“This isn't real, is it? [Laughs] I'll say more people said it was a Christmas song.”
ALRIGHT! 35 percent of respondents regarded it as a Christmas song, and 29 percent thought it wasn't. Those who believed it was pointed out it was a Yuletide chart-topper featuring bells and a snow-filled video, while those who didn't cited the fact it contains no references to the holiday. YouGov concluded it was the Die Hard of Christmas songs.
“[Laughs] Really?! There you go! That's another feather in the cap that I've had a poll done of one of my songs! I never thought 'Stay Another Day' would last this long, and I'd be celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. It was all unplanned. It felt like a song that's been chosen by the public. It kept Mariah Carey's 'All I Want for Christmas is You' off the top spot – that Mariah might even know who East 17 are feels like an accolade. I remember apologizing to [dance group] Baby D for 'Stay Another Day' knocking 'Let Me Be Your Fantasy' off Number One, 'cause I really loved that song.
“When I won an Ivor Novello for it, I was so young that I'd never heard of the songwriting award. I thought it was a person! Looking back now, it feels prestigious – better than the swimming awards I got as a kid! [Laughs]”
To mark 'Stay Another Day''s 30th anniversary, you've partnered with the music therapy charity Nordoff and Robbins, which connects the song to its original meaning – you originally never wanted to release it because it was a deeply sad, personal song about your brother taking his own life…
“Well, that's the initials of 'Stay Another Day' – SAD. It did start out sad, and that's what inspired the song. It's about the mental imbalance of feeling that leaving is easier than staying. Since then, it's become a Christmas bauble, hasn't it? But it feels very sad every time I play it because obviously I think of my brother, and you can imagine how many times I've played it in 30 years. It's something I try to put to the back of my mind.”
“This is my last year performing it. I'm performing it twice more this year [including at a special concert for Nordoff Robbins in London]and then that will be it because I can't keep doing it. It's draining.”
“But people like it for Christmas, and that side of it makes me laugh now. It reminds people of white furry coats and office parties. The public made that song Number One and kept it there for five weeks and that still blows me away.”
The recent BBC documentary Boybands Forever highlighted the pressures teenage boybands faced, and a recent 'Liam's Law' petition has been launched to safeguard the mental well-being and provide adequate breaks for young artists in the music industry. Would protections like that have helped East 17?
“I was always asking for a break, but I never got one. I only needed six weeks off, but it went on and on and became a bit much. You were told to keep working with the threat that if you don't do it, the whole thing will stop so you had that hanging over your head, thinking: 'Well, I can't be selfish and stop this for everyone because I need a break and I'm burning out'. Even footballers get breaks. So if management were required to put measures in place – and it's feasible – it would be good. Anything that can help people who are mentally struggling, or even a greater awareness about the warning signs would be good, because dealing with hunger is an interesting thing. If you can get hungry with a pinch of salt, you'll do well at it, but if you have any mental health issues, the music industry can magnify them.”
The verdict: 6/10
“At 54, I can't remember what I did this morning! Though I question the 'East 17 & Boogie' one! [Laughs] As long as my score's half as good as when Suggsy from Madness did this quiz, then I'm happy!”
Mission accomplished – Suggs only scored 3/10!
On December 13, London Records will release a limited special 7” vinyl edition of 'Stay Another Day', which can be pre-ordered here. For all items sold via www.stayanotherday.co.uk, London Records will be donating £1 to Nordoff and Robbins Music Therapy. Tony Mortimer will perform a rendition of the iconic song at the Nordoff and Robbins Carol Service in London on December 10. Tickets are available here.
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