This Is the Night (Clay Aiken song)

"This Is the Night"
Single by Clay Aiken
Released June 10, 2003 (2003-06-10)
Format CD single
Recorded 2003
Genre Pop
Length 3:32
Label RCA
Songwriter(s) Chris Braide, Aldo Nova, Gary Burr
Producer(s) Steve Mac, Clive Davis
Clay Aiken singles chronology
"This Is the Night"
(2003)
"Invisible"
(2003)

"This Is the Night", released on June 10, 2003 on the RCA label, was American Idol contestant Clay Aiken's debut CD single and was written by Chris Braide, Aldo Nova and Gary Burr.

It was released simultaneously with "Flying Without Wings" by rival contestant (and idol winner) Ruben Studdard, and became only the eleventh song in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 to debut at number one on that chart, restricting "Flying Without Wings" to the number-two position.

Writing and inspiration

Although the song seems tailor-made as a potential show-winning song, it was not written specifically for American Idol. Co-writer Braide said in an interview with HitQuarters: "'This Is The Night' was written from the heart ... It was written after 9/11, and there’s a line in it, 'Every kiss is a kiss/you can never get back', and it’s about saying, to whoever you love out there, just appreciate them." American Idol creator Simon Fuller heard the song and said it was perfect for the show.[1]

Release

The double A-side single was RIAA certified platinum on July 15, 2003. Debuting at number one on both the Billboard Hot 100 (on June 17, 2003) and the Hot 100 Single Sales Chart (the eleventh song in the former's history to do so), it was the fastest-selling single since Elton John's "Candle in the Wind 1997"[2][3] and the best-selling single of 2003, with 948,000 copies sold.[4] It was the first CD single to go platinum since 2002, when Lee Ann Womack's "I Hope You Dance" sold a million copies after being released for over a year. The single also topped the charts in New Zealand where it was certified platinum, and went six times platinum in Canada.

"This Is the Night" was included as a bonus track on Aiken's Measure of a Man CD (October 2003), while on some international versions the bonus track was "Bridge over Troubled Water".

Track listing

  1. "Bridge over Troubled Water" (Paul Simon)
  2. "This Is the Night" Chris Braide/Aldo Nova/Gary Burr
Retail Singles information
Bridge over Troubled Water / This Is the Night
  • Released: June 3, 2003
  • Peak Chart Position: Number 1 U.S. Debut
  • RIAA Certification: Platinum (July 15, 2003)
  • U.S. sales: 960,000 [5]
  • CRIA Certification: 6x Platinum (July 2003)

Charts

Year-end charts

Chart (2003) Position
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[6] 38

See also

References

  1. "Interview with Chris Braide". HitQuarters. 30 August 2010. Retrieved Sep 1, 2010.
  2. MTV, Elton John full biography, accessed May 29, 2007
  3. About.com Top 40 / Pop, Clay Aiken, Best-Selling First Single accessed May 29, 2007
  4. Grein, Paul (May 6, 2011). "Chart Watch Extra: 20 Years Of Top Songs". Yahoo! Music. Archived from the original on May 12, 2011. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
  5. How the American Idol coronation singles stack up, part 1
  6. "End of Year Charts 2003". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
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