Sweetheart (Rainy Davis song)

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"Sweetheart" is a song originally recorded by American singer Rainy Davis. It was written by Davis and Pete Warner, and produced with Dorothy Kessler. The track was released in 1986 by independent record label SuperTronics as a single from Davis's 1987 studio album Sweetheart. A freestyle, hip hop pop, and synth-funk song, "Sweetheart" appeared on R&B and dance music-based record charts in the United States.

Contents

American singer Mariah Carey recorded a cover version with American rapper Jermaine Dupri (credited as JD) for his debut album, Life in 1472 (1998), and her first greatest hits album, #1's (1998). So So Def and Columbia Records released it as the third single from the former album on September 7, 1998. Carey was inspired to create a remake of "Sweetheart" as she liked listening to the song as a teenage girl. Critics categorized the cover as a dance, hip-hop, and R&B song, and its instrumental features synths and bass runs. The lyrics describe a woman's desire for a person with whom to share a romance.

"Sweetheart" was promoted with a music video directed by Hype Williams in Spain. Although American and British music magazines predicted it would experience success on major record charts, its performance in those countries was restricted to the US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 and UK club charts due to the absence of a commercial release. It fared better in mainland Europe, where it charted in the top twenty on Dutch, German, and Swiss record charts. In reviewing "Sweetheart", music critics focused on Carey's vocal performance, Dupri's rapping style, and the cover's perceived sexual nature.

Rainy Davis original

"Sweetheart"
Single by Rainy Davis
from the album Sweetheart
Released1986
Genre
Length6:56
Label SuperTronics
Songwriter(s)
  • Denise L. Davis
  • Pete Warner
Producer(s)
  • Warner
  • Davis
  • Dorothy Kessler
Rainy Davis singles chronology
"Sweetheart"
(1986)
"Lowdown So & So"
(1987)

"Sweetheart" is a freestyle, [1] hip hop pop, [2] and synth-funk [3] song recorded by American singer Rainy Davis from her debut album, Sweetheart (1987). [4] Davis and Pete Warner wrote the lyrics, composed the melody, and produced it with Dorothy Kessler. It was mixed by Tony Humphries. [5] SuperTronics, a Brooklyn-based independent record label, issued the song in early 1986. [6] [7] A representative from the label stated that the release was part of a strategy to expand beyond promoting songs made for dance clubs by finding and issuing ones suitable for radio airplay. [7] The radio edit has a runtime of three minutes and forty-seven seconds, and the 12-inch vinyl single is six minutes and fifty-six seconds long. [8] [9]

"Sweetheart" appeared on R&B and dance music-based record charts in the United States. According to a 2020 Billboard article, it experienced minor success on the former. [3] The song peaked at numbers twenty-three, twenty-four, and twenty-seven, respectively, on charts published by Cash Box , Billboard, and Radio & Records magazines. [10] [11] [12] Reflecting on its commercial performance, a writer for the Hartford Advocate newspaper described it as a "huge club/dance hit". [2] In 1986, "Sweetheart" ranked at number thirty-two on Billboard's year-end 12-inch Singles Sales chart. [13]

Critics commented on the song's production and Davis's vocals. Upon its single release in 1986, Billboard published several reviews. The magazine as a whole described it as "rhythmically intricate", [9] dance writer Brian Chin favored the song's "unpressured beat and nice overall polish", [6] and R&B writer Nelson George compared Davis's vocals to those of Lisa Lisa on Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam's "I Wonder If I Take You Home". [2] Writing for the Hartford Advocate in 1987, George Lane named it the best song on Sweetheart for its restrained production which he thought showcased her voice well. [4]

1986 US weekly chart performance
Chart (Publisher)Peak
position
12-inch Singles Sales ( Billboard ) [11] 13
Club Play ( Billboard ) [11] 42
Hot Black Singles ( Billboard ) [11] 24
12-inch Dance Singles ( Cash Box ) [14] 15
Black Contemporary ( Cash Box ) [10] 23
Black/Urban ( Radio & Records ) [12] 27
1986 US year-end chart performance
Chart (Publisher)Peak
position
12 Inch Singles Sales (Billboard) [13] 32

Jermaine Dupri and Mariah Carey version

"Sweetheart"
Sweetheart Mariah Carey.png
Single by Jermaine Dupri and Mariah Carey
from the album Life in 1472 and #1's
ReleasedSeptember 7, 1998
Studio
Genre
Length4:22
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Jermaine Dupri singles chronology
"Money Ain't a Thang"
(1998)
"Sweetheart"
(1998)
"Going Home with Me"
(1998)

Charts

Notes

  1. Attributed to Vincent Stephens in Popular Music and Society, [25] Ron Rollins of the Dayton Daily News , [50] and the Bristol Post . [51]
  2. Attributed to Jeff Hall of the Camden Courier-Post and Natalie Nichols of the Los Angeles Times . [24] [54]
  3. By Larry Flick of Billboard, [1] Vivian Host of the Dallas Morning News , [55] and David Browne of Entertainment Weekly , [26] respectively.
  4. By Vivian Host of the Dallas Morning News [55] and Brian McCollum of the Detroit Free Press , [56] respectively.
  5. When "Sweetheart" was released, Carey had a streak of five consecutive number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 dating back to 1995. [63]

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