Again (Faith Evans song)

"Again"
Single by Faith Evans
from the album The First Lady
ReleasedFebruary 7, 2005 (2005-02-07)
Length3:21
LabelCapitol
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Carvin & Ivan
Faith Evans singles chronology
"Hope"
(2004) 		"Again"
(2005) 		"Mesmerized"
(2005)

"Again" is a song by American singer Faith Evans. It was written by Ivan Barias, Carvin Haggins, and Evans for her fourth studio album The First Lady (2005), while production was helmed by Barias and Haggins under their production moniker Carvin & Ivan. It contains a sample from "Genuine" by American 1970s soul group the Whatnauts. Due to the inclusion of the sample, Jerry Harris and Venus Dodson are also credited as songwriters. "Again" addresses Evans's 2004 arrest for drug possession.

Released as the lead single from The First Lady on February 7, 2005, the song marked a top-10 return for Evans on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, peaking at number seven. "Again" also peaked at number 47 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Worldwide, the song charted within the top 50 in Australia and peaked at number 12 on the UK Singles Chart. The accompanying music video for "Again" was directed by longtime collaborator Chris Robinson and filmed in Los Angeles, California in late January 2005.

Background and recording

"Again" was written by Evans with Venus Dodson, Jerry Harris, and Ivan Barias and Carvin Haggins, while the latter handled the song's entire production.[1] The track is one out of several track on which Evans collaborated with Carvin & Ivan, both of whom advised her to record a song for the album that would address her 2004 arrest for drug possession.[2] In an interview with Vibe, Haggins noted, that the original lyrics to "Again" were actually more risqué than the version that was eventually recorded for the album.[2] In the first version of the song's second verse Evans name-checked radio personality Wendy Williams and cited old rumors about a romance with Tupac Shakur.[2] Evans called "Again" a "testament to my name" and added: "This song is near and dear to my heart. I'm not perfect, and everything I’ve been through has been for a reason. My faith in God and knowing that he watches over me helps me to believe that if he brought me to it, he'll bring me through it."[3]

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Again" was directed by longtime collaborator Chris Robinson and filmed in Los Angeles, California in late January 2005.[4] Production was overseen by Dawn Rose for Robot Films/HSI, while Jeff Selis served as the video's editor.[4] It debuted in March 2005.[4]

Track listings

All tracks are written by Faith Evans, Carvin Haggins, Ivan Barias, Venus Dodson, and Jerry Harris except where noted

US and UK 12-inch single[5][6]
No.TitleLength
1."Again" (main) 
2."Again" (instrumental) 
3."Again" (a cappella) 
UK CD1 and European CD single[7][8]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Again"  
2."Do My Thang"Kameron Houff 
UK CD2[9]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Again"  
2."Get Over You"
  • Evans
  • Haggins
  • Barias
  • Johnnie Smith
 
3."Again" (instrumental)  
4."Again" (a cappella)  
5."Again" (video)  
Australasian CD single[10]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Again"  
2."Get Over You"
  • Evans
  • Haggins
  • Barias
  • Smith
 
3."Again" (instrumental)  

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of The First Lady.[1]

Charts

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States February 7, 2005
Capitol [23]
United Kingdom May 2, 2005
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
 EMI [24]
Australia May 23, 2005 CD Capitol [25]

References

  1. ^ a b The First Lady (Media notes). Faith Evans. Capitol Records. 2005.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. ^ a b c King, Aliya S. (June 1, 2005). "Widow's Peak". Vibe. p. 100. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
  3. ^ "Faith Evans Reveals Her Top 10 Favorite Faith Evans Songs to 3YouKnowIGotSoul". YouKnowIGotSoul.com. June 1, 2013. Retrieved January 1, 2011.
  4. ^ a b c Gottlieb, Steven (March 11, 2005). "NEW RELEASE: Faith Evans Again". Videostatic.com. Archived from the original on June 16, 2013. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
  5. ^ Again (US 12-inch single vinyl disc). Faith Evans. Capitol Records. 2005. Y 7243 8 69617 1 6.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  6. ^ Again (UK 12-inch single vinyl disc). Faith Evans. EMI Records. 2005. 12EM 658, 7243 8 72820 6 3.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ^ Again (UK CD1 liner notes). Faith Evans. EMI Records. 2005. CDEM 658, 7243 8 72820 2 5.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ^ Again (European CD single liner notes). Faith Evans. Capitol Records. 2005. 7243 8 68559 2 3.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ Again (UK CD2 liner notes). Faith Evans. EMI Records. 2005. CDEMS 658, 7243 8 72820 0 1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ^ Again (Australasian CD single liner notes). Faith Evans. EMI Records. 2005. 7243 8 68558 2 4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. ^ "Faith Evans – Again". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  12. ^ "Issue 801" ARIA Top 40 Urban Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
  13. ^ "Faith Evans – Again" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
  14. ^ "Faith Evans – Again" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
  15. ^ "The Urban Chart Top 100 - Urban Top 100". urbantop100.nl. Archived from the original on June 22, 2005. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  16. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  17. ^ "Faith Evans – Again". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  18. ^ "Faith Evans: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
  19. ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  20. ^ "Faith Evans Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 5, 2011.
  21. ^ "Faith Evans Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 5, 2011.
  22. ^ "2005 Year End Chart: R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved July 14, 2020.
  23. ^ "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1592. February 4, 2005. p. 22. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  24. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. April 30, 2005. p. 27.
  25. ^ "The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 23rd May 2005" (PDF). ARIA. May 23, 2005. p. 28. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 19, 2005. Retrieved May 21, 2021.