"Vision of Love" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It served as Carey's debut single, the first from her self-titled debut album. Written by Carey and Ben Margulies, "Vision of Love" was released on May 15, 1990 by Columbia Records. After being featured on Carey's demo tape for Columbia, the song was re-sung and produced by Rhett Lawrence and Narada Michael Walden. "Vision of Love" features a slow-dance theme tempo, backing vocals sung by Carey herself, and introduces her usage of the whistle register. Lyrically, the song describes a past and present relationship with a lover. Carey describes the 'vision of love' she dreamed of, as well as the present love she feels for him.
The song's music video was filmed in April 1990. It features Carey in a large cathedral, where she meditates and sings by a large carved window. "Vision of Love" was performed on several television and award show ceremonies, such as The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Arsenio Hall Show and the 33rd Annual Grammy Awards. It has been performed on almost every one of Carey's concerts and tours, and is featured on Carey's live album MTV Unplugged (1992) and on many of her compilation albums, Number 1's (1998), Greatest Hits (2001) and The Ballads (2008).
"Vision of Love" was lauded by contemporary music critics. It has been credited with popularizing the use of melisma in modern popular music and for inspiring several artists to pursue a career in music. The New Yorker named "Vision of Love" the "Magna Carta of melisma" for it and Carey's influence on pop and R&B singers and American Idol contestants. Additionally, Rolling Stone said that "the fluttering strings of notes that decorate songs like "Vision of Love", inspired the entire American Idol vocal school, for better or worse, and virtually every other female R&B singer since the nineties." The song topped the singles charts in Canada, New Zealand and the United States, where it spent four weeks atop the chart.
Read more about Vision Of Love: Background and Recording, Composition, Lyrical Content, Critical Reception, Chart Performance, Live Performances, Formats and Track Listings, Credits and Personnel, Charts
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