Songoftheday 08/15/24 - It's like I missed a shot, it's like I dropped the ball...
"Sorry 2004" - Ruben Studdard
from the album Soulful (2003)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #9 (two weeks)
Weeks in the Top-40: 15
Today's song comes from the second season winner of American Idol, Ruben Studdard, whose "winner's single" from the show, "Flying Without Wings", came behind runner-up Clay Aiken's "This Is The Night" on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 in the summer of 2003. Later at the end of the year, Ruben teamed up with fellow Idol finalist Tamyra Gray for a cover of the holiday classic "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas", which went to #25 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary (or "easy listening") radio chart. Studdard also released his first post-success album Soulful, with the song "Sorry 2004" as his next single. Written by producers Harvey Mason Jr and Damon Thomas (aka the "Underdogs") along with Ronnie Jackson, Eric Dawkins, and Tony Dixon, the lyrics have Ruben crooning apology analogies. I'm not sure of the angle on including the year (it seems to carry the same intonation of R. Kelly when he kept announcing the "remix" to "Ignition", and that's not a good look), but he commits, even including last year's Valentine's date (which he forgot). And the kicker is when he belts "And I ain't gonna mess up no more, this year." Like wait, all bets are off in 2005? The production does play the retro ballad angle nicely, though it tries a little hard for the skittish Jodeci-ish pacing that Ruben is better than. He does get to vamp at the end though. The music video really plays the "I'll make it up by spending money instead of changing myself" card, but his "teddy bear" personality must've convinced enough since his fans bought the single enough to give Studdard a second big hit even without pop radio onboard...
"Sorry 2004" became Ruben's second top ten hit on the Hot 100 in February of 2004, while spending two weeks at #2 on Billboard's R&B Singles chart. On the radio, the song spent a week at #1 on the Mainstream R&B chart, lingered at the top of the older-skewing Adult R&B list for four weeks, and peaked at #23 on the dance/R&B-oriented Rhythmic format.
Ruben's next single from the record was "What If" which was co-written by the Underdogs with Jason Edmonds (Kenny "Babyface"'s nephew). The song stalled under the R&B Singles top-40 at #47 while getting to #14 on the Adult R&B chart.
When the singer re-emerged with his sophomore effort, it would be a gospel music affair titled I Need An Angel. However, going to future felon R. Kelly to write and produce the title track and lead single was a choice. "I Need An Angel" did get some radio play on the "older" formats, hitting #21 on the Adult R&B list and #32 on the Adult Contemporary chart. The album crested at #20 on the Billboard 200 sales tally and #6 on the R&B Albums list, while topping the Gospel Albums chart, going on to sell about a half million copies.
Studdard returned to secular soul on his third and final album on J Records, The Return, which did return him to the top ten on the Billboard 200 at #8 (and #2 on the R&B Albums list), though selling fewer copies in the long run. The big single from the record, "Change Me", was a huge hit on the Adult R&B format, spending two months (eight weeks) at #1, while rising to #18 on the main R&B Singles list. But it only slipped on to the Hot 100 for a week at #94.
Moving to the indie Hickory Records, Ruben put out Love Is in 2009, which spun off a couple minor radio hits, with "Don't Make 'Em The You No More" his most recent R&B top-40 hit at #32. The album also had enough fan residual to make the top-40 on the Billboard 200 at #36 (and #8 on the R&B Albums list).
The next ten years had Ruben releasing three albums on three different labels. The first, Letters From Birmingham on Shanachie, contains his most recent hit on the R&B Singles chart with "June 28th (I'm Single)" at #61. The second, Unconditional Love in 2014, went to #46 on the Billboard 200 and #11 on the R&B Albums list (his most recent appearances), and had his most recent Adult R&B hit with "Love Love Love" at #25.
Studdard's most recent album, The Way I Remember It, came out in 2023. He currently tours with Aiken as well as on his own.
(5/10)
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Up tomorrow: This singer wants to be included.
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