Shakespeares Sister – Stay (1992)
Stay is the commercially most successful single of UK pop act Shakespeares Sister. The single was released on 13 January 1992 and peaked at #1 in the UK Singles Charts, in Sweden, and in Ireland. It re-entered the UK, Ireland and the European Hot 100 Singles charts in November 2010 after a The X Factor contestant performed it on the show.
The song Stay can be considered a typical 1990’s pop ballad with clear and angelic vocals of Siobhan Fahey and a darker, more gothic-pop-like bridge, sung by Marcella Detroit. The arrangements are kept easy, building up to the the dramatic bridge entering at 1:54. The song opens up with epic Phil Collins-esque drums, distorted guitars, and the recurring piano melody.
In addition, lines like “In the silence of your room, in the darkness of your dreams, you must only think of me, there can be no in between. When your pride is on the floor, I’ll make you beg for more. Stay with me…” are prove of great lyrics. In my humble opinion, Stay is a milestone in 90s pop ballad history.
The B-side, The Trouble with Andre, is a good, danceable 90s pop song and worthy of being on this CD single. The song comes as a duet between Ms Fahey and Ms Detroit. Their voices and styles of singing match perfectly even though – or because – they are very different from each other.