3AM (Matchbox Twenty song)

"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"
Single by Matchbox 20
from the album Yourself or Someone Like You
B-side	"Push" (acoustic) "Shame"
Released	November 23, 1997 (1997-11-23)[1]
Length	3:46
Label	Atlantic Lava Melisma
Songwriter(s)	Rob Thomas Brian Yale John Leslie Goff John Joseph Stanley
Producer(s)	Matt Serletic
Matchbox 20 singles chronology
"Push" (1997) "3AM" (1997) "Real World" (1998)
Music video
"3AM" on YouTube

"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.^[2] 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.^[3] 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^[1][4]

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

UK 7-inch and cassette single; European CD single^[5][6][7]

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

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1997–1998) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[1] 31 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[8] 1 Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[9] 20 Canada Rock/Alternative (RPM)[10] 1 Germany (GfK)[11] 96 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[12] 92 Poland (Music & Media)[13] 20 Quebec (ADISQ)[14] 21 Scotland (OCC)[15] 57 Spain Airplay (Music & Media)[16] 5 UK Singles (OCC)[17] 64 US Radio Songs (Billboard)[18] 3 US Adult Alternative Songs (Billboard)[19] 1 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[20] 3 US Adult Pop Airplay (Billboard)[21] 1 US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[22] 3 US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[23] 2 US Pop Airplay (Billboard)[24] 2

Year-end charts Chart (1997) Position US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)[25] 91 Chart (1998) Position Canada Top Singles (RPM)[26] 5 Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[27] 57 Canada Rock/Alternative (RPM)[28] 11 US Hot 100 Airplay (Billboard)[29] 3 US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[30] 2 US Mainstream Rock Tracks (Billboard)[31] 13 US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[32] 4 US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)[31] 23 US Triple-A (Billboard)[33] 1

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[34]	4× Platinum	280,000‡
United States (RIAA)[35]	3× Platinum	3,000,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United States	October 6, 1997	Modern rock radio	Atlantic Lava Melisma	[36]
Australia	November 23, 1997	CD		[1]
United Kingdom	June 22, 1998	CD cassette		[37]

See also

• List of RPM Rock/Alternative number-one singles (Canada)