Lisa Loeb broke through on Billboard’s charts in unique fashion: her debut hit “Stay (I Missed You)” topped the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks in August 1994 while she was still an unsigned artist, making her the first such act ever to lead the list.
“Stay” (billed as by Loeb & Nine Stories) was famously released on RCA Records on the Reality Bites soundtrack, with one of the film’s stars, and Loeb’s friend, Ethan Hawke, having directed the song’s classic, one-take video.
Ahead of the 25th anniversary of the song ruling the Hot 100 (beginning on Aug. 6, 1994), Loeb — who has charted five Hot 100 hits and three Billboard 200 albums and in 2018 won her first Grammy Award, for best children’s album for her set Feel What U Feel — continues to make innovative inroads. Her latest track, “Love Never Dies,” doubles as a theme song that Loeb recorded to accompany acclaimed author James Patterson’s new novel (with Emily Raymond), Sophia, Princess Among Beasts, due today (July 15).
“Much in the same way songs are used as themes for films, a song can broaden a reader’s experience,” Loeb says.
The singer-songwriter notes that she was inspired by the novel’s lead character, as the song serves as a message for “any person who is overcoming challenges and looking for their inner strength.”
Listen to Loeb’s “Love Never Dies” below.
