Dreamlover (1993)

Time for another round of Throwback Thursday!


This is where we get to listen to some great music from days gone by. 


Today’s music comes to us from 1993


Wikipedia tells us this about today’s tune:

"Dreamlover" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter, and record producer Mariah Carey, released on July 27, 1993, as the lead single from her third studio album, Music Box (1993). It's 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. 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.

"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 became a top-ten hit in Australia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, 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, in upstate 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.




See you again soon! Share with me your thoughts about this theme.  If you have a favorite oldies song or artist, let me know and I’d be happy to feature them.


You can now join in the fun! Just add your Throwback Thursday link to the list below.  Your song choice can be from any era, so long as it is at least 10 years old. 


 



Comments

  1. Mary,

    WOW, you're not going to believe this but I just do not remember this song. What on earth did I have on my mind? The biggest thing is in those years I rarely listened to the radio unless I was in the car which wasn't often usually once a week for grocery store trips. I really like Mariah. She seems like a sweet person and her voice is beautiful! Thanks for introducing me to a song that somehow slipped right over my head.

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  2. Ahh Mariah...not fond of her to be honest and her high Cs sound like screeches. Julie Andrews hits the notes as they should be. I am so biased :)

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  3. I totally remember this song. Of course I was a teenage boy when this song was released, and she's not that bad to look at. She was in the peak of her stardom then, and I even included Music Box as one of my purchases through CD music club programs.

    Of course I'll remember her more for when she covered the Jackson 5's "I'll Be There", and when I corrected my dad on who the artist singing was when it played on the radio. The debate on who sang it better was also unsettled.

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