Someday (Mariah Carey song)

"Someday"
Single by Mariah Carey
from the album Mariah Carey
B-side	"Alone in Love"
Released	November 15, 1990 (1990-11-15)
Recorded	1990; The Power Station
Genre	Dance-pop
Length	4:05
Label	Columbia
Writer(s)	Mariah Carey Ben Margulies
Producer(s)	Ric Wake
Mariah Carey singles chronology
"Love Takes Time" (1990) "Someday" (1990) "I Don't Wanna Cry" (1991)

"Someday" is a song by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey from her self-titled debut studio album (1990). Prior to Carey signing her record deal with Columbia, she and producer Margulies had written and produced a demo which included, "Someday". Once Carey began work on her debut album she reached out to Ric Wake and asked if he would produce the song to which he agreed.

"Someday" was released as the album's third single from the album on November 15, 1990 and was released the following month in the United States with multiple remixes. The song was a critical and commercial success; being described as a highlight track and going on to become Carey's third consecutive number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100. "Someday" was subsequently included on many of Carey's compilation albums and greatest hits releases, including her MTV Unplugged (1992) album #1's (1998), Greatest Hits (2001), The Essential Mariah Carey (2011) and Number 1 To Infinity (2015).

Background

In 1988, an 18-year-old Mariah Carey moved out from her mother's house in Long Island and into an apartment in Manhattan. She had composed a four-track demo tape with her writing partner Ben Margulies while she was attending high school.^[1] As 1988 progressed, Carey struggled to impress record executives with the tape and had failed in securing a record deal. She worked several jobs, including as a waitress and coat-checker, in order to pay for studio sessions with Margulies to make changes to the demo.^[2] After several months, Carey befriended singer Brenda K. Starr, and soon became one of her back-up vocalists.^[2] During recording sessions and rehearsals, Starr began to notices "glimpses" of Carey's "gifted" vocals. She thought that Carey was capable of achieving mainstream success and that she needed some guidance to break into the industry.^[3]

One evening, Starr took Carey to a record industry gala with hope of convincing a record executive to listen to Carey's demo. Jerry L. Greenberg, the president of Atlantic Records was interested in Carey, but as she handed him the tape, Tommy Mottola grabbed it, and said that he would tend to "the project". Mottola left the event later that evening, and got into his limousine and listened to the tape. He quickly realized that he had found a talented vocalist, turned the car around and returned to the party to find Carey, but she had already left. After a week of tracking her down through Starr's management, Mottola got in touch with Carey and brought her over to Columbia Records. After meeting with Carey and her mother Patricia for the first time, Mottola said, "When I heard and saw Mariah, there was absolutely no doubt that she was in every way destined for super-stardom." After a few brief meetings, Carey was signed to Columbia in December 1988.^[4]

Recording

Prior to Carey signing her record deal with Columbia, she and Margulies had written and produced fourteen songs over a three-year period, seven of which made the final track listing of her self-titled debut studio album (1990).^[1][5] Of these, "Someday" was one of the four tracks on the demo tape handed to Mottola. Carey explained that the process behind the song's conception, saying that Margulies would play different notes on an electric keyboard with Carey directing him on chord changes, and provided the lyrics, chorus and melody. Its producer Ric Wake later recalled that "Someday" was his favorite song from the beginning of recording sessions for the album, saying "I loved that song right from the beginning...Then Mariah called me one day and said 'I'd love to do it if you want to do it.' It was great, I'm glad she called me."^[6] "Someday" was recorded and mixed by Bob Cadway at The Power Station in New York City. In addition to be written by Carey and Margulies, they also arranged the song with Chris Toland. In addition to producing the track, Wake also carried out additional arrangement with Rich Tancredi. The drum programming was performed by Wake and Joe Franco, while Cadway played the guitars and Tancredi the keyboards. Carey performed all of her own background vocals.^[7] Carey later revealed that "Someday" was one of her favorite songs on the demo and that she would "listen to it over and over again on the subway after the studio sessions".^[8]

Release and remixes

"Someday" was released as the album's third single from Mariah Carey as a CD maxi single. It was released in the United Kingdom on November 15, 1990.^[9] It was released in the United States on December 13, 1990. The CD included multiple versions of the song, including the New 7" Jackswing, the New 7" Straight, the New 12" Jackswing and the New Pianopercapella mix. It also included the seventh track on Mariah Carey called "Alone in Love" as the B-side.^[9] "Alone in Love" was also written by Carey and Margulies, and produced by Rhett Lawrence.^[7] "Someday" was subsequently included on many of Carey's compilation albums and greatest hits releases, including #1's (1998),^[10] Greatest Hits (2001),^[11] The Essential Mariah Carey (2011),^[12] and #1 to Infinity (2015)^[8]

MTV Unplugged version

Despite having released two highly successful albums, Mariah Carey and Emotions (1991), the singer had yet to embark on world tour because of stage-fright and the possible negative effects of singing vocally strenuous songs every night. Many critics believed that unconvinced with her reasoning, and accused her of manipulating her vocals in the studio. In response, Carey appeared on MTV Unplugged to perform a short selection of her songs live in 1992.^[13] For her rendition of "Someday", she altered the arrangement and stripped it back to give it a rawer sound. This version was produced by Carey and Afanasieff and recorded live at the Kaufman Astoria Studios in New York City on March 16, 1992.^[8] In the liner notes of #1 to Infinity, Carey expressed her dislike toward the original studio version on Mariah Carey and stated that she wished she could "delete some of the overproduction," which is why she decided to include the MTV Unplugged version on the compilation instead.^[8] Carey disapproved of some of the new elements added during the production of Mariah Carey, such as the replacement of the horns on the demo in favor of an electric guitar.^[14]

Composition and critical reception

The fourth song on the track list of Mariah Carey, "Someday" is the album's first up-tempo track.^[15][16] It is a dance-pop song with new jack swing influences, which lasts for a duration of four minutes, five seconds.^[15][16] Lyrically, it is about how Carey is "gleefully" waiting for bad karma to come to her ex-boyfriend who "dumped" her, which can be heard in the lyrics "Cause I know you'll soon discover / you're needing me in spite of all the others."^[16] AllMusic writer Ashley S. Battel said it is "energetic".^[17] To mark twenty-five years since the release of Mariah Carey in June 1990, Billboard writer Trevor Anderson wrote a track-by-track review of the album in June 2015. He noted that it is the album's first up-tempo track and that is "beats new life" into it as a result. However, he felt that some of the rhythmic arrangements and the electric guitar solo during the bridge prevented "Someday" from sounding timeless.^[16]

Chart performance

In the United States, "Someday" became Carey's third consecutive number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 following "Vision of Love" and "Love Takes Time".^[16][18][19] "Someday" became her first song to top the Dance Club Songs chart on March 16, 1991. ^[20] It also topped the Radio Songs chart, which it lead for 10 consecutive weeks, thus becoming the longest running #1 airplay hit of 1991, topping the 7-week run of Janet Jackson's "Love Will Never Do (Without You)".^{[21] [22]} The track peaked at number three on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and number five on the Adult Contemporary chart.^[23][24] After three months of release, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the song gold, denoting shipments of more than 500,000 copies.^[25] In 2015, Billboard writer Gary Trust compiled a list of Carey's twenty-five best performing songs based on their weekly performance; "Someday" ranks as the singer's eighth best performing track of her career on the Hot 100.^[19] In Canada, "Someday" reached at number five on the main chart,^[26] but peaked at number one on both the Top Singles and Adult Contemporary charts.^[27][28] It also reached a peak of number four on the Dance chart.^[29] Outside of North America, "Someday" reached the top fifteen in New Zealand,^[30] the top forty in France and the United Kingdom,^[31][32] and the top fifty in Australian and Belgium.^[33][34]

Music videos

The single's video, directed by Larry Jordan, was filmed on location at Bayonne High School in Bayonne, New Jersey and depicts a boy who treated a girl badly now wanting her back in his life. A group of hip-hop dancers appear, and at one point in the video, Carey joins them. It also featured Larry Wright drumming on plastic buckets. The main version of the video was based on "Someday" (new 7" jackswing), but there is an extended video with the music from "Someday" (new 12" jackswing). The new 12" jackswing version of the video was replaced by the 1992 MTV Unplugged live performance of the song on the DVD/home video #1's (1999).

Charts and certifications

Certifications

See also

• List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of 1991
• List of number-one dance singles of 1991 (U.S.)

References

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics