Open Arms (Journey song)

"Open Arms"
Single by Journey
from the album Escape and Heavy Metal Soundtrack
B-side	"Little Girl"
Released	January 1982
Recorded	1981
Genre	Rock
Length	3:18
Label	Columbia
Writer(s)	Steve Perry, Jonathan Cain
Producer	Kevin Elson, Mike Stone
Journey singles chronology
"Don't Stop Believin'" (1981) "Open Arms" (1982) "Still They Ride" (1982)

"Open Arms" is a popular song originally recorded by American rock band Journey, and released as a single from their 1981 album, Escape. Co-written by band members Steve Perry and Jonathan Cain, the song is a power ballad whose lyrics are an empowering plea to a lover to forgive past wrongdoings and agree to start anew. It is one of the band's most recognizable radio hits and their biggest chart hit, reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1982 - kept off #1 by the J. Geils Band's "Centerfold".

"Open Arms" has been covered by various recording artists. American R&B/pop singer Mariah Carey enjoyed an international hit with the song in 1996; hers is arguably the best-known version of the song in the United Kingdom, where it reached #4 in the UK Singles Chart. The song has also been covered by such artists as American singer/songwriter Barry Manilow, R&B group Boyz II Men and Canadian singer Celine Dion. It is a favorite on reality television singing competitions as well, being performed by contestants on American Idol, the UK's The X Factor, and Australian Idol.

Journey's recording of "Open Arms" has been described as one of the greatest love songs ever written, and has appeared on numerous love song compilations.^[1][2] VH1 has named the song as the greatest power ballad of all time.^[3]

Journey version

Journey recorded "Open Arms" for their seventh studio album, Escape, which was produced by Kevin Elson and Mike Stone. Jonathan Cain had begun writing the song while he was still a member of the rock group The Babys, but Babys vocalist John Waite turned down the melody as "sentimental rubbish." Cain eventually finished the song with Steve Perry during the writing sessions for Escape, changing the key from A to D and changing the melody slightly,^[4] but it was almost left off the album; Journey's guitarist Neal Schon reportedly disliked the song because "it was so far removed from anything [Journey] had ever attempted to record before".^[4] (drummer Steve Smith recalls that Schon noted that it "sounds kinda Mary Poppins"^[4]). Added to which the other members of the band were against the idea of performing ballads.^[5]

In 2005 Perry commented on the emotions he felt while producing Live in Houston 1981: The Escape Tour and listening to the band performing the song 24 years previously: "I had to keep my head down on the console when "Open Arms" was on. There is one line in the song that I always wanted to be a certain way. I have ideals about certain things. The line "wanting you near" — I just wanted that line to go up and soar. I wanted it to be heartfelt. Every time it would come by I would just have to keep my head down and try to swallow the lump in my throat. I felt so proud of the song".^[6]

In the Journey episode of VH1's Behind the Music, Perry recalls the recording sessions for the song becoming an ordeal; Schon taunted Perry and Cain in the studio. But when the band performed it in concert for the first time during their Escape Tour in the fall of 1981, the audience was thunderstruck, much to Schon's disbelief. After two encores, the band left the stage and Schon suddenly said, "Man, that song really kicked ass!" Perry recalled being incensed at Schon's hypocrisy. "I looked at him, and I wanted to kill him," he later said.^[4]

During an episode of the radio show In the Studio with Redbeard devoted to the album Escape, Jonathan Cain said he was ill with a bad cold when he recorded the piano track to "Open Arms" and wanted to re-do the track. Everybody else disagreed and they used the track Cain recorded while "under the weather."

"Open Arms" was used on the soundtrack to the animated Canadian film Heavy Metal (released to theatres in August 1981), and it was released as the third single from Escape in January 1982 in the United States. It was also featured on two occasions during scenes of the 1982 film The Last American Virgin. It became one of Journey's biggest singles there, and the most successful of the five singles released from Escape (only one other, "Who's Crying Now," reached the top five). It stayed at #2 for six weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, kept from the #1 spot by "Centerfold" by the J. Geils Band and "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, and it was also a top ten hit on Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks. The single was less successful on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks, only reaching the top forty.

The song and its status as a power ballad has been remembered years following its original release. One critic praised "Open Arms" as "a lyrical rock ballad and one of the band's best-written songs",^[7] while the Associated Press wrote that the song was "fueled by Perry's operatic, high-flying vocal style."^[8] It has also been referred to as a "wedding anthem" (in a December 2005 Lumino Magazine article^[9]), and VH1 placed the song at number 1 on their "25 Greatest Power Ballads" list.^[10] Allmusic said "One of rock's most beautiful ballads, "Open Arms" gleams with an honesty and feel only Steve Perry could muster,"^[11] and a review of a Journey concert in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution characterized the song as a "classic ballad."^[12] Steve Perry told the Boston Globe, "I can't tell you how many times I get a tap on the shoulder and somebody says...'This was my prom song'."^[13] The song was later included on Journey's box set Time³ (1992) and the compilation album The Essential Journey (2001).

In popular culture

In 2003 American Idol contestant Clay Aiken performed the song during a key semi-final round of the show, and later in a duet with fellow Idol Kelly Clarkson (the winner from the previous year) on their joint February—April 2004 concert tour. "Open Arms" was included on the set list for Britney Spears' 1999 ...Baby One More Time Tour, and it was also used as the love theme for Japanese director Eiichiro Hasumi's film Umizaru (2004).^[14] Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the creators of the animated television comedy South Park, frequently reference and parody Journey and their music in their work. In Episode 909 of South Park, entitled "Erection Day" (2005), a little girl playing piano in a talent competition begins to sing the opening to "Open Arms" ("Lying beside you, here in the dark...") before the scene ends. In the 2007 film I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry the song is played during a gay benefit costume party. "Open Arms" is one of twelve greatest hits re-recorded by Journey featuring current lead vocalist Arnel Pineda on the second disc of their latest 2008 album Revelation.

Chart (1982)	Peak position
New Zealand Albums Chart[15]	49
U.S. Billboard Billboard Hot 100	2
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks	7
U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks	35

Mariah Carey version

"Open Arms"
Single by Mariah Carey
from the album Daydream
Released	December 5, 1995
Format	CD single
Recorded	1995
Genre	Pop, R&B
Length	3:30
Label	Columbia
Producer	Mariah Carey, Walter Afanasieff
Mariah Carey singles chronology
"One Sweet Day" (1995) "Open Arms" (1995) "Always Be My Baby" (1996) El Amor que Soñé Spanish Version

Mariah Carey co-produced her cover of the song with Walter Afanasieff for her fifth album, Daydream. Carey's career has crossed paths with Journey's: the band's drummer Steve Smith played drums on many of her earlier singles, and its bassist for a short period in the mid-1980s, Randy Jackson, has worked with her for a long time.

It was released as the album's third single between late 1995 and early 1996 in most markets outside the United States. It became a top five hit in the United Kingdom, and charted in the top ten in other territories. The single's music video, directed by Larry Jordan, is a live performance of the song by Carey at Madison Square Garden. The video for the Spanish version of the song, "El Amor Que Soñé", is also a live performance from that night.

A UK CD single for "Open Arms" included the Daydream track "I Am Free" and live versions of "Fantasy" and "Vision of Love" (1990). Another version of the CD single comprised the album cuts of "Hero" (1993) and "Without You" (1994), and a radio edit of "I'll Be There" (1992).

UK sales for the song stand at 105,000 units.^[16]

Formats and track listings

European CD single

1. "Open Arms"
2. "Vision of Love" (live)

UK CD single

1. "Open Arms"
2. "I Am Free"

Australian/European CD maxi-single #1

1. "Open Arms"
2. "I Am Free"
3. "Fantasy" (live)
4. "Vision of Love" (live)

Australian CD maxi-single #2

1. "Open Arms"
2. "Slipping Away"
3. "El Amor Que Soñé"

European CD maxi-single #2

1. "Open Arms"
2. "Fantasy" (live)
3. "Vision of Love" (live)
4. "Make It Happen" (live)

European CD maxi-single #3

1. "Open Arms"
2. "Hero"
3. "Without You"
4. "I'll Be There"

Chart (1995–1996)	Peak position
Australian Singles Chart[17]	27
Belgian Wallonia Singles Chart[18]	29
Dutch Singles Chart[19]	15
European Singles Chart[20]	39
French Singles Chart[21]	29
German Singles Chart[22]	65
Irish Singles Chart[23]	7
New Zealand Singles Chart[24]	8
Swedish Singles Chart[25]	54
Swiss Singles Chart[26]	30
UK Singles Chart[27]	4

Other versions

• American Idol contestant Clay Aiken performed the song during a key semi-final round of the show in 2003, and later in a duet with fellow Idol Kelly Clarkson (the winner from the previous year) on their joint February—April 2004 concert tour.
• A cover of this song appears on a 2004 collection album of B-sides by the band Low's A Lifetime of Temporary Relief: 10 Years of B-Sides and Rarities.
• Australian Idol season 3 finalist Anne Roberston performed this song on the show in 2005 for the 1980s theme night.
• American Idol contestant Elliott Yamin performed the song in 2006 on season 5.
• American singer/songwriter Barry Manilow covered the song on his 2008 album, The Greatest Songs of the Eighties.
• 2008 The X Factor finalist, Daniel Evans recorded a version of the song which was released as his debut single on 25 January 2010 as a digital download.
• The X Factor contestant Joe McElderry performed his version of "Open Arms" as his second song on Semi-Final night, on 5 December 2009. All 4 judges hailed the performance on the night, with Louis Walsh saying that if Joe released that song tomorrow, he would have a Number 1 single the very next day. This performance saw Joe through to the Grand Final of the X Factor.^[28]
• In 2011, Celine Dion performed the song as the opening number of her new Las Vegas show.^[29]
• Country music singer Collin Raye released a cover of "Open Arms" on his compilation album The Best of Collin Raye: Direct Hits in 1997. His version charted at number 70 on the Hot Country Songs charts that year based on unsolicited airplay.
• Mexican band Tobby covered the song, as "Quiero Amar" (English: "I Want to Love"), whose translation was made by Menny Carrasco, a member of the group.^[30]
• Korean singer Younha.
• Taiwanese boyband 5566.

References

1. ^ "100 Greatest Love Songs". VH1. 2003. #4.
2. ^ "112 Greatest love songs, ever!". Blender. #5.
3. ^ "25 Greatest Power Ballads". VH1. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
4. ^ ^{a b c d} VH1 - Behind the Music - Journey
5. ^ travel media shopping computers hardware at steveperry-thejourneybeyond.com^{[dead link]}
6. ^ [1]^{[dead link]}
7. ^ ""Journey Hasn't Lost Its Popular Touch"; December 1986". Steveperryfanclub.homestead.com. http://www.steveperryfanclub.homestead.com/JourneyHasntLostItsPopularTouch.html. Retrieved 2011-10-30. 
8. ^ "Steve Perry News on Yahoo! Music". Music.yahoo.com. 2005-01-22. http://music.yahoo.com/read/news/14308947. Retrieved 2011-10-30. 
9. ^ "Journey doesn't stop believin'". LuminoMagazine.com. 2005-12-04. http://www.luminomagazine.com/mw/content/view/916/10/. Retrieved 2011-10-30. 
10. ^ "The Greatest | Show Cast, Episodes, Guides, Trailers, Web Exclusives, Previews". VH1.com. http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/the_greatest/66390/episode_countdown.jhtml. Retrieved 2011-10-30. 
11. ^ allmusic ((( Escape > Review )))
12. ^ Douthit, Rob (2004-05-02). "Journey | Music Midtown Live". AccessAtlanta. http://www.accessatlanta.com/blogs/content/shared-blogs/accessatlanta/musicmidtown/entries/2004/05/02/journey.html. Retrieved 2011-10-30. 
13. ^ "He never stopped believin'". The Boston Globe. 2005-11-05. http://www.boston.com/ae/celebrity/articles/2005/11/05/he_never_stopped_believin/. 
14. ^ "Midnight Eye review: Umizaru (2004, Eiichiro HASUMI)". Midnighteye.com. http://www.midnighteye.com/reviews/umizaru.shtml. Retrieved 2011-10-30. 
15. ^ "Journey Open Arms New Zealand Charting". charts.org.nz. Hung Medien. http://charts.org.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Journey&titel=Open+Arms&cat=s. Retrieved 2010-07-18. 
16. ^ Mariah Carey official top 20 biggest-selling songs in the UK MTV. retrieved: 2010-05-03.
17. ^ Steffen Hung. "Australian Singles Chart". Australian-charts.com. http://australian-charts.com/showitem.asp?key=3181&cat=s. Retrieved 2011-10-30. 
18. ^ "Belgian Wallonia Singles Chart". Ultratop.be. http://www.ultratop.be/fr/showitem.asp?interpret=Mariah+Carey&titel=Open+Arms&cat=s. Retrieved 2011-10-30. 
19. ^ Steffen Hung. "Dutch Singles Chart". Dutchcharts.nl. http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Mariah+Carey&titel=Open+Arms&cat=s. Retrieved 2011-10-30. 
20. ^ European Singles Chart
21. ^ Steffen Hung. "French Singles Chart". Lescharts.com. http://lescharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Mariah+Carey&titel=Open+Arms&cat=s. Retrieved 2011-10-30. 
22. ^ "German Singles Chart". Worldcharts.co.uk. http://www.worldcharts.co.uk/world%20charts/germany.htm. Retrieved 2011-10-30. 
23. ^ Jaclyn Ward - Fireball Media Group - http://www.fireballmedia.ie. "Irish Singles Chart". Irishcharts.ie. http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement. Retrieved 2011-10-30. 
24. ^ Steffen Hung. "New Zealand Singles Chart". Charts.org.nz. http://charts.org.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Mariah+Carey&titel=Open+Arms&cat=s. Retrieved 2011-10-30. 
25. ^ Steffen Hung. "Swedish Singles Chart". Swedishcharts.com. http://swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Mariah+Carey&titel=Open+Arms&cat=s. Retrieved 2011-10-30. 
26. ^ Steffen Hung. "Swiss Singles Chart". Hitparade.ch. http://hitparade.ch/showitem.asp?interpret=Mariah+Carey&titel=Open+Arms&cat=s. Retrieved 2011-10-30. 
27. ^ "UK Singles Chart". Everyhit.co.uk. 2000-03-16. http://www.everyhit.co.uk/. Retrieved 2011-10-30. 
28. ^ "X Factor Performance". Youtube.com. 2007-08-03. http://www.youtube.com/user/TheXFactorUK#p/u/5/KCT-qK2Pvy0. Retrieved 2011-10-30. 
29. ^ Sutherland, Anne. "Celine Dion magnificent in new Vegas show". Montreal Gazette. April 14, 2011. Retrieved April 21, 2011.
30. ^ "Quiero Amar". am.com.mx. October 29, 2010. http://www.am.com.mx/Nota.aspx?ID=435435. Retrieved December 3, 2010.