As (song)

Last updated

"As"
As Single.jpeg
French single cover
Single by Stevie Wonder
from the album Songs in the Key of Life
B-side "Contusion"
ReleasedOctober 1977
Length
  • 7:08 (album version)
  • 3:27 (single edit)
Label Tamla
Songwriter(s) Stevie Wonder
Producer(s) Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder singles chronology
"Another Star"
(1977)		"As"
(1977)		"Pops We love You"
(1979)
Official audio
"As" (album version) on YouTube

"As" is a song written and performed by American singer and musician Stevie Wonder from his eighteenth album, Songs in the Key of Life (1976). The song was released in October 1977 by Tamla and reached number 36 on both the US Billboard Hot 100 and Black Singles chart. It gets its name from the first word of its lyrics.

Contents

Subject and interpretation

Wonder was injured in a car accident on August 6, 1973, and considered quitting the music industry as a result. [1] He briefly relocated to Ghana in order to help underprivileged children and focus on humanitarian efforts, but eventually made a U-turn on his musical career. During his time in Ghana, Stevie gained a new perspective on life, finding a new love for humanity and the world around him. [2]

The song implies that the love the singer has for their partner will never diminish, as they say that they will love them "always" (the song's main lyric) 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 (for the Sun), Mother Nature saying her work is through, and "until the day that you are me and I am you."

By the most straightforward interpretation of the lyrics, this is a lover serenading his beloved. By another possible interpretation, the song expresses the lyricist's own love for humanity. By another possible interpretation, Stevie wrote it from the perspective "As" if it were God speaking to all of humanity and/or creation.

Personnel

Charts

Chart (1977–1978)Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100 [3] 36
US Easy Listening ( Billboard ) [3] 24
US Hot Soul Singles ( Billboard ) [4] 36

George Michael and Mary J. Blige version

"As"
GeorgeMichaelMaryJBligeAsCDSingleCover.jpg
Single by George Michael and Mary J. Blige
from the album Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael and Mary
B-side "A Different Corner" (live)
ReleasedMarch 1, 1999 (1999-03-01)
Length4:42
Label Epic
Songwriter(s) Stevie Wonder
Producer(s) Babyface
George Michael singles chronology
"Outside"
(1998)		"As"
(1999)		"If I Told You That"
(2000)
Mary J. Blige singles chronology
"Seven Days"
(1998)		"As"
(1999)		"All That I Can Say"
(1999)

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [42] Gold45,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI) [43] Gold400,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)Ref.
United KingdomMarch 1, 1999
  • CD
  • cassette
 Epic [44]
JapanMarch 31, 1999CD [45]

Other versions

"As" was covered by pianist Gene Harris on his 1977 album Tone Tantrum , with 30 additional seconds.

Dutch singer Tony Sherman covered it in 1977 and peaked with his version at #13 on the 9th of July in the Dutch Top 40.

Sister Sledge covered it and included it on their 1977 album Together . They later performed the song on a 1984 episode of The Jeffersons .

Kimiko Kasai with Herbie Hancock covered it on the 1979 album Butterfly. [46]

"As" was also covered by violinist Jean-Luc Ponty on his 1982 album Mystical Adventures .

Smooth jazz saxophonist/flautist Najee covered the song for his Stevie Wonder tribute album Songs from the Key of Life. [47]

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.

In 2014 it was covered by American singer Camille for her Stevie Wonder tribute album I Sing Stevie: The Stevie Wonder Songbook, an album that received an Independent Music Awards nomination for Best Tribute Album. [48]

In 2017 it was covered by American Multi-instrumentalist Bill Wurtz and put on his website under the Jazz page. [49]

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.

Singer-songwriter Becca Stevens included a cover of the song, featuring Jacob Collier, on her album Regina (2017).

In 1996 R&B singer Case interpolated the backing vocals for his song "I Gotcha" from his self-titled debut album.

In 2021 a re-mix from the original version of "As" was featured in the In Memoriam moment of the Academy Awards ceremony, credited as "I'll Be Loving You Always". [50]

In the 2024 experimental film ***** created by Arthur Jafa the character Scar sings along to "As" in one scene, the song then becoming the non-diegetic soundtrack of the following scene. [51] [52]

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References

  1. ↑ "45 Years Ago: Stevie Wonder Seriously Injured in Car Accident". August 6, 2018.
  2. ↑ "The Story of... 'As' by Stevie Wonder, covered by George Michael and Mary J Blige".
  3. 1 2 Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 261.
  4. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 636.
  5. ↑ Devenish, Colin (November 5, 1998). "George Michael's Video Tackles Lewd Conduct Arrest". MTV. Archived from the original on February 17, 2016.
  6. ↑ Folk, Antwane (August 17, 2019). "Revisiting Mary J. Blige's Soul Masterpiece 'Mary' 20 Years Later". Rated R&B. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
  7. ↑ "Chart Slot". Daily Record . March 19, 1999.
  8. ↑ "George Michael, Mary J. Blige - As (Official Video)". YouTube. December 20, 2010. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  9. ↑ As (UK CD1 disc notes). George Michael, Mary J. Blige. Epic Records. 1999. 667012 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ↑ As (UK cassette single sleeve). George Michael, Mary J. Blige. Epic Records. 1999. 667012 4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. ↑ As (UK CD2 disc notes). George Michael, Mary J. Blige. Epic Records. 1999. 667012 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ↑ As (European CD single liner notes). George Michael, Mary J. Blige. Epic Records. 1999. EPC 666870 1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. ↑ As (Japanese CD single liner notes). George Michael, Mary J. Blige. Epic Records. 1999. ESCA 7455.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. ↑ As (European 12-inch single vinyl disc). George Michael, Mary J. Blige. Epic Records. 1999. EPC 666870 6.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. ↑ As (Australian maxi-CD single liner notes). George Michael, Mary J. Blige. Epic Records. 1999. 667362 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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  19. ↑ Danish Singles Chart March 19, 1999
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  21. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Mary J. Blige". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 33. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
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  34. ↑ "George Michael & Mary J. Blige – As". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
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  36. ↑ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  37. ↑ "George Michael Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
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  42. ↑ "Danish single certifications – George Michael & Mary J. Blige – As". IFPI Danmark . Retrieved August 12, 2024.
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  44. ↑ "New Releases – For Week Starting 1 March, 1999: Singles" (PDF). Music Week . February 27, 1999. p. 25. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  45. ↑ "ジョージ・マイケル" [George Michael]. Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Archived from the original on December 31, 2007. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  46. ↑ "Kimiko Kasai With Herbie Hancock – Butterfly", Discogs.
  47. ↑ "Songs from the Key of Life overview". AllMusic .
  48. ↑ "14th Annual Independent Music Awards: Tribute Album". independentmusicawards.com. Music Resource Group LLC. Archived from the original on March 28, 2015. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
  49. ↑ "billwurtz". billwurtz.com. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
  50. ↑ "Oscars In Memoriam 2021 - Oscars 2021 News | 93rd Academy Awards". ABC. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  51. ↑ D’Souza, Aruna (April 5, 2024). "A 'Taxi Driver' Remake: Why Arthur Jafa Recast the Scorsese Ending". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  52. ↑ "Arthur Jafa x 2, Black Power Tool Redacted". Kinoki. May 1, 2024. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
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