"Another Sad Love Song" | ||||
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Single by Toni Braxton | ||||
from the album Toni Braxton | ||||
B-side | "Give U My Heart" | |||
Released | June 11, 1993 | |||
Studio | LaCoCo, Doppler (Atlanta) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 5:01 | |||
Label | LaFace | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) |
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Toni Braxton singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Another Sad Love Song" on YouTube |
"Another Sad Love Song" is a song by American singer-songwriter Toni Braxton. Written and produced by Daryl Simmons and Babyface, featuring additional production from L.A. Reid, it was released as the lead single and its opening track from Braxton's self-titled debut album (1993) on June 11, 1993, by LaFace Records and Arista Records. Lyrically, it talks about Braxton complaining that every song played on the radio is a reminder of her ex-boyfriend.
"Another Sad Love Song" received widespread acclaim from music critics and earned Braxton her first-ever Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance at the 36th Annual Grammy Awards. It proved to be a success, giving Braxton her first top ten hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100, as well as the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, while narrowly missing the top position of Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart by peaking at number two. Internationally, the song reached the top twenty in Canada and the United Kingdom, the top thirty in Iceland and the Netherlands, and the top forty in Scotland and on a composite Eurochart Hot 100.
Three different music videos for the song were produced. The first version was filmed in 1992 in black-and-white and featured the original music. The second version was filmed in May 1993 and was shown in color with exterior scenes from the first version. The third version was remixed to appeal to a wider audiences and was primarily shown in Europe. "Another Sad Love Song" has been performed at most of Braxton's concerts, and is featured on many of her greatest hits collections, including Ultimate Toni Braxton (2003), Platinum & Gold Collection (2004), The Essential Toni Braxton (2007) and Breathe Again: The Best of Toni Braxton (2009). [1]
After Braxton released her first solo single, "Love Shoulda Brought You Home", in 1992, as the soundtrack of the film Boomerang , which became her first top-40 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, she released "Another Sad Love Song" as the lead single from her self-titled debut album, Toni Braxton , on June 11, 1993. [2]
"Another Sad Love Song" was written and produced by Babyface and Daryl Simmons, with L.A. Reid also producing it. [1] Lyrically, "Another Sad Love Song" talks about Braxton complaining that every song played on the radio is a reminder of her ex-boyfriend. In the chorus, she sings, "It’s just another sad love song/Rackin’ my brain like crazy/Guess I’m all torn up/Be it fast or slow/It doesn’t let go/Or shake me/And it’s all because of you." [3]
The song received positive reviews from the majority of the music critics. Ron Wynn of AllMusic named it a highlight from the album, writing that "Braxton's husky, enticing voice sounds hypnotic on the dismayed track." [4] Daryl Easlea of BBC Music praised that it "showed how well an accomplished production team could perform when married with a superior vocalist." [5] Larry Flick from Billboard commented, "Braxton cleanly proves herself as a future diva on this slow and rhythmic urban ballad". He added, "The cool thing about Toni is that she's clearly not afraid to get vocally raw and raspy, even when the instrumentation is as smooth as it is here. That kind of edge places this already delicious jam head-and-shoulders above the ever-crowded competitive ranks." [6] Mitchell May of Chicago Tribune was very positive, writing that on the track, "the ache in her voice is all too real." [7] Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report described it as "another L.A., Babyface and Daryl Simmons masterpiece by an artist with a great future". [8]
Connie Johnson of Los Angeles Times praised Braxton for "going to town on the soul-infused track." [9] Ralph Tee from Music Week's RM Dance Update stated that she "steps out with a vocal Whitney would be proud of on a stylish, medium-paced two stepper that grows on you." [10] Another RM editor, James Hamilton, deemed it a "superb sultry slinky jogger". [11] A reviewer from People Magazine called its intro "coiling, almost eerie", "bolstered by her full-throated alto." [12] John McAlley of Rolling Stone was extremely positive, writing that, "Another Sad Love Song – with its dynamic vocal, gargantuan hook and clever song-with-in-a-song lyric – surely ranks with 'End of the Road', 'I'm Your Baby Tonight' and 'Every Little Step' as one of LaFace's greatest triumphs." McAlley also wrote the song "reinforces Braxton's lovelorn persona, as do several other midtempo ballads that L.A., Babyface and Daryl Simmons have front-loaded into Toni Braxton." [13]
"Another Sad Love Song" became Braxton's first song to receive a Grammy Award nomination in 1994, for the category "Best R&B Vocal Performance, Female", ultimately winning the award. [14]
"Another Sad Love Song" became Braxton's first top-10 hit on the US Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number seven, while on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, the song reached higher, peaking at number two. [14] The single also peaked at number four on the Cash Box Top 100, [15] and sold 500,000 copies domestically, earning a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America. [16] [17] In 1993, the song charted on the UK Singles Chart, reaching a peak of number 51, on September 18. However, in 1994, the song peaked at number 15, becoming its official peak position, on April 2. [18] Elsewhere, the song performed modestly, reaching number 23 on the Dutch Top 40 chart [19] and number 44 on the New Zealand Singles Chart. [20]
The accompanying music video for "Another Sad Love Song" was released in three different versions. The first version was directed by Antoine Fuqua and filmed in 1992 in black-and-white and featured the original music. [21] The second version was directed by Fuqua and Ralph Ziman and filmed in May 1993 and was shown in color with exterior scenes from the first version. [22] The third version was remixed to appeal to a wider audiences and was primarily shown in Europe. [23]
On her DVD, "From Toni with Love... The Video Collection", two versions of the video are also featured: the "black and white" and the "colorful version". [24] Braxton commented that she "was really feeling the song, because I was ending a relationship," she said. [24]
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Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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United States (RIAA) [2] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
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United States | June 11, 1993 |
| LaFace | [2] |
Sweden | August 30, 1993 | CD |
| [53] |
United Kingdom | September 6, 1993 |
| [54] | |
Japan | September 22, 1993 | Mini-CD | [55] | |
United Kingdom (re-release) | March 21, 1994 |
| [56] |
Toni Michele Braxton is an American singer, songwriter, actress and television personality. She has sold over 70 million records worldwide and is one of the best-selling female artists in history. Braxton has won seven Grammy Awards, nine Billboard Music Awards, seven American Music Awards, and numerous other accolades. In 2011, Braxton was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. In 2017 she was honored with the Legend Award at the Soul Train Music Awards.
"Un-Break My Heart" is a song by American singer Toni Braxton for her second studio album, Secrets (1996). The song was written by Diane Warren and produced by David Foster. It was released as the second single from the album on October 7, 1996, through LaFace Records. The song is a ballad about a "blistering heartbreak" in which the singer begs a former lover to return and undo the pain he has caused. It won Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 39th Annual Grammy Awards in 1997. It has sold over 10 million copies worldwide and nearly 3 million in the United States alone, making it one of the best selling singles of all time.
Toni Braxton is the debut studio album by American singer Toni Braxton, released on July 13, 1993, by LaFace Records and Arista Records. The album was primarily produced by L.A. Reid, Babyface, and Daryl Simmons.
Ultimate Toni Braxton, released in 2003, is the first greatest hits collection by R&B singer Toni Braxton. It features many of her greatest hits, and includes all the singles from her debut Toni Braxton and all but one of the singles from her second album Secrets. Her albums The Heat and More Than a Woman are fairly underrepresented, as only two and one songs are included from each album, respectively. The songs on Ultimate are not the actual album versions but radio edits, and the version of "Seven Whole Days" is live.
"End of the Road" is a song by American R&B group Boyz II Men for the Boomerang soundtrack. It was released in June 1992 by LaFace, Arista and Motown, and is written by Babyface, Antonio L.A. Reid and Daryl Simmons. It is written and composed in the key of E-flat major and is set in time signature of 6/8 with a tempo of 150 beats per minute. The song achieved domestic and international success. In the United States, it spent a then record breaking 13 weeks at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, a record broken later in the year by Whitney Houston's 14-week number one hit "I Will Always Love You"; Boyz II Men would later match Houston's record with "I'll Make Love to You", which spent 14 weeks at number one in 1994, and then reclaim the record with "One Sweet Day", which spent 16 weeks at number one from 1995 to 1996.
"Queen of the Night" is a song co-written by American singer and actress Whitney Houston along with L.A. Reid, Babyface and Daryl Simmons. Produced by Reid and Babyface and performed by Houston, it was released on October 13, 1993 by Arista Records as the fifth and final single from the soundtrack album The Bodyguard (1992), and is played during the closing credits of the film of the same name.
"He Wasn't Man Enough" is a song by American singer Toni Braxton. It was written by Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, Fred Jerkins III, LaShawn Daniels, and Harvey Mason, Jr. for her third studio album, The Heat (2000), while production was helmed by the former. "He Wasn't Man Enough" is an uptempo R&B song that differs from Braxton's previous ballads. The song was released by LaFace Records on February 29, 2000, as the lead single from the album.
American singer Toni Braxton has released ten studio albums, five extended plays, six compilation albums, two remix albums, thirty-four singles, two video albums and twenty-two music videos in a career spanning over 30 years. She was born in Severn, Maryland, on October 7, 1967. Her mother, an opera vocalist, encouraged Braxton and her four sisters to sing in church at a young age. In 1990, songwriter Bill Pettaway discovered the sisters and helped them obtain a record deal with Arista Records, as the group titled The Braxtons; the group's debut single, "Good Life", was released the same year. Although the song failed to chart, Braxton's voice caught the attention of producers, L.A. Reid and Babyface, who signed her to their newly formed LaFace Records. In 1991, Braxton recorded songs for the soundtrack to the 1992 film Boomerang. Her solo debut single, "Love Shoulda Brought You Home", reached the top forty of the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and the top five of the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Two years later, her self-titled debut album was issued through LaFace. The album topped the US Billboard 200 and R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts and was certified eight-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It spawned four singles, including "Breathe Again", which peaked within the top ten in the United States, Australia, Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. The album has sold over ten million copies worldwide.
"You're Makin' Me High" is the lead single from American singer Toni Braxton's second studio album, Secrets (1996). The mid-tempo song represents a joint collaboration between the Grammy Award-winning producer Babyface and Bryce Wilson. The beat of the song was originally for singer-songwriter Brandy, with Dallas Austin pegged to write a lyric to override; however, Braxton had Babyface write lyrics for the song. It was ultimately issued in the United States as a double A-side with "Let It Flow", the airplay hit from the 1995 film Waiting to Exhale.
"How Could an Angel Break My Heart" is a song by American singer and songwriter Toni Braxton, released in October 1997 as the fourth and final single from her second studio album, Secrets (1996). The song, co-written by Braxton and Babyface and produced by Babyface, features Kenny G on the saxophone. At the time of this single's release, Secrets had reached five-time Platinum status by the RIAA.
"Give U My Heart" is a song recorded by American R&B singers Babyface and Toni Braxton for the soundtrack to the 1992 film Boomerang, starring Eddie Murphy. The collaboration was released as a single the same year, reaching No. 29 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and No. 2 on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart.
"Love Shoulda Brought You Home" is the debut solo single by American singer Toni Braxton. It was written by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Daryl Simmons, and Bo Watson and produced by Edmonds and Simmons along with L.A. Reid. Originally written for singer Anita Baker, who had to decline due to her pregnancy, it was eventually recorded by Braxton and featured on the soundtrack to Reginald Hudlin's romantic comedy film Boomerang (1992). The song was later also included on Braxton's self titled debut album (1993). Lyrically, the slow-groove R&B song is saga of betrayal and infidelity that depicts a heartbroken Braxton.
"Breathe Again" is a song by American R&B singer Toni Braxton. It was written by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and produced by Edmonds, L.A. Reid, and Daryl Simmons for Braxton's first album Toni Braxton (1993). Its lyrics evokes a sense of nostalgia from a relationship that has run its course. The ballad was released as the album's second single on October 6, 1993, by LaFace and Arista Records.
"Seven Whole Days" is a song performed by American singer Toni Braxton. It serves as the third single from her self-titled debut album (1993). It was released on October 8, 1993 by LaFace and Arista Records. Written and produced by Kenneth Edmonds, Antonio Reid and Daryl Simmons, the track describes a romance that was fading. As the single was not commercially released in the United States, it was ineligible to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, and only managed to chart on the Hot 100 Airplay at number forty-eight in early March 1994. Nevertheless, it successfully topped the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay in late January 1994.
"You Mean the World to Me" is a song by American singer-songwriter Toni Braxton. It was written and produced by Antonio "L.A." Reid, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, and Daryl Simmons for her self-titled debut album (1993). Selected as the album's fourth single, it was released on CD on April 21, 1994, by LaFace and Arista Records. It peaked at number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number three on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart, while reaching the top ten of the Canadian Singles Chart. The music video for "You Mean the World to Me" was directed by Lionel C. Martin.
"I Don't Want To" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Toni Braxton for her second studio album, Secrets (1996). It was released as the third single from the album on March 11, 1997; in the United States it was released as a double A-side with "I Love Me Some Him". Written and produced by R. Kelly, the R&B ballad describes the agony of a break-up. The song was well received by music critics, who were complimentary about Kelly's production.
So Many Ways is the debut album by American R&B vocal group The Braxtons. Released on August 6, 1996, the album produced four singles; "So Many Ways", "Only Love", "The Boss" – which peaked at number-one in the Billboard Dance Charts – and "Slow Flow". "So Many Ways" peaked at No. 26 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts and No. 3 on the Heatseekers Albums chart.
"Yesterday" is a song by American R&B singer Toni Braxton. It was written by Braxton, Jerome Armstrong, Terrence Battle, Michael White, and DJ Frank E and produced by the latter for her seventh studio album Pulse (2010). Selected as the album's lead single, it was released by Atlantic Records to US radios on September 29, 2009. American singer Trey Songz appears on the Troy Taylor radio edit of "Yesterday," which served as the American version released to radio. Outside North America, the original version of the song was released, which features only Braxton's vocals.
"Let It Flow" is a song by American singer Toni Braxton. Written and produced by Babyface, the song was originally recorded for, and included on, the soundtrack to the 1995 motion picture Waiting to Exhale.
"Hurt You" is a song by American recording artists Toni Braxton and Babyface. It was written by Braxton and Babyface along with Daryl Simmons and Antonio Dixon for their collaborative studio album Love, Marriage & Divorce (2014), while Babyface helmed production. The song was released on August 17, 2013, as the lead single from the album. It topped the US Adult R&B Songs and was ranked fifth on the chart's year-end listing.