| Promise Me | |
| Cover: | Promise_me.jpeg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Beverley Craven |
| Album: | Beverley Craven |
| B-Side: | I Listen to the Rain |
| Released: | 4 July 1990 |
| Length: | 3:36 |
| Genre: | Pop |
| Label: | CBS |
| Producer: | Paul Samwell-Smith |
| Next Title: | Joey |
| Next Year: | 1990 |
"Promise Me" is a song by British singer-songwriter Beverley Craven.
Released as the lead single of her debut album, Beverley Craven, in 1990, the song initially failed to chart. Appearances on British TV and a successful UK tour prompted a re-release of the single in 1991, when it peaked at number three on the UK singles chart that May. It was successful across Europe, peaking at number two in Belgium and entering the top 10 in France, Ireland, and the Netherlands. The song became popular with loved ones of military personnel deployed to Iraq during the Gulf War.[1]
David Giles of Music Week stated that "on the evidence of this single, [Craven] is aimed at a Kate Bush level of epic grandeur, and, although the arrangement is classic enough, she lacks Bush's melodic inventiveness".[2] Writing for AllMusic, Charles Donovan said that it was "now widely acclaimed as a contemporary standard".[3]
All songs were written by Beverley Craven.
7-inch and mini-CD single
| Chart (1990–1991) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[4] | 117 |
| Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[5] | 16 |
| Chart (1990) | Position | |
|---|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratop)[6] | 32 | |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[7] | 50 | |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[8] | 51 |
| Chart (1991) | Position | |
|---|---|---|
| Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[9] | 80 | |
| UK Singles (OCC)[10] | 29 |
The song has been covered numerous times, most notably being reworked as a dance song by group Lazard, who re-titled the song "4 O'Clock (In the Morning)". Other cover versions are by Jodie Brooke Wilson, Hind, Lutricia McNeal, Sandy Lam, Tabea, and by Rosa López who released a Spanish version (titled "Júrame") in 2008; a more faithful Spanish version was named "Entre tú y yo" and was performed by Mexican actress Chantal Andere in 1992 for her second album and as the main title song of the telenovela Triángulo.[11] Other notable covers are by Hong Kong Cantopop diva Sandy Lam titled as "Without You, But Still Love You",[12] and Taiwanese Mandopop diva Winnie Hsin titled as "Selfish".[13] Sometimes the Mandarin version and English version would be crossed over for singing competitions, as exemplified by British-Taiwanese singer (now newscaster) Annie Lin (林宜融).[14]
In June 2012, Technoboy and Tuneboy sampled the song on their hardstyle single "Promise Me".[15] Three months later, German techno band Scooter sampled "Promise Me" on their single "4 AM", in a nod to a 1993 breakbeat hardcore track by Orca, which also sampled verses from "Promise Me".[16]