As I Lay Me Down

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As I Lay Me Down was a hit song composed and performed by singer-songwriter Sophie B. Hawkins in 1994. It is from her albums Whaler and The Best of Sophie B. Hawkins. The song is one of her two best hits.

The song is a ballad in memory of Hawkins' father. It also appeared in the TV show Dawson's Creek.

"As I Lay Me Down" was actually the second U.S. single release from the critical disappointment Whaler. With less than magnificent sales of the first single, Right Beside You, the song was released with little fanfare (an attractive photo of Sophie dressed as a sailor graced the cover). Somehow, upon Sophie's insistence to her label (Columbia) that she tour the country with only an acoustic piano, the song began getting airplay on adult contemporary stations. During the summer of 1995, people responded to it (some thought it was sung by Belinda Carlisle) and it became a huge A/C hit as well as a top ten song. A grittier remix also helped the song gain airplay on stations that favored edgier styles. As I Lay Me Down (with two different video versions) remained on the charts until autumn 1995.

The next single Only Love (originally titled The Ballad of Sleeping Beauty) was released in a re-recorded format. It has a more acoustic sound than the album version of the song. At first, it seemed it would be a success on the heels of the huge, yet somehow humble, achievements of "As I Lay Me Down", as it did get good initial airplay. But the song did not share the same fate as the second single from Whaler. This was the last U.S. single to be released from Whaler. However, in other countries, the song Don't Don't Tell Me No was released in its album form with remixes of Right Beside You and a previously unreleased track called Big Beautiful Bottom In My Face as b-sides.