As I Lay Me Down

"As I Lay Me Down" is a song composed and performed by singer-songwriter Sophie B. Hawkins. It is from her album Whaler and also appears on The Best of Sophie B. Hawkins. The song is one of her two biggest hits, reaching number six on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Adult Contemporary chart for six weeks during 1995. Outside the United States, the song reached number six in Canada, number seven in Australia, number 19 in New Zealand, and number 24 in the United Kingdom.

"As I Lay Me Down"
Single by Sophie B. Hawkins
from the album Whaler
ReleasedFebruary 7, 1995
Recorded1994
GenrePop
Length4:11
LabelColumbia
Sony Records[1]
Songwriter(s)Sophie B. Hawkins
Producer(s)Stephen Lipson
Sophie B. Hawkins singles chronology
"Don't Don't Tell Me No"
(1994)
"As I Lay Me Down"
(1995)
"Did We Not Choose Each Other"
(1995)

Song information

External audio
As I Lay Me Down
"As I Lay Me Down", from The Official Website for Sophie B. Hawkins, retrieved 20180825.

The song is a ballad in which the singer reminisces about a faraway loved one as she goes to bed and hopes to see him again. It was written in memory of her father.

It appeared in Now and Then and the TV series Party of Five (with Hawkins performing it as a guest star) in 1995 and the 1998 pilot of Dawson's Creek.

"As I Lay Me Down" was the second US single released from the album Whaler. With disappointing sales of the first single, "Right Beside You", the song was released with little fanfare (a photograph of Sophie dressed as a sailor was the focus of the cover). Sophie then insisted that her label (Columbia) allow her to tour the country with only an acoustic piano. The song then began receiving airplay on adult contemporary stations. During the summer of 1995, it became a huge A/C hit as well as a top ten song. A remix also helped the song gain airplay on other kinds of stations. "As I Lay Me Down" (with two different video versions) peaked on the charts in the autumn of 1995.

The song was also included on the album All Time Greatest Movie Songs, released by Columbia Records in 1999.

Music video

The music video (directed by Sophie Muller) depicts Hawkins singing while sitting on stairs outside an apartment building in her hometown of New York City. It flashes to Hawkins in a forest swinging on a swing, lying on a tree branch, sitting in a boat, and sitting on a bench. It also shows a little girl running through the forest representing Hawkins as a child.

Chart

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[21] Gold 35,000^

^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

  1. "As I Lay Me Down / I Need Nothing Else: Sophie B Hawkins: Music". Amazon.com. Retrieved January 9, 2012.
  2. "Australian-charts.com – Sophie B. Hawkins – As I Lay Me Down". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved October 27, 2018.
  3. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2807." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved October 27, 2018.
  4. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 2802." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved October 27, 2018.
  5. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12 no. 11. March 18, 1995. p. 27. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  6. "Offiziellecharts.de – Sophie B. Hawkins – As I Lay Me Down". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 27, 2018.
  7. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (18.3. '95 – 24.3. '95)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). March 18, 1995. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  8. "Charts.nz – Sophie B. Hawkins – As I Lay Me Down". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved October 27, 2018.
  9. "Notowanie nr684" (in Polish). LP3. March 10, 1995. Archived from the original on October 23, 2018. Retrieved March 19, 2019.
  10. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 27, 2018.
  11. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 27, 2018.
  12. "Sophie B Hawkins Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  13. "Sophie B Hawkins Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  14. "Sophie B Hawkins Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  15. "Sophie B Hawkins Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
  16. "ARIA Charts – End of Year Charts – Top 50 Singles 1995". ARIA. Retrieved October 27, 2018.
  17. "RPM Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1995". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved October 27, 2018.
  18. "RPM Top 100 Adult Contemporary Tracks of 1995". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved October 27, 2018.
  19. "Billboard Top 100 – 1995". Archived from the original on August 15, 2009. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
  20. "Billboard Top 100 – 1996". Archived from the original on March 1, 2009. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
  21. "1995 ARIA Singles Chart". ARIA. Retrieved October 27, 2018.
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