Anytime You Need a Friend

"Anytime You Need a Friend"
Single by Mariah Carey
from the album Music Box
Released	US May 31, 1994 (1994-05-31) UK June 1, 1994
Format	CD single, cassette single, 7" single, 12" single
Genre	Pop, R&B
Length	4:26
Label	Columbia
Writer(s)	Mariah Carey, Walter Afanasieff
Producer	Mariah Carey, Walter Afanasieff
Certification	Gold (Australia, New Zealand)
Mariah Carey singles chronology
"Without You"/"Never Forget You" (1994) "Anytime You Need a Friend" (1994) "Endless Love" (1994)
Alternate Cover USA 5" Single Cover

"Anytime You Need a Friend" is a song written and produced by American singer Mariah Carey and Walter Afanasieff, and recorded for Carey's third studio album Music Box (1993). It is a gospel-tinged ballad whose protagonist informs a friend that anytime they need a friend she will be there. It was released as the album's fourth and final single in the second quarter of 1994. The song B-side "Music Box" was written and produced by Carey and Afanasieff. "Anytime You Need A Friend" won a BMI Pop Award and a ASCAP Pop Music Award for the Songwriter Award in 1995.

Chart performance

All of Carey's previous singles had been top five hits on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, but "Anytime You Need a Friend" ended this streak entering at number 45 and peaking at number 12, remaining in the top forty-twelve for eighteen weeks and on the chart for twenty-one. Despite this, it was popular on the radio and was ranked number 47 on the Hot 100 1994 year-end charts, giving Carey three singles in the top half of the chart. It was her least successful single to date on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and did not make the top twenty, but it reached the top five of the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks, and a remix of the song became Carey's fourth number 1 single on the Hot Dance Club Play chart.

The single performed moderately elsewhere following the massive success of "Without You", peaking in the top twenty in most countries. It was most successful in New Zealand, where it made the top five. It was also successful in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, where it made the top ten. It became the second consecutive single by Carey to be more successful in the UK than in the U.S. It was certified gold in Australia by ARIA and in New Zealand by RIANZ.

Music video and remixes

The single's video, directed by Danielle Federici, features Carey walking along the streets and among a choir. Shot in black and white, it is intercut with scenes of depressed people whom Carey comes to befriend.

"Anytime You Need a Friend" was remixed by David Cole and Robert Clivillés of the C+C Music Factory. Although over fifteen various edits and extended mixes were created, for the most part they are based on the C+C club mix. Other variations, extended mixes, and edits include but are not limited to the All that and more mix, Dave's empty pass mix, and the Boriqua tribe mix. Cory Rooney and Mark Morales created a Soul convention and a stringapella for the song. Because of the large number of remixes, two maxi singles were released in the U.S. Carey was given co-producing credit for both the C&C mixes and the Soul convention/Stringapella, the first time that she had been given producing credit on remixes of her songs.

A video was commissioned for the C+C club mix of the song. Known as the C+C video edit, it was also directed by Danielle Federici and serves as a behind the scenes addendum to the main music video. It is filmed in black and white, and is composed of clips of Carey and her friends goofing around and having fun.

Other versions

The song was covered by Irish singer Eoghan Quigg in November 2008, on UK reality show The X Factor. On the 2009 live tour Quigg duets the song with fellow contestant Diana Vickers.

Track listings

CD single #1

1. "Anytime You Need a Friend" (album version)
2. "Anytime You Need a Friend" (Soul convention remix)

CD single #2

1. "Anytime You Need a Friend" (album version)
2. "Music Box"

U.S. CD maxi-single 1

1. "Anytime You Need a Friend" (C+C club version)
2. "Anytime You Need a Friend" (Ministry of sound mix)
3. "Anytime You Need a Friend" (Dave’s empty pass)
4. "Anytime You Need a Friend" (7" mix)

U.S. CD maxi-single 2

1. "Anytime You Need a Friend" (Soul convention remix)
2. "Anytime You Need a Friend" (Stringapella)
3. "Anytime You Need a Friend" (album version)
4. "Music Box"

European CD maxi-single

1. "Anytime You Need a Friend" (album version)
2. "Anytime You Need a Friend" (C+C radio mix)
3. "Anytime You Need a Friend" (Soul convention remix)
4. "Anytime You Need a Friend" (C+C club version)
5. "Anytime You Need a Friend" (Dave’s empty pass)

Charts

Sales and certifications

¹ In Japan, EPs are charting on the albums chart.

References