The Day You Went Away

"The Day You Went Away" is a song by English pop/soul group Soul Family Sensation. The track served as the third single from the group's debut studio album, New Wave, and was released in February 1992 on One Little Indian Records.^[2] It was written by Guy Batson and Johnny Male. Despite the success of their first single, "I Don't Even Know If I Should Call You Baby", which peaked at No. 49 on the UK Singles Chart, "The Day You Went Away" did not chart.^[3] In 1992, Australian singer-songwriter Wendy Matthews covered the song, which reached No. 2 on the Australian Singles Chart and won two ARIA Music Awards.

"The Day You Went Away"
Single by Soul Family Sensation
from the album New Wave
A-side	"Other Stuff"
Released	24 February 1992 (1992-02-24)[1]
Length	4:22
Label	One Little Indian
Songwriter(s)	Guy Batson, Johnny Male
Producer(s)	Steward Brian Pugsley, Guy Batson, Johnny Male
Soul Family Sensation singles chronology
"Perfect Life" / "747 Tonight" (1991) "The Day You Went Away" / "Other Stuff" (1992)

Track listings

7-inch single^[4]

A. "The Day You Went Away"

AA. "Other Stuff" (Piccadilly Line mix)

12-inch and CD single^[5][6]

1. "The Day You Went Away"
2. "Other Stuff" (Circle Line mix)
3. "Other Stuff" (Piccadilly Line mix)
4. "Other Stuff" (Central Line mix)

Wendy Matthews version

"The Day You Went Away"
Single by Wendy Matthews
from the album Lily
Released	31 August 1992
Studio	Rhinoceros (Sydney, Australia)
Length	4:44
Label	rooART
Songwriter(s)	Guy Batson, Johnny Male
Producer(s)	T-Bone Burnett
Wendy Matthews singles chronology
"Let's Kiss (Like Angels Do)" (1991) "The Day You Went Away" (1992) "Friday's Child" (1993)

Wendy Matthews' cover was released 31 August 1992 by rooArt as the lead single from her second solo studio album, Lily (1992). The song debuted on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart in August 1992, eventually peaking at No. 2 in December of the same year. This is Matthews' highest-charting single on the Australian chart. In the United Kingdom and Europe, the song was released on rooART in 1993 but was not a hit. Matthews subsequently included the song on her 1999 Greatest Hits album, Stepping Stones, and her 2007 compilation album, The Essential Wendy Matthews.

"The Day You Went Away" won two ARIA Music Awards at the ARIA Music Awards of 1993: one for Single of the Year and one for Highest Selling Single.^[7]

Composition

"The Day You Went Away" is performed in a slow ⁴
₄ time with a vocal range of E4 to C♯6.^[8]

Track listings

Australian CD and cassette single^[9][10]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"The Day You Went Away"	Guy Batson, Johnny Male
2.	"I Don't Want to Be with Nobody but You" (recorded live Melbourne, May 1991)	Eddie Floyd
3.	"Won't Let Me Be (Georgia's Song)" (recorded live Melbourne, May 1991)	Andrew Duffield, James Valentine, Wendy Matthews

Australian 7-inch single^[11]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"The Day You Went Away"	Batson, Male
2.	"I Don't Want to Be with Nobody but You" (recorded live Melbourne, May 1991)	Floyd

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1992) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[12] 2

Year-end charts Chart (1992) Position Australia (ARIA)[13] 8

Sales and certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[14]	Platinum	70,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 22 February 1992. p. 23.
2. "New Wave – Soul Family Sensation". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
3. "Soul Family Sensation". Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
4. The Day You Went Away / Other Stuff (UK 7-inch single sleeve). Soul Family Sensation. One Little Indian Records. 1992. 77TP7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
5. The Day You Went Away / Other Stuff (UK 12-inch single sleeve). Soul Family Sensation. One Little Indian Records. 1992. 77TP12.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
6. The Day You Went Away / Other Stuff (UK CD single liner notes). Soul Family Sensation. One Little Indian Records. 1992. 77TP 7CD.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
7. "1991 ARIA Award Winners". ARIA. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
8. "The Day You Went Away Sheet Music | Wendy Matthews | Lead Sheet / Fake Book".
9. The Day You Went Away (Australian CD single liner notes). Wendy Matthews. rooArt. 1992. 4509905222.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
10. The Day You Went Away (Australian cassette single sleeve). Wendy Matthews. rooArt. 1992. 4509905224.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
11. The Day You Went Away (Australian 7-inch single sleeve). Wendy Matthews. rooArt. 1992. 4509919687.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
12. "Wendy Matthews – The Day You Went Away". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
13. "ARIA Top 50 Singles for 1992". ARIA. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
14. "ARIA Accreditations (1987–2010)". Australian Fun Countdowns. 7 April 2011. Retrieved 4 August 2015.