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Almost Doesn't Count

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"Almost Doesn't Count"
Single by Brandy
from the album Never Say Never
ReleasedMarch 23, 1999 (1999-03-23)
Genre
Length3:37
LabelAtlantic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Brandy singles chronology
"Angel in Disguise"
(1999) 		"Almost Doesn't Count"
(1999) 		"U Don't Know Me"
(1999)

"Almost Doesn't Count" is a song by American singer Brandy Norwood. It was written by Shelly Peiken and Guy Roche and recorded by Norwood for her second studio album, Never Say Never (1998). Atlantic Records consulted Fred Jerkins III to recut the song to be more consistent with the overall sound of the album. He would subsequently share production credit along with Roche. A pop and R&B-ballad combining elements of country, it incorporates Latin flavored riffs. The song's lyrics are based on an on-again, off-again relationship that Peiken had experienced during her college years.

The song was released as the fourth overall single from Never Say Never on March 23, 1999. "Almost Doesn't Count" received a positive response from most music critics, who called it one of the album highlights, with major praise for Norwood's vocal performance. A commercial success, "Almost Doesn't Count" hit the top twenty in New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and on the US Billboard Hot 100. It earned Norwood her third Best Female R&B Vocal Performance nomination at the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards and was awarded a BMI Pop Award in 2000.

The accompanying music video for "Almost Doesn't Count," filmed by Kevin Bray in the Lancaster area, depicts Norwood as an unnoticed wedding guest in the backyard of an expressway hotel, following the breakdown of her car in the Mojave Desert. Norwood performed the song in the 1999 made-for-television musical drama film Double Platinum, directed by Robert Allan Ackerman, and starring Diana Ross and herself. She included the song in the set-list of various live shows and future tours, including the Never Say Never World Tour, the Human World Tour and the Slayana World Tour.

Background

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"Almost Doesn't Count" was written by Shelly Peiken and Guy Roche.[1] Inspired by a powerful but unfruitful on-again, off-again relationship she had with a man in her college years,[2] Peiken recalled her emotions during a writing session with Roche decades later when she "dug up that laundry list of all the 'almosts' I felt we had, and we put it into the song."[2] In a 2020 interview, she further elaborated about the lyrics: "It was a relationship that was more in my head than in his, and I always felt like we almost got there, he almost said I love you, he almost broke up with the girlfriend he had the whole time. He almost faced his feelings but he never quite got there – maybe that was all in my head too. Maybe he never had any of those feelings, maybe it was all my imagination."[2][3]

Written in the thirty-two-bar form structure, which the pair considered "very sort of country," Peiken and Roche put the song on the back burner since they were not sure how to finish it, feeling undecided about the genre that they were looking for in the song.[2] They resumed work on "Almost Doesn't Count" a few months later when, according to Peiken, "it was a lot clearer – not so much the genre, but that it was good enough that we couldn't leave it on the back burner – it was really good and we had to finish it. So we did, and then we sent it around."[2] Picked up by Atlantic Records, the demo, produced by Roche, was eventually polished by producer Fred Jerkins III for Norwood's second album Never Say Never (1998).[1] Recording took place at Banana Boat Studios in Burbank and at Pacifique Recording Studios in North Hollywood, California, with Peiken providing backing vocals.[1] In 2019, Roche ranked the song among his favorite productions.[4]

Critical reception

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In his review of parent album Never Say Never, Shaheen Chughtai, editor for The Daily Star Lebanon, wrote that "Brandy does have a fine voice, drenched in sex-appeal, and in good form on tracks like 'Almost Doesn’t Count'."[5] San Francisco Chronicle's Lee Hildebrand described the song as "haunting" and added: "Brandy takes her time with the ballad, wrapping her warm, melismatic alto pipes around their melodic contours with womanly nuance."[6] Stephen Thomas Erlewine from Allmusic cited the song one of the album's highlights along with "The Boy Is Mine" and "Have You Ever?."[7] Billboard editor Chuck Taylor wrote that "breezy, sensual, straightforward, and drenched with those gorgeous harmonies that are recognizable in an instant, Miss Norwood serves up a tasty slow jam about letting go of love. While the single is a certain bull's-eye at mainstream R&B radio – where it'll first be worked – top 40 will undoubtedly be waiting in the wings, licking its chops."[8]

Less impressed, Lorraine Ali from Rolling Stone declared "the Spanish guitar and chimes in "Almost Doesn't Count [...] the cheesiest moment" on Never Say Never.[9] Her colleague Rob Sheffield ranked the song 67th on his The 98 Best Songs of 1998 listing for Rolling Stone and called it a "a doleful weeper where Ms. Norwood comes close to true love – but alas, not close enough – over a flourish of Latin acoustic guitar."[10] Music Week labeled the song a "smoochy ballad" with "its typically Smooth production, Spanish guitars, Lazy groove and Brandy's breathy vocals."[11] The publication also felt that it could be commercial success like her previously released singles from the same album.[11] The Village Voice ranked "Almost Doesn't Count" 16th on its Pazz & Jop 1998 Singles listing.[12] In 2020, Lela Olds from Vibe, ranked the song eighth on his Brandy's 15 Best Songs listing.[13] One of the most-performed songs of the year, "Almost Doesn't Count" was honored with BMI Citations of Achievement at the BMI Pop Awards in 2000.[14] In addition, the song earned Norwood her third nomination in the Best Female R&B Vocal Performance category at the 42nd Annual Grammy Awards, though she lost to Whitney Houston's "It's Not Right but It's Okay."[15]

Music video

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The video for "Almost Doesn't Count" was filmed in the Mojave Desert in California.[16]

A music video for "Almost Doesn't Count" was directed by Kevin Bray in April 1999.[16] It marked his second collaboration with Norwood following their work on the video for "Have You Ever?" (1998). Filmed in Lancaster, California and the surrounding Mojave Desert,[17] it depicts Norwood as a wedding guest and singer whose oldtimer suffers from a breakdown prior to the wedding ceremony in the evening.[16] After a walk of several miles, a pick up drives by and she climbs inside the back where a fellow passenger gives her his cowboy hat. At night, they drop her off at a gas station which Norwood finds closed, prompting her to check into a nearby hotel off the expressway. In the hotel room, she unpacks and changes her outfit when she, out from the window, watches a couple getting married in the courtyard across the street.[16] The video ends with Norwood crashing the celebration, unnoticed, before joining the band who play to an empty courtyard.[16]

Track listings

[edit]
Australian CD single
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Almost Doesn't Count" (Radio Remix)
3:37
2."Almost Doesn't Count" (Album Version)
  • Peiken
  • Roche
  • Jerkins
  • Roche
3:39
3."Almost Doesn't Count" (Pull Club Radio Edit)
  • Peiken
  • Roche
  • Jerkins
  • Roche
  • Pull[a]
4:15
4."Almost Doesn't Count" (DJ Premier Remix)
  • Peiken
  • Roche
3:47
5."Almost Doesn't Count" (Pull Club Extended Mix)
  • Peiken
  • Roche
  • Jerkins
  • Roche
  • Pull[a]
8:21
Japan CD single
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Almost Doesn't Count" (Album Version)
  • Peiken
  • Roche
  • Jerkins
  • Roche
3:39
2."Have You Ever?" (Soul Skank Remix)Diane Warren
5:40
3."The Boy Is Mine" (duet with Monica) (Club Remix)
7:42
4."Almost Doesn't Count" (DJ Premier Remix)
  • Peiken
  • Roche
3:47
5."Almost Doesn't Count" (Club Remix)
  • Peiken
  • Roche
  • Jerkins
  • Roche
  • Pull[a]
4:37
UK CD single I
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Almost Doesn't Count" (Radio Remix)
  • Peiken
  • Roche
  • Jerkins
  • Roche
  • Pull[a]
3:37
2."Almost Doesn't Count" (Album Version)
  • Peiken
  • Roche
  • Jerkins
  • Roche
3:39
3."Almost Doesn't Count" (DJ Premier Remix)
  • Peiken
  • Roche
  • Jerkins
  • Roche
  • DJ Premier[a]
3:47
UK CD single II
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Almost Doesn't Count" (Pull Club Radio Edit)
  • Peiken
  • Roche
  • Jerkins
  • Roche
  • Pull[a]
4:15
2."Almost Doesn't Count" (Club Remix)
  • Peiken
  • Roche
  • Jerkins
  • Roche
  • Pull[a]
4:37
3."Have You Ever?" (Soul Skank Remix)Warren
  • Foster
  • Soul Inside Productions 98[a]
5:40

Notes

  • ^a denotes additional producer

Credits and personnel

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Credits lifted from the album's liner notes.[1]

Charts

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Release history

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Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States March 23, 1999
Atlantic [35]
April 13, 1999 Contemporary hit radio [36]
United Kingdom June 7, 1999
  • CD
  • cassette
 [37]
Japan June 9, 1999 CD [38]

Mark Wills version

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"Almost Doesn't Count"
Single by Mark Wills
from the album Permanently
B-side"Permanently"[39]
ReleasedMarch 2000
GenreCountry
Length3:37
LabelMercury Nashville
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Carson Chamberlain
Mark Wills singles chronology
"Back at One"
(1999) 		"Almost Doesn't Count"
(2000) 		"I Want to Know (Everything There Is to Know About You)"
(2000)

In March 2000, American country music artist Mark Wills released a cover of the song as the second single from his third studio album, Permanently. Hisversion reached number 19 on Billboard's US Hot Country Songs chart. Wills's cover marked his second R&B cover following his late-1999 cover of Brian McKnight's "Back at One" (1998). An accompanying music video was directed by Michael Salomon and premiered in March 2000. It was filmed in Atlanta, Georgia. There are two different videos, both with the same concept but with different scenes.

Charts

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Weekly charts

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Chart (2000) Peak
position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[40] 19

Year-end charts

[edit]
Chart (2000) Position
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[41] 72

Other cover versions

[edit]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Never Say Never (booklet). Brandy. Atlantic Records. 1998.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. ^ a b c d e Wiser, Carl. "Songwriter Interviews: Shelly Peiken". songfacts.com. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  3. ^ Peiken, Shelly (March 2016). Confessions of a Serial Songwriter. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 9781495063619. Retrieved May 3, 2020. {{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  4. ^ "When Shelly [...]". Twitter. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  5. ^ Chughtai, Shaheen (July 25, 1998). "Party Animal". The Daily Star. Retrieved May 3, 2020.[permanent dead link]
  6. ^ Hildebrand, Lee (June 7, 1998). "The New Brandy Is Watered Down". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  7. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Never Say Never review". Allmusic. Retrieved July 16, 2010.
  8. ^ Taylor, Chuck (March 25, 1999). "Singles". Billboard. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  9. ^ Ali, Lorraine (June 18, 1998). "Brandy: Never Say Never : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 2, 2007. Retrieved May 4, 2020.
  10. ^ Sheffield, Rob (June 4, 1998). "Party Animal". Rolling Stone. The 98 Best Songs of 1998: Pop’s Weirdest Year. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  11. ^ a b "Single Reviews" (PDF). Music Week. May 29, 1999. p. 22. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
  12. ^ "Pazz & Jop 1998: Dean's List". The Village Voice. March 2, 1999. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  13. ^ Olds, Lela (March 25, 2020). "From Teen Sensation To Vocal Bible: Brandy's 15 Best Songs". Vibe. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  14. ^ "Rob Thomas, Eagle-Eye Cherry Receive BMI Awards". MTV News. May 17, 2000. Archived from the original on December 23, 2014. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  15. ^ "List of Brandy's GRAMMY Awards history". grammy.com. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  16. ^ a b c d e Porter, Nina (January 25, 2000). The Brandy Star Profile. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  17. ^ "Production Notes". Billboard. April 17, 1999. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
  18. ^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 8453." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  19. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 8404." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  20. ^ Lwin, Nanda (2000). Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide. Music Data Canada. p. 50. ISBN 1-896594-13-1.
  21. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 16, no. 26. June 26, 1999. p. 8. Retrieved January 7, 2018.
  22. ^ "Brandy – Almost Doesn't Count" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  23. ^ "Brandy – Almost Doesn't Count". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  24. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  25. ^ "Brandy: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  26. ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 26, 2017.
  27. ^ "Brandy Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  28. ^ "Brandy Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  29. ^ "Brandy Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
  30. ^ "Brandy Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
  31. ^ "Billboard Top 100 – 1999". Archived from the original on July 9, 2009. Retrieved August 28, 2010.
  32. ^ "1999 The Year in Music: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 52. December 25, 1999. p. YE-57.
  33. ^ "Most Played Mainstream Top 40 Songs of 1999" (PDF). Airplay Monitor. Vol. 7, no. 52. December 24, 1999. p. 54. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  34. ^ "Most Played Rhythmic Top 40 Songs of 1999" (PDF). Airplay Monitor. Vol. 7, no. 52. December 24, 1999. p. 53. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  35. ^ "New Releases / AddVance Notice". Radio & Records. No. 1291. March 19, 1999. pp. 44, 49.
  36. ^ "New Releases". Radio & Records. No. 1294. April 9, 1999. p. 106.
  37. ^ "New Releases – For Week Starting 7 June, 1999: Singles". Music Week. June 5, 1999. p. 31.
  38. ^ "オールモスト・ダズント・カウント | ブランディー" [Almost Doesn't Count | Brandy] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
  39. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. pp. 470–471. ISBN 978-0-89820-177-2.
  40. ^ "Mark Wills Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  41. ^ "Best of 2000: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2000. Retrieved August 16, 2012.
  42. ^ Abraham, Mya (June 11, 2023). "Alex Vaughn Remakes Brandy's "Almost Doesn't Count" For 25th Anniversary Of 'Never Say Never'". Vibe.com. Retrieved June 17, 2023.
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