Wikipedia

3AM (Matchbox Twenty song)

"3AM"(stylized as"3 am"on the album and"3 AM"on the single) is the thirdsingleand the third track from American rock bandMatchbox 20's debut album,Yourself or Someone Like You(1996). Written byRob Thomas,Jay Stanley, John Leslie Goff, andBrian Yale,the song was inspired by Thomas dealing with his mother'scanceras a teenager. The song was officially serviced to USmodern rockradio in October 1997 and was given a commercial release outside North America the following month.

"3AM"
SinglebyMatchbox 20
from the albumYourself or Someone Like You
B-side
  • "Push"(acoustic)
  • "Shame"
ReleasedNovember 23, 1997(1997-11-23)[1]
Length3:46
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Matt Serletic
Matchbox 20singles chronology
"Push"
(1997) 		"3AM"
(1997) 		"Real World"
(1998)
Music video
"3AM"onYouTube

"3AM" topped the CanadianRPM100 Hit Tracks chart for two weeks and the USBillboardAdult Top 40chart for 10 weeks; it was not eligible to chart on theBillboardHot 100at the time due to not receiving a physical release in the United States. Outside North America, "3AM" reached number 31 in Australia and became a minor hit in Europe. A music video was also made for the song, directed by Gavin Bowden and filmed in Los Angeles.

Background and content

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"3AM" was written byRob Thomas,Jay Stanley, John Leslie Goff, andBrian Yalewhile performing together in the early 1990s bandTabitha's Secret.The song was first recorded by that band on its debut EP,Tabitha's Secret?.The lyrics are inspired by Thomas as an adolescent having to live with a mother fighting to survive cancer.[2]In 1997, after the other members of Tabitha's Secret left to form Matchbox 20, Goff and Stanley released other early recordings of the band, including "3 AM", onDon't Play with Matches.

Music video

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The song's music video, directed by Gavin Bowden, was shot in Los Angeles.[3]It features the band sitting on sides of a street next to some telephone booths. Asupermarketis also shown. The video switches between color video clips and black-and-white still images. During the introduction and the third verse of the song, Thomas walks in the middle of the street with some construction signs and lights. During the third verse, aPontiac Trans Amwith a bare-chested man and a woman inside stops in front of Thomas. The man gets out, revealing acatheter in his chest,receives three cigarettes from Thomas and then gets back in the Trans Am. Finally, during the last two choruses, the band is shown playing their instruments (presumably in the lobby of a hotel or office building) as rain can be seen falling from a large window behind them. The video ends with an image of Thomas standing next to the telephone booths.

Track listings

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Australian and UK CD single[1][4]

  1. "3 AM" – 3:46
  2. "Push" (acoustic) – 4:19
  3. "Shame" – 3:35

UK 7-inch and cassette single; European CD single[5][6][7]

  1. "3 AM" – 3:46
  2. "Push" (acoustic) – 4:19

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[33] 4× Platinum 280,000‡
United States (RIAA)[34] 3× Platinum 3,000,000‡

‡Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States October 6, 1997 Modern rockradio
[35]
Australia November 23, 1997 CD [1]
United Kingdom June 22, 1998
  • CD
  • cassette
 [36]

See also

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References

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  1. ^abcd"Matchbox 20 – 3 AM ".ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  2. ^VideoonYouTube
  3. ^"Production Notes".Billboard.Vol. 109, no. 40. October 4, 1997. p. 103.RetrievedFebruary 1,2023.
  4. ^3 AM(UK CD single liner notes).Matchbox 20.Atlantic Records,Lava Records,Melisma Records. 1997. AT0034CD, 7567-95562-2.{{cite AV media notes}}:CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. ^3 AM(UK 7-inch single sleeve). Matchbox 20. Atlantic Records, Lava Records, Melisma Records. 1998. AT 0034, 7567-87033-7.{{cite AV media notes}}:CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  6. ^3 AM(UK cassette single sleeve). Matchbox 20. Atlantic Records, Lava Records, Melisma Records. 1998. AT0034C, 7567-95562-2.{{cite AV media notes}}:CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ^3 AM(European CD single liner notes). Matchbox 20. Atlantic Records, Lava Records, Melisma Records. 1998. 7567-98009-9.{{cite AV media notes}}:CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ^"Top RPM Singles: Issue 3437."RPM.Library and Archives Canada.Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  9. ^"Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 3460."RPM.Library and Archives Canada.Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  10. ^"Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 3423."RPM.Library and Archives Canada.Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  11. ^"Matchbox 20 – 3 AM "(in German).GfK Entertainment charts.
  12. ^"Matchbox 20 – 3 AM "(in Dutch).Single Top 100.
  13. ^"Major Market Airplay"(PDF).Music & Media.Vol. 15, no. 24. June 13, 1998. p. 23.RetrievedAugust 28,2023.
  14. ^"Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100".Official Charts Company.Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  15. ^"Major Market Airplay"(PDF).Music & Media.Vol. 15, no. 29. July 18, 1998. p. 25.RetrievedAugust 28,2023.
  16. ^"Official Singles Chart Top 100".Official Charts Company.Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  17. ^"Matchbox Twenty Chart History (Radio Songs)".Billboard.Retrieved February 19, 2019.
  18. ^"Matchbox Twenty Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)".Billboard.
  19. ^"Matchbox Twenty Chart History (Adult Contemporary)".Billboard.
  20. ^"Matchbox Twenty Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)".Billboard.
  21. ^"Matchbox Twenty Chart History (Alternative Airplay)".Billboard.
  22. ^"Matchbox Twenty Chart History (Mainstream Rock)".Billboard.
  23. ^"Matchbox Twenty Chart History (Pop Songs)".Billboard.
  24. ^"Best of '97: Modern Rock Tracks".Airplay Monitor.Vol. 5, no. 52. December 28, 1997. p. 30.
  25. ^"RPM's Top 100 Hit Tracks of '98"(PDF).RPM.Vol. 63, no. 12. December 14, 1998. p. 20.RetrievedMarch 23,2019.
  26. ^"RPM's Top 100 Adult Contemporary Tracks of '98".RPM.RetrievedFebruary 19,2019– viaLibrary and Archives Canada.
  27. ^"RPM's Top 50 Alternative Tracks of '98".RPM.RetrievedFebruary 19,2019– via Library and Archives Canada.
  28. ^"The Year in Music 1998: Hot 100 Singles Airplay".Billboard.Vol. 110, no. 52. December 26, 1998. p. YE-46.RetrievedDecember 5,2023.
  29. ^"The Year in Music 1998: Hot Adult Top 40 Singles & Tracks".Billboard.Vol. 110, no. 52. December 26, 1998. p. YE-96.RetrievedFebruary 19,2021.
  30. ^ab"The Year in Music 1998".Billboard.Vol. 110, no. 52. December 26, 1998. p. YE-84.RetrievedDecember 5,2023.
  31. ^"Most Played Mainstream Top 40 Songs of 1998".Airplay Monitor.Vol. 6, no. 52. December 25, 1998. p. 45.
  32. ^"Best of '98: Most Played Triple-A Songs".Airplay Monitor.Vol. 6, no. 52. December 25, 1998. p. 35.
  33. ^"ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2024 Singles"(PDF).Australian Recording Industry Association.Retrieved6 February2024.
  34. ^"American single certifications – Matchbox Twenty – 3AM".Recording Industry Association of America.RetrievedSeptember 7,2023.
  35. ^"Upcoming New Releases".Hits.Vol. 11, no. 563. October 3, 1997. p. 38.
  36. ^"New Releases: Singles".Music Week.June 20, 1998. p. 25.
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