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Vanishing (song)

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"Vanishing"
Song by Mariah Carey
from the album Mariah Carey
A-side"Love Takes Time"
StudioPower Station (New York)
Genre
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Mariah Carey

"Vanishing" is a song recorded by American singer Mariah Carey for her debut studio album Mariah Carey (1990).

Background and release

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As a teenager, American singer Mariah Carey began a songwriting partnership with the drummer Ben Margulies in the mid- to late 1980s.[1] The pair wrote most of the songs on her debut studio album Mariah Carey,[2] which Columbia Records released in 1990.[3] Carey described one of their works, "Vanishing",[3] as her favorite track on the album: "I enjoyed doing that because it gave me more freedom to sing and it was the most personal song to me."[4] Situated as the fifth track, following the production-heavy "Someday", "Vanishing" has a sparer sound compared to the rest of the album.[5] It was the first song Carey produced by herself[6] and the only one she did so for the album,[7] as Columbia hired high-profile producers such as Rhett Lawrence, Ric Wake, and Narada Michael Walden for the other tracks to increase its commercial viability.[8]

Columbia did not release "Vanishing" as a single from Mariah Carey.[9] Relatively unknown among the general public,[10] the song is instead regarded as a deep cut favored by her fans.[11] Issued as the B-side to 1991 releases of "Love Takes Time"[12] and "Emotions",[13] "Vanishing" was also included on the 1992 "I'll Be There" maxi single.[14] Columbia and Legacy Recordings later included it on the 2010 compilation albums The Essential Mariah Carey and Playlist: The Very Best of Mariah Carey.[15]

Music and lyrics

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A torch song in the form of a ballad,[16] "Vanishing" is a gospel[17] and traditional pop record[16] influenced by blues.[18] The music, composed by Carey and Margulies,[3] has a slow tempo[19] and a melody that oscillates.[6] With an acoustic piano played by Richard Tee as the sole instrumentation,[20] the song has a straightforward composition.[21] Carey considered bolstering it with other sounds such as drums to make it more commercially viable but opted to "preserve the integrity of the song – leave it really simple".[22] After Pat Dillett performed engineering and mixing at Power Station and The Hit Factory studios in New York City, "Vanishing" was mastered by Bob Ludwig at New York's Masterdisk.[3] Jill Warren of The Indianapolis Star described the composition as haunting[23] and Melissa A. Jacques of the St. Petersburg Times said it evokes "spine-tingling emotion and spirituality".[24]

The lyrics of "Vanishing" are about one's anguish amid the gradual end of a romantic relationship. According to author Andrew Chan, it "conveys romantic loss through metaphors of physical disappearance and occluded perception".[25] Carey invokes a sense of uncertainty through lines such as "If I could recapture all of the memories / and bring them to life surely I would".[26]

Carey's vocal performance received comparisons to Aretha Franklin,[27] Tramaine Hawkins,[19] and Suzanne Vega.[28] Her singing varies from whispering to belting[29] to whistling,[16] includes layered background vocals,[30] and incorporates melisma, riffing,[31] and tempo rubato.[32] Edward Hill of The Plain Dealer described it as "complete with staccato phrasing, anguished wails and vibrant note extensions".[28] The last word concludes with a crescendo.[33]

Critical reception

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"Vanishing" received limited critical commentary upon the release of Mariah Carey.[30] Music writers contrasted it with other songs on the album. Several named it the best track.[34] Chuck Campbell likened it to a trump card in the Knoxville News-Sentinel.[35] The Record's Barbara Jaeger felt her voice sounded better on "Vanishing" because the arrangement forgoes overproduction.[36] Unlike "Vision of Love", Richard T. Ryan of the Staten Island Advance said "Vanishing" demonstrated Carey could limit the use of her vocal range.[18] Rick Mason cited the song in the St. Paul Pioneer Press as one in which she exercised commendable discipline with her voice.[37] Stephen Holden of The New York Times said it exhibited Carey's reverence for gospel music more than other tracks.[38]

Carey's vocal performance and artistry on the song has received a positive reception in retrospective album reviews. In 2015, Billboard's Trevor Anderson said "Vanishing" served as "a reminder that Carey possesses a world-class voice".[39] Writing for the same magazine in 2020, Glenn Rowley stated it is arguably the best showcase of her vocal abilities on Mariah Carey.[6] Hugh Gregory gauged it as the album's "most artistically successful track" in the book Soul Music A–Z.[40] Trent Jones of The Root thought the song helped her stand out as an individual artist on the album.[41] For scholar Vasilios Harisis, it best "announces the voice as the main communicator of an artistic identity".[29]

Critics have considered "Vanishing" a standout track in Carey's discography throughout her career. Several called it underrated.[42] Courier-Post contributor Jeff Hall considered the song her best work in 1993.[43] Vincent Stephens named "Vanishing" one of Carey's finest album tracks in a 2000 Popular Music and Society review.[44] Writing for Billboard in 2017, Everett Brothers named it her best recorded vocal performance.[45] In the same magazine the following year, Chris Azzopardi called it a career highlight owing to Carey's "stunning display of vocal highs and lows".[46] Billboard staff ranked it as the seventh-best song of her career in 2020.[6] Cliff Joannau of Attitude considered it one of Carey's top twelve B-sides and live renditions up to 2023.[47] According to Chan, "Vanishing" is the most beautiful ballad of Carey's early career and its lyrics are unusually advanced compared to her other songs in this period such as "Can't Let Go" (1991).[16]

Live performances

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Carey performed "Vanishing" while promoting Mariah Carey in 1990. She sang it at Club Tatou in New York City on October 22 that year.[48] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times described her delivery as "casually jolting"[49] and Ashley S. Battel of AllMusic said she showcased her vocal abilities effectively.[50] Footage of the performance was included on the 1991 video album The First Vision[51] and its audio was later released on The Live Debut – 1990, a 2020 digital extended play.[48] Carey reprised the song on October 29, 1990, at the American television program Saturday Night Live, following "Vision of Love".[52] She came across as a seasoned professional according to Vulture's Craig Jenkins.[53] Rolling Stone writer Christopher R. Weingarten ranked it at number 19 on a 2017 list of the best musical performances in the show's history.[52]

Carey later sang "Vanishing" during the 1993 Music Box Tour as a dedication to Tee.[54] Several critics described it as one of the concert's better performances.[55] Wayne Robins of Newsday said she displayed authentic emotion.[56] In The Boston Globe, Steve Morse felt Carey "showed a softer, equally entrancing side" to her performance ability in comparison with other songs that showcased her full vocal range.[54]

Other artists have performed live cover versions of "Vanishing". American singer Syesha Mercado sang it as a contestant on the 2008 season of the television program American Idol. Several critics praised her vocal performance.[10] Rodney Ho of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution remarked the rendition was "controlled yet emotional, lovely".[57] In 2020, American singer Kelly Clarkson sang "Vanishing" a cappella at her home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Entertainment Weekly writer Sydney Bucksbaum and Billboard's Gil Kaufman considered the rendition impressive.[58]

Credits and personnel

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Recording

  • Recorded and mixed at Power Station and The Hit Factory (New York)
  • Mastered at Masterdisk (New York)[3]

Personnel

  • Mariah Carey – songwriter, producer, arranger, lead vocals, background vocals
  • Ben Margulies – songwriter, arranger
  • Patrick Dillett – engineering, mixing
  • Richard Tee – piano
  • Bub Ludwig – mastering[3]

References

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Citations

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  1. ^ Nickson 1998, p. 17–18; Shapiro, p. 34; 2y2001.
  2. ^ Shapiro 2001, p. 47.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Columbia Records 1990.
  4. ^ Lepage 1990, p. D10.
  5. ^ Nickson 1998, pp. 37–38.
  6. ^ a b c d Rowley 2020.
  7. ^ Nickson & 19988, p. 38.
  8. ^ Columbia Records 1990; Nickson 1998, p. 27.
  9. ^ Shapiro 2001, pp. 153–156.
  10. ^ a b Cormier 2008, p. D1; Shrier 2008, p. C2; Sluder 2008, p. D4.
  11. ^ Brothers 2016; Brothers 2017.
  12. ^ "Love Takes Time" (CD single). Columbia Records. 1991. 656364 2.
  13. ^ "Emotions" (CD single). Columbia Records. 1991. 657403 2.
  14. ^ "I'll Be There" (CD maxi single). Columbia Records. 1992. 658137 2.
  15. ^ Columbia Records & Legacy Recordings 2010a; Columbia Records & Legacy Recordings 2010b.
  16. ^ a b c d Chan 2023, p. 26.
  17. ^ DeKnock 1990, p. 7.
  18. ^ a b Ryan 1990, p. E2.
  19. ^ a b Freedberg 1990, p. 44.
  20. ^ Columbia Records 1990; Hill, p. 26; 2y1990.
  21. ^ Shapiro 2001, p. 53.
  22. ^ Sholin 1991, p. 32.
  23. ^ Warren 1990, p. D6.
  24. ^ Jacques 1991, p. 17.
  25. ^ Chan 2023, pp. 26–28.
  26. ^ Chan 2023, p. 27.
  27. ^ Willistein 1990, p. A67.
  28. ^ a b Hill 1990, p. 26.
  29. ^ a b Harisis 2019, p. 9.
  30. ^ a b Nickson 1998, p. 38.
  31. ^ Chan 2023, pp. 26–27.
  32. ^ Moon 1993, p. D9.
  33. ^ Price 1990, p. 1B.
  34. ^ DeKnock 1990, p. 7; Jackson 1990, p. 51; Price 1990, p. 1B.
  35. ^ Campbell 1990, p. B1.
  36. ^ Jaeger 1990, p. E6.
  37. ^ Mason 1990, p. 5D.
  38. ^ Holden 1990.
  39. ^ Anderson 2015.
  40. ^ Gregory 1991, p. 35.
  41. ^ Jones 2015.
  42. ^ Farr 2015; Gabbara 2017; Ingold 2018.
  43. ^ Hall 1993, p. 8C.
  44. ^ Stephens 2000, p. 115.
  45. ^ Brothers 2017.
  46. ^ Azzopardi 2018.
  47. ^ Joannou 2023.
  48. ^ a b Kaufman 2020b.
  49. ^ Caramanica 2020.
  50. ^ Battel.
  51. ^ Nickson 1998, p. 44.
  52. ^ a b Weingarten 2017.
  53. ^ Jenkins 2020.
  54. ^ a b Morse 1993, p. 58.
  55. ^ Kot 1993; Moon 1993, p. D9; Pitts Jr. 1993, p. 23A.
  56. ^ Robins 1993, p. 58.
  57. ^ Ho 2008.
  58. ^ Bucksbaum 2020; Kaufman 2020a.

Sources

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