Stay a Little Longer (Brothers Osborne song)

"Stay a Little Longer" is a song recorded by American country music duo Brothers Osborne. The song was released in March 2015 as the duo's third single overall and the second from the album Pawn Shop. Duo members John and T.J. Osborne co-wrote the song with Shane McAnally. The song was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Country Duo/Group Performance at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards.

"Stay a Little Longer"
Single by Brothers Osborne
from the album Pawn Shop
ReleasedMarch 10, 2015 (2015-03-10)[1]
GenreCountry
Length4:16 (EP version)
5:35 (Pawn Shop version)
3:49 (Radio Version)
LabelEMI Nashville
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Jay Joyce
Brothers Osborne singles chronology
"Rum"
(2014)
"Stay a Little Longer"
(2015)
"21 Summer"
(2016)

Content

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The song is a guitar-driven mid-tempo about a man who has an encounter with an "on again, off again" lover and, after the encounter, wishes that they could "stay a little longer." T.J. Osborne, one half of the duo, told Rolling Stone that "That song gives them everything that we are. It starts off and the verses are really emotional and fragile. You don't want to be alone, you're making the phone call, taking the trip to the house and then you're tearing t-shirts off and it's this electric thing," T.J. says. "But then, boom, you're by yourself again: 'I'm lying here wishing you could stay a little longer.'"[2] The duo previously recorded the song on their 2014 self-titled extended play, but re-recorded it for the single version with Jay Joyce as producer.[2]

The song is recorded in the key of F-sharp major with a main chord pattern of F-Dm-B.[3]

Reception

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Critical

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Billy Dukes of Taste of Country reviewed the song with favor, saying that it "demands repeat listens just to decipher everything that’s happening within the blues-rocked soaked country cut. TJ Osborne’s slow storytelling runs counter to the arrangement and John Osborne’s guitar playing, as if mirroring what the guy he’s singing about is doing and feeling."[4] Bob Paxman of Nash Country Weekly gave the song an "A", comparing its theme to "I'm Not in Love" by 10cc and saying that "It’s a theme that’s been explored before, but not in such straightforward yet expressive language."[5]

Commercial

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The song first entered the Country Airplay chart at No. 49 for chart dated April 18, 2015. The following week, it entered the Hot Country Songs chart at No. 48. It entered the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart at No. 12 on the chart date of August 1, 2015, and the Hot 100 at No. 99 on October 24, 2015. The song peaked at No. 4 on Hot Country Songs for chart dated January 30, 2016, and No. 46 on Hot 100 a week later. To date, it is their only top 10 hit on both the Country Airplay and Hot Country Songs charts. The song was certified Gold by the RIAA on December 7, 2015.[6] It has sold 607,000 copies in the US as of November 2016.[7]

Music video

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The music video was directed by Peter Zavadil and premiered in October 2015.[8] The video received controversy due to the fact that it included real life same-sex couples kissing. Band member TJ Osbourne said of the video, "We didn’t want it to be about one person or one couple...[w]e wanted to nail down the narrative that it’s really about something that we’ve all felt and been through."[9]

Chart performance

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[19] Gold 40,000*
United States (RIAA)[6] 2× Platinum 607,000[7]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ "Stay a Little Longer - Single". iTunes Store. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  2. ^ a b c Hudak, Joseph (30 March 2015). "Brothers Osborne on Country Music: 'People Are Tired of the Bullsh-t'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  3. ^ "'Stay a Little Longer' sheet music". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  4. ^ Dukes, Billy (30 March 2015). "ToC Critic's Pick: Brothers Osborne, 'Stay a Little Longer' [Listen]". Taste of Country. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  5. ^ Paxman, Bob (30 March 2015). "'Stay a Little Longer' by Brothers Osborne". Nash Country Weekly. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  6. ^ a b "American single certifications – Brothers Osborne – Stay a Little Longer". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  7. ^ a b Bjorke, Matt (November 8, 2016). "Top 30 Digital Singles Sales Report: November 8, 2016". Roughstock.
  8. ^ Lindenmuth, Katy (October 9, 2015). "The Brothers Osborne Tackle Complicated Relationships in 'Stay a Little Longer': Video Premiere". Billboard. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
  9. ^ Whitaker, Sterling. "Brothers Osborne Push the Envelope With 'Stay a Little Longer' Video [Watch] Read More: Brothers Osborne Release 'Stay a Little Longer' Video". Taste Of Country. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  10. ^ "Brothers Osborne Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
  11. ^ "Brothers Osborne Chart History (Canada Country)". Billboard.
  12. ^ "Brothers Osborne Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  13. ^ "Brothers Osborne Chart History (Country Airplay)". Billboard.
  14. ^ "Brothers Osborne Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  15. ^ "Best of 2015: Country Airplay". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  16. ^ "Best of 2015: Hot Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  17. ^ "Country Airplay: Year End 2016". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
  18. ^ "Hot Country Songs: Year End 2016". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved January 5, 2017.
  19. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Brothers Osborne – Stay a Little Longer". Music Canada. Retrieved March 31, 2016.