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This Is the Night (Clay Aiken song)
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Wikipedia article
"'This Is the Night'" is the debut single of 'American Idol' contestant Clay Aiken, written by Chris Braide, Aldo Nova, and Gary Burr. It was released on June 10, 2003, on the RCA label, simultaneously with "Flying Without Wings" by rival contestant (and idol winner) Ruben Studdard. It became the eleventh song in the history of the 'Billboard' Hot 100 to debut at number one on that chart, restricting "Flying Without Wings" to the number-two position.
Internationally, "This Is the Night" was issued as a double A-side with Aiken's cover of Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge over Troubled Water" in Canada and New Zealand, reaching number one in both countries. In both nations, the double A-side also kept "Flying Without Wings" from reaching the top spot.
Writing and inspiration
Although the song seems tailor-made as a potential show-winning song, it was not written specifically for 'American Idol'. Co-writer Braide said in an interview with HitQuarters: "'This Is The Night' was written from the heart ... It was written after 9/11, and theres a line in it, 'Every kiss is a kiss/you can never get back', and its about saying, to whoever you love out there, just appreciate them." 'American Idol' creator Simon Fuller heard the song and said it was perfect for the show.
Release
The double A-side single was RIAA certified platinum on July 15, 2003. Debuting at number one on both the 'Billboard' Hot 100 (on June 17, 2003) and the Hot 100 Single Sales Chart (the eleventh song in the former's history to do so), it was the fastest-selling single since Elton John's "Candle in the Wind 1997"[http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/john_elton/artist.jhtml#bio MTV, Elton John] full biography, accessed May 29, 2007[http://top40.about.com/od/artistsac/p/clayaiken.htm About.com Top 40 / Pop, Clay Aiken, Best-Selling First Single] accessed May 29, 2007 and the best-selling single of 2003, with 948,000 copies sold. It was the first CD single to go platinum since 2002, when Lee Ann Womack's "I Hope You Dance" sold a million copies after being released for over a year. The single also topped the charts in New Zealand, where it is certified platinum, and in Canada, going six-times platinum.
"This Is the Night" was included as a bonus track on Aiken's 'Measure of a Man' CD (October 2003), while on some international versions the bonus track was "Bridge over Troubled Water", which was the version that topped the Canadian and New Zealand charts.
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
See also
* List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 2003 (U.S.)
References
Category:2003 debut singles
Category:2003 songs
Category:American Idol songs
Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
Category:Canadian Singles Chart number-one singles
Category:Clay Aiken songs
Category:Number-one singles in New Zealand
Category:RCA Records singles
Category:Songs written by Aldo Nova
Category:Songs written by Chris Braide
Category:Songs written by Gary Burr
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