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As I Lay Me Down

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"As I Lay Me Down"
Song

"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.

Song information

The song is a ballad in which the singer reminisces about a faraway loved one as she goes to bed and hopes to see them again. It was written in memory of Hawkins' father.

It 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.

The song features distinctive backing vocals, the repeated phrase "ooh la kah koh," sung by Hawkins herself. After initially explaining that 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.[citation needed]

The song was also included on the album All Time Greatest Movie Songs, released by Columbia Records in 1999. The song was a top ten hit in Australia, peaking at #7.[2]

Music video

The music video depicts Hawkins singing while sitting on stairs outside an apartment building in New York City. It flashes to Hawkins in a forest swinging on a swing, lying on a tree branch, sitting in a boat, and sitting on a bench. It also shows a little girl running through the forest representing Hawkins as a child.

Chart

References

  1. ^ "As I Lay Me Down / I Need Nothing Else: Sophie B Hawkins: Music". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
  2. ^ "australian-charts.com - Sophie B. Hawkins - As I Lay Me Down". Hung Medien. Retrieved February 19, 2013.
  3. ^ "As I Lay Me Down" in various Singles Chart Lescharts.com (Retrieved January 5, 2008)
  4. ^ "Billboard Top 100–1995". Retrieved 2010-08-27.
  5. ^ "ARIA Charts - End of Year Charts - Top 50 Singles 1995". ARIA. Retrieved 2014-01-29.
  6. ^ "Billboard Top 100–1996". Retrieved 2010-08-27.
  • The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 6th Edition, 1996
Preceded by Billboard Adult Contemporary number-one single
November 18 – December 23, 1995 		Succeeded by
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