East 17 fans clash over whether Stay Another Day is a Christmas song
When East 17 began back in 1991, the band became one of the biggest and most memorable bands of the nineties. The original line up consisted of John Hendy, Terry Coldwell, Brian Harvey and Tony Mortimer, and the foursome achieved huge success with 18 Top 20 singles and four Top 10 albums.
But there's one song that proved to be their biggest hit - 1994 track Stay Another Day. The song raced to the top of the charts upon its release and stayed there for five weeks. In 1995, Stay Another Day won creator Tony an Ivor Novello award for songwriting. To this day, it is still streamed millions of timmes per year and numerous popular singers - including Kylie Minogue and Jorja Smith - have covered the popular track.
However, Stay Another Day has divided fans over the years. While some insist that the track falls into the Christmas song category, others aren't so sure that it is a festive tune. The song has featured on Christmas albums in the past and was once the Christmas number one.
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Over on social media, people have long debated whether Stay Another Day is a Christmas song, with many insisting it cannot be classed as one.
"Christmas songs should AT LEAST have the word Christmas or Santa in," one person wrote on X, while a second added: "It was a song out at Christmas but not a song about Christmas." A third wrote: "I'll buy that if you agree that Die Hard isn't a Christmas film."
However, somebody else argued: "It's got now. It's got bells. They've got fluffy jackets. It's a 100& nailed on Christmas song. #staynow," and another X user pointed out that Stay Another Day is on the list of 'best-selling Christmas songs of all time'.
While many are quick to presume that Stay Another Day was written about yearning for a past lover, the story behind the song is actually a lot more tragic. Songwriter Tony - who is also the founder of East 17 - penned the track about his older brother Ollie taking his own life. Ollie died age 22, four years before Stay Another Day was released.
Speaking to The Independent, Tony admitted the festive period can be difficult with fans constantly coming up to him to chat about the emotional song. “It usually starts around October. I accept it, but it’s always been difficult, a two-edged sword, for my family. People come up to me and say: ‘That song means a lot to me...’ I’m like: ‘Hang about, I’m not ready for that yet, I’m just in McDonald’s!’
"But I’ve got used to it, because it’s been so long. It never stops, though, and it’s every year. So, yeah, I said to the missus this morning: ‘Going into town today to do some interviews. They’re gonna remind me that my brother killed himself.’”
