Lyrically, the song speaks about the death of a loved one, how the protagonist took their presence for granted and misses them, and finally about seeing the person in heaven.

The artists wrote the song about specific people in their lives, being inspired by sufferers of the AIDS epidemic, which was globally prevalent at the time.

"One Sweet Day" received universal acclaim from music critics, many of whom praised its lyrical content and vocals while calling it a standout track on Daydream.

[2] Internationally, the song topped the charts in Canada and New Zealand and reached the top-ten in Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Panama, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Carey performed "One Sweet Day" live alongside Boyz II Men at the 38th Grammy Awards ceremony, held on February 26, 1996.

Critics felt the video choice was wise, and agreed that the simple concept paid homage to the song's selfless message.

[5] Additionally, Mariah's sister Alison Carey had been diagnosed with HIV in 1988 when she was 27, an event that ruined their relationship and tore them apart.

[6] Carey has stated that she wrote the song hoping that all her fans that have lost someone could relate to "One Sweet Day" and maybe help ease the pain of the loss.

[12] Steve Baltin from Cash Box wrote, "This single could be thrown at the bottom of the 99 cents bin, buried under the Partridge Family and Starlite Vocal Band, and it would still find its way into the hands of fans.

Carey's heavenly vocals, combined with the song's universal message and the sweet harmonies of Boyz II Men.

"[16] Stephen Holden from The New York Times shared similar sentiments and wrote "On 'One Sweet Day,' the singer joins forces with Boyz II Men, those masters of pleading post-doo-wop vocal harmonies, for a tender eulogy that suggests that the singers have been personally touched by the AIDS crisis.

"[17] A reviewer from People magazine felt the song was a "stand-out track" and called Carey's vocal performance "bravura belting.

[22] "One Sweet Day" debuted at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart dated December 2, 1995, with sales of 204,000 units.

[30] It remained the only song to stay at number one on the chart for 16 weeks until 2017, when the record was tied by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee's "Despacito", featuring Justin Bieber.

[30][33] Carey's 2005 song "We Belong Together", The Black Eyed Peas's 2009 "I Gotta Feeling" and Mark Ronson's 2014 track, "Uptown Funk", managed to stay at number one for 14 weeks as well.

[35] The song spent 26 weeks in the top 40, was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and was ranked number nine on Billboard's Hot 100-decade retrospective.

[2] Outside the U.S., "One Sweet Day" was not as successful but did manage to reach the top-ten in over 13 countries and topped the charts in Canada and New Zealand, where it was certified platinum.

When Carey and Boyz II Men got together to record "One Sweet Day", they did not have enough time to re-unite and film a video.

[41] During the special, Carey wore a red gown in honor of the show's holiday theme, and featured a long golden hairstyle.

[42] "One Sweet Day" was performed at every show on her Daydream World Tour (1996), where Boyz II Men were featured on a large projection screen.

A similar concept was used for her Butterfly World Tour (1998), with the addition of several live back up vocalists joining on stage.

During the tour's filmed show in Anaheim California, the group joined Carey live on stage and performed the song together.

[citation needed] For the segment of the show, Carey wore a long turquoise gown, with several slits and cuts fashioned into the sides.

During the Angels Advocate Tour in 2010, Carey performed a snippet of the song in Singapore, with Trey Lorenz filling in for the group's verses.

She also performed the song as a part of her 2018–20 Las Vegas residency, The Butterfly Returns alongside Lorenz and Moore.