Dreamlover (song)
"Dreamlover" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter and record producer Mariah Carey, released on July 27, 1993 by Columbia, as the lead single from the singer's third studio album, Music Box (1993). Its lyrics were written by Carey, with music composed by Carey and Dave Hall, and was produced by Carey, Walter Afanasieff and Hall. The song incorporates a sample of the hook from "Blind Alley" by the Emotions—previously used in "Ain't No Half-Steppin'" (1988) by Big Daddy Kane—into its melody and instrumentation. "Dreamlover" marked a more pronounced attempt on Carey's part to incorporate hip hop into her music, as was seen in her decision to work with Hall, who had previously produced What's the 411? (1992) by Mary J. Blige.[3] This was partly in light of the mixed reception to her previous studio effort Emotions (1991), which featured gospel and 1960s soul influences. Lyrically, the song pictures a protagonist calling for a perfect lover, her "dreamlover," to whisk her away into the night and not "disillusion" her like others in the past.
Not to be confused with Dream Lover."Dreamlover"
"Do You Think of Me"
"Someday"
27 July 1993
3:53
- Mariah Carey
- Dave Hall
Mariah Carey
- Mariah Carey
- Dave Hall
- Walter Afanasieff
"Dreamlover" received positive reviews from contemporary music critics, many of whom praised the song's incorporated sample, as well as Carey's carefree vocal style. The song was the first of several of her lead singles that sampled older tunes as a musical bed, as seen in "Fantasy" (1995), "Honey" (1997), "Heartbreaker" (1999), and "Loverboy" (2001). It was a global success, becoming Carey's seventh chart topper on the US Billboard Hot 100, remaining there for eight weeks. It peaked at number one in Canada and Panama, and became a top-ten hit in Australia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal and the United Kingdom.
Carey performed "Dreamlover" live on several televised talk shows around the world, including The Arsenio Hall Show in September 1993, the British music chart program Top of the Pops, and the 1993 Music Fair in Japan. In 1999, following the release of Carey's Rainbow, the song was included in the Mariah Carey Homecoming Special, and her appearance on The Today Show. Additionally, "Dreamlover" was featured in the set-lists of most of her succeeding tours, making its debut on the Music Box Tour (1993). The song was included on Carey's compilation albums, #1's (1998), Greatest Hits (2001), and #1 to Infinity (2015). The European B-side "Do You Think Of Me" is included in the compilation album The Rarities (2020).
The song's music video was filmed by Diane Martel in Copake, New York, in June 1993. It includes an appearance by Carey's dog Jack, and shows Carey dancing in a flowerbed and field, swimming in a large pond, boarding a hot air balloon, and dancing alongside several shirtless male dancers. According to author Chris Nickson, the video's carefree setting harmonized well with the song's soft instrumentation. Due to the song's strong radio airplay and extended charting, the video received frequent play on several music video channels throughout the summer of 1993.
Background[edit]
Carey's debut studio album made a strong impact on pop music, but the singer became interested in altering her sound and branching out into other genres for her second studio effort, Emotions (1991).[4] Columbia allowed her to take more control over her musical direction, enabling her to change the musical genre, melodies, and production style. Carey worked with many new musicians and producers on the album; Walter Afanasieff was the only holdover from her debut.[5] Emotions contained influences from gospel, R&B and soul music as well as from 1950s, 60s, and 70s balladry. While the album was praised by some as being more mature and raw, it failed to reach the critical or commercial heights of her debut effort, selling fewer units and failing to introduce Carey into new markets.[6] Columbia decided to return Carey to the same genre as her debut album and have her produce a more commercial and radio-friendly record. Their plans were to tone down Carey's vocals and soften the album's production to create a contemporary pop record.[7] Carey and Afanasieff agreed to the change and began writing and recording material for her third studio effort, Music Box (1993).
Chart performance[edit]
"Dreamlover" was Carey's seventh number one single on the US Billboard Hot 100, topping the chart in its sixth week and stayed there for eight consecutive weeks (September 5 to October 30, 1993)—her longest stay at the time.[36] It replaced "Can't Help Falling in Love" by UB40, and was later replaced by Meat Loaf's "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)." It spent 26 weeks in the top 40 and was ranked number eight on the Hot 100 1993 Year-End Charts and 20 on the Decade-End Charts.[37][38] The song was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on September 22, 1993, denoting shipments of over one million units throughout the United States.[39] It sold 935,000 units domestically.[40] "Dreamlover" holds the joint title of the highest debuting song on the Billboard Pop Songs chart, entering the chart at number 12 on the week dated August 14, 1993, being tied by Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off" in 2014.[41] In Canada, "Dreamlover" became Carey's fifth number one single on the Canadian RPM Singles Chart, debuting at number 60 on the chart during the week of August 14, 1993.[42] Three weeks later, the song reached the chart's number one position; it spent six consecutive weeks at the top and a total of 21 weeks on the singles chart.[43][44] On the RPM Year-End Charts, "Dreamlover" finished at number two.[45]
"Dreamlover" entered the Australian Singles Chart at number 41 during the week of August 23, 1993, eventually reaching a peak of number seven and spending a total of 21 consecutive weeks on the chart. The song was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), denoting shipments of over 35,000 units throughout the country.[46][47] In New Zealand, "Dreamlover" reached a peak position of number two on the New Zealand Singles Chart and spent sixteen weeks fluctuating on the chart. The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) certified the song gold for shipments of 7,500 units in the country.[48][49] On the Dutch Top 40, "Dreamlover" debuted at number 36 during the week of August 28, 1993. After attaining a peak of number nine, the song dropped off the top 40 after a chart run of 13 weeks.[50] On the yearly charts, the song finished at number 69.[51] In Switzerland the song peaked at number thirteen and spent sixteen weeks on the singles chart.[52] On the UK Singles Chart, "Dreamlover" reached its peak position of number nine during the week of September 4, 1993.[53] It spent a total of ten weeks on the chart, exiting on October 23, 1993.[54] Sales in the United Kingdom are estimated at 150,000 units.[55]
Music video and remixes[edit]
The accompanying music video for "Dreamlover" was directed by Diane Martel and filmed in Copake, New York in June 1993.[56] It was published on Mariah Carey's official YouTube channel in November 2009. The video has amassed more than 35 million views as of September 2021.[57] It features scenes of Carey swimming in a small pond by a waterfall, boarding a colorful hot air balloon, and dancing alongside several shirtless male dancers.[7] As the video begins, Carey is swimming underwater while wearing clothing. She is soon gasping for air and climbing into a flower bed above. As she frolics and rolls in a field, scenes of Carey boarding a hot air balloon are intercut.[7] Her dog Jack makes an appearance, as he follows her through the field and pond. After a short interval of dancing alongside several male dancers, Carey leaves with her dog as the video concludes.[7] After filming the video, Carey revealed that the water was so cold that she refused to swim until the director, Martel, dived in first. Author Chris Nickson felt the video captured the song's soft and relaxed nature: "The casual feel, almost like clips from home movies edited together, captured the song's off-the-shoulder airiness."[7] The video received heavy rotation on several music video channels, which added to the song's chart performance.[7]
"Dreamlover" marked the first time Carey was given creative control over remixing her songs. She enlisted David Morales to create the Def Club Mix; it was the first of Carey's remixes to use re-recorded vocals.[7] An officially-released live version of "Dreamlover", derived from the television special Here Is Mariah Carey (1993), is available. "Dreamlover" B-side track ("Do You Think of Me") was written and produced by Carey, Afanasieff, Cory Rooney, and Mark Morales.[7] Kelefa Sanneh from The New York Times complimented the remix, writing "[It] is a revelation: after a long percussion break, he isolates a few of Ms. Carey's ad-libs; her ultrafalsetto vocals sound spookier than all of Basement Jaxx's sound effects combined."[58]
On August 7, 2020, along with the celebration of the 30th-anniversary of her debut studio album Mariah Carey (1990), as well as Carey celebrating 30 years in the music industry, the song was released as an eleven-track extended play, titled Dreamlover EP, which contains the remixes from the US CD maxi-single, as well as previously unreleased remixes, including 'Def Club Mix Edit', 'Def Club Mix Edit 2005', 'Theo's Club Joint' and 'Bam Jam Soul'. Her live performances at Madison Square Garden for the TV special Fantasy: Mariah Carey at Madison Square Garden (1995), and at Proctor's Theatre for the TV special Here Is Mariah Carey (1993), were also included on the EP.[59]
These credits were adapted from the Music Box liner notes.[68]
"Dreamlover" was recorded at Right Track Studios, New York, and mixed at Sony Music Studios, New York.