# Stay (Sash! song)

"Stay" is a song by German DJ/production team Sash! featuring American singer La Trec. It was released on 26 September 1997 by Mighty and Multiply as the fourth and final single from their debut album, It's My Life – The Album (1997). The song was written by Franky McCoy, Ralf Kappmeier, Sascha Lappessen and Thomas Allison, and topped the dance charts in both Canada and the United States. It also reached the top 20 in more than 10 European countries, Australia, and New Zealand. On the Eurochart Hot 100, "Stay" peaked at number six and in the UK, it was Sash!'s third consecutive number-two single. The music video for the song was directed by Oliver Sommer. In 1998, DJ Magazine included "Stay" in their list of "Top 100 Club Tunes".

## Critical reception

The song was universally acclaimed across the music press. Scottish Aberdeen Press and Journal viewed it as "Sash’s better effort". Jon O'Brien from AllMusic noted the "dramatic" spoken word intro, describing the song as "an epic slice of soulful Hi-NRG pop". Larry Flick from Billboard wrote, "The time has come for this internationally acclaimed producer/musician to finally crack the pop charts. By drafting the belting skills of La Trec for this rare vocal track from his fine album, It's My Life, he offers his most viable mainstream contender to date. The track thumps with Euro-NRG intensity, while a swirl of colorful synths fleshes out the song's simple yet wickedly infectious melody. La Trec, a singer to keep a close eye on, struts across the groove with enough force to please clubheads, but with the sweet allure that popsters require."
A reviewer from Music Week rated "Stay" four out of five, declaring it "another trancey house stomper. Built around the gospel-like uplifting vocals of San Francisco-born La Trec." Another Music Week editor, Alan Jones, constated that Sash! "are likely to get, their third consecutive smash", complimenting the singer's "gutsy femme vocal".

## Chart performance

"Stay" climbed to number one on both the Canadian RPM Dance chart and the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. In Europe, the single entered the top 10 in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, and the United Kingdom, as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100. In the UK, "Stay" reached number two during its first week on the UK Singles Chart, on October 12, 1997. Additionally, it was a top-20 hit in Germany, Sweden and Switzerland (19). In Oceania, it peaked at numbers 12 and 24 in New Zealand and Australia, respectively. The single earned a gold record in Belgium, Norway and the United Kingdom.

## Music video

The accompanying music video for "Stay" was directed by Oliver Sommer. It depicts Sascha Lappessen and La Trec in a dream, where he is being chased by female agents. On MTV Europe, some scenes in the video was left out from the original music video. Sommer had previously directed the video for "Encore une fois" and would also be directing the video for the team's next single, "La Primavera". "Stay" was later made available by Altra Moda Music on YouTube in 2016 and had generated more than 22 million views as of February 2024.

## Certifications

| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
| Belgium (BEA) | Gold | 25,000$^*$ |
| Norway (IFPI Norway) | Gold | |
| United Kingdom (BPI) | Gold | 400,000$^^$ |
| $^*$ Sales figures based on certification alone. $^^$ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |||

## Release history

| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
| Belgium | 26 September 1997 | CD | Byte | |
| Germany | 29 September 1997 | CD | Mighty | |