"Diary" is a song by American singer-songwriter

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer and songwriter. A classically trained pianist, Keys began composing songs at the age of 12 and was signed by Columbia Records at 15. After d ...

from her second studio album, ''

The Diary of Alicia Keys ''The Diary of Alicia Keys'' is the second studio album by American singer Alicia Keys. It was released on December 2, 2003, by J Records. The album was recorded at several recording studios, and production was handled primarily by Keys with cont ...

'' (2003). Written by Keys and Kerry Brothers, Jr. and produced by Keys, the song features the American group

Tony! Toni! Toné! Tony! Toni! Toné! is an American R&B/Soul band from Oakland, California, popular during the late 1980s to mid-1990s. During the band's heyday, it was composed of D'Wayne Wiggins on lead vocals and guitar, his brother Raphael Saadiq (born Char ...

on bass, piano, guitar, organ and Wurlitzer, while Jermaine Paul provides uncredited additional vocals. It was released on May 24, 2004, as the album's third single. At one time, "Diary" had been released as a

double A-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of vinyl records and cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a single usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or ...

with "

If I Ain't Got You "If I Ain't Got You" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Alicia Keys for her second studio album '' The Diary of Alicia Keys'' (2003). Inspired by the 2001 death of singer Aaliyah, the September 11 attacks, and other events in the ...

". "Diary" was nominated for

Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals The Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as th ...

at the 2005 Grammy Awards. The song peaked at number eight on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number two on the

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

. Its Hani remixes topped the

Hot Dance Club Play The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set lists to determine the mos ...

chart in late 2004.

Critical reception

Mark Anthony Neal of ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...

'' said the "sparse production" of the song "gives Keys ample space to work out her ideas." '' Vibe'''s Jessica Bennett called the song an "R&B classic" and described it as "dark and moody, yet is filled with passion lyrically, musically and vocally, with both Keys and featured artist Jermaine Paul turning in a stellar vocal performances".

Music video

The single's

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

, directed by Lamont "Liquid" Burrell, Rod Isaacs, Jeff Robinson, and Brian Campbell, contains footage of several live concerts from both 2004's Verizon Ladies First Tour, which Keys took part in, and her own 2005 The Diary Tour.

The phone number

The song's lyrics tell listeners that they can reach Keys by calling a particular number, 489–4608, which was her former telephone number minus the

area code A telephone numbering plan is a type of numbering scheme used in telecommunication to assign telephone numbers to subscriber telephones or other telephony endpoints. Telephone numbers are the addresses of participants in a telephone network, rea ...

when she lived in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, according to Keys' publicist, Lois Najarian. Callers who used the correct code (347) would have received a voicemail from Keys herself. However, after listening to the song, fans tried calling the number with different area codes, and one of them, 912, turned out to be the number of a retired pastor from

Statesboro, Georgia Statesboro is the most populous city in and the county seat of Bulloch County, Georgia, United States. Located in the southeastern part of the state, its population was 33,438 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the principal city ...

, named J.D. Turner. He claims to have received more than twenty calls a day from Keys' fans in the weeks after the song's release. This led to a $95 phone bill resulting from charges associated with the *69 last-call return option, which he used to track down each caller. Turner has declined to change his number, having held it for fourteen years before the song's release. As of 2015, the number in the 347 area code is no longer in service and Turner retained it in the 912 code until his death in 2019.

Track listings and formats

*US promotional CD single # "Diary" (Radio Edit) – 4:28 # "Diary" (Instrumental) – 4:45 # "Diary" (Call Out Hook) – 0:10 # "Diary" (Radio Edit) (MP3 format) – 4:28 *US promotional 12" Maxi-single :A1. "Diary" (Radio Edit) – 4:28 :A2. "Diary" (Instrumental) – 4:45 :B1. "Diary" (Album Version) – 4:45 :B2. "Diary" (Acappella) – 4:45 *US promotional 12" single ( Hani Mixes) :A1. "Diary" (Hani Extended Club Mix) – 9:00 :B1. "Diary" (Hani Mixshow) – 5:11 :B2. "Diary" (Hani Dub) – 6:11 *Digital EP (Dance Vault Remixes) # "Diary" (Hani Mix) – 3:48 # "Diary" (Hani Mixshow) – 5:10 # "Diary" (Hani Extended Club Mix) – 8:58 # "Diary" (Hani Dub) – 6:08 # "Diary" (Music Video)

Personnel

* Alicia Keys – piano, producer, background vocals, vocals * Elijah Baker – bass * Tony Black –

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

* Kerry Brothers, Jr. – digital programming *

Manny Marroquin Manny Marroquin (born September 21, 1971) is a Guatemalan-American record mixing engineer. He has been credited on albums for high-profile pop, R&B, hip hop and rock acts. He has worked with artists including Rihanna, Kanye West, Katy Perry ...

– mixing * Ann Mincieli – engineer * Jermaine Paul – background vocals * Herb Powers Jr. – mastering * Tim Christian Riley – piano * John "Jubu" Smith – guitar * Carl "Rev" Wheeler –

Wurlitzer The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to as simply Wurlitzer, is an American company started in Cincinnati in 1853 by German immigrant (Franz) Rudolph Wurlitzer. The company initially imported stringed, woodwind and brass instruments ...

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

* Dwayne "D. Wigg" Wiggins – guitar

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 2000s ballads 2003 songs 2004 singles Alicia Keys songs J Records singles Songs written by Alicia Keys Songs written by Kerry Brothers Jr. Tony! Toni! Toné! songs Song recordings produced by Alicia Keys