Mr. Vain

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Mr. Vain"
Mr. Vain.jpg
Standard CD single
Single by Culture Beat
from the album Serenity
Released1993
Genre
Length5:37
LabelDance Pool
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Torsten Fenslau
Culture Beat singles chronology
"No Deeper Meaning"
(1991)
"Mr. Vain"
(1993)
"Got to Get It"
(1993)
Audio sample
  • file
  • help

"Mr. Vain" is a song by German group Culture Beat, released as the lead single from their second studio album, Serenity (1993). It was written by Steven Levis, Nosie Katzmann and Jay Supreme, and produced by Torsten Fenslau. Tania Evans is the lead vocalist and Supreme is the rapper. The song achieved huge success worldwide, reaching number-one in at least 12 countries. In the United States, it peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. The song earned an award at the German Echo Award in 1994, in the category for "Best International Dance Single".[3]

In the UK, "Mr. Vain" was the first number-one single not to be available as a 7" vinyl single since the 1950s and heralded the demise of the 7" single as a mass market medium. It was also one of the few singles to reach number one in 1993 on only three formats.[4]

Critical reception[]

AllMusic editor William Cooper called "Mr. Vain" an "engaging house tune". He compared it to Snap!'s "Rhythm Is a Dancer" and Real McCoy's "Another Night" with its "instantly memorable keyboard hook".[2] Larry Flick from Billboard described it as a "chirpy rave/NRG track", stating that "if its European chart success is a fair indicator", then the song "will be all the rage within minutes."[5] Nicole Leedham from The Canberra Times noted Culture Beat's "combination of soul, insightful lyrics and dance floor-friendly music".[6] Student newspaper Columbia Daily Spectator stated that "near-indiscernible rapping over a pulsing techno beat and an unforgettable synth line" make it "the quintessential '90s dance track."[7] Tom Ewing of Freaky Trigger wrote that "Mr. Vain" "heads straight for the dark heart of the club, sketching a dancefloor predator who – like Eezer Goode [sic] – is as much metaphor as character. For drugs, lust, loss of control – who knows? The lyrics' almost-there English works to the song's benefit – there's an awkward poetry to "Call him Mr Raider, call him Mr Wrong" – and for once the obligatory rap isn't an embarrassment, with Jay Supreme's gloating, bassy flow reminding me of knowingly devilish Chicago house classics like "Your Only Friend". "Mr Vain" is the hustling flipside to "All That She Wants", and almost as good a pop record."[8]

John Patrick from Lake District News stated, "The beat is a dream to any dance and the words become so familiar, you can sing along with the chorus on cue."[9] Music writer James Masterton said in his weekly UK chart commentary, "Stand by for the dance hit of the summer." He added that "although in actual fact as one of the best European dance records of the year so far it would probably have been a major hit anyway."[10] Diana Valois from The Morning Call noted its "formula of staccato beats, deep bass lines, and nervous and tinny keyboard riffs." She added, "Balancing the somber vocals of Jay Supreme is the optimistic soulfulness of a cheery Tania Evans".[11] Machgiel Bakker from Music & Media viewed it as a "snappy and poppy dance groove".[12] Alan Jones from Music Week deemed the song as "maddeningly commercial but lyrically nonsensical",[13] and with "hugely commercial hooks".[14] Jim Farber from New York Daily News described it as "propulsive", with "snappy electronic rhythms and trendy rap break". He commented, "Musically, the song strongly recalls Snap's smash "Rhythm Is a Dancer", but its clash of two voices offers a fresh twist. One voice (provided by R&B singer Tania Evans) mockingly describes the ace narcissist "Mr. Vain", while a second (from a rapper named Jay Supreme) embodies the title character's selfish desire – it's a winkling comment on self-absorption on a track made for the indulgent world of dance clubs."[15] Pop Rescue called it "fantastically catchy".[16]

Chart performance[]

"Mr. Vain" was one of the best-selling singles across Europe of 1993. It first broke in Germany before breaking more widely through the summer, eventually topping the charts in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100. In the UK, the song hit the top spot during its fourth week on the UK Singles Chart, on 22 August 1993,[17] and was the first single to top the chart that was not released on 7-inch vinyl.[18] The single spent four weeks at the top of the chart and sold over 442,000 copies in the UK.[19] Outside Europe, it peaked at number-one in Australia, on the RPM Dance/Urban chart in Canada and in Zimbabwe. In the United States, the single reached number 17 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and earned a gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). "Mr. Vain" also peaked at number two for two weeks on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.[20] It charted also in Japan. The song also earned a gold record in Austria, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK, while it received a silver record in France. It was also awarded a 3× gold record in Germany, with a sale of 750,000 units, and a platinum record in Australia and Norway.

Music video[]

A music video was produced to promote the single, directed by Swedish-based director Matt Broadley.[21] It begins with Supreme in black-and-white, looking at himself in a mirror, putting on a ring. As he looks into the mirror again, he sees the cracks in his face. He then attends a house party. Now in colours, people are dancing at the party. Evans sits in the corner of the room and sees Supreme peeking by the curtain. He walks towards her and offers her his hand. She leaves, with him following her down the hallway. As the video ends, she takes a hand-mirror lying on a nightstand and puts it up to his face. In black-and-white, his face becomes cracked and chipped again.[22]

Impact and legacy[]

The German Echo Award honored the song with an award in the category for "Best International Dance Single" in 1994.[3]

MTV Dance ranked "Mr. Vain" number 65 in their list of The 100 Biggest 90's Dance Anthems of All Time in November 2011.[23]

The Guardian picked "Mr. Vain" in their Sounds of Germany: a history of German pop in 10 songs in 2012. They wrote, "Culture Beat's glorious Mr Vain, with its rollicking beat, diva vocals and stilted rapping, comes as close as anything to summarising the spirit of the genre."[24]

Australian music channel Max placed "Mr. Vain" at number 732 in their list of 1000 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2012.[25]

In their The ABC in Eurodance in 2016, Finnish broadcaster Yle noted, "If someone could look up "The archetypal Eurodance hit song" in an Encyclopedia there would probably be a link to an audio file for "Mr Vain" - a song that more than anyone else came to define the 90's dance music."[26]

BuzzFeed listed the song number 17 in their The 101 Greatest Dance Songs Of the '90s list in 2017.[27]

Covers and samples[]

One of the song's original writers, Nosie Katzmann, recorded a new country version of the song.

Track listing and formats[]

  • CD maxi single (Germany, 1993)
  1. "Mr. Vain" (Vain Mix) – 6:35
  2. "Mr. Vain" (Decent Mix) – 7:05
  3. "Mr. Vain" (Special Radio Edit) – 4:17
  • CD maxi single – Remix (Germany, 1993)
  1. "Mr. Vain" (Mr. House) – 6:18
    • Remixed by Doug Laurent
  2. "Mr. Vain" (Mr. Rave) – 6:42
    • Remixed by Doug Laurent
  3. "Mr. Vain" (Mr. Trance) – 6:20
    • Remixed by Doug Laurent
  4. "Mr. Vain" (Mr. Hardcore) – 6:37
    • Remixed by Doug Laurent
  • CD maxi single (United States, 1993)
  1. "Mr. Vain" (Radio Edit) – 4:17
  2. "Mr. Vain" (Intense Radio Edit) – 3:52
  3. "Mr. Vain" (Vain Mix) – 6:35
  4. "Mr. Vain" (Mr. Intense) – 5:28
  5. "Mr. Vain" (Mr. Hardcore) – 6:38
    • Remixed by Doug Laurent
  • 12" vinyl single (US, 1993)
  1. "Mr. Vain" (Vain Mix) – 6:35
  2. "Mr. Vain" (Mr. Club) – 6:39
  3. "Mr. Vain" (Mr. Intense) – 5:28
  4. "Mr. Vain" (Mr. Liebrand) – 5:40
  5. "Mr. Vain" (Mr. Hardcore) – 6:38
  • Cassette single (US, 1993)
  1. "Mr. Vain" (Radio Edit) – 4:17
  2. "Mr. Vain" (Radio Edit) (w/o Rap) – 4:17
  • CD single – Promo (US, 1993)
  1. "Mr. Vain" (Lone Star Edit) – 3:30
  • CD maxi single – (United Kingdom, 1993)
  1. "Mr. Vain" (Special Radio Edit) – 4:17
  2. "Mr. Vain" (Vain Mix) – 6:35
  3. "(Cherry Lips) Der Erdbeermund" (Single Version) – 4:05
  4. "I Like You" (Single Version) – 3:58
  • CD maxi single – Remix (Japan, 1996)
  1. "Mr. Vain" (FM 802 Rock Kids 802 Mix) – 4:25
  2. "Mr. Vain" (Hyper Rave Mix) – 5:32
  3. "Mr. Vain" (Tribal Mix) – 4:47
  4. "Anything" – 6:26
  5. "Mr. Vain" (Album Version) – 5:39
  6. "Culture Beat Mega Mix" – 6:38

Charts and certifications[]

See also[]

References[]

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