"Promise Me" | ||||
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Single by Beverley Craven | ||||
from the album Beverley Craven | ||||
B-side | "I Listen to the Rain" | |||
Released | 4 July 1990 | |||
Genre | Pop | |||
Length | 3:36 | |||
Label | CBS | |||
Songwriter(s) | Beverley Craven | |||
Producer(s) | Paul Samwell-Smith | |||
Beverley Craven singles chronology | ||||
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"Promise Me" is a song by British singer Beverley Craven. Released as the lead single of her debut album, Beverley Craven , in 1990, the song initially failed to chart. However, appearances in British TV and a successful UK tour prompted a re-release of the single in 1991, when it peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart that May. It was successful across Europe, peaking at number two in Belgium and entering the top 10 in France, Ireland, and the Netherlands.
David Giles of Music Week stated that "on the evidence of this single, [Craven] is aimed at a Kate Bush level of epic grandeur, and, although the arrangement is classic enough, she lacks Bush's melodic inventiveness". [1]
All songs were written by Beverley Craven.
7-inch and mini-CD single
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
France (SNEP) [15] | Silver | 125,000* |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
The song has been covered numerous times, most notably being reworked as a dance song by group Lazard, who re-titled the song "4 O'Clock (In the Morning)". Other cover versions are by Jodie Brooke Wilson, Hind, Lutricia McNeal, Sandy Lam, Tabea, and by Rosa López who released a Spanish version (titled "Júrame") in 2008; a more faithful Spanish version was named "Entre tú y yo" and was performed by Mexican actress Chantal Andere in 1992 for her second album and as the main title song of the telenovela Triángulo. [16] Other notable covers are by Hong Kong Cantopop diva Sandy Lam titled as "Without You, But Still Love You", [17] and Taiwanese Mandopop diva Winnie Hsin titled as "Selfish". [18] Sometimes the Mandarin version and English version would be crossed over for singing competitions, as exemplified by British-Taiwanese singer (now newscaster) Annie Lin (林宜融). [19]
In June 2012, Technoboy and Tuneboy sampled the song on their hardstyle single "Promise Me". [20] Three months later, German techno band Scooter sampled "Promise Me" on their single "4 AM", in a nod to a 1993 breakbeat hardcore track by Orca, which also sampled verses from "Promise Me". [21]
"Unchained Melody" is a 1955 song with music by Alex North and lyrics by Hy Zaret. North wrote the music as a theme for the prison film Unchained (1955), hence the song title. Todd Duncan sang the vocals for the film soundtrack. It has since become a standard and one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century, most notably by the Righteous Brothers in 1965. According to the song's publishing administrator, over 1,500 recordings of "Unchained Melody" have been made by more than 670 artists, in multiple languages.
"Another Day in Paradise" is a song written and recorded by English drummer and singer Phil Collins. Produced by Collins along with Hugh Padgham, it was released as the first single from his number-one album ...But Seriously (1989). As with his song for Genesis, "Man on the Corner", the track has as its subject the problem of homelessness and paradise; as such, the song was a substantial departure from the dance-pop music of his previous album, No Jacket Required (1985).
"Wind of Change" is a song by West German rock band Scorpions, recorded for their eleventh studio album Crazy World (1990). A power ballad, it was composed and written by the band's lead singer Klaus Meine and produced by Keith Olsen and the band. The lyrics were composed by Meine following the band's visit to the Soviet Union at the height of perestroika, when the enmity between the communist and capitalist blocs subsided concurrently with the promulgation of large-scale socioeconomic reforms in the Soviet Union.
"Aïcha" is a song written by French singer-songwriter Jean-Jacques Goldman, performed by Algerian raï artist Khaled. In 1996, the song was released as a single containing two versions: a French version and a bilingual version sung in both French and Arabic. The Arabic lyrics were written by Khaled. On his 1996 album Sahra, the bilingual version is featured. The song's music video, which also uses the mixed language version, was directed by Sarah Moon.
Beverley Craven is a British singer-songwriter best known for her 1991 UK hit single "Promise Me". Her album Change of Heart was released in 2014 and Mixed Emotions in 1999.
"Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)" is a song by British R&B band Soul II Soul featuring the Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra. It is an alternate version of a song that appears on their secondary debut album, Club Classics Vol. One (1989) (titled Keep On Movin' in the United States), and was released as its second single on 29 May 1989 by Virgin. "Back to Life" is one of two songs on the album featuring British singer Caron Wheeler and gained success in both North America and Europe, topping the charts in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom and peaking at number four in the United States. Its music video, directed by Monty Whitebloom & Andy Delaney, of Big TV!, sees the group performing in a forest. Soul II Soul won their first Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal with the song in 1990. It was later included on a tenth-anniversary edition of the album.
"When a Man Loves a Woman" is a song written by Calvin Lewis and Andrew Wright and first recorded by Percy Sledge in 1966 at Norala Sound Studio in Sheffield, Alabama. It made number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B singles charts. Country singer John Wesley Ryles had a minor hit with his version of the song in 1976 while singer and actress Bette Midler recorded the song 14 years later and had a Top 40 hit with her version in 1990. In 1991, Michael Bolton recorded the song and his version peaked at number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 chart and the Billboard Adult Contemporary Singles chart.
"Freak Like Me" is a song by American R&B singer Adina Howard, released on January 25, 1995 by East West and Lola Waxx, as the debut single from her first album, Do You Wanna Ride? (1995). The song reached number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks, as well as number two on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart for four weeks, and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of one million copies. Its music video was directed by Hype Williams. In 2023, Billboard ranked "Freak Like Me" among the "500 Best Pop Songs of All Time". The song has been covered by several artists, including British girl group Sugababes, who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart with their version in 2002.
"Made It Back" is a song by Beverley Knight, released as the first single from her second studio album, Prodigal Sista. It was also the first single Knight released on EMI controlled Parlophone Records after she signed a four album deal with the label in 1997 after disagreements with her previous label, Dome Records. The release instantly proved that Knight had made the right decision after it entered the UK Singles Chart at #21 – her highest charting single up to that point. Featuring US rap star Redman, the song was nominated for Best Single at the 1998 MOBO Awards in London, which Knight lost out on to Another Level's "Freak Me". However, Knight went on to win Best R&B Act.
"If You Don't Know Me by Now" is a song written by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, and recorded by the Philadelphia soul musical group Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. It became their first hit after being released as a single in September 1972, topping the US R&B chart and peaking at number 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
"Because I Love You (The Postman Song)" (or simply titled "Because I Love You") is a song written by Warren Allen Brooks and performed by American singer, songwriter, and record producer Stevie B. It was released in September 1990 by LMR and RCA from his third album, Love & Emotion (1990). The song peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart in December 1990 and remained there for four consecutive weeks. It also spent two weeks at number one on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. The song reached the top 10 in several countries worldwide, including Belgium and the Netherlands, where it peaked at number two. It received a gold certification in Australia and the United States. In August 2018, Billboard ranked the song the 71st-biggest hit in the history of the Hot 100.
"Crush on You" is the second single released in 1986 from the Jets' debut album The Jets. The song reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and number five on the UK Singles Chart. Jerry Knight and Aaron Zigman co-wrote the hit single which put the Jets on the charts. The record was also given away in the UK in Flexi Disc format by being attached to the cover of Smash Hits magazine.
"White and Black Blues" was the French entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1990, performed in French by Joëlle Ursull, from her album Black French. The song was performed fourteenth on the night of the competition. At the close of voting, it had received 132 points, tying for second place in a field of 22. "White and Black Blues" was co-written by French pop provocateur Serge Gainsbourg, who had previously composed France Gall's winning entry for Luxembourg in 1965, "Poupée de cire, poupée de son", as well as the Monegasque entry "Boum-Badaboum" for Minouche Barelli in 1967, which had finished fifth.
"Show Me Heaven" is a song written by American singer and songwriter Maria McKee, Eric Rackin and Jay Rifkin, and recorded by McKee for the soundtrack to the Tom Cruise film Days of Thunder, released in June 1990. Produced by Peter Asher, the power ballad received favorable reviews from most music critics, reached number one on the UK Singles Chart for four weeks and became the sixth-highest-selling single of 1990 in the UK. Additionally, the song became a worldwide hit, topping the charts of Belgium, the Netherlands, and Norway and becoming a top-five hit in Australia, Ireland, Sweden, and Switzerland. It has since been covered by numerous other artists, including Tina Arena.
Beverley Craven is the debut album by British singer-songwriter Beverley Craven, released in July 1990. The album was fully written by Craven herself and features her biggest hit single and signature song, "Promise Me".
"All 4 Love" is a song by American music group Color Me Badd. In the United Kingdom, it was released in July 1991 by Giant and Reprise as the second single from their debut album, C.M.B. (1991), while in the United States, it was released as the album's third single in November of the same year. The recording contains elements from the 1966 song "Patch My Heart" by the Mad Lads.
"I'll Be Your Baby Tonight" is a 1967 song by Bob Dylan first released on John Wesley Harding. It features Pete Drake on pedal steel guitar, and two other Nashville musicians, Charlie McCoy on bass guitar and Kenneth Buttrey on drums, both of whom had appeared on Dylan's previous album, Blonde on Blonde.
"Holding On" is a ballad by British singer-songwriter Beverley Craven, released in late 1990 as the fourth single from her debut album, Beverley Craven (1990). This was Craven's first entry in the UK charts, peaking at a low #95 in February 1991. After the success of "Promise Me" in May 1991, "Holding On" was re-released as the follow-up single in July 1991, peaking at #32. The song also hit some European charts, and was also Craven's sole chart entry in the US charts.
"Woman to Woman" is a song by British singer Beverley Craven, included on her self-titled debut album.
"Here I Am (Come and Take Me)" is a 1973 song by Al Green, the second single released from his album Call Me. The song reached number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the Hot Soul Singles chart. It was certified as a gold record by the Recording Industry Association of America.