Vision of Love
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| “Vision of Love” | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Single by Mariah Carey from the album Mariah Carey |
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| B-side | "Sent from up Above", Mariah Carey album sampler | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Released | May 1990 (North America) January 1990 (UK) |
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| Format | CD single, cassette single, 7" single | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Genre | Pop, R&B | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Length | 3:31 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Label | Columbia | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Writer(s) | Ben Margulies, Mariah Carey | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Producer | Rhett Lawrence | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Certification | Gold (RIAA) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mariah Carey singles chronology | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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"Vision of Love" is a pop/R&B ballad written by Mariah Carey and Ben Margulies, and produced by Rhett Lawrence for Carey's debut album, Mariah Carey (1990). It was released as the album's first single in the second quarter of 1990 in the United States and the third quarter of 1990 elsewhere (see 1990 in music). The song topped the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
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[edit] Composition and theme
The song's protagonist describes having a "vision of love" and of being eternally grateful not to a lover, but to God; the lyrics are also related to the realisation of Carey's dreams as a singer. "Vision of Love" contains an almost science fiction-like introduction that leads into Carey's melismatic vocal performance, finally climaxing with a section at the bridge of the song (which is even more exaggerated to the point of absolute silence in live performances).
Entertainment Weekly wrote, "from those opening sci-fi-esque synths to that signature dog-whistle high note, Mariah's very first single is inspired".[1] The New Yorker named the song "the Magna Carta of melisma."
[edit] Reception
"Vision of Love" was a successful start to Carey's career, becoming the first of her numerous U.S. Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles. It was mildly popular in other countries, but did not gain her a large worldwide fanbase. By far the most successful single from Mariah Carey, it was responsible for making her a star in the U.S.
The song topped Hot 100, where it remained for four weeks (from July 29 to August 25). It spent sixteen weeks in the top forty and was ranked sixth on the Hot 100 year-end chart, and it made Carey one of the biggest music stars of the year. It was one of the most popular songs of 1990 on U.S. radio stations, and strong sales led the RIAA to certify it gold. The single became a crossover success on other Billboard charts: it reached number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart and was popular with an older audience, topping the Adult Contemporary chart. Carey expressed surprise at the song's success: "it isn't hip-hop music, it isn't house music, and it isn't rap. But I am so glad and thankful".[2]
"Vision of Love" was moderately successful in other major markets and topped the charts in Canada, helping Carey to establish a strong fanbase there. It peaked inside the top ten in both Australia and the United Kingdom, and it went to number one in New Zealand, where it was the sixth biggest-selling single of 1990, and Brazil, where it was popular on radio; it was ranked first on the year-end chart there. Its success across continental Europe, however, was limited. Mariah Carey achieved considerable success on the charts in Japan and went platinum, but "Vision of Love" was not a huge hit there.
The song was nominated for three 1991 Grammy Awards, winning only for "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance". Its other nominations were "Song of the Year", which it lost to "From a Distance" written by Julie Gold, and "Record of the Year", which went to "Another Day in Paradise" by Phil Collins. Carey accepted an invitation to perform at the awards ceremony, where she sang "Vision of Love" accompanied by Rhett Lawrence. The song received many other awards, including the Soul Train Music Award for "Best R&B/Soul Single, Female" (her only single to do so until "We Belong Together", 2005), as well as a BMI Pop Award, which many of her singles have received.
In 2007, VH1 named "Vision of Love" the 14th greatest song of the 1990s.[3]
[edit] Music videos and other versions
The video, directed by Bojan Bazelli, features Carey on a darkly lit stage against a background of moving clouds and a staircase. Carey has declared her hatred for the video, because she did not like its tone or her hairstyle.[citation needed] In one shot, she can be seen snapping off her own hair accidentally. Sources indicate that the total cost of both the videos came to around US$450,000, a very large budget for a debut single, but label executive Don Ienner stated: "If we're gonna take the time and effort that we did with Mariah, on every level, then we're going to image her the right way. If it costs a few extra dollars to make a splash in terms of the right imaging, you go ahead and do it".[4]
Two live versions of the track were released as exclusive live performance bonus tracks on non-U.S. releases of the single. The first live version was culled from the EP MTV Unplugged (1992). The live version released on the single is not the same as the version found on the MTV Unplugged album; it has been edited and the intro and outro were faded to reflect this. This version of the song is most often found on the UK single of "I'll Be There" (1992). The other live performance is taken from Carey's DVD Fantasy: Mariah Carey at Madison Square Garden (1996), and can be found on most European singles of "Open Arms" (1996).
[edit] Track listings
- U.S. CD single (cassette single/7" single)
- "Vision of Love"
- Medley featuring excerpts from Mariah Carey: "Prisoner"/"All in Your Mind"/"Someday"
- UK CD 5" single
- "Vision of Love"
- "Sent from up Above"
- Medley featuring excerpts from Mariah Carey: "Prisoner"/"All in Your Mind"/"Someday"
[edit] Charts
| Chart (1990) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart | 9 |
| Brazilian Singles Chart | 1 |
| Canadian Singles Chart | 1 |
| French Singles Chart | 25 |
| German Singles Chart | 17 |
| Israeli Singles Chart | 8 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart | 1 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 24 |
| UK Singles Chart | 9 |
| U.S. ARC Weekly Top 40 | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B Singles & Tracks | 1 |
[edit] See also
| Preceded by "She Ain't Worth It" by Glenn Medeiros and Bobby Brown |
Billboard Hot 100 number-one single August 4 – August 25, 1990 |
Succeeded by "If Wishes Came True" by Sweet Sensation |
| Preceded by "Can't Stop" by After 7 |
Billboard Hot R&B Songs number-one single August 11, 1990 |
Succeeded by "Jerk Out" by The Time |
[edit] Notes
- ^ The 10 best Mariah Carey songs... Agree? | The Emancipation of Mimi | EW.com Playlist | Music | Entertainment Weekly
- ^ Mariah Carey: 'Not another White girl trying to sing Black.' | Ebony | Find Articles at BNET.com
- ^ http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/the_greatest/127762/episode_featured_copy.jhtml
- ^ The Mariah Carey Archives
