Have You Ever?

"Have You Ever?" is a song by American recording artist Brandy Norwood. The ballad was written by Diane Warren, with production handled by David Foster, and was recorded by Norwood for her second studio album, Never Say Never (1998). It was released as the album's third single on September 29, 1998 by Atlantic Records. The song became Norwood's second song to reach the top position on the Billboard Hot 100 following the worldwide number-one success of "The Boy Is Mine". The song also reached number one in New Zealand, number two in Iceland, number eight in Australia and the top 30 in Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom.

For other uses, see Have You Ever (disambiguation).
"Have You Ever?"
Single by Brandy
from the album Never Say Never
ReleasedSeptember 29, 1998 (U.S.)
FormatCD single, 12", cassette
Recorded1997[1]
Genre
Length4:26
LabelAtlantic
Songwriter(s)Diane Warren
Producer(s)David Foster
Brandy singles chronology
"Top of the World"
(1998)		 "Have You Ever?"
(1998)		 "Angel in Disguise"
(1998)

The song's music video, directed by Kevin Bray, depicts Norwood looking after the empty house of her best friend, whom she is secretly in love with, waiting for his return while watching videos of the two of them. At the 1999 ceremony, the video was nominated an MTV Video Music Award for Best R&B Video but eventually lost to Lauryn Hill's "Doo Wop (That Thing)".

Development and recording

"Have You Ever?" was written by Diane Warren and was produced by David Foster.[2] While Norwood had worked with a wide range of different producers on previous tracks for her debut album Brandy (1994) and several soundtrack contributions, the recording of the song marked the first time she "had been in the studio with a producer like David Foster", Norwood stated in a 2005 interview. "My voice wasn't as developed as it is now and the song required what producers call ‘money notes' - the kind that get you a No. 1 on the charts! I was really nervous but it all worked just fine."[3] On September 5, 2012, Warren revealed in an interview that she considers the track "a classic song. She sang it amazingly. I’m still waiting for the country version.[4]

Critical reception

The song received generally mixed to positive reviews from music critics upon its release. In his single review for Billboard, journalist Chuck Taylor noted that it was hard "to imagine this single as anything but another jewel in the pop/R&B princess' crown." He called that the melody "instantly gratifying, with a harmony-soaked hook that's dedicted to memory after just a couple listens," and concluded that "Have You Ever?" was "a prime example of how, in the course of just a few short years, Brandy has proved to be one of the most versatile and promising stars on the fast real track to superstar royalty."[5] Richard Harrington of The Spokesman-Review called the song a "luxurious [...] inevitable Diane Warren-penned power ballad", which was "begging to be redone as a duet, perhaps with Usher?"[6]

Generally critical with the Never Say Never album itself, Angela Lewis of The Independent found that Norwood's "voice is pure honey, but she lacks real command of tracks like "Have You Ever?", showing she's better at playing by the rules than anything else."[7] Daryl Easlea of BBC Music wrote, that "working with session players the calibre of bassist Nathan East and David Foster on keyboards, Never Say Never was aimed at the widest audience possible. This was most evident on "Have You Ever?" [...] Written by Diane Warren, the ballad sounds a little too formulaic and off-the-peg, aimed for the summit of the hit parade.[8]

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Have You Ever?" was filmed by director Kevin Bray in Los Angeles, California in the week of October 31, 1998.[9] In the clip, Norwood looks after her best friend's empty house, waiting for his return while watching videos of the two of them in the bedroom.

Track listings
CD single[10]
No.TitleLength
1."Have You Ever?" (Radio Edit)4:10
2."Happy"4:06
3."Have You Ever?" (LP Version)4:31

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[41] Platinum 70,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[42] Gold 15,000*

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Cover versions
  • In 2003, American Idol finalist Trenyce Cobbins performed this song on the Final 6 Diane Warren show. She eventually placed fifth in the competition.
  • In 2006, Dutch singer Esmée Denters covered the song on YouTube, which led to her getting a record deal with Justin Timberlake's Tennman Records
  • On Australian Idol season 4 in 2006, eventual runner-up Jessica Mauboy performed Have You Ever on the Final 7 performance show.
  • In 2007, Irish boy band Westlife remade a version of the song on their album Back Home
  • In 2008, Filipino pop singer Nina Girado released her rendition of the song for her album Nina Sings The Hits of Diane Warren
  • In 2009, another Filipino pop singer Sarah Geronimo did a cover version of the song for latest album Music and Me
  • In 2014, The X Factor UK contestant Stephanie Nala covered the song in the bottom two sing off.
  • In 2019, Idols South Africa contestant, Sneziey Msomi covered the song for the Top 8 show with the Love Songs theme.

References
  1. "The arms of the one who loves you ; The day I stop loving you ; Feels like home ... [et al.] part 4 - song, music - Copyright Info". Faqs.org. Retrieved 2012-01-06.
  2. Never Say Never (Media notes). Brandy. Atlantic Records. 1998.CS1 maint: others (link)
  3. Nathan, David; Rizik, Chris. "The Best of Brandy". Soultracks.com. Retrieved 2007-07-10.
  4. "Interview: Diane Warren". YouKnowIGotSoul.com. 2012-09-05. Retrieved 2012-09-29.
  5. Taylor, Chuck (1998-10-10). "Single Reviews". Billboard. Google Books. Retrieved 2012-09-29.
  6. Harrington, Richard (1998-06-21). "Brandy's Talent Showcased On New Never Say Never". The Spokesman-Review. Google Books. Retrieved 2010-07-18.
  7. Lewis, Angela (1998-06-13). "Music: Album Reviews". The Independent. London. Retrieved 2010-08-18.
  8. Easlea, Daryl (2009-11-10). "The Epitome Of A Mixed Bag". BBC Music. BBC.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-07-16.
  9. "Production Notes". Billboard. Internet Archive. 1998-10-31. p. 85. Retrieved 2012-09-29. HAVE YOU EVER KEVIN BRAY.
  10. "Have You Ever? – CD Single". Discogs. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  11. "Australian-charts.com – Brandy – Have You Ever?". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  12. "Ultratop.be – Brandy – Have You Ever?" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  13. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 7495." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  14. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 7449." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  15. "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 7465." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  16. "Euro Chart Hot 100" (PDF). Music & Media. December 19, 1998. p. 18. Retrieved January 7, 2018.
  17. "Lescharts.com – Brandy – Have You Ever?" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  18. "Offiziellecharts.de – Brandy – Have You Ever?". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  19. "Íslenski Listinn (19.2–26.2. 1999)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). February 19, 1999. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  20. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Have You Ever?". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved March 18, 2018.
  21. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 11, 1999" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved December 8, 2017.
  22. "Dutchcharts.nl – Brandy – Have You Ever?" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  23. "Charts.nz – Brandy – Have You Ever?". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  24. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  25. "Swedishcharts.com – Brandy – Have You Ever?". Singles Top 100. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  26. "Brandy: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  27. "Official R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 26, 2017.
  28. "Brandy Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  29. "Brandy Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  30. "Brandy Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
  31. "Brandy Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 26, 2014.
  32. "Brandy Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved November 30, 2017.
  33. "ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 100 Singles 1999". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
  34. "RPM 1999 Top 100 Hit Tracks". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  35. "RPM 1999 Top 100 Adult Contemporary". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
  36. "Jaarlijsten 1999" (in Dutch). Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  37. "Billboard Top 100 – 1999". Archived from the original on July 9, 2009. Retrieved August 28, 2010.
  38. "1999 Year End Chart: R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  39. "Most Played Mainstream Top 40 Songs Of 1999" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 7 no. 52. December 24, 1999. p. 54. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  40. "Most Played Rhythmic Top 40 Songs Of 1999" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 7 no. 52. December 24, 1999. p. 53. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  41. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1999 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  42. "New Zealand single certifications – Brandy". Recorded Music NZ. March 21, 1999. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.