Open Arms (Journey song)

"Open Arms"
Song
B-side	"Little Girl"

"Open Arms" is a popular song originally recorded by American rock band Journey, and released as a single from their 1981 album, Escape. It was co-written by Steve Perry and Jonathan Cain, two of the band's members. It is a ballad whose lyrics are an empowering plea to a lover to forgive past wrongdoings and agree to start anew. The song is one of the band's most recognizable radio hits and has been covered by American R&B singer Mariah Carey, who enjoyed an international hit with the song, as well as American singer/songwriter Barry Manilow, R&B group Boyz II Men, American rock band Low (band), country music singer Collin Raye, Korean singer Younha and Taiwanese boyband 5566.

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, 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". (drummer Steve Smith recalls that Schon noted that it "sounds kinda Mary Poppins"). Added to which the other members of the band were against the idea of performing ballads.

Steve Perry later recalled of the song's recording: "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".

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.

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). Although it never reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, it stayed at number 2 for six weeks, 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", while the Associated Press wrote that the song was "fueled by Perry's operatic, high-flying vocal style." It has also been referred to as a "wedding anthem" (in a December 2005 Lumino Magazine article), and VH1 placed the song at number 1 on their "25 Greatest Power Ballads" list. Allmusic said "One of rock's most beautiful ballads, "Open Arms" gleams with an honesty and feel only Steve Perry could muster," and a review of a Journey concert in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution characterized the song as a "classic ballad." 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'." 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. The song was also chosen for third place American Idol 5 contestant Elliott Yamin by Clive Davis before being eliminated. UK X Factor contestant Joe McElderry sang the song in the semi-final of the 2009 series. "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). Hasumi said that he wanted to call to mind a high school romance with the song's inclusion, and the film's screenwriter reportedly listened to it several times whilst writing the film. 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	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"
Song

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.

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	27
Belgian Wallonia Singles Chart	29
Dutch Singles Chart	15
European Singles Chart	39
French Singles Chart	29
German Singles Chart	65
Irish Singles Chart	7
New Zealand Singles Chart	8
Swedish Singles Chart	54
Swiss Singles Chart	30
UK Singles Chart	4

Other versions

• In 2011, The song was the opening number of the new Las Vegas show of Celine Dion.
• 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, and is to be released for CD single format in a yet to be confirmed date.
• 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.
• 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.
• Australian Idol season 3 finalist Anne Roberston performed this song on the final 7 80's theme night. Her performance gained positive comments from the judges and she was declared safe the following night on the verdict show.
• A cover of this song appears on the band Low's B-sides collection A Lifetime of Temporary Relief: 10 Years of B-Sides and Rarities. Singer Alan Sparhawk begins laughing in the middle of the recording.
• 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.