One Hit Wondering – Nine Days

One Hit Wondering is a series of columns where I listen to the album of a one hit wonder, and find three songs, other than the hit, that people should hear. 

If you walk inside the legendary New York City indie music venue The Bitter End you will eventually come across an autographed poster advertising Nine Days’ first show there. It’s a very cool indicator of the beginnings of the band that gave us one of the biggest radio hits of 2000 with “Absolutely (Story of a Girl).”

An earworm nearly on par with “Smooth,” or “Barbie Girl,” “Absolutely (Story of a Girl)” was released in March of 2000, and it didn’t take long for the entire country to be singing about the girl “who cried a river and drowned the whole world.”

The song rocketed to #6 on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching #1 on the Mainstream Top 40, and peaking at #2 on the Adult Top 40 Tracks chart.

When all was said and done, the band from Long Island had notched the 35th-best-performing single in the U.S. for the year 2000, and had even reached international audiences, with “Absolutely (Story of a Girl)” becoming a Top 10 hit in Canada, and New Zealand.

While everybody knows “Absolutely (Story of a Girl),” the story of the Nine Days began when John Hampson (vocals, guitar) and Brian Desveaux (vocals, guitar) were playing in a heavy metal band, while also performing in a cover band named Wonderama that included eventual Nine Days drummer Vincent Tattanelli. 

In 1993 Hampson and Desveaux took time off from both bands to focus on songwriting that was a bit more pop oriented.

The duo would link up with bassist Nick Dimichino to record eight songs with a studio drummer. Tattanelli would then join his former bandmates in the project, with keyboardist Jeremy Dean rounding out the band.

The year was 1994, and Nine Days was officially born, but they weren’t named Nine Days quite yet.

The band’s name stems from how long it took them to record their debut album, Something to Listen To, which they released independently in 1995.

Now with a name, Nine Days went about building their fan base the old fashioned way – by starting off performing locally, and gradually expanding their radius.

They released their second album, Monday Songs, in 1996, which earned them local praise, and after releasing their third album in 1998, the appropriately titled Three, they decided it was finally time to see if a major label might be interested in them.

Hampson and crew contacted producer Pat Thrall (Meat Loaf, Tina Turner, Asia, Sly and Robbie) to help them put together a four-song demo.

The band sent that demo to every major label, and performed at countless showcases.

Nobody signed them.

Down, but not out, Hampson kept at it, and after an argument with his girlfriend at a show he was playing he wrote the song that would make Nine Days a household name.

In an incredibly fertile bout of creativity, he penned the majority of “Absolutely (Story of a Girl)” in one night, the same night as the argument.

The song would be included on the next demo the band recorded to shop around to labels. That demo also made its way to local radio stations, which is how well before “Absolutely (Story of a Girl)” became a national, and international hit, it was included on a promotional CD created by WLIR titled Bootleg ’98. The legendary Long Island-based radio station had been longtime supporters of the band, and added the song at the end of a track listing that included many favorites of the day.

Unlike their previous demo, Nine Days’ second demo led to the band being noticed, and they were signed by Sony 550 Music in February of 1999.

Their major label debut, The Madding Crowd, which was their fourth album overall, was released in May of 2000, and included a re-recorded version of “Absolutely (Story of a Girl),” which had already taken over the airwaves.

The Madding Crowd debuted at #67 on the Billboard 200, which was where it peaked, eventually going gold (500k copies sold).

The album’s second single, “If I Am,” didn’t recapture the magic of “Absolutely (Story of a Girl),” topping out at #68. The song, however, did wind up being included on the compilation album Songs from Dawson’s Creek – Volume 2.

With “If I Am” not being a hit, Nine Days suddenly found themselves in a place no artist or band wants to be – major label limbo.

They had their fifth album, So Happily Unsatisfied, ready to go in 2002, and while it received a limited promotional release, it didn’t receive a full commercial release until four years later. If you’re thinking – that’s no way to capitalize on having one of the biggest songs of 2000. You’re right.

The problem was that while Nine Days were hitting it big, 550 Music (which had dropped Sony from their name) was in the process of no long existing. In a massive label restructuring, the band would wind up being dropped, along with somewhere in the neighborhood of 90% of the people who were involved with their record, as 550 Music was folded by parent company Epic Records.

No strangers to living the life of indie musicians, Nine Days went back to their roots, this time with the advantage of having a mega-hit to their name, and continued to self-release music.

In 2004, after six albums, and a hit single, Hampson went back to school. He earned his degree, and began a new career as a teacher in Wantagh, New York … but he never left music, or Nine Days.

The band is now up to eight full-length albums, while “Absolutely (Story of a Girl)” continues to live on in pop culture, and advertising. The song was featured in the 2022 movie Everything Everywhere All at Once, and in 2024 the band appeared in a television ad for Travel South Dakota performing a rewritten version of the song which was titled “Absolutely (Story of a State).” The commercial was seen by a lot of people in the South Dakota area, as it debuted during the Super Bowl.

Nine Days no longer tours, but they still play shows in the Long Island area, and have been celebrating the 25th anniversary of The Maddening Crowd.

When it comes to the band’s status as a one hit wonder, Hampson wholly embraces it. In a 2024 interview with West Valley View he said, “There’s no sadness to it at all. It’s an amazing accomplishment to have had a song and a record that made it big. Still, all these years later, we can go out and play shows. People know that song and the record. There’s nothing sad about it. That’s great.”

In a full circle moment, in November of 2024 I saw Hampson at The Bitter End as part of a songwriter’s night that was created by Brooke Moriber. Hampson performed “Absolutely (Story of a Girl),” and told the story of how the girl from the song is now his wife (and I’m fairly sure I was standing right next to her).

With that wonderful story in mind, I rewound back 25 years to give The Maddening Crowd a spin, and found three songs, other than “Absolutely (Story of a Girl),” that you should hear.

“If I Am”

 

I often question whether or not a label made the correct choice as a follow up to a band’s big hit. This is one case where the song choice was obvious … but was the timing right?

When “If I Am” was released, “Absolutely (Story of a Girl)” was still in the Top 10.

Two other bands that were receiving Top 40 airplay – Matchbox Twenty, and 3 Doors Down – also had songs in the Top 10, and Creed, Vertical Horizon, and Everclear all had songs in the Top 25.

Point blank – there was an overload of radio friendly rock songs, and not enough space in radio station playlists, and that’s a shame, because “If I Am” is a great song that deserved a better run.

“End Up Alone”

 

When you think of late ‘90s / early ‘00s radio rock, “End Up Alone” fits the bill so perfectly that it’s crazy it was never released as a single.

The rare song about loneliness that’s musically upbeat, “End Up Alone” posits the idea that there needs to be more to life than simply reaching for goals.

The song had hit written all over it, but maybe someone in the offices didn’t think a guitar solo wouldn’t fly on Top 40 radio, or perhaps the label restructuring was already in motion. Whatever the reason, its lack of release makes it one of those album cuts you love to randomly discover, and play over and over again.

“257 Weeks”

 

What is the meaning of the song title “257 Weeks”? Well, I have a theory – 257 weeks is nearly 5 years. The band was formed in ’94, and signed in ’99. So 257 weeks might be the time it took Nine Days, from their inception, to get signed to a major label.

My personal theories aside, the carpe diem themed song starts with a lively piano, which continues as the song’s musical backbone, giving “257 Weeks” a really fun vibe. According to an Instagram post the band made over 200 weeks ago (but not 257 weeks ago. I couldn’t time this that perfectly), the piano part was inspired by Lauryn Hill’s “Doo Wop (That Thing).”

On the song Hampson implores whoever it’s directed to stop waiting, and start making things happen – it feels like it may be aimed at an artist friend who Hampson believes is excellent at his craft, but isn’t putting in the work, like the 257 weeks Nine Days put in before getting signed – and listening to it one can’t help but feel inspired to get up, and do something.

Until next time, here’s to discovering more great music from one hit wonders!