One Sweet Day

"One Sweet Day" was a song that Carey wrote with the R&B group Boyz II Men. After Carey's friend and past collaborator David Cole (of C&C Music Factory) died, she began writing and developing a song that would pay homage to him and all the friends and family her fans had lost along life's journey. Carey had the idea and chorus composed, and after meeting with Boyz II Men, they realized they too had a similar idea in development. Additionally, Mariah's sister Alison Carey had been diagnosed with HIV in 1988 when she was 27, an event that ruined their relationship and tore them apart. Carey stated that she wrote the song hoping that all her fans that have lost someone could relate to "One Sweet Day" and maybe help ease the pain of the loss. == Composition ==

"One Sweet Day" is a "big" R&B ballad. It incorporates organ instrumentation and different contemporary grooves and beats into its primary arrangement, adding percussion and synthesizers as well, while incorporating "flourishes and harmonies" from both Carey and Boyz II Men. The song is set in the time signature common time and moves at a slow tempo of 64 beats per minute. It is written in the key of A major. The song contains lyrics written by Carey, who also arranged and co-produced the song alongside Walter Afanasieff. Author Chris Nickson complimented the song's instrumentation and arrangement, calling its use of synthesizers "wise" and "efficient." Additionally, he claimed Afanasieff's production and Carey's vocal and production arrangement helped the song's vocals and lyrical content flow together. The song finishes with the last chorus and coda in the key of B major. == Reception and accolades ==

"One Sweet Day" has been met with universal acclaim from contemporary music critics. AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine praised the song for its craft and writing, commenting that "[in] 'One Sweet Day', a duet with Boyz II Men, Carey appeals to both audiences equally because of the sheer amount of craft and hard work she puts into her albums. Steve Baltin from Cash Box wrote, "This single could be thrown at the bottom of the 99 cents bin, buried under the Partridge Family and Starlite Vocal Band, and it would still find its way into the hands of fans. This is as big a guaranteed hit as anything that's come out in some time". He added, "You will never find a surer bet than whether this song will make number one." James Masterton for Dotmusic deemed it "a saccharine piece of American soul slush." Ken Tucker from Entertainment Weekly felt the song truly highlighted the album, "['One Sweet Day'] radiates a breezy sexiness that Carey, for all the brazen hussiness of her public persona, rarely permits herself to reveal in song. In 2018, the magazine noted, "Goosebumps, every time. Carey's heavenly vocals, combined with the song's universal message and the sweet harmonies of Boyz II Men." Music & Media named it a "skillful ballad", complimenting Boyz II Men, "who add a soulful touch to Carey's perfectionist vocals." Stephen Holden from The New York Times shared similar sentiments and wrote, "On 'One Sweet Day', the singer joins forces with Boyz II Men, those masters of pleading post-doo-wop vocal harmonies, for a tender eulogy that suggests that the singers have been personally touched by the AIDS crisis." A reviewer from People magazine named the song a "stand-out track" and called Carey's vocal performance "bravura belting." Gina Morris from Smash Hits gave it two out of five, calling it a "soulful, purer-than-pure twee little number". "One Sweet Day" also won the award for "Song of the Year" at the BMI Awards and a "Special Award for 16 weeks at #1" at the Billboard Music Awards. In a readers' poll conducted by Rolling Stone, the song was ranked first for the category of the Best Collaboration of All Time. == Chart performance ==

"One Sweet Day" debuted at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart dated December 2, 1995, with sales of 204,000 units. It became Carey's tenth chart topping single on the Hot 100 and Boyz II Men's fourth, debuting at the top spot. "One Sweet Day" became the fourth song to debut at number one after Michael Jackson's "You Are Not Alone", Carey's own "Fantasy", and Whitney Houston's "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)". The song remained at the peak for a record-breaking 16 consecutive weeks, from December 2, 1995, to March 16, 1996. It remained the only song to stay at number one on the chart for 16 weeks until 2017, when the record was tied by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee's "Despacito", featuring Justin Bieber. The record would remain until Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road", featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, broke the record in 2019, spending nineteen weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 (eventually Carey reclaimed the record back as her song "All I Want for Christmas Is You" spent 20 weeks at number one). It still remains the only number one debut to spend sixteen consecutive weeks at number one. Boyz II Men had previously held this record twice, with "End of the Road" (1992) spending 13 weeks at the top and "I'll Make Love to You" (1994) spending 14. Being the fourth single in history to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, "One Sweet Day" also made Boyz II Men the first group to have a single debut at number one. "One Sweet Day" unseated "Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" by Whitney Houston at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and was knocked off by Celine Dion's "Because You Loved Me". "One Sweet Day" was the third best-selling single of 1995 in the US, with sales of over 1,300,000, with the second best-selling single being Carey's "Fantasy". The song spent 26 weeks in the top 40, was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and was ranked number nine on Billboards Hot 100-decade retrospective. The song also achieved strong success around the world, topping the charts in Canada and New Zealand, and reaching the top-ten in sixteen countries including Australia, Belgium, France, Ireland, The Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom. In Canada, the song debuted on the RPM Singles Chart at number 89 on the RPM issue dated December 4, 1995, and reached the top of the chart on January 22, 1996. It was present on the chart for a total of 24 weeks, and ranked 12th on the RPM Year-end chart for 1996. It reached the top-two in Australia (3× platinum) and the Netherlands; the top-five in France (silver) and Ireland and the top-ten in Belgium, Norway (platinum), Sweden and the United Kingdom (gold). In the UK, it is one of Carey's best-selling singles, with estimated sales of over 400,000. == Music video ==

The song's accompanying music video was directed by American independent filmmaker Larry Jordan. When Carey and Boyz II Men got together to record "One Sweet Day", they did not have enough time to re-unite and film a video. Instead, a filming crew was present during the song's recording, and filmed bits of Carey and Boyz recording the song. Walter Afanasieff later told Fred Bronson that shooting the video was "crazy", stating, "They had film crews and video guys, while I'm at the board trying to produce. And these guys were running around having a ball, because Mariah and them are laughing and screaming and they're being interviewed. And I'm tapping people on the shoulder. 'We've got to get to the microphone!' They're gone in a couple of hours, so I recorded everything they did, praying that it was enough." After the song's release, Carey expressed her contentment with the video, that she was happy a real music video was never filmed, fearing that no video could truly capture the song's "precious message." Critics agreed, feeling that the song was a perfect match for the video and its message. Aside from the recording sessions, the video also shared bits of Carey and Boyz bonding and sharing their ideas in the studio, where Carey felt they "bonded." On August 13, 2020, the music video of "One Sweet Day" reached 200 million views on YouTube. == Live performances ==

"One Sweet Day" was performed at the 38th Annual Grammy Awards, held on February 28, 1996. During the performance, Carey wore a long black dress and matching sleeveless blouse, while the group wore white jackets and black pants. After the song's bridge, a choir of male and female vocalists took place on the rafters placed over the stage, all wearing white gowns. The song was also performed at the memorial service for Princess Diana in September 1997, where other performers included Elton John. During the service and song recital, Carey wore a conservative long black sheer gown, with long golden curls. Boyz II Men all wore similar matching dark suit and garments. "One Sweet Day" was performed at every show on her Daydream World Tour (1996), where Boyz II Men were featured on a large projection screen. The footage was taken from Carey's filmed concert at Madison Square Garden in late 1995, and was played in sync with Carey's verses. A similar concept was used for her Butterfly World Tour (1998), with the addition of several live back up vocalists joining on stage. Carey also performed the song as a part of her 2015 Las Vegas residency, Mariah Carey Number 1's, with Lorenz reprising his role as well as Daniel Moore. She also performed the song as a part of her 2018–20 Las Vegas residency, The Butterfly Returns alongside Lorenz and Moore. It was also performed on selected dates of her 2019 Caution World Tour. == Cover versions ==

"One Sweet Day" was performed by the seven finalists on the seventh season of American Idol. The performance was taped due to the "Mariah Carey" themed week, where all the competitors sang songs from Carey's repertoire. Their performance received praise from all four judges, who commented how it was an "impossibly hard song to sing" because it was a "Mariah song." Shannon Magrane performed the song on the eleventh season of American Idol the week the contestants performed songs from their birth years. Andy Williams released a version in 2007 on his album, ''I Don't Remember Ever Growing Up''. == Track listing and formats ==

• Worldwide Cassette CD single • "One Sweet Day" (Album Version) – 4:41 • "One Sweet Day" (Live Version from Fantasy: Mariah Carey at Madison Square Garden) – 5:08 • Japanese CD maxi-single • "One Sweet Day" (Album Version) – 4:42 • "One Sweet Day" (Live Version from Fantasy: Mariah Carey at Madison Square Garden) – 5:10 • "Open Arms" – 3:30 • UK CD maxi-single 1 • "One Sweet Day" (Album Version) – 4:41 • "One Sweet Day" (Sweet A Cappella) – 4:52 • "One Sweet Day" (A Cappella) – 4:48 • "One Sweet Day" (Chucky's Remix) – 4:51 • "One Sweet Day" (Live Version from Fantasy: Mariah Carey at Madison Square Garden) – 5:08 • UK CD maxi-single 2 • "One Sweet Day" (Album Version) – 4:44 • "Fantasy" (Def Drums Mix) – 4:01 • "Joy to the World" (Celebration Mix) – 7:58 • "Joy to the World" (Club Mix) – 7:35 • US CD maxi-single • "One Sweet Day" (Album Version) – 4:41 • "One Sweet Day" (Sweet A Cappella) – 4:52 • "One Sweet Day" (A Cappella) – 4:48 • "One Sweet Day" (Chucky's Remix) – 4:51 • "One Sweet Day" (Live Version) – 5:08 • "Fantasy" (Def Drums Mix) – 4:00 • One Sweet Day EP • "One Sweet Day" (Chucky's Remix) – 4:51 • "One Sweet Day" (Sweet A Cappella) – 4:52 • "One Sweet Day" (A Cappella) – 4:49 • "One Sweet Day" (Live at Madison Square Garden - October 1995) – 5:09 == Credits and personnel ==

Credits adapted from the Daydream liner notes. • Mariah Carey – co-production, songwriting (music and lyrics), vocals • Walter Afanasieff – co-production, songwriting (music) • Nathan Morris – songwriting (lyrics), vocals • Wanya Morris – songwriting (lyrics), vocals • Shawn Stockman – songwriting (lyrics), vocals • Michael McCary – songwriting (lyrics), vocals == Charts ==

Weekly charts Year-end charts Decade-end charts All-time charts == Certifications and sales ==