"Diary" is a song by American recording artist Alicia Keys from her second studio album, The Diary of Alicia Keys. Written by Keys and Kerry Brothers, Jr., the song features the American group Tony! Toni! Toné!, and was released on June 29, 2004 as the album's third single. It was nominated for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals at the 2005 Grammy Awards.
At one time, "Diary" had been released as a double A-side with "If I Ain't Got You". The song's Hani remixes gave Keys her firstâ€"and so far onlyâ€"chart-topper on the Hot Dance Club Play in late 2004. It also peaked at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. Keys and Tony! Toni! Toné!, never sang the song live together, to date.
Content
In the song, the narrator invites a man who she is close with to trust her and confide his secrets in her ("just think of me as the pages in your diary").
Critical reception
The production of the song got positive reviews. Mark Anthony Neal of Pop Matters wrote "The sparse production of the title track “Diaryâ€, which features Tony! Toni! Tone!, gives Keys ample space to work out her ideas."
Video Diary (Alicia Keys song)
Music video
The single's music video, directed by Lamont "Liquid" Burrell, Rod Isaacs, Jeff Robinson, and Brian Campbell, contains footage of several live concerts from both 2004's Verizon Ladies First Tour, which Keys took part in, and her own 2005 The Diary Tour. Tony! Toni! Toné! does not appear in the video, and their parts are instead performed by Jermaine Paul, but he was not credited with being just a backing vocal Keys.
Maps Diary (Alicia Keys song)
The phone number
The song's lyrics tell listeners that they can reach Keys by calling a particular number, 489-4608, which was her former telephone number minus the area code when she lived in New York City, according to Keys' publicist, Lois Najarian. Callers who used the correct code (347) would have received a voicemail from Keys herself. However, after listening to the song, fans tried calling the number with different area codes, and one of them, 912, turned out to be the number of a retired pastor from Statesboro, Georgia, named J.D. Turner. He claims to have received more than twenty calls a day from Keys' fans in the weeks after the song's release. This led to a $95 phone bill resulting from charges associated with the *69 last-call return option, which he used to track down each caller. Turner has declined to change his number, having held it for fourteen years before the song's release. As of 2015, the number in the 347 area code is no longer in service and Turner retains it in the 912 code.
Track listings and formats
-
- U.S. promo CD single
- "Diary" (Radio Edit) â€" 4:28
- "Diary" (Instrumental) â€" 4:45
- "Diary" (Call Out Hook) â€" 0:10
- "Diary" (Radio Edit) (MP3 format) â€" 4:28
-
- 12"Promo / Maxi-Single
- A1 "Diary" (Radio Edit) â€" 4:28
- A2 "Diary" (Instrumental) â€" 4:45
- B1 "Diary" â€" 4:45
- B2 "Diary" (Acappella) â€" 4:45
- 12"Promo â€" Hani Mixes
- A "Diary" (Hani Extended Club Mix) â€" 9:00
- B1 "Diary" (Hani Mixshow) â€" 5:11
- B2 "Diary" (Hani Dub) â€" 6:11
Personnel
- Alicia Keys â€" lead vocals, backing vocals, piano, producer
- Elijah Baker â€" bass
- Tony Black â€" engineer
- Kerry "Krucial" Brothers â€" digital programming
- Jermaine Paul â€" backing vocals
- Manny Marroquin â€" mixing
- Ann Mincieli â€" engineer
- Jermaine Paul â€" backing vocals
- Herb Powers Jr. â€" masterin
- Tim Christian Riley â€" piano
- John "Jubu" Smith â€" guitar
- Carl "Rev" Wheeler â€" Wurlitzer, organ
- Dwayne "D. Wigg" Wiggins â€" guitar
Charts
See also
- List of number-one dance singles of 2004 (U.S.)
- Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 2004
References
External links
- Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics
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