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As (song)

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"As"
Song
B-side"Contusion"
"As"
Song

"As" is a song written and performed by Stevie Wonder from his 1976 album, Songs in the Key of Life. It reached #36 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and Black Singles chart. The song implies that the love the singer has for his mate will never diminish by saying he will love her until the physically impossible becomes true. The impossible feats include: rainbows burning the stars out in the sky, oceans covering the tops of every mountain, dolphins flying, and parrots living at sea, dreaming of life and life becoming a dream, day becoming night and vice versa, trees and the seas flying away, 8×8×8 equaling 4, this day becoming the last day, the Earth turning right to left, the Earth denying itself, Mother Nature saying her work is through, and "until the day that you are me and I am you".

Covers

It was covered by pianist Gene Harris on his 1977 album Tone Tantrum, with 30 additional seconds. Sister Sledge covered it and included it on their 1977 album Together. It was also covered by violinist Jean-Luc Ponty on his 1981 album Mystical Adventures. Smooth jazz saxophonist Najee covered the song for his Stevie Wonder tribute album Songs from the Key of Life.[1] In 2000, singer Nichole Nordeman covered the song on her album This Mystery. Dutch singer Esmée Denters covered the song for Billboard's Mashup Mondays series in 2011. In 2011 the season 2 winners of vocal competition The Sing-Off, Committed, also covered this song on their self-titled debut album. Anthony Hamilton and Marsha Ambrosious make cameos in the 2013 film The Best Man Holiday, in which the singers appear as themselves and perform the song as an R&B ballad at a main character's funeral. The original Stevie Wonder version was featured in The Best Man Holiday's predecessor The Best Man in a more lighthearted scene.

Two dance-oriented versions of the song, both with the title "As Always", have reached the UK Singles Chart Top 75: one in 1989 produced by Farley Jackmaster Funk with Ricky Dillard on vocals; another in 1992 by Secret Life.

George Michael and Mary J. Blige version

In 1999, George Michael and Mary J. Blige covered the song, and it is the second single from George Michael's greatest hits album Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael. It became a top ten UK pop hit, reaching number four on the chart. The video features Michael in a club where many doppelgangers of himself and Mary J. Blige are dancing.

Track listings

UK CD 1
  1. "As" – 4:42
  2. "A Different Corner" (live at Parkinson) – 4:28
UK CD 2
  1. "As" (original) – 4:42
  2. "As" (Full Crew Mix) – 5:39
  3. "As" (CJ Mackintosh Remix) - 6:06
US CD Promo
  1. "As" (Beyond Real Mix) – 7:18
  2. "As" (Jonathan Peters Remix) – 4:10
  3. "As" (Maurice's Millennium Mix) - 7:55

Charts

Chart (1999) Peak
position
Australian Singles Chart[2] 45
Belgian Flanders Singles Chart[2] 42
Belgian Wallonia Singles Chart[2] 34
Dutch Singles Chart[3] 7
French Singles Chart[2] 27
German Singles Chart[4] 38
Irish Singles Chart[5] 12
New Zealand Singles Chart[2] 21
Spanish Singles Chart[6] 5
Swedish Singles Chart[2] 27
Swiss Singles Chart[2] 22
UK Singles Chart[7] 4
US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs[8] 57

References

  1. ^ "Songs from the Key of Life overview". Allmusic.com.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g George Michael - As (song). Retrieved May 2, 2011.
  3. ^ Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved May 2, 2011.
  4. ^ Single-Chartverfolgung. Retrieved May 2, 2011.
  5. ^ The Irish Charts. Retrieved May 2, 2011.
  6. ^ Listas de Afyve. Retrieved May 2, 2011.
  7. ^ Top 75 Releases. Retrieved May 2, 2011.
  8. ^ As - George Michael. Retrieved May 2, 2011.
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