Someday (Mariah Carey song)
"
Someday" is a song written by
Mariah Carey and
Ben Margulies, and produced by
Ric Wake for Carey's debut album
Mariah Carey (1990). It was released as the album's third
single in the first quarter of 1991 (see
1991 in music) and is a
jackswing-influenced track in which its protagonist gets revenge on an ex-lover who wants to reconcile: "Someday, the one you gave away will be the only one you're wishing for". Though it topped the U.S. charts, it was not a huge success elsewhere. As did previous singles from
Mariah Carey, "Someday" received a
BMI Pop Award.
"Someday" was one of the five songs on the
demo tape, handed by
Brenda K. Starr to record executive
Tommy Mottola, that led to Carey being given a recording contract. Sony made alterations to the version on the demo tape as they thought it was too rough, and Carey and Margulies were forced to accept the changes that were made as neither had been allowed to co-produce. Reportedly, Carey was unhappy with the final version of "Someday" produced, because both she and Margulies thought it had been too "polished".
"Someday" continued Carey's streak of number-one hits in the U.S., becoming her third consecutive number-one single on the
Billboard Hot 100. It reached number one in its eighth week on the Hot 100 and spent two weeks at the top of the chart, from
March 3 to
March 16 1991. It replaced "
All the Man That I Need" by
Whitney Houston, and was replaced by
Timmy T's "One More Try". "Someday" spent fifteen weeks in the top forty and ranked thirteenth on the Hot 100 year-end charts of 1991, making it one of the year's biggest hits. The
RIAA certified it
gold.
Elsewhere, the song performed modestly like "
Love Takes Time" (the previous single from
Mariah Carey). It became Carey's first single to miss the top of the charts in
Canada, but it did manage to reach the top five. In the UK the song reached the top forty (as had "Love Takes Time"), but in Australia it did not. With "Someday" and her following single, "
I Don't Wanna Cry", Carey was largely unknown outside of the U.S. for most of 1991 until she released her second album
Emotions.
A large number of remixes were produced by
Shep Pettibone, in particular the main remix of the song known as "Someday" (new 7" jackswing) and an extended version of it known as "Someday" (new 12" jackswing). There is also a
house mix known as "Someday" (new 12" house), a slightly extended album version known as "Someday" (new 7" straight), and an
a capella: "Someday" (pianoaperacapella).
|
A scene from the music video. |
The single's
video, directed by
Larry Jordan, was filmed on location at a local
high school, and depicts a boy who treated a girl badly now wanting her back in his life. A group of young hip-hop dancers also appear, and at one point in the video Carey joins them. The main version of the video was based on "Someday" (new 7" jackswing), but there is also an extended video with the music from "Someday" (new 12" jackswing). The "new 12" jackswing" version of the video was replaced by a live performance of the song on the DVD/home video
#1's (1999), as Carey has stated she is ashamed of the video.
*
U.S. CD single (cassette single/7" single)#"Someday" (new 7" jackswing)#"Alone in Love" (album version)
*
U.S. CD single (12" maxi single)#"Someday" (new 7" jackswing)#"Someday" (new 7" straight)#"Someday" (new 12" jackswing)#"Someday" (pianoapercapella)#"Alone in Love" (album version)
*
UK CD single (5" single)#"Someday" (7" jackswing)#"Someday" (12" jackswing)#"Someday" (12" house)
| Chart (1991) | Peak
position | No. of chart topper | | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 (2 weeks) | 3rd |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | 3 | — |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary | 5 | — |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play | 1 (1 week) | 1st |
| U.S. ARC Weekly Top 40 | 1 (2 weeks) | 3rd |
| Canadian Singles Chart | 5 | — |
| France Top 100 Singles | 38 | — |
| UK Singles Chart | 38 | — |
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart | 44 | — |
*
Hot 100 number-one hits of 1991 (USA)*
Lyrics for the album version
