3AM (Matchbox Twenty song) explained

3AM
Cover:3amMatchbox 20.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Matchbox 20
Album:Yourself or Someone Like You
B-Side:
  • "Push" (acoustic)
  • "Shame"
Length:3:46
Label:
Producer:Matt Serletic
Prev Title:Push
Prev Year:1997
Next Title:Real World
Next Year:1998

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

"3AM" topped the Canadian RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart for two weeks and the US Billboard Adult Top 40 chart for 10 weeks; it was not eligible to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 at 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

"3AM" was written by Rob Thomas, Jay Stanley, John Leslie Goff, and Brian Yale while performing together in the early 1990s band Tabitha'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. 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", on Don't Play with Matches.

Music video

The song's music video, directed by Gavin Bowden, was shot in Los Angeles.[1] It features the band sitting on sides of a street next to some telephone booths. A supermarket is 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, a Pontiac Trans Am with a bare-chested man and a woman inside stops in front of Thomas. The man gets out, revealing a catheter 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

Australian and UK CD single[2]

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

UK 7-inch and cassette single; European CD single[3] [4] [5]

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

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1997–1998)Peak
position
Poland (Music & Media)[6] 20
Spain Airplay (Music & Media)[7] 5

Year-end charts

Chart (1998)Position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[9] 5
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[10] 57
Canada Rock/Alternative (RPM)[11] 11
US Hot 100 Airplay (Billboard)[12] 3
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[13] 2
US Mainstream Rock Tracks (Billboard)[14] 13
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[15] 4
US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)23
US Triple-A (Billboard)[16] 1

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)
United StatesOctober 6, 1997Modern rock radio[17]
AustraliaNovember 23, 1997CD
United KingdomJune 22, 1998[18]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Production Notes. Billboard. 109. 40. 103. October 4, 1997. February 1, 2023.
  2. 3 AM. Matchbox 20. 1997. UK CD single liner notes. Atlantic Records, Lava Records, Melisma Records. AT0034CD, 7567-95562-2.
  3. 3 AM. Matchbox 20. 1998. UK 7-inch single sleeve. Atlantic Records, Lava Records, Melisma Records. AT 0034, 7567-87033-7.
  4. 3 AM. Matchbox 20. 1998. UK cassette single sleeve. Atlantic Records, Lava Records, Melisma Records. AT0034C, 7567-95562-2.
  5. 3 AM. Matchbox 20. 1998. European CD single liner notes. Atlantic Records, Lava Records, Melisma Records. 7567-98009-9.
  6. Major Market Airplay. Music & Media. 15. 24. 23. June 13, 1998. August 28, 2023.
  7. Major Market Airplay. Music & Media. 15. 29. 25. July 18, 1998. August 28, 2023.
  8. Best of '97: Modern Rock Tracks. Airplay Monitor. 5. 52. 30. December 28, 1997.
  9. RPM's Top 100 Hit Tracks of '98. RPM. 63. 12. 20. December 14, 1998. March 23, 2019.
  10. RPM's Top 100 Adult Contemporary Tracks of '98. RPM. Library and Archives Canada. February 19, 2019.
  11. RPM's Top 50 Alternative Tracks of '98. RPM. Library and Archives Canada. February 19, 2019.
  12. The Year in Music 1998: Hot 100 Singles Airplay. Billboard. 110. 52. YE-46. December 26, 1998. December 5, 2023.
  13. The Year in Music 1998: Hot Adult Top 40 Singles & Tracks. Billboard. 110. 52. YE-96. December 26, 1998. February 19, 2021.
  14. The Year in Music 1998. Billboard. 110. 52. YE-84. December 26, 1998. December 5, 2023.
  15. Most Played Mainstream Top 40 Songs of 1998. Airplay Monitor. 6. 52. 45. December 25, 1998.
  16. Best of '98: Most Played Triple-A Songs. Airplay Monitor. 6. 52. 35. December 25, 1998.
  17. Upcoming New Releases. Hits. 11. 563. 38. October 3, 1997.
  18. New Releases: Singles. Music Week. 25. June 20, 1998.