Today’s classic Gen-X song of the day is Lisa Loeb’s “Stay (I Missed You).” This track was released in May of 1994 and was featured as the end-credits tune in that quintessential Gen-X movie, Reality Bites. It hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned Ms. Loeb the distinction of being the only artist to have a #1 Billboard hit before she had a formal recording contract. (She lived across the street from and was pals with one of the film’s stars, Ethan Hawke, who recommended her song to the film’s director, Ben Stiller.)
“Stay” made Lisa Loeb a star. It’s a damn fine song that caught the somewhat self-centered but earnest emotionalism of that generation and that era. Ms. Loeb was the sole songwriter and deserves all the accolades this song has brought. (BTW, the video was a one-shot wonder, directed by her pal Ethan Hawke, filmed in just two takes.)
Ms. Loeb had a few other big hits in the ’90s, including “Do You Sleep” (#18 in 1995) and “I Do” (#17 in 1997). She continues writing, performing, and recording to this day, including a series of children’s albums. Her last album to-date, A Simple Trick to Happiness, was released in 2020 and in 2021 she premiered the COVID-inspired musical Together Apart. She’s also made a number of appearances on TV and on the silver screen, including hosting the show Dweezil and Lisa on the Food Network with her then-boyfriend Dweezil Zappa and appearing in a reality show about her life, called Number 1 Single, on the E! Channel.
Ms. Loeb got married (but not to Dweezil) in 2009 and has two children. She’s currently 55 years old and still going strong, like all the other rapidly maturing young people of her generation. She even sells the Lisa Loeb Eyewear Connection, modeled after her distinctive eyeglasses. Yeah, the Gen-Xers are all grown up now.
