I Swear
Encyclopedia
"I Swear" is a ballad
written by Gary Baker
and Frank J. Myers
that became a hit for two acts in 1994. Initially it was a number one song on the U.S. Hot Country Singles & Tracks
chart for American
country music artist John Michael Montgomery
at the beginning of the year. His version crossed over to pop radio and climbed to #42 on the Billboard Hot 100
. A few months later, American pop group All-4-One
covered the song and achieved a great success in many countries.
vocal quartet All-4-One
recorded their own version with producer David Foster
.
All-4-One's version hit number one in numerous countries, including the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S., where it remained for eleven consecutive weeks. It peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart
and stayed at number two for seven consecutive weeks and spent a total of 18 weeks in the chart. The All-4-One version was slightly different, in that the line "And when there's silver in your hair" from the second verse was replaced by "And when just the two of us are there."
This version was ranked at #78 on Billboards Top 100 songs in the 50-year history of the Billboard Hot 100
chart.
CD maxi
7" single
, ninth season of TV talent show POPSTARS
in Germany released a cover version of the song with Gary Baker on November 19, 2010. The finalists premiered the song live on the November 18th edition of the programme; the single was available for digital download on November 16, 2010 and a physical release followed the day after the Live performance. The song was recorded at Noiseblock Studios in Florence, Alabama.
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
written by Gary Baker
Gary Baker (songwriter)
Gary Baker is an American country music singer and songwriter.-Career:In the late 1970s, Baker was a musician with the LeBlanc and Carr Band. Baker was also a singer musician with the country pop band, The Shooters. He has written songs for John Michael Montgomery, Alabama and others...
and Frank J. Myers
Frank J. Myers
Frank Joseph Myers is an American country music singer, songwriter and record producer. In his career, he has written songs for John Michael Montgomery, Eddie Rabbitt, Crystal Gayle, Lonestar and others...
that became a hit for two acts in 1994. Initially it was a number one song on the U.S. Hot Country Singles & Tracks
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart for American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
country music artist John Michael Montgomery
John Michael Montgomery
John Michael Montgomery is an American country music artist. He has produced more than thirty singles on the Billboard country charts, including two of Billboard’s Number One country singles of the year: "I Swear" and "Sold "...
at the beginning of the year. His version crossed over to pop radio and climbed to #42 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. A few months later, American pop group All-4-One
All-4-One
All-4-One is a male R&B/pop group best known for their cover hit single "I Swear" from their self-titled 1994 debut album. The group comprises Jamie Jones, Delious Kennedy, Alfred Nevarez, and Tony Borowiak, all from the Antelope Valley and Mojave, California areas, but are based in the Los Angeles...
covered the song and achieved a great success in many countries.
Content
The song is a ballad in which the narrator promises his significant other that he will always love her.Track listings
CD maxi- "I Swear" — 4:23
- "Line on Love" — 2:37
- "Dream on Texas Ladies" — 3:08
- "Friday at Five" — 2:41
Charts
"I Swear" debuted on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs for the week of December 18, 1993.| Chart (1994) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 42 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 1 |
All-4-One version
Several months after John Montgomery had released his original version, R&B/popPop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
vocal quartet All-4-One
All-4-One
All-4-One is a male R&B/pop group best known for their cover hit single "I Swear" from their self-titled 1994 debut album. The group comprises Jamie Jones, Delious Kennedy, Alfred Nevarez, and Tony Borowiak, all from the Antelope Valley and Mojave, California areas, but are based in the Los Angeles...
recorded their own version with producer David Foster
David Foster
David Walter Foster, OC, OBC , is a Canadian musician, record producer, composer, singer, songwriter, and arranger, noted for discovering singers such as Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, and Charice Pempengco; and for producing some of the most successful artists in the world, such as Céline Dion, Toni...
.
All-4-One's version hit number one in numerous countries, including the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S., where it remained for eleven consecutive weeks. It peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
and stayed at number two for seven consecutive weeks and spent a total of 18 weeks in the chart. The All-4-One version was slightly different, in that the line "And when there's silver in your hair" from the second verse was replaced by "And when just the two of us are there."
This version was ranked at #78 on Billboards Top 100 songs in the 50-year history of the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart.
Track listings
CD single- "I Swear" (radio edit) — 3:43
- "I Swear" (radio remix) — 4:19
CD maxi
- "I Swear" (radio edit) — 3:43
- "I Swear" (radio mix) — 4:18
- "I Swear" (radio remix) — 4:18
- "I Swear" (album version) — 4:18
7" single
- "I Swear" (radio edit) — 3:43
- "I Swear" (radio remix) — 4:19
Peak positions
| Chart (1994) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart | 1 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 1 |
| Dutch Top 40 Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
1 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 1 |
| French SNEP Singles Chart | 2 |
| German Singles Chart | 1 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 3 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart | 1 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 2 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 1 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 1 |
| UK Singles Chart | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks | 3 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B Singles | 13 |
| U.S. Billboard Rhythmic Top 40 | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream | 1 |
End of year charts
| End of year chart (1994) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart | 2 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 5 |
| Dutch Top 40 | 14 |
| French Singles Chart | 15 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 4 |
| UK Singles Chart | 5 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 2 |
End of decade charts
| Chart (1990–1999) | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 9 |
Certifications
| Country | Certification | Date | Sales certified |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | Platinum | October 27, 1994 | 30,000 |
| Germany | Platinum | 1994 | 500,000 |
| Netherlands | Gold | 1994 | 40,000 |
| Sweden | Gold | October 21, 1994 | 10,000 |
| UK | Platinum | September 1, 1994 | 600,000 |
| U.S. | Platinum | August 8, 1994 | 1,000,000 |
Chart successions
POPSTARS Germany 2010 finalists version
The final eleven contestants from Popstars: Girls foreverPopstars: Girls forever
Popstars: Girls forever is the ninth season of Popstars , in which young aspiring female singers/dancers competed in order to claim their spots to make it into the next girl group...
, ninth season of TV talent show POPSTARS
Popstars (Germany)
Popstars is a German reality television series that began its first installment on the RTL2 network on November 14, 2000. Part of the international Popstars franchise, it originated from the same-titled New Zealand reality program....
in Germany released a cover version of the song with Gary Baker on November 19, 2010. The finalists premiered the song live on the November 18th edition of the programme; the single was available for digital download on November 16, 2010 and a physical release followed the day after the Live performance. The song was recorded at Noiseblock Studios in Florence, Alabama.
Charts
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| German Singles Chart | 68 |