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Forever (Mariah Carey song)

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"Forever"
International standard artwork, also used for US promotional material
Single by Mariah Carey
from the album Daydream
B-side
ReleasedJune 18, 1996
Studio
  • Wallyworld
  • Sony (New York)
Genre
Length4:01
LabelColumbia
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s)Mariah Carey
Producer(s)
  • Walter Afanasieff
  • Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey singles chronology
"Always Be My Baby"
(1996) 		"Forever"
(1996) 		"Underneath the Stars"
(1996)
Music video
"Mariah Carey - Forever (Live Video Version)" on YouTube

"Forever" is a rock and roll and pop song recorded by American singer Mariah Carey for her fifth studio album, Daydream (1995). Columbia Records released it to American radio stations for airplay on June 18, 1996, as the album's fifth single. The lyrics, written by Carey, are about one's continued affection despite the end of a romantic relationship. She composed the music and produced the song with Walter Afanasieff. Described as referencing music of the 1950s and 1960s, "Forever" is a doo-wop-influenced sentimental ballad in the form of a waltz. Its composition includes keyboards, guitars, and digital programming.

Music critics gave Carey's performance and the composition positive reviews; some viewed the song as unremarkable when compared to others on the album. "Forever" reached the top twenty on radio airplay charts in Canada and the United States. It achieved the most success on adult contemporary stations. The single also entered charts in Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands. Carey performed "Forever" during the 1996 Daydream World Tour. Her performance at the Tokyo Dome in Japan was released as the music video. Columbia later included the song on Carey's compilation album Greatest Hits (2001).

Background and composition[edit]

Before the late 1994 release of her holiday record Merry Christmas, American singer Mariah Carey began conceptualizing her fifth studio album Daydream (1995).[1] She again worked with producer Walter Afanasieff for the latter album's ballads.[2] As collaborators since her debut album Mariah Carey (1990),[3] the pair crafted an adult contemporary sound together.[4]

One of their tracks created for Daydream, "Forever", is a rock and roll[5] and pop song[6] with elements of doo-wop.[7] It is a sentimental ballad with lyrics about continued affection amidst heartbreak:[8][9] "Forever / You will always be the only one".[10] Composed as a waltz[11] that lasts for four minutes and one second,[12] the track follows 12
8 time and moves at a tempo of 63 beats per minute. Carey's vocal range spans two octaves and three semitones from the low note of E♭3 to the high note of F♯5.[13]

Afanasieff produced "Forever" with Carey; she wrote the lyrics herself and the pair composed the music together. He also played the keyboards, provided synth bass, and programmed the drums and rhythm. Dan Shea and Gary Cirimelli added additional programming while Dann Huff played the guitars. Jay Healy and Dana Jon Chappelle engineered the song at Wallyworld and The Hit Factory in New York, where Andy Smith, Kurt Lundvall, Brian Vibberts, and Mike Scott acted as second engineers. After Mick Guzauski mixed "Forever" at New York's Sony Studios, Bob Ludwig conducted mastering at Gateway Mastering in Portland, Maine.[10]

"Forever"
Critics described "Forever" as having a retro style composition.[5][14]
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Critics said "Forever" shared similarities with music from the 1950s[5][11] and 1960s.[14][15] According to biographer Chris Nickson, this is evinced by the song's chord changes and prominent guitar arpeggios.[16] In the Jackson Citizen Patriot, Chris Jorgensen judged it as a homage to the Motown sound.[15] Larry Nager of The Commercial Appeal thought the strings resembled those in the 1959 song "Theme from A Summer Place"[14] and Salvatore Caputo of The Arizona Republic said the composition was inspired by Roy Orbison's music.[17] Rick Mitchell viewed it as an "attempt at an old-fashioned R&B ballad" in the Houston Chronicle.[18]

"Forever" was related to Carey's past work. Nickson perceived similarities with songs from her 1990 debut album[16] and Billboard specified that the "retro-pop musical setting" recalled her first single "Vision of Love".[19] Writing for the same magazine, Sal Cinquemani considered the string-guitar combination a recurring musical motif in Carey's songs.[20]

Critical reception[edit]

Carey's delivery received positive commentary from music critics. Billboard said she "plays the romantic ingenue with convincing, wide-eyed innocence and infectious hope".[19] Magazine contributor Princess Gabbara gauged her as capable of making an emotional impact on listeners.[9] The Post and Courier's Walter Allread complimented Carey for exercising restraint while incorporating melisma in her vocals.[21] According to Nick Krewen of The Spectator, the song helps her move "into the real world of human emotion with truly soulstirring performances".[22]

The composition of "Forever" also received warm reviews. Daina Darzin from Cash Box praised the "lush but unobtrusive orchestration serving as a respectful backdrop" to Carey's vocals.[23] Mitchell and Billboard's Andrew Unterberger viewed it as a successful interpretation of retro styles.[8][18] Ken Tucker welcomed the waltz form in Entertainment Weekly;[24] Pitchfork writer Jamieson Cox said it shows how Carey's Daydream "performances are uniformly strong no matter the context".[11]

Others considered "Forever" an unimpressive album track. Nickson thought it "came across as something of a throwaway".[16] Cleveland.com writer Troy L. Smith said it paled in comparison with the other singles.[25] Jonathan Takiff of the Philadelphia Daily News suggested it was worse than "One Sweet Day" and "Open Arms".[26]

"Forever" has appeared on rankings of Carey's music. Smith placed it at number 55 of 76 in a 2017 list of Carey's best singles.[25] Billboard named it the 100th greatest song of Carey's career in 2020.[8] Writers for BET and Gold Derby thought it was one of her best singles that did not reach number one on the Hot 100.[27][28]

Release and commercial performance[edit]

"Forever" is the tenth track on Daydream, which was released on September 26, 1995.[29] Columbia Records issued it as the album's fifth single.[30] The label serviced the song to American pop and rhythmic radio stations for airplay on June 18, 1996.[31] It also promoted the song to adult contemporary outlets.[32] "Forever" lacked a retail release in territories such as Canada, Japan, and the United States.[30][33] In the latter country, singles from the album had already topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for an unprecedented six months.[34] Unterberger consequently described the release as a victory lap.[8] Smith said it showed how Columbia was "trying to milk the success of Daydream".[25] Critics from music magazines predicted the song would become a success.[7][19][35]

Ineligible to chart on the Hot 100 due to its lack of a commercial product,[36] "Forever" instead reached number nine on the Hot 100 Airplay component chart in the United States.[37] It became Carey's sixteenth top-ten entry and the lowest-peaking of her career at the time aside from the holiday song "All I Want for Christmas Is You".[37] On both of the Billboard and Radio & Records adult contemporary charts, "Forever" topped out at number two.[38][39] It also reached number two on the RPM adult contemporary chart in Canada.[40] The single peaked at numbers eleven and thirteen on the RPM and The Record multi-format airplay charts, respectively.[33][41] Elsewhere, "Forever" peaked at number forty in New Zealand,[42] number forty-seven in the Netherlands,[43] and number seventy-seven in Australia.[44] In 2001, it was included on Carey's compilation album Greatest Hits.[45]

Live performances and music video[edit]

Exterior of Tokyo Dome
Carey's performance of "Forever" at the Tokyo Dome is single's video and B-side[8][23]

Carey performed "Forever" on October 10, 1995, during a concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City. It was included on her video album, Fantasy: Mariah Carey at Madison Square Garden, the next year.[46][47] She sang it during the Daydream World Tour in 1996.[48] Filming for the music video occurred during her March shows at the Tokyo Dome in Japan.[8][23] The live audio was released on the single as its B-side[12][23] and later on her 2020 compilation album The Rarities.[49] In a review for KQED, Emmanuel Hapsis ranked the video as the third-worst of Carey's career because "concert videos are so lazy."[50]

Formats and track listing[edit]

Credits and personnel[edit]

Recording

  • Recorded at Wallyworld and The Hit Factory (New York)
  • Mixed at Sony Studios (New York)
  • Mastered at Gateway Mastering Studios (Portland, Maine)[10]

Personnel

  • Mariah Carey – lyrics, music, producer, arranger, background vocals
  • Walter Afanasieff – music, producer, arranger, keyboards, synth bass, drum and rhythm programming
  • Dan Shea – additional programming
  • Dann Huff – guitars
  • Gary Cirimelli – Macintosh, digital and synthesizer programming
  • Jay Healy – vocal engineering
  • Dana Jon Chappelle – music engineering, additional vocal engineering
  • Mick Guzauski – mixing
  • Andy Smith – second engineering
  • Kurt Lundvall – second engineering
  • Brian Vibberts – second engineering
  • Mike Scott – second engineering
  • Bob Ludwig – mastering[10]

Charts[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Nickson 1998, p. 136
  2. ^ Nickson 1998, p. 143
  3. ^ Shapiro 2001, p. 49
  4. ^ Chan 2023, p. 888
  5. ^ a b c Holden, Stephen (October 8, 1995). "Mariah Carey Glides Into New Territory". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 23, 2012.
  6. ^ Dyer, Ervin (November 3, 1995). "Mariah Carey Daydream (Columbia)". Weekend. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 21. Archived from the original on June 30, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ a b Sholin, Dave (June 7, 1996). "Singles". Gavin Report. p. 54.
  8. ^ a b c d e f Unterberger, Andrew; et al. (October 5, 2020). "The 100 Greatest Mariah Carey Songs: Staff Picks". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 19, 2022.
  9. ^ a b Gabbara, Princess (August 31, 2018). "All the Tracks on Mariah Carey's Music Box, Ranked". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 8, 2022.
  10. ^ a b c d Daydream (liner notes). Columbia Records. 1995.
  11. ^ a b c Cox, Jamieson (December 10, 2017). "Mariah Carey: Daydream Album Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on January 22, 2024.
  12. ^ a b c "Forever" (CD single). Columbia Records. 1996. 663477 1.
  13. ^ Hal Leonard 2007, pp. 64–70
  14. ^ a b c Nager, Larry (November 3, 1995). "Hot Sounds". The Commercial Appeal. p. C1. Archived from the original on June 30, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ a b Jorgensen, Chris (October 19, 1995). "Mariah Is Back". Jackson Citizen Patriot. p. D12. Archived from the original on July 1, 2024 – via GenealogyBank.
  16. ^ a b c Nickson 1998, p. 149
  17. ^ Caputo, Salvatore (October 20, 1995). "Mariah Carey Daydream: Do 1 Song Unlike Whitney". The Arizona Republic. p. D4. Archived from the original on July 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ a b Mitchell, Rick (October 8, 1995). "Carey Sees Life in Daydream". Zest. Houston Chronicle. p. 6. Archived from the original on July 1, 2024 – via GenealogyBank.
  19. ^ a b c Flick, Larry, ed. (June 22, 1996). "Singles". Billboard. p. 86. ProQuest 227091009.
  20. ^ Cinquemani, Sal (September 17, 2021). "Mariah Carey's Emotions at 30: Tracks Ranked Worst to Best". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 30, 2024.
  21. ^ Allread, Walter (October 8, 1995). "Carey Daydreams, Cash Registers Ring". The Post and Courier. p. 13D. Archived from the original on July 1, 2024 – via GenealogyBank.
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  23. ^ a b c d Darzin, Daina (June 22, 1996). "Singles Reviews". Cash Box. p. 7 – via Internet Archive.
  24. ^ Tucker, Ken (October 13, 1995). "Daydream (1995)". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 31, 2013. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
  25. ^ a b c Smith, Troy L. (August 23, 2020). "All 76 Mariah Carey Singles Ranked". Cleveland.com. Archived from the original on October 27, 2022.
  26. ^ Takiff, Jonathan (October 17, 1995). "An Excess of Mariah". Philadelphia Daily News. p. 34. Archived from the original on July 1, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ Reyes, Jon. "Mariah Carey Singles That Deserved to Be No. 1 (But Didn't Get There)". BET. slide 18. Archived from the original on June 30, 2024.
  28. ^ Montgomery, Daniel (March 27, 2023). "The 23 Best Mariah Carey Songs that Didn't Hit Number-One: Underrated Hits from the Elusive Chanteuse". Gold Derby. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  29. ^ "Mariah Carey / Daydream" (in Traditional Chinese). Sony Music Taiwan. Archived from the original on October 3, 2022.
  30. ^ a b Shapiro 2001, p. 155
  31. ^ "Selected New Releases". Radio & Records. June 14, 1996. pp. 37, 44. ProQuest 1017298145, ProQuest 1017299298.
  32. ^ "Top 40 Highlights". Top 40 Airplay Monitor. June 14, 1996. p. 1.
  33. ^ a b c "100 Hit Tracks & Where to Find Them". RPM. September 30, 1996. p. 6. Archived from the original on May 7, 2023 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  34. ^ Nickson 1998, p. 146
  35. ^ "Albums". Music & Media. October 7, 1995. p. 14.
  36. ^ Mayfield, Geoff; Sandiford-Waller, Theda (December 5, 1998). "A New Hot 100 Reflects Changes in Music Business". Billboard. p. 129. ProQuest 1505960408.
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  38. ^ a b "Mariah Carey Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 1, 2023.
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  41. ^ a b c Lwin 1999, p. 59
  42. ^ a b "Mariah Carey". Charts.org.nz. Archived from the original on January 17, 2023.
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  44. ^ a b Ryan 2011, pp. 49–50
  45. ^ Greatest Hits (CD liner notes). Columbia Records. 2001. 2 505461.
  46. ^ Campbell, Mary (November 29, 1995). "Mariah Carey Carries Off Television Show With Ease". The Spokesman-Review. Associated Press. Archived from the original on April 6, 2023.
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  48. ^ Nickson 1998, p. 155
  49. ^ "レアリティーズ" [Rarities] (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on November 19, 2022.
  50. ^ Hapsis, Emmanuel (August 12, 2015). "All 64 Mariah Carey Music Videos, Ranked from Worst to Best". KQED. Archived from the original on November 21, 2022.
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  52. ^
  53. ^ "Forever" (CD maxi single). Columbia Records. 1996. 663477 2.
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Books[edit]

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