become a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, earning her the distinction of being the only artist to top the U.S. chart before being signed to any record label. The song reached number six on the UK Singles Chart and was even performed on Top of the Pops. It also peaked at number 14 on the New Zealand RIANZ Top 40.

"Stay" later placed 93rd on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 90's.

For their performance of the song Lisa Loeb and Nine Stories were nominated for a Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.

Background

Loeb was discovered by actor and friend Ethan Hawke, who lived in an apartment across the street from her in New York City.^{[citation needed]} She met Hawke through mutual friends in the NYC theatre community. Loeb had been performing "Stay (I Missed You)" 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.^{[citation needed]} Stiller subsequently agreed to use the song in the film and on the film's soundtrack.

This song was just named "Stay" originally, consisted of nine verses, and was co-written with Australian Nathan Jolly. But at the time it was getting popular, there were several popular songs with "Stay" in their title (such as the U2 song "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)"). Because of this, "(I Missed You)" was tacked on to the end to differentiate it from the others.^{[citation needed]}

Writing and inspiration

In a interview, Loeb explained: "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. Regarding the lyrics, "I turned the radio on, I turned the radio up, and this woman was singing my song," Lisa explains: "That was when you hear somebody telling your exact story.

Critical reception

"Stay (I Missed You)" received positive reviews from most music critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from Allmusic highlighted the track as an album highlight. He said that the song is "gentle" and explained "That's because 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."

Chart performance

"Stay" became Loeb's most successful single to date through her career. "Stay" peaked at number 1 in the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the first artist to have a number one without a record contract or deal. The song debuted at number 23 on New Zealand Singles Chart, and peaked at number 14 in two weeks time. The song stayed in the chart for 13 weeks total. The song debuted at number 39 in Australia. It later peaked at number six after five weeks in the charts. The single, however, didn't have much success throughout the Europe side of the globe, but did debut on the UK Singles Chart. It debuted at number 27 on the charts, and after five weeks, it peaked at number 6. The song stayed in the charts for fifteen weeks.

Music video

The music video, directed by Ethan Hawke and released in 1994, begins with a cat on a chair, the zooms out to Loeb (wearing a black dress and her trademark horn-rimmed glasses) singing the lyrics while walking around in the empty New York City apartment in which she lived at the time. At the time, no audio, visual or green screen effects were generated through the video, which was said to be very basic and simple. It is one continuous camera shot of Loeb in an apartment.

According to VH1 show Pop-Up Video, the video was filmed in just two separate takes.^{[citation needed]}

Charts

Peak positions

Chart	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)	6
Canadian Top Singles (RPM)	1
Germany (Media Control AG)	59
Ireland (Irish Singles Chart)	12
Netherlands (Mega Single Top 100)	32
New Zealand (RIANZ)	14
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)	38
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)	6
US Billboard Hot 100	1

Year-end charts

Chart (1990-1999)	Position
Canada	13
United States	42

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.

Credits

• Lisa Loeb – guitar and vocals
• Tim Bright – guitar
• Joe Quigley – bass
• Jonathan Feinberg – drums

References

Preceded by "I Swear" by All-4-One

Billboard Hot 100 number-one single August 6, 1994 – August 20, 1994

Succeeded by "I'll Make Love to You" by Boyz II Men