"Send Me a Lover" is a song by American singer-songwriter

Taylor Dayne Taylor Dayne (born Leslie Wunderman; March 7, 1962) is an American singer who rose to fame after her first two albums ('' Tell It to My Heart'' and '' Can't Fight Fate'') were both certified 2× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of ...

. It was written by Rick Hahn and George Thatcher, and released on September 6, 1993 by

Arista Records Arista Records ( ) is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously a division of Bertelsmann Music G ...

, as the second single from her third album, '' Soul Dancing'' (1993). In the United States, it peaked at numbers 50 and 44 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and ''Cash Box'' Top 100, and number 19 on the

Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by stat ...

. In Canada, "Send Me a Lover" reached number 24 on the Top Singles chart and number eight on the Adult Contemporary chart. The song was originally recorded by Canadian singer

Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Power Ballads", Dion's powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works have had ...

in 1992, but her version remained unreleased until 1994. The accompanying music video was directed by Randee St. Nicholas and filmed in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Critical reception

Jose F. Promis from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

felt that the song "stands as one of Dayne's finest moments".

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the musi ...

from ''

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'' magazine declared it as "a heartbroken

power ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner. Balla ...

that will connect with anyone who has suffered from unrequited love. Bombastic production builds from soft to earth-shaking in the blink of an eye, and Taylor matches the arrangement with a performance that might shatter a glass or two. A better radio bet than the previous ' Can't Get Enough of Your Love'." Mike Joyce from ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' stated that one listen to ballads like "Send Me a Lover", "with stirring choruses, modulations, and melismatic twists, is enough to convince you that Dayne knows the ins and outs of the idiom."

Track listing

* US CD maxi-single # "Send Me a Lover" – 4:28 # " With Every Beat of My Heart" – 4:22 # " Love Will Lead You Back" – 4:37 # "If You Were Mine" – 5:01 # "Someone Like You" – 3:50

Charts

Release history

Celine Dion version

Canadian singer

recorded "Send Me a Lover" in 1992, but her version remained unreleased until 1994. The song was recorded during the ''

'' album sessions, and produced by

Humberto Gatica Humberto Gatica is a Chilean and American recording engineer, mixing engineer and record producer, best known for his work with Celine Dion, Chicago, Michael Jackson, Barbra Streisand, Andrea Bocelli, Josh Groban, Cher and Michael Bublé. Gatic ...

Background and release

Dion's recording, with heavily revised verses and slightly altered chorus lyrics, was offered to various benefit collections, mostly for women's causes. First it was released on the ''Kumbaya Album Nineteen Ninety Four'' (1994). All proceeds from this CD went to support

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

awareness and services. It also appeared on the ''In Between Dances'' (1995) (of which profits were given to research on

breast cancer Breast cancer is a cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a Breast lump, lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, Milk-rejection sign, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipp ...

), ''The Power of Peace'' (1996) (to celebrate the 50 years of CARA), and ''Women for Women, Vol. 2'' (1996) (another album to get funds for the research on breast cancer). "Send Me a Lover" was played on the adult contemporary radio since September 1996, as an album cut from ''The Power of Peace'', without an official single release.

Commercial performance

"Send Me a Lover" entered the US ''

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''s Adult Contemporary chart in November 1996 and peaked at number 16 in January 1997. It also entered the ''

Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...

chart in January 1997 and peaked at number 23 in the same month.