Album: Hormonally Yours (1992)
Charted: 1 4
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Songfacts®:

  • Shakespears Sister is the duo of Marcella Detroit and Siobhan Fahey. In "Stay," they assume different characters; Detroit opens the song singing sweetly to her lover:

    If this world is growing thin
    And you're thinking of escape
    I'll go anywhere with you


    She makes it clear she wants to be with him no matter where he goes, but then Siobhan Fahey enters the song, taking the role of a nefarious force out to destroy him:

    You'd better hope and pray
    That you make it safe back
    To your own world


    At this point, it becomes clear that this love story is not set on Earth.

    The song has a surprising inspiration: a 1953 sci-fi movie called Cat-Women Of The Moon, about a group of astronauts who make a lunar landing and discover beautiful women with bad intentions. One of the astronauts falls in love with one of them but must return to Earth.

    Fahey and Detroit planned to buy the rights to the film (figuring it wouldn't cost much) and use it to create a video album, shooting new scenes to mix with the footage. The audio album would also be based around the concept, so that's how they arrived at this song. The plan to buy the movie never came to fruition.
  • The Shakespears Sister singers have very different voices, which creates a striking contrast in this song. Marcella Detroit, using the name Marcy Levy, was a backup singer for Eric Clapton in the '70s and co-wrote his hit "Lay Down Sally." Siobhan Fahey was a member of Bananarama; she left the group in 1988 soon after marrying Dave Stewart of Eurythmics.

    It was Stewart who hatched the idea for "Stay," and he is credited as a writer on the track along with the duo.

    Telling the story of the song in Songwriting magazine, Marcella Detroit said it has "very unusual, conflicting lyrics," adding, "It starts out all sweet, the subject is about this unrequited love and then it gets a little bit nasty. There was a great dichotomy between Siobhan and my characters."
  • This song "stayed" at #1 in the UK for a remarkable eight weeks. It was also #1 in Ireland, where Fahey is from. In America, it rose to #4.

    Shakespears Sister released their first album in 1989; the single "You're History" reached #7 in the UK. "Stay" was part of their second album, Hormonally Yours, named because the two singers were pregnant during the sessions (they both had sons). The follow-up single, "I Don't Care," went to #7 in the UK and was their only other chart entry in America, reaching #55. When they toured to promote the album, tensions developed, and at the 1993 Ivor Novello Awards, where Hormonally Yours won for Best Contemporary Collection of Songs, Detroit got sideswiped when Fahey's publicist read a statement terminating the group: "I wish Marcy all the best for the future, all's well that end's well."

    Fahey continued Shakespears Sister as a solo effort until 1996 and revived the name again in 2009. Fahey and Detroit didn't speak for 26 years, but buried the hatchet in 2019, when they launched a tour and released an EP called Ride Again.
  • The track is mainly synth and drum based, except for the parts where Death is singing, which are backed with a simple guitar line. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Kian - Dublin, Ireland
  • The Sophie Muller-directed video shows Marcella Detroit on a spaceship caring for a dying man. Siobhan Fahey, playing the Angel of Death, comes to take him away, but walks down the steps awkwardly. It was rumored that she had to wait on the set for 12 hours before filming her part and killed the time by drinking vodka, which made it hard for her to balance. Fahey claimed she was in character, telling Melody Maker, "I play a sort of camp, drunken, guzzling sort of... thing."

    The video won the 1993 BRIT Award for Best Video.
  • This was recorded at Friar Park, George Harrison's studio in Henley-on-Thames, England.
  • "Stay" returned to the UK singles chart at #12 in November 2010 after X Factor contestant Cher Lloyd performed the track on the show.
  • Before reuniting with Detroit, Fahey was asked by the BBC if there were any songs she can't listen to because of unpleasant memories. She replied: "'Stay.' Having a #1 single does not make you happy."
  • A few other songs on the Hormonally Yours album were also inspired by Cat-Women Of The Moon from when they were working with that concept, including "Goodbye Cruel World," "Catwoman," "Moonchild" and "Hello (Turn Your Radio On)."

Comments: 10

  • Sweety143 from MichiganWasn't Marcella pregnant with her son when they filmed this video. I feel like I remember that from pop up video
  • Dandy from CanadaThe song and video, great. But Marcella’s voice goes to the core of your soul. Thank you
  • Dion from Covington, LaThis is an awesome song and the video is even better!
  • Anna from Nyc, NyAwesome, haunting song!
  • Nelson from MelbourneGood song this. Reminds me a bit of Phil Collins track 'In the Air Tonight' how halfway into the track killer drums kick in.
  • Reese from Calgary, CanadaI remember this song from when I was like 8 or 9 years old, I loved the song, it actually made me cry (which is rare, I assure you). I remember it appearing on a compilation of love songs, a cd called "Reasons To Believe" and it was the only song that I would listen to. Very powerful song writing here! It's too bad that these two broke up, they could've made some (more) great music together.
  • Claire from West MidlandsSiobhan Fahey played the angel of death, not Marcella.
  • Dee from Indianapolis, InI was in college while this was getting radio play. I bought this album and its good all the way around. I guess it wasn't what the grunge crowd was into during those years.
  • Leona from Edinburgh, ScotlandMarcella Detroit had had 'a few too many' before shooting this video but said in an interview that in her own opinion the alcohol improved her performance. She also pointed out that the happ hazard way in which she walks down the steps is because she was finding it hard to keep her balance! Tensions were already running high between Siobhan Fahey and Marcella at the time this video was shot, it eventually led to their demise.
  • Alan from Singapore, SingaporeSiobhan Fahey was a member of the popular 80's girl group Bananarama. When she left, Jacqui O' Sullivan took her place.

    Siobhan is married to Dave Stewart of Eurythmics fame.
see more comments

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