4 in the Morning

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This article is about the Gwen Stefani song. For the Faron Young song, see It's Four in the Morning. For other uses, see 4 AM.
"4 in the Morning"
Single by Gwen Stefani
from the album The Sweet Escape
Released May 8, 2007 (2007-05-08)
Format
Recorded <templatestyles src="Plainlist/styles.css"/>
Genre Synthpop
Length 4:51
Label Interscope
Writer(s)
Producer(s)
Gwen Stefani singles chronology
"The Sweet Escape"
(2006)		 "4 in the Morning"
(2007)		 "Now That You Got It"
(2007)

"4 in the Morning" is a song by American singer and songwriter Gwen Stefani from her second studio album The Sweet Escape (2006). It was written by Stefani and co-written and produced by Tony Kanal, with additional production by Mark "Spike" Stent. Interscope Records serviced the song to US mainstream radio on May 8, 2007, as the album's third single; elsewhere it was released in June 2007. Described as one of her favorite songs on the album, Stefani began writing the song while pregnant and finished with Kanal, having Roberta Flack and Billy Idol hits as influences to built the track.

"4 in the Morning" was defined as a 1980s-inspired midtempo synthpop ballad, with its instrumentation consisting in a light keyboard during its intro through its break, a guitar, synthetic strings and a slick sheen. Lyrically, the song talks about a relationship on the edge, with the protagonist trying to save their love. The song received generally positive reviews from music critics, who noted it as an improvement over her last singles, while praising its tempo and highlighting her vocals.

Commercially, it failed to replicate the commercial success of previous singles in the United States, peaking at number 54, however it proved to be successful elsewhere, reaching the top-ten in New Zealand and Australia, while charting inside the top 20 in several European countries. Its accompanying music video was directed by Stefani's longtime collaborator Sophie Muller and features the singer lying in bed and walking around her apartment while performing the song in a melancholic mood. The song was performed during The Sweet Escape Tour and in some concerts Stefani made during 2015.

Background and writing

Stefani began working with No Doubt bassist Tony Kanal for her second solo album just after finishing the Harajuku Lovers Tour in late-2005, referring to him as her "comfort zone". They two wrote "4 in the Morning" based on a tape of melodies left from working on Stefani's debut album Love. Angel. Music. Baby. (2004). In a webisode for the recording process of the album, Stefani admitted that she was inspired on ballads such as Roberta Flack's "Killing Me Softly with His Song" and Billy Idol's "Eyes Without a Face", because she wanted a "nice ballad" on the record.[1] It was one of the last songs recorded for the album, and during a Q&A she as one of her favorite songs on the new album,[1] because it "brings pleasure to [her] ears."[2] The song was serviced to US mainstream radio on May 8, 2007 as the album's third single.[3] Its CD single, containing the album version, two remixes and its music video, was released elsewhere starting June 22, 2007.[4]

"4 in the Morning" was written by Stefani and Kanal, who was also responsible for its production, while Mark "Spike" Stent provided additional production.[5] Described as a "1980s-inspired" midtempo synthpop ballad,[6][7] the song has as its main instrumentation a "light" keyboard, which "runs tie the song together from intro through break", a guitar, synthetic strings and a slick sheen,[8] having a midtempo beat, which according to some critics is "perfect for a slow dance".[9][10] Stefani's vocals throughout the song's chorus presents a "fast-talking" approach.[7] Lyrically, "4 in the Morning" talks about transparency in a romantic relationship,[11] with the protagonist pleading for a lover to make up his mind.[12] Bill Lamb of About.com added that the song also deals with a relationship on the edge,[9] which can be seen in the lines: "I'm lying here in the dark, I'm watching you sleep, it hurts a lot."[13] In the chorus, she sings: "I give you everything that I am/I'm handing over everything that I've got/'cause I wanna have a really true love."[14]

Critical reception

Many critics noted that the song was influenced by Madonna early tracks.

"4 in the Morning" was generally well received by contemporary pop music critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic called it "coolly sensual", noting that "those celebrations of cool synths and stylish pop hooks that work the best for Stefani."[15] Billboard editor Chuck Taylor called it "a melodic retro ballad that could have come from 1983's Flashdance soundtrack", praising the verses for offering "contemporary flair, but harmonic panache" and its chorus for "pay[ing] homage to a time when hooks were more meaningful than aligning with hostage-taking producers."[7] Gary Graff of the same publication wrote that "Stefani's Madonna reverence remains intact" on the song,[16] with Washington Post 's J. Freedom du Lac agreeing, noting a "Madonnaism" on the track.[13] Amanda Murray of Sputnikmusic also thought that the song "recalls a 'Crazy for You'-era Madonna," also noting that it is "pure Stefani - and understandably, [it's] far superior to any of her attempts at mimicking other artists."[17] Norman Mayers of Prefix Magazine wrote that the song "soar[s] thanks to Stefani's girlish vocals and brilliant hook that reference iconic moments from Madonna and Tears for Fears."[18] Bianca Gracie of Idolator called it "a breezy yet emotive ’80s-ballad that highlights her tender vocals [...] a definite shift from the album’s other crazed pop tracks, which made it all the more refreshing and memorable."[12] Alex Miller from NME described the song as "an expertly conceived tear-jerker", stating that "[i]t feels like the kind of song a teenage Stefani, miming along to Talk Talk, would have dreamt of singing one day."[19]

Bill Lamb from About.com cited "4 in the Morning" as the best song from The Sweet Escape, calling it "beautifully performed and produced" and noting that Stefani "allows her signature vocals to sensually float and glide through the lyrical content."[9] In a similar mode, a write for CBBC enjoyed that the song is "a melancholy and reflective ballad about relationships, which is a breath of fresh air for Gwen," praising its "catchy melody and woeful lyrics."[10] Nick Levine of Digital Spy compared it to Robert Palmer's "Addicted To Love", writing that "it confirms what is rapidly becoming a universal truth: Gwen Stefani is far more likeable when she channels her new wave roots than when she tries to mould herself into a ghetto fabulous urban hipshaker."[6] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine praised Kanal's production for making the song "less forced and much less self-conscious."[20] Quentin B. Huff of PopMatters referred to it as one of the "few real compositions" from the album.[21] John Murphy of musicOMH agreed, writing that "she sounds great" on "the lovelorn ballad."[22] Pitchfork Media's Mark Pytlik, however, disapproved of the song, commenting that it destroyed "the mallpop cred that Stefani accrued with L.A.M.B.'s impeccable 'Cool'."[23] Spence D. of IGN was also critical with the song, calling it "the most generic, mainstream, and blasΒΏ-blah pop song on the entire album."[8]

Commercial performance

Stefani performing "4 in the Morning" during The Sweet Escape Tour.

In the United States, "4 in the Morning" debuted at number 76 on the US Billboard Hot 100 for the week of June 9, 2007,[24] before peaking at number 54 on the issue dated August 4,[25] becoming Stefani's lowest-peaking solo single on the chart at the time and her first to miss the top-fifty.[26] It was somewhat more successful in the mainstream market, reaching number 30 on the Pop 100 chart and the top 20 of the Mainstream Top 40 and Pop 100 Airplay charts.[26] The song was successful at the clubs and reached number two on the Hot Dance Club Play.[26] The single fared better on the Canadian Hot 100, where it peaked at number 17.[27] The song was more successful outside of North America. In Australia, the song debuted and peaked at number nine on the ARIA Singles Chart,[28] meanwhile it debuted at number thirty-six and three weeks later it peaked at number five on the New Zealand Singles Chart.[29] It became the album's third top-ten single in both countries.[28][29]

In the United Kingdom, the song peaked at number 22 on the UK Singles Chart and remained on the chart for 10 weeks.[30] However, it was her lowest charting-single since "Luxurious" (2005).[30] It fared somewhat better in the rest of Europe, reaching the top five in Romania, the top-ten in Finland, and the top-twenty in Austria, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, and Switzerland.[31][32][33][34] In France, the song managed to reach number twenty-one, which was her first solo single to miss the top-twenty since "Cool", which peaked eleven places lower.[35]

Music video

The music video was directed by Sophie Muller and features a tearful and distraught Stefani, lying in bed as she begins to sing to the camera. In a white inside-out L.A.M.B. T-shirt, she wanders around her apartment lost and questioning her lover, who is in fact absent from the video. The lyrics describe an argument, which she has with an off-screen lover throughout the video.[36] After lying around her apartment and crying during a bath, she leaves her house at night and travels in a car, as she sits tearfully in the back. The video ends with Stefani rolling on the bed.

"4 in the Morning" was given a "First Look" on MTV's Total Request Live on April 27, 2007 and peaked at number seven on May 9.[37][38] On MuchMusic's Countdown, it became Stefani's second least successful charting video (next to "Early Winter", which peaked at number 23) since 2005's "Luxurious", peaking at number seven for two consecutive weeks after a slow ascent.[39]

Track listings

  1. "4 in the Morning" (Album Version) – 4:51
  2. "4 in the Morning" (Thin White Duke Edit) – 4:55
  • Australian and German CD maxi single[41][42]
  1. "4 in the Morning" (Album Version) – 4:51
  2. "4 in the Morning" (Thin White Duke Edit) – 4:55
  3. "4 in the Morning" (Oscar the Punk Remix) – 5:41
  4. "4 in the Morning" (video) – 4:24

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of The Sweet Escape.[5]

Charts

Release history

Region Date Format Label Ref.
United States May 8, 2007 Contemporary hit radio Interscope [3]
Germany June 22, 2007
Universal [4][42][67]
Australia June 23, 2007
  • CD maxi single
  • digital download
 [41]
United Kingdom June 25, 2007
  • CD single
  • digital download
 Polydor [40][68]

References

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  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 "Australian-charts.com – Gwen Stefani – 4 in the Morning". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 "Charts.org.nz – Gwen Stefani – 4 in the Morning". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 30.2 "Gwen Stefani: Artist Chart History" Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 "Ultratop.be – Gwen Stefani – 4 in the Morning" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 "Chart Track: Week 26, 2007". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved October 9, 2010.
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 "SNS IFPI" (in Slovak). HitparΓ‘da – Radio Top 100 OficiΓ‘lna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 200731 into search. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 "Lescharts.com – Gwen Stefani – 4 in the Morning" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
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  43. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Gwen Stefani – 4 in the Morning" (in German). Γ–3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  44. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Gwen Stefani – 4 in the Morning" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
  45. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). HitparΓ‘da – Radio Top 100 OficiΓ‘lnΓ­. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 200744 into search. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  46. ↑ "Gwen Stefani – 4 in the Morning Hitlisten.nu" (in Danish). Tracklisten. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
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  48. ↑ "Gwen Stefani: 4 in the Morning" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
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  50. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Gwen Stefani – 4 in the Morning". Top Digital Download. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  51. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 29, 2007" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved August 20, 2015.
  52. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Gwen Stefani – 4 in the Morning" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  53. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Gwen Stefani – 4 in the Morning". VG-lista. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
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  56. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2007-07-01". Scottish Singles Top 40. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  57. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Gwen Stefani – 4 in the Morning". Singles Top 60. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  58. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Gwen Stefani – 4 in the Morning". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  59. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2007-07-01" UK R&B Chart. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
  60. ↑ "Gwen Stefani – Chart history" Billboard Adult Contemporary for Gwen Stefani. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
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  63. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  67. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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External links

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