The song was written by Diane Warren, who originally envisioned it would be performed by "Celine Dion or somebody like that". It debuted at number one on the US "Billboard" Hot 100, giving the band their first and only number-one single in their home country. The song stayed at number one for four weeks, from September 5 to September 26, 1998. It also peaked at number one for multiple weeks in several other countries, including Australia, Ireland and Norway. In the United Kingdom, it sold over one million copies and reached number four on the UK Singles Chart.