“One Sweet Day,” a duet with Boyz II Men, was released as the second single from Mariah's Daydream album on November 14, 1995. “I wrote the initial idea for ‘One Sweet Day’ with Walter Afanasieff, who I've been working with for a long time,” Mariah said about the song. “When I did it and I had the chorus, I stopped and I said, ‘I really wanna do this with Boyz II Men’ because I'm a big fan of theirs and I just thought that the chorus was crying out for the vocals that they do. We finally got together, I sang them the song and Nate had written a song that was basically identical to my song in the theme, and melodically you could actually sing it over my song and it was really bizarre, it was like fate. So we put the two songs together and came up with ‘One Sweet Day.’ ”
“Mariah sang the verse she had already written. The lyrics and the idea and [a song I had written] coincided. Which was awkward, because I didn't know she was writing a song that pertained to what I was writing as well,” Nathan Morris of Boyz II Men explained. “I told her I had a song I had written two months earlier which was in the same vein.”
“One Sweet Day” became Mariah's second single to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, where it spent sixteen consecutive weeks, becoming the longest running number-one song in chart history. The song was certified 3x Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America on October 9, 2019, and was nominated for two Grammy awards.
Outside the United States, “One Sweet Day” peaked at number two on the Australian ARIA charts, where it was certified 3x Platinum on October 21, 2020. In the United Kingdom, the song peaked at number six during the week of December 9, 1995, and was certified Gold by the British Phonographic Industry on January 1, 2021.
| Song | Remix | Run time |
|---|---|---|
| One Sweet Day | A Cappella
Produced by Walter Afanasieff and Mariah Carey. |
4:48 |
| One Sweet Day | Sweet A Cappella
Produced by Walter Afanasieff and Mariah Carey. |
4:51 |
| One Sweet Day | Chucky's Remix
Produced by Chucky Thompson. |
4:51 |
The video for “One Sweet Day” follows Mariah and the band while they recorded the song at New York City's legendary recording studios, The Hit Factory. “I knew that if we didn't get the video and the song done at the same time, we would probably never be in the same place at the same time,” Mariah explained in 2015. “Some people felt we should've done like a memorial type thing, but I think it was better just to immortalize making the song.”
In the United States, the “One Sweet Day” single was issued on CD and Cassette, including the Album Version and a Live Version recorded at Madison Square Garden. The Maxi Single was also available on CD and Cassette, including three additional remixes of “One Sweet Day” (Sweet A Cappella, A Capella and Chucky's Remix) and the Def Drums Mix of “Fantasy.” “One Sweet Day” was also released on 12" Vinyl, including the three remixes the Def Drums Mix of “Fantasy.”
The European “One Sweet Day” CD Single contains the Album Version and the Live Version from Madison Square Garden, while the Maxi Single includes three additional “One Sweet Day” remixes. The European 12" vinyl features the same songs as the American release.
On November 27, 1995, the UK saw the release of a Cassette Single, including the Album and Live Version of “One Sweet Day,” and two Maxi Singles. CD 1 includes the three remixes (Sweet A Cappella, A Capella and Chucky's Remix), and CD 2 contains the Album Version of “One Sweet Day,” the Def Drums Mix of “Fantasy” and two remixes of “Joy To The World,” from Mariah's Merry Christmas album: Celebration Mix and Club Mix.
In Australia, “One Sweet Day” was released on CD and Cassette, both including the Album Version, Live Version, Sweet A Cappella, A Capella and Chucky's Remix of the song.
The Japanese “One Sweet Day” Single, issued on a 3" CD, contains both the Album Version and the Live Version of the song, as well as “Open Arms.”
The “One Sweet Day” CD single was re-released by Sony Music in March 2002 as part of their Platinum Hits collection. The CD includes the Album Version and the Live Version from Fantasy: Mariah Carey at Madison Square Garden.
Sorry I never told you
All I wanted to say
And now it's too late to hold you
'Cause you've flown away
So far away
Never had I imagined
Living without your smile
Feeling and knowing you hear me
It keeps me alive
Alive
And I know you're shining down on me from heaven
Like so many friends we've lost along the way
And I know eventually we'll be together
One sweet day
Darling I never showed you
Assumed you'd always be there
I took your presence for granted
But I always cared
And I miss the love we shared
And I know you're shining down on me from heaven
Like so many friends we've lost along the way
And I know eventually we'll be together
One sweet day
Although the sun will never shine the same
I'll always look to a brighter day
Lord I know when I lay me down to sleep
You will always listen as I pray
And I know you're shining down on me from heaven
Like so many friends we've lost along the way
And I know eventually we'll be together
One sweet day
And I know you're shining down on me from heaven
Like so many friends we've lost along the way
And I know eventually we'll be together
One sweet day
Sorry I never told you
All I wanted to say
Lyrics: Mariah Carey, Michael McCary, Nathan Morris, Wanya Morris, Shawn Stockman. Music: Mariah Carey, Walter Afanasieff.
Produced by Walter Afanasieff and Mariah Carey.
I won't be afraid
I'll be alright if you help me
I know you're looking down from heaven
And I won't let you down
I'll be everything you taught me
And all that I know is I'll wait
Patiently to see you in heaven
Sorry I never told you
All I wanted to say
And now it's too late to hold you
'Cause you've flown away
So far away
Never had I imagined
Living without your smile
Feeling and knowing you hear me
It keeps me alive
Alive
And I know you're shining down on me from heaven
(I won't be afraid, I'll be alright if you help me)
Like so many friends we've lost along the way
(I know you're looking down from heaven)
And I know eventually we'll be together
(I won't let you down, I'll be everything you taught me)
One sweet day
(And all that I know is I'll wait patiently to see you in heaven)
Darling I never showed you
Assumed you'd always be there
I took your presence for granted
But I always cared
And I miss the love we shared
And I know you're shining down on me from heaven
Like so many friends we've lost along the way
And I know eventually we'll be together
One sweet day
Although the sun will never shine the same
I'll always look to a brighter day
Lord I know when I lay me down to sleep
You will always listen as I pray
And I know you're shining down on me from heaven
Like so many friends we've lost along the way
And I know eventually we'll be together
One sweet day
And I know you're shining down on me from heaven
Like so many friends we've lost along the way
And I know eventually we'll be together
One sweet day
Sorry I never told you
All I wanted to say
Lyrics: Mariah Carey, Michael McCary, Nathan Morris, Wanya Morris, Shawn Stockman. Music: Mariah Carey, Walter Afanasieff.
Produced by Chucky Thompson.
