"Diary" is a song by American recording artist Alicia Keys from her second studio album, The Diary of Alicia Keys. Written by Keys and Kerry Brothers, Jr., the song features the American group Tony! Toni! Toné!, and was released on June 29, 2004 as the album's third single. It was nominated for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals at the 2005 Grammy Awards.
At one time, "Diary" had been released as a double A-side with "If I Ain't Got You".[1] The song's Hani remixes gave Keys her first—and so far only—chart-topper on the Hot Dance Club Play in late 2004. It also peaked at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. Keys and Tony! Toni! Toné!, never sang the song live together, to date.
Content
In the song, the narrator invites a man who she is close with to trust her and confide his secrets in her ("just think of me as the pages in your diary").
Critical reception
The production of the song got positive reviews.[2] Mark Anthony Neal of Pop Matters wrote "The sparse production of the title track “Diary”, which features Tony! Toni! Tone!, gives Keys ample space to work out her ideas."[2]
Music video
The single's music video, directed by Lamont "Liquid" Burrell, Rod Isaacs, Jeff Robinson, and Brian Campbell, contains footage of several live concerts from both 2004's Verizon Ladies First Tour, which Keys took part in, and her own 2005 The Diary Tour. Tony! Toni! Toné! does not appear in the video, and their parts are instead performed by Jermaine Paul, but he was not credited with being just a backing vocal Keys.
The phone number
The song's lyrics tell listeners that they can reach Keys by calling a particular number, 489-4608, which was her former telephone number minus the area code when she lived in New York City, according to Keys' publicist, Lois Najarian. Callers who used the correct code (347) would have received a voicemail from Keys herself. However, after listening to the song, fans tried calling the number with different area codes, and one of them, 912, turned out to be the number of a retired pastor from Statesboro, Georgia, named J.D. Turner. He claims to have received more than twenty calls a day from Keys' fans in the weeks after the song's release.[3] This led to a $95 phone bill resulting from charges associated with the *69 last-call return option, which he used to track down each caller. Turner has declined to change his number, having held it for fourteen years before the song's release.[4][5] As of 2015, the number in the 347 area code is no longer in service and Turner retains it in the 912 code.[6]
Track listings and formats
- "Diary" (Radio Edit) — 4:28
- "Diary" (Instrumental) — 4:45
- "Diary" (Call Out Hook) — 0:10
- "Diary" (Radio Edit) (MP3 format) — 4:28
- 12"Promo / Maxi-Single[7]
- A1 "Diary" (Radio Edit) — 4:28
- A2 "Diary" (Instrumental) — 4:45
- B1 "Diary" (Album Version) — 4:45
- B2 "Diary" (Acappella) — 4:45
|
- 12"Promo - Hani Mixes[8]
- A "Diary" (Hani Extended Club Mix) — 9:00
- B1 "Diary" (Hani Mixshow) — 5:11
- B2 "Diary" (Hani Dub) — 6:11
|
Personnel
Charts
Chart positions
|
Year-end charts
|
Decade-end charts
| Chart (2000–09) |
Position |
|---|
| U.S. R&B/Hip-Hop Songs[13] |
21 |
|
See also
References
- ↑ "Alicia Keys – If I Ain't Got You/Diary". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved June 3, 2007.
- 1 2 Neal, Mark Anthony (December 10, 2003). "The production gives Keys ample space to work out her ideas". PopMatters. Retrieved June 5, 2016.
- ↑ http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/people/2004-08-10-keys-old-number_x.htm
- ↑ "Dear Diary". Snopes. Retrieved October 22, 2007.
- ↑ "Keys' Fans Reach Out, Touch Wrong Man". E! Online. Yahoo! Music. August 12, 2004. Retrieved August 17, 2010.
- ↑ http://www.mtv.com/news/2191868/big-sean-jay-z-sir-mix-a-lot-calling-phone-numbers/
- ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Alicia-Keys-Diary/release/365716
- ↑ http://www.discogs.com/Alicia-Keys-Diary-Hani-Mixes/release/334335
- 1 2 3 "The Diary of Alicia Keys – Alicia Keys – Billboard Singles". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved January 20, 2008.
- ↑ "2004 Year End Charts – The Billboard Hot 100 Singles & Tracks". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. December 25, 2004. Retrieved November 8, 2010.
- ↑ "2004 Year End Charts – Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. December 25, 2004. Retrieved November 8, 2010.
- ↑ "2005 Year End Charts – Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. November 26, 2005. Retrieved June 26, 2011.
- ↑ "Decade End Charts – R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved November 8, 2010.
External links
