1980

Album: The 18th Day (2004)
Charted: 14
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This is an autobiographical tale about Estelle living in an apartment above a dead man. She told Giantmag the story of the song: "Oh, that man - he was really old, like extremely old and he had no one coming up to see him, no one to comfort him. But he had all of these cats. Before we knew he passed, my mom began wondering about the smell and she would be like 'Estelle, clean up your room' (laughs). One day, we went downstairs and banged on his door just to check on him and no one answered. And I thought to myself, maybe he's dead and sure enough he was."
  • This was Estelle's debut single.
  • In the same interview with Giantmag.com, Estelle, who was born on January 18th 1980, was asked why she titled her album The 18th Day: "18, it represents my birthday. My first album, The 18th Day, was a dedication to my mother. During my birth she had a procedure that left her near death, but she came back in time to give birth to me. So the album was almost like me thanking her for bringing me here."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Al Kooper

Al KooperSongwriter Interviews

Kooper produced Lynyrd Skynyrd, played with Dylan and the Stones, and formed BS&T.

Oliver Leiber

Oliver LeiberSongwriter Interviews

Oliver Leiber talks about writing and producing hits for Paula Abdul, and explains his complicated relationship with his father, the songwriter Jerry Leiber.

Harry Shearer

Harry ShearerSongwriter Interviews

Harry is Derek Smalls in Spinal Tap, Mark Shubb in The Folksmen, and Mr. Burns on The Simpsons.

Don Dokken

Don DokkenSongwriter Interviews

Dokken frontman Don Dokken explains what broke up the band at the height of their success in the late '80s, and talks about the botched surgery that paralyzed his right arm.

Gene Simmons of Kiss

Gene Simmons of KissSongwriter Interviews

The Kiss rocker covers a lot of ground in this interview, including why there are no Kiss collaborations, and why the Rock Hall has "become a sham."

Meshell Ndegeocello

Meshell NdegeocelloSongwriter Interviews

Meshell Ndegeocello talks about recording "Wild Night" with John Mellencamp, and explains why she shied away from the spotlight.