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As (song)

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"As"
French single cover
Single by Stevie Wonder
from the album Songs in the Key of Life
B-side"Contusion"
ReleasedOctober 1977
Genre
Length
  • 7:08 (album version)
  • 3:27 (single edit)
LabelTamla
SongwriterStevie Wonder
ProducerStevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder singles chronology
"Another Star"
(1977) 		"As"
(1977) 		"Pops, We love You"
(1978)
Audio video
"As" on YouTube

"As" is a song written and performed by American singer and musician Stevie Wonder from his eighteenth album, Songs in the Key of Life (1976). The song was released in October 1977 by Tamla and reached number 36 on both the US Billboard Hot 100 and Black Singles chart. It gets its name from the first word of its lyrics. In 2019, Spin included "As" in their list of "The 30 Best Disco Songs That Every Millennial Should Know".[1]

Subject and interpretation

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Wonder was injured in a car accident on August 6, 1973, and considered quitting the music industry as a result.[2] He briefly relocated to Ghana in order to help underprivileged children and focus on humanitarian efforts, but eventually made a U-turn on his musical career. During his time in Ghana, Wonder gained a new perspective on life, finding a new love for humanity and the world around him.[3]

The song implies that the love the singer has for their partner will never diminish, as they say that they will love them "always" (the song's main lyric) until the physically impossible becomes true. The impossible feats include: rainbows burning the stars out in the sky, oceans covering the tops of every mountain, dolphins flying, and parrots living at sea, dreaming of life and life becoming a dream, day becoming night and vice versa, trees and the seas flying away, 8×8×8 equaling 4, this day becoming the last day, the Earth turning right to left, the Earth denying itself (for the Sun), Mother Nature saying her work is through, and "until the day that you are me and I am you."

By the most straightforward interpretation of the lyrics, this is a lover serenading his beloved. By another possible interpretation, the song expresses the lyricist's own love for humanity. By another possible interpretation, Stevie wrote it from the perspective "As" if it were God speaking to all of humanity and/or creation.

Personnel

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Charts

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Chart (1977–1978) Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100[4] 36
US Easy Listening (Billboard)[4] 24
US Hot Soul Singles (Billboard)[5] 36

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[6] Silver 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

George Michael and Mary J. Blige version

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"As"
Single by George Michael and Mary J. Blige
from the album Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael and Mary
B-side"A Different Corner" (live)
ReleasedMarch 1, 1999 (1999-03-01)
Recorded1998
Genre
Length4:42
LabelEpic
SongwriterStevie Wonder
ProducerBabyface
George Michael singles chronology
"Outside"
(1998) 		"As"
(1999) 		"If I Told You That"
(2000)
Mary J. Blige singles chronology
"Seven Days"
(1998) 		"As"
(1999) 		"All That I Can Say"
(1999)
Music video
"As" on YouTube

In 1998, British singer George Michael and American singer Mary J. Blige recorded a cover of the song, produced by Babyface, for Michael's first greatest hits album, Ladies & Gentlemen: The Best of George Michael. The track was released on March 1, 1999, by Epic Records as the album's second single and was later included on Blige's fourth album, Mary. "As" became a top-10 hit in the Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Spain.

Despite the song's success in Europe, it was not released as a single in the United States, nor was it included on the U.S. versions of Ladies & Gentlemen or Mary. In an interview, Michael cited his much-publicized April 1998 arrest for "engaging in a lewd act" in Beverly Hills as the reason Blige's record company president, Jay Boberg, had blocked the track's U.S. release, and urged fans to ask him “what his problem with George Michael is”.[7][8]

In 2019, Kirk Burrowes, who executive-produced Mary, confirmed Michael's account to Rated R&B. He stated: "[Boberg] did not want to let George Michael, who initiated that original production, use it as a single in the U.S. to launch his greatest hits album. It pissed everyone off at Sony. It pissed George Michael off. It pissed everyone off, but we couldn't make Boberg bend. He should have put it on the Mary album, but we couldn't put it on the album in the states because he wouldn't let George Michael put it on the Ladies & Gentlemen [album] in the states".[9]

Critical reception

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In a March 1999 review, the Daily Record commented that Michael "drafted in US soul diva Blige, but the ex-Wham! star is playing safe with his third Stevie Wonder cover".[10] Meanwhile, upon the release of Mary, Hilary Clarke of The Independent called the track "superb", and Alexis Petridis of Q described it as "slick".[11][12]

In a 2016 article following Michael's death, Maura Johnston of Pitchfork praised the cover, stating that "the combination of Stevie Wonder's compositional genius and Michael's and Mary J. Blige's vocal prowess is irresistible", and that "Michael's deep knowledge of and affection for Songs in the Key of Life is evident here, and his teaming up with Blige once again shows how his R&B savvy extended to a keen facility with give-and-take male-female duets".[13] Similarly, in a 2017 write-up of Michael's legacy, Fred Plotkin of WQXR-FM commended the song as having shifted a "vibrant ballad to a passionate love duet", adding that "Blige is properly funky and soulful while Michael is romantic and equally soulful".[14]

Music video

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A music video to accompany the single was released on February 25, 1999.[15] Featuring heavy use of visual effects, it depicts Michael entering a modern nightclub setting where numerous clones of himself and Blige, achieved through the use of chroma key, are shown singing and dancing to the track. The video was made available on YouTube in 2010 and, as of April 2026, has accumulated more than 39 million views.[16]

Track listings

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Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[51] Gold 45,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[52] Gold 400,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United Kingdom March 1, 1999
  • CD
  • cassette
 Epic [53]
Japan March 31, 1999 CD [54]

Other versions

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"As" was covered by pianist Gene Harris on his 1977 album Tone Tantrum, with 30 additional seconds.

Dutch singer Tony Sherman covered it in 1977 and peaked with his version at #13 on the 9th of July in the Dutch Top 40.

Sister Sledge covered it and included it on their 1977 album Together. They later performed the song on a 1984 episode of The Jeffersons.

Funk rock artist Eddie Johns recorded a cover of "As" for his 1979 album More Spell on You.

Kimiko Kasai with Herbie Hancock covered it on the 1979 album Butterfly.[55]

"As" was also covered by violinist Jean-Luc Ponty on his 1982 album Mystical Adventures.

Smooth jazz saxophonist/flautist Najee covered the song for his Stevie Wonder tribute album Songs from the Key of Life.[56]

In 1996 R&B singer Case interpolated the backing vocals for his song "I Gotcha" from his self-titled debut album.

In 2000, singer Nichole Nordeman covered the song on her album This Mystery.

Dutch singer Esmée Denters covered the song for Billboard's Mashup Mondays series in 2011.

In 2011 the season 2 winners of vocal competition The Sing-Off, Committed, also covered this song on their self-titled debut album.

Anthony Hamilton and Marsha Ambrosious make cameos in the 2013 film The Best Man Holiday, in which the singers appear as themselves and perform the song as an R&B ballad at a main character's funeral.

The original Stevie Wonder version was featured in The Best Man Holiday's predecessor The Best Man in a more lighthearted scene.

In 2014 it was covered by American singer Camille for her Stevie Wonder tribute album I Sing Stevie: The Stevie Wonder Songbook, an album that received an Independent Music Awards nomination for Best Tribute Album.[57]

In 2017 it was covered by American Multi-instrumentalist Bill Wurtz and put on his website under the Jazz page.[58]

In 2017, American singer and actor Christopher Jackson performed the song 69th Primetime Emmy Awards during the In Memoriam segment.

Two dance-oriented versions of the song, both with the title "As Always", have reached the UK Singles Chart Top 75: one in 1989 produced by Farley "Jackmaster" Funk with Ricky Dillard on vocals; another in 1992 by Secret Life.

Singer-songwriter Becca Stevens included a cover of the song, featuring Jacob Collier, on her album Regina (2017).

In 2021 a re-mix from the original version of "As" was featured in the In Memoriam moment of the Academy Awards ceremony, credited as "I'll Be Loving You Always".[59]

In the 2024 experimental film ***** created by Arthur Jafa the character Scar sings along to "As" in one scene, the song then becoming the non-diegetic soundtrack of the following scene.[60][61]

References

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  1. ^ Spin Staff (June 18, 2019). "The 30 Best Disco Songs That Every Millennial Should Know". Spin. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  2. ^ "45 Years Ago: Stevie Wonder Seriously Injured in Car Accident". August 6, 2018.
  3. ^ "The Story of... 'As' by Stevie Wonder, covered by George Michael and Mary J Blige".
  4. ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 261.
  5. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 636.
  6. ^ "British single certifications – Stevie Wonder – As". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 10, 2026. Select singles in the Formats field. Type As Stevie Wonder in the "Search:" field.
  7. ^ Devenish, Colin (November 5, 1998). "George Michael's Video Tackles Lewd Conduct Arrest". MTV. Archived from the original on February 17, 2016.
  8. ^ Murphy, Kelly (September 27, 2024). "The George Michael song the label refused to release". Far Out Magazine. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
  9. ^ Folk, Antwane (August 17, 2019). "Revisiting Mary J. Blige's Soul Masterpiece 'Mary' 20 Years Later". Rated R&B. Retrieved September 28, 2019.
  10. ^ "Chart Slot". Daily Record. March 19, 1999.
  11. ^ Clarke, Hillary (August 28, 1999). "MUSIC: CD REVIEWS – CD OF THE WEEK". The Independent.
  12. ^ Petridis, Alexis (September 1999). "Mary J. Blige – Mary". Q Online. Archived from the original on November 16, 2000.
  13. ^ Johnston, Maura (December 26, 2016). "George Michael Was a Master of Covers. These Are 10 of His Best". Pitchfork.
  14. ^ Plotkin, Fred (January 31, 2017). "Singular Voices: George Michael". WQXR-FM.
  15. ^ "George Michael, Mary J. Blige Get Multiplied For Video". MTV News. February 26, 1999. Archived from the original on December 21, 2001.
  16. ^ "George Michael, Mary J. Blige - As (Official Video)". YouTube. December 20, 2010. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  17. ^ As (UK CD1 disc notes). George Michael, Mary J. Blige. Epic Records. 1999. 667012 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  18. ^ As (UK cassette single sleeve). George Michael, Mary J. Blige. Epic Records. 1999. 667012 4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  19. ^ As (UK CD2 disc notes). George Michael, Mary J. Blige. Epic Records. 1999. 667012 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  20. ^ As (European CD single liner notes). George Michael, Mary J. Blige. Epic Records. 1999. EPC 666870 1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  21. ^ As (Japanese CD single liner notes). George Michael, Mary J. Blige. Epic Records. 1999. ESCA 7455.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  22. ^ As (European 12-inch single vinyl disc). George Michael, Mary J. Blige. Epic Records. 1999. EPC 666870 6.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  23. ^ As (Australian maxi-CD single liner notes). George Michael, Mary J. Blige. Epic Records. 1999. 667362 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  24. ^ "George Michael & Mary J. Blige – As". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  25. ^ "George Michael & Mary J. Blige – As" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  26. ^ "George Michael & Mary J. Blige – As" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  27. ^ "Danish Singles Chart for the week of 19 March 1999". M&I Service. October 26, 2019. Retrieved February 20, 2025 – via UKMIX Forums.
  28. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 16, no. 14. April 3, 1999. p. 17. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  29. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Mary J. Blige". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 33. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  30. ^ "George Michael & Mary J. Blige – As" (in French). Le classement de singles. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  31. ^ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. To see the peak chart position, click 'TITEL VON', followed by the artist's name.
  32. ^ "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 16, no. 13. March 27, 1999. p. 12. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  33. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (NR. 309 Vikuna 5.2. – 12.2. 1999)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). February 5, 1999. p. 10. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  34. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – George Michael and Mary J. Blige". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  35. ^ "Top National Sellers" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 16, no. 14. April 3, 1999. p. 19. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
  36. ^ "Major Market Airplay: Italy" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 16, no. 9. February 27, 1999. p. 29.
  37. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 14, 1999" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  38. ^ "George Michael & Mary J. Blige – As" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  39. ^ "George Michael & Mary J. Blige – As". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  40. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart on 7/3/1999 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  41. ^ "George Michael & Mary J. Blige – As". Canciones Top 50. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  42. ^ "George Michael & Mary J. Blige – As". Singles Top 100. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  43. ^ "George Michael & Mary J. Blige – As". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  44. ^ "George Michael Songs and Albums | Full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  45. ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart on 7/3/1999 – Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  46. ^ "George Michael Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  47. ^ "Year in Focus: Eurochart Hot 100 Singles 1999" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 17, no. 1. January 1, 2000. p. 11. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  48. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1999" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  49. ^ "Best Sellers of 1999: Singles Top 100". Music Week. January 22, 2000. p. 27.
  50. ^ "Most Broadcast of 1999: Airplay Top 50" (PDF). Music Week. January 22, 2000. p. 31. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  51. ^ "Danish single certifications – George Michael & Mary J. Blige – As". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
  52. ^ "British single certifications – George Michael & Mary J Blige – As". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 16, 2021. Select singles in the Formats field. Type As George Michael & Mary J Blige in the "Search:" field.
  53. ^ "New Releases – For Week Starting 1 March, 1999: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. February 27, 1999. p. 25. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  54. ^ "ジョージ・マイケル" [George Michael]. Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Archived from the original on December 31, 2007. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  55. ^ "Kimiko Kasai With Herbie Hancock – Butterfly", Discogs.
  56. ^ "Songs from the Key of Life overview". AllMusic.
  57. ^ "14th Annual Independent Music Awards: Tribute Album". independentmusicawards.com. Music Resource Group LLC. Archived from the original on March 28, 2015. Retrieved May 1, 2015.
  58. ^ "billwurtz". billwurtz.com. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
  59. ^ "Oscars In Memoriam 2021 - Oscars 2021 News | 93rd Academy Awards". ABC. Retrieved July 25, 2021.
  60. ^ D’Souza, Aruna (April 5, 2024). "A 'Taxi Driver' Remake: Why Arthur Jafa Recast the Scorsese Ending". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  61. ^ "Arthur Jafa x 2, Black Power Tool Redacted". Kinoki. May 1, 2024. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
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