Stay with Me (Erasure song)

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For the song by Faces, see Stay with Me (Faces song).
"Stay with Me"
Single by Erasure
from the album Erasure
B-side"True Love Wars"
Released11 September 1995
Recorded1995
GenreSynth-pop
Length
  • 4:45 (single edit)
  • 6:43 (album version)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Erasure singles chronology
"I Love Saturday"
(1994) 		"Stay with Me"
(1995) 		"Fingers & Thumbs (Cold Summer's Day)"
(1995)
Music video
"Stay with Me" on YouTube

"Stay with Me" is a song by English synth-pop duo Erasure, released in September 1995 by Mute Records as the lead single from their self-titled, seventh studio album, Erasure (1995). Written by Vince Clarke and Andy Bell, it is a slow love ballad. Starting with simple synth chords from Clarke and subdued vocal from Bell, the song builds to a mid-tempo gospel-influenced conclusion, complete with vocal contributions from the London Community Gospel Choir. Like the other two singles from this album, it was edited for its release. In an interview with John Marshall from Lincs FM in 2009, Bell stated that "Stay With Me" was one of his favourite Erasure songs.

The single's B-side, "True Love Wars", is an extension of the Erasure album opener "Intro: Guess I'm Into Feeling". Both tracks use the same instrumental track and share several vocal elements, although they are different songs.

Chart performance[edit]

"Stay with Me" was not as successful as prior Erasure singles, reaching number fifteen on the UK Singles Chart, and it did not chart in the United States or Germany. In Denmark and Sweden, it peaked at number 10[1] and 13,[2] respectively. In Czech Republic, it was a top-20 hit and on the Eurochart Hot 100, the single peaked at number 71 on October 7, 1995.[3]

Critical reception[edit]

Ned Raggett from AllMusic described the song as "quietly intoxicating".[4] Larry Flick from Billboard felt it stands among the duo's "most enchanting and hitworthy recordings to date." He noted that the music "blends delicate music-box-like keyboards with Andy Bell's gorgeous, theatrical vocal performance", and added further that "this ballad soars to a beautiful conclusion, as Bell is surrounded by a gospel choir that adds spiritual depth to the song's sweet, romantic lyrics."[5] Ross Jones from The Guardian named it "one of their best; a salty slowie more beautiful than this world deserves."[6] David Hemingway of Melody Maker called it "a fairly simple ballad juxtaposed with understated squiggly-sguiggy plink-plonk effects that are just slightly and intentionally 'synthetic' or 'artificial'" and added that it's "oddly, vaguely, endearing in its refusal to rock/pop out, in its almost wilful ordinariness".[7] Chris Gerard from Metro Weekly commented, "If anybody ever doubts that Andy Bell is a first-rate vocalist, play them "Stay with Me" immediately. The layers of sound that he develops, along with Clarke's simple keyboard line, are simply magical."[8]

Pan-European magazine Music & Media said, "The question is which version are you going to air? ACE is best advised to take the Guitar Mix of the sad love song, EHR won't have problems with the electronic Flow Mix, while "dance" can do the rest."[9] Music Week gave it three out of five, declaring it as "a delicate but powerful electronic ballad, produced by the Orb's Thomas Fehlmann."[10] They added that the "slow-burning" song "is heard best in context, where Clarke's churchy keyboard patterns are played against a classic, impassioned performance by Bell."[11] Angela Lewis of NME noted the "leaden-paced, tinsel and twinkle thang could be a dozy Christmas ballad", with Bell's "words of love" being "as lust free as his voice". She continued, "Nowadays, Erasure still stroke the synth-pop handbook, but their plink-plonkery is dated, and one bets they couldn't honestly put hand on heart and pronounce they care as much as they used to."[12] Another NME editor, Paul Moody, described it as "a boomy, gloomy ballad for three minutes, [then] untwines into a six-minute opus which closes with the ebb'n'flow of the tide (plus a nod to the Human League's 'Louise' along the way)".[13] A reviewer from People Magazine wrote, "Thanks to an emphasis on gorgeous torch tunes like "Rock Me Gently" and "Stay with Me", lead singer Andy Bell's always operatic vocals take on a newfound luster".[14] Darren Lee from The Quietus felt that it "remain [a] serviceable enough" ballad, "but lack the pizzazz and charm of earlier releases."[15]

Music video[edit]

The music video for "Stay with Me" was directed by Mario Cavalli[16] and later made available on Erasure's official YouTube channel in September 2014.[17]

Track listings[edit]

Charts[edit]

Chart (1995) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[18] 170
Czech Republic (Rádio – Top 100 (Czech Republic))[19] 18
Denmark (IFPI)[1] 10
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[3] 71
Scotland (Official Charts Company)[20] 16
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[2] 13
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[21] 15
US Hot Dance Music Sales (Billboard)[22] 35

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 42. 21 October 1995. p. 25. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Home". Swedishcharts.com.
  3. ^ a b "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 40. 7 October 1995. p. 22. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  4. ^ Raggett, Ned. "Erasure – Erasure". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  5. ^ "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. 16 September 1995. p. 47. Retrieved 4 February 2020.
  6. ^ Jones, Ross (9 September 1995). "Reviews: Singles". p. 31. The Guardian.
  7. ^ Hemingway, David (16 September 1995). "Singles". Melody Maker. p. 32. ISSN 0025-9012.
  8. ^ Gerard, Chris (17 September 2014). "Erasure's 40 Greatest Tracks". Metro Weekly. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  9. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 36. 9 September 1995. p. 6. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
  10. ^ "Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 2 September 1995. p. 10. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  11. ^ Gorman, Paul (30 September 1995). "Erasure – Duo Moves In A New Direction" (PDF). Music Week. p. 12. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  12. ^ Lewis, Angela (16 September 1995). "Singles". New Musical Express. p. 44. ISSN 0028-6362.
  13. ^ Moody, Paul (21 October 1995). "Long Play". NME. p. 52. Retrieved 17 March 2024.
  14. ^ "Picks and Pans Review: Erasure". People. 13 November 1995. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
  15. ^ Lee, Darren (27 February 2009). "Erasure – Total Pop! Erasure's First 40 Hits". The Quietus. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  16. ^ "Erasure - Stay With Me (1995)". IMVDb. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
  17. ^ "Erasure - Stay With Me (Official HD Video)". YouTube. 25 September 2014. Retrieved 7 November 2020.
  18. ^ "Erasure | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Official Charts.
  19. ^ "Hitparáda Radio". Retrieved 26 August 2021.
  20. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100 17 September 1995 - 23 September 1995". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  21. ^ "Erasure Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  22. ^ "Home". allmusic.com.
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