Soon as I Get Home

1995 single by Faith Evans

"Soon as I Get Home"

Single by Faith Evans

from the album Faith

Released

September 21, 1995

Recorded

November 1994–June 1995

Length

5:24

Label

Bad Boy
Arista

Songwriter(s)

Faith Evans
Sean Combs
Chucky Thompson

Producer(s)

Sean Combs
Chucky Thompson

Faith Evans singles chronology

"You Used to Love Me"
(1995)

"Soon as I Get Home"
(1995)

"Ain't Nobody"
(1995)

Music video

"Soon as I Get Home" on YouTube

"Soon as I Get Home" is a song by the American singer Faith Evans. It was written by Evans along with Sean Combs and Chucky Thompson for her debut studio album Faith (1995), while production was helmed by Combs and Thompson. A romantic hip hop soul ballad which chronicles a woman's desire to spend more time with her loved one, it was inspired by Evans' marriage to her then-husband The Notorious B.I.G., which had changed radically after the major commercial success of his debut album Ready to Die (1994).

The song was released as the album's second single following "You Used to Love Me" (1995). It peaked at number 21 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and number three on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, becoming Faith's highest-charting single. In February 1996, "Soon as I Get Home" was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The same year, it won Evans the Lady of Soul Award for Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist at the 2nd awards ceremony.

Background

"Soon as I Get Home" was written by Evans, Sean Combs and Chucky Thompson and produced by Combs and Thompson for her debut studio album Faith (1995).^[1] The song was done to pass the time at the studio because Thompson had a flight to catch later that day.^[2] As he was about to leave, he received a call from Combs insisting he record the music Evans heard him play before he got on the plane.^[3] Evans later left a message on Thompson's answering machine – which was the song she wrote and recorded.^[2] Thompson said the song was finished and he didn't add any other touches to it.^[3]

In her 2008 autobiography Keep the Faith, Evans acknowledged that while most material on her debut album were written to describe her feelings for then-husband The Notorious B.I.G., she wrote "Soon as I Get Home" with lines that she wished he would sing to her after he was spending more and more time traveling.^[4] In 2011, Evans ranked the song among her ten favorite recording, telling Youknowigotsoul: "I’ve heard many people say this song is a timeless love song. It’s one of my faves from my first album, and I love the energy the audience gives me every time I perform it live."^[5]

Critical reception

In his review for Billboard, editor Larry Flick noted that "Evans will have no trouble affirming her status as the next queen of hip-hop/soul with this gloriously romantic slow jam. The chorus lingers in the mind long after the song has faded, and Evans' vocals demand comparison to the early work of Gladys Knight and Mary Wells. Producer Chucky Thompson ties all these lovely threads together into a cohesive piece that will win the hearts of top 40, R&B, and even AC radio programmers."^[6] In September 1996, "Soon as I Get Home" won Evans the Lady of Soul Award for Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist.^[7]

Commercial performance

On the week of December 9, 1995, "Soon as I Get Home" debuted at numbers seven and 40 on both the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot 100 charts respectively.^[8]^[9] It reached number 21 on the Hot 100 the week of January 6, 1996, staying on the chart for 20 weeks.^[10]^[11] The song peaked at number three on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart the week of February 10, remaining there for 22 weeks.^[12]^[13] Four days later, it was certified gold by the RIAA.^[14]

Music video

A music video for "Soon as I Get Home" was directed by Marcus Raboy.^[15]

Track listings

US CD single^[16]
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Soon as I Get Home" (radio edit)	Faith Evans Sean Combs Chucky Thompson	Combs Thompson	4:16
2.	"Soon as I Get Home" (album version)	Evans Combs Thompson	Combs Thompson	5:24
3.	"Soon as I Get Home" (instrumental)	Evans Combs Thompson	Combs Thompson	5:29
4.	"No Other Love" (album version)	Evans	Combs	5:29
5.	"You Used to Love Me" (Puff Daddy mix)	Evans	Combs	4:33

US CD Remix single^[17]
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Soon as I Get Home" (album version)	Evans Combs Thompson	Combs Thompson	5:24
2.	"Soon as I Get Home" (remix featuring Aaron Hall)	Evans Combs Thompson Hall Stevie J	Combs Thompson	4:59
3.	"Soon as I Get Home" (instrumental)	Evans Combs Thompson	Combs Thompson	5:29

Sample credits

"You Used to Love Me (Puff Daddy mix)" contains a sample from "Are You a Customer" by EPMD.

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Faith.^[1]

Bob Brockman – recording engineer
Sean Combs – mixing engineer, producer
Faith Evans – vocal arranger, vocalist, writer
Tony Maserati – engineer

Darryl McCleary – additional keyboards
Jon Shriver – second engineer
Chucky Thompson – producer

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for "Soon as I Get Home"
Chart (1995–1996)	Peak position
US Billboard Hot 100^[11]	21
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)^[13]	3

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for "Soon as I Get Home"
Chart (1996)	Position
US Billboard Hot 100^[18]	97
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)^[19]	21

Certifications

Certifications for "Soon as I Get Home"
Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)^[14]	Gold	500,000^{^}
^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

^ ^a ^b Faith (Media notes). Faith Evans. Bad Boy Records. 1995.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ ^a ^b Williams, Chris (January 2, 2012). "Producer Chucky Thompson recalls crafting Faith Evans' debut album, Faith (1995) | Return To The Classics". Soul Culture. Archived from the original on March 15, 2014. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
^ ^a ^b "Interview: Chucky Thompson Talks Creating Faith Evans' Debut "Faith" and the History Behind the Notorious B.I.G.'s "Big Poppa" (Part 2)". Youknowigotsoul.com. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
^ Evans, Faith (2008). Keep the Faith: A Memoir. Grand Central Publishing. ISBN 978-0-44619-950-6.
^ "Faith Evans Reveals Her Top 10 Favorite Songs She's Recorded (Exclusive)". Youknowigotsoul.com. January 1, 2011. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
^ Flick, Larry (November 25, 1995). "Reviews & Previews – Singles". Billboard. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
^ Reynolds, J.R. (September 21, 1996). "Arista Acts Top Lady of Soul Awards". Billboard. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: December 9, 1995". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 30, 2018. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
^ "The Hot 100: December 9, 1995". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 15, 2023. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
^ "The Hot 100: January 6, 1996". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 8, 2023. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
^ ^a ^b "Faith Evans Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 15, 2012.
^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: February 10, 1996". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 30, 2018. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
^ ^a ^b "Faith Evans Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 15, 2012.
^ ^a ^b "American single certifications – Faith Evans – Soon as I Get Home". Recording Industry Association of America.
^ "Faith Evans: Soon as I Get Home". IMDb. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
^ Soon as I Get Home (US CD single liner notes). Faith Evans. Bad Boy Records, Atlantic Records. 1995.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ Soon as I Get Home (US CD Remix single liner notes). Faith Evans. Bad Boy Records, Atlantic Records. 1995.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ "Billboard Top 100 – 1996". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 1, 2009. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
^ "1996 Year End Chart: R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 28, 2018. Retrieved January 27, 2012.