• News
  • Life
  • TV & Film
  • Beauty
  • Style
  • Home
  • News
    • Celebrity
    • Entertainment
    • Politics
    • Royal Family
  • Life
    • Animals
    • Food & Drink
    • Women's Health
    • Mental Health
    • Sex & Relationships
    • Travel
    • Real Life
  • TV & Film
    • True Crime
    • Documentaries
    • Netflix
    • BBC
    • ITV
    • Tyla Recommends
  • Beauty
    • Hair
    • Make-up
    • Skincare
  • Style
    • Home
    • Fashion
    • Shopping
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
Submit Your Content
Tragic true story behind East 17’s Christmas hit ‘Stay Another Day’

Home> Entertainment> Music

Published 12:27 9 Dec 2024 GMT

Tragic true story behind East 17’s Christmas hit ‘Stay Another Day’

East 17 frontman, Tony Mortimer, opened up about the heartbreaking situation which inspired the 1994 song

Rhiannon Ingle

Rhiannon Ingle

Featured Image Credit: YouTube

Topics: Celebrity, Christmas, Music, UK News, Mental Health

Rhiannon Ingle
Rhiannon Ingle

Rhiannon Ingle is a Senior Journalist at Tyla, specialising in TV, film, travel, and culture. A graduate of the University of Manchester with a degree in English Literature, she honed her editorial skills as the Lifestyle Editor of The Mancunian, the UK’s largest student newspaper. With a keen eye for storytelling, Rhiannon brings fresh perspectives to her writing, blending critical insight with an engaging style. Her work captures the intersection of entertainment and real-world experiences.

Advert

Advert

Advert

Warning: This article contains discussion of suicide which some readers may find distressing.

We're just a few weeks away from Christmas now and I'm sure many of us having been hearing the festive classics being blasted in our homes, offices and - of course - the pub.

From classic hits like The Pogue's and Kirsty MacColl's 'Fairytale of New York' and Mariah Carey's 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' all the way through to more modern takes on the beloved genre likes Justin Bieber's 'Mistletoe' and Ariana Grande's 'Santa Tell Me' - it's clear the Crimbo tunes are simply unavoidable this time of year.

One of the most-known British classics in the genre is none other than East 17’s 'Stay Another Day', and while most of us can recite the chorus off by heart, not many are actually aware of the tragic true story behind it.

Advert

There's a tragic story behind East 17's 'Stay Another Day' (YouTube)
There's a tragic story behind East 17's 'Stay Another Day' (YouTube)

The song was first released back in 1994 by the band which was started by Tony Mortimer, Brian Harvey, John Hendy, and Terry Coldwell three years prior in 1991.

Definitely far from an upbeat jingle akin to the Jackson 5's 'Santa Claus Is Coming to Town' or Michael Bublé's 'It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas', some of the track's lyrics are pretty solemn reading: "Baby if you've got to go away / Don't think I could take the pain / Won't you stay another day? (Stay now)

"Oh don't leave me alone like this / Don't you say it's the final kiss (Stay now) / Won't you stay another day? (Stay now)."

Advert

Last week, Mortimer explained the reasoning behind the sadness of the song on BBC Breakfast.

Frontman Tony Mortimer opened up about what inspired the 1994 track (YouTube)
Frontman Tony Mortimer opened up about what inspired the 1994 track (YouTube)

"It had nothing to do with Christmas. But they heard it, the powers that be and said that's a Christmas song that can compete with the likes of Mariah Carey. And I was like, 'oh please don't release this song'," he told Jon Kay and Sally Nugent.

The frontman explained the song was 'so personal', adding: "I wanted it tucked away on the album and no one would really know about it but it became the song, you know."

Advert

Mortimer then went on to explain that tragically, it was his brother's death that inspired the song.

Mortimer said he wanted the song to 'mean a lot to a lot of people' (BBC)
Mortimer said he wanted the song to 'mean a lot to a lot of people' (BBC)

He shared: "The inspiration originally was my brother's suicide. I drew on that to kind of write a love song around the pain of losing someone and if you could have that for one more day and what we would do and what we could do.

"What I always say is what it means to the person that likes it, not what it means to me."

Advert

Explaining that he wanted the song to be meaningful, Mortimer added: "I wanted to write in an ambiguous way that would mean a lot to a lot of people."

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, please don’t suffer alone. Call Samaritans for free on their anonymous 24-hour phone line on 116 123.

Choose your content:

a day ago
  • a day ago

    Justin Bieber addresses 'marriage struggles' with Hailey in new suprise album

    Swag is the new 21-track LP from Canadian singer Justin Bieber, which was released today (July 11)

    Entertainment
  • a day ago

    Justin Bieber shares message 'aimed' at wife Hailey after she posts brutal comment about singer's surprise album'

    It comes after the hitmaker shocked everyone by dropping his seventh studio album overnight

    Entertainment
  • a day ago

    Justin Bieber fans spot 'wild' reference as wife Hailey posts brutal message about singer's surprise album

    Hailey Bieber previously baffled fans with her promotion of his album

    Entertainment
  • a day ago

    Hailey Bieber posts brutal message about Justin Bieber’s surprise album leaving fans confused

    Justin Bieber surprised fans by releasing his seventh studio album today

    Entertainment
  • Sad reason behind why George Michael actually wrote Last Christmas
  • Sad meaning behind one of Avicii’s most famous songs that was a ‘cry for help’ before tragic death
  • Fairytale of New York singer Kirsty MacColl died in tragic accident right after saving son’s life
  • Sad reason LadBaby stopped releasing charity Christmas songs