This Is the Night (Clay Aiken song)

"This Is the Night", released on June 10, 2003 on the RCA label, was American Idol contestant Clay Aiken's debut CD single and was written by Chris Braide, Aldo Nova and Gary Burr. It was released simultaneously with "Flying Without Wings" by rival contestant (and idol winner) Ruben Studdard and became only the eleventh song in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 to debut at number one on that chart, and the first since Lauryn Hill’s "Doo Wop (That Thing)" in November 1998, making it to date the longest gap between debuts at #1, which was over 4-and-a-half years. “This Is The Night” prevented "Flying Without Wings" from topping the chart, restricting it to the number-two position.

"This Is the Night"
Single by Clay Aiken
ReleasedJune 10, 2003 (2003-06-10)
Recorded2003
GenrePop
Length3:32
LabelRCA
Songwriter(s)Chris Braide, Aldo Nova, Gary Burr
Producer(s)Steve Mac, Clive Davis
Clay Aiken singles chronology
"This Is the Night"
(2003)		 "Invisible"
(2003)

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.[1][2]

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 there’s a line in it, 'Every kiss is a kiss/you can never get back', and it’s 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.[3]

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"[4][5] and the best-selling single of 2003, with 948,000 copies sold.[6] 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.

Track listing
  1. "Bridge over Troubled Water" (Paul Simon)
  2. "This Is the Night" Chris Braide/Aldo Nova/Gary Burr
Retail Singles information
Bridge over Troubled Water / This Is the Night
  • Released: June 3, 2003
  • Peak Chart Position: Number 1 U.S. Debut
  • RIAA Certification: Platinum (July 15, 2003)
  • U.S. sales: 960,000 [7]
  • CRIA Certification: 6x Platinum (July 2003)

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[14] 6× Platinum 60,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[15] Platinum 10,000*

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

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See also
  • List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 2003 (U.S.)

References
  1. "Canadian Digital Song Sales – June 28, 2003". Billboard. June 28, 2003. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
  2. "Single Top 40 – 29/06/2003". charts.org.nz. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  3. "Interview with Chris Braide". HitQuarters. August 30, 2010. Retrieved September 1, 2010.
  4. MTV, Elton John full biography, accessed May 29, 2007
  5. About.com Top 40 / Pop, Clay Aiken, Best-Selling First Single accessed May 29, 2007
  6. Grein, Paul (May 6, 2011). "Chart Watch Extra: 20 Years Of Top Songs". Yahoo! Music. Archived from the original on May 12, 2011. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
  7. How the American Idol coronation singles stack up, part 1
  8. "Clay Aiken Chart History (Canadian Digital Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  9. "Charts.nz – Clay Aiken – Bridge over Troubled Water / This Is the Night". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  10. "Clay Aiken Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  11. "Clay Aiken Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  12. "End of Year Charts 2003". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  13. "Billboard Top 100 – 2003". Billboardtop100of.com. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  14. "Canadian single certifications – Clay Aiken – Bridge over Troubled Water". Music Canada. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  15. "New Zealand single certifications – Clay Aiken – Bridge over Troubled Water". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
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