Fade Into You

"Fade into You" is a song by American alternative rock band Mazzy Star from their second studio album, '' So Tonight That I Might See'' (1993). The song was written by lyricist Hope Sandoval and composer David Roback, who also served as producer. The song reached number three on the US ''Billboard'' Modern Rock Tracks chart in 1994 and is Mazzy Star's only single to appear on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, peaking at number 44. The song also charted at number 48 on the UK Singles Chart and number three in Iceland.

In 2021, ''Rolling Stone'' ranked "Fade into You" at number 468 on its list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". ''Pitchfork'' included the song at number 19 on their list of the "Top 200 Tracks of the 90s". Australian alternative music radio station Triple J ranked the song the 32nd greatest of 1994. Evan Rytlewski of ''Pitchfork'' conferred the title of "the dreamiest single of the '90s" on the track.

Music videos

Two music videos were made for "Fade into You". The first was directed by Merlyn Rosenberg and premiered on MTV's late-night alternative rock program ''120 Minutes'' in October 1993, a few weeks after the album's release. Known as the Black and White version for its monochromic content throughout, the intentionally grainy, distorted footage shows the band performing in a darkened Burlesque-era ballroom, and is interspersed with footage of Sandoval and Roback at various sites around San Francisco, including the All Seasons Hotel (now the Crescent Hotel) and neighboring Stockton Street tunnel, coupled with genuine footage of the same sites shot in the 1930s.

The second music video was directed by Kevin Kerslake and first aired in March 1994. The video features the band performing in front of a projection screen depicting white clouds in a black sky, and is interlaced with slow-motion footage of the band in various locales in the Mojave Desert. The tree that can be seen in the video behind Sandoval could still be seen standing in 2024. It has the initials JC and SW carved into the tree in tribute to a deep connection of two of the bandmates. It is located just off of Route 66. Conversely, the old building seen in the video has decayed significantly and is partially collapsed, though it can still be found off of Interstate 40. Only the first music video was broadcast internationally.

Additionally, a recording of a live performance of the song, "Mazzy Star - Fade Into You , Live at Shoreline Amphitheatre (1994)", was uploaded to the Alt Vault YouTube page in 2021 and has accumulated over 31M views.

Track listings

All songs were written and composed by Hope Sandoval and David Roback except where noted.

* US and Australasian CD single (C2 7243 8 58121 2 5; 88114482)
# "Fade into You" – 4:52
# "I'm Gonna Bake My Biscuit" – 3:37
# "Under My Car" – 3:35
# "Bells Ring" (acoustic version) – 4:36

* US cassette single (4 km 7243 8 58286 4 5)
# "Fade into You" – 4:52
# "Halah" – 3:12

* UK CD single (CDCL 720)
# "Fade into You"
# " Blue Flower"
# "I'm Gonna Bake My Biscuit"

* UK 10-inch vinyl (10CL 720)
# "Fade into You"
# "Five String Serenade" (album version)
# "Under My Car"
# "Bells Ring" (acoustic version)

* Australian cassette single (8814484)
# "Fade into You" (LP version) – 4:52
# "I'm Gonna Bake My Biscuit" – 3:37

* US limited-edition in-store play CD (DPRO-79401)
# "Fade into You" (album version)
# " Into Dust" (live from MTV Europe)
# "Ride It On" (live from MTV Europe)
# "Ghost Highway" (live from MTV Europe)
# "Blue Light" (live from MTV Europe)
# "I'm Gonna Bake My Biscuit"
# "Under My Car"
# "Bells Ring" (acoustic version)
# "Fade into You"

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

Cover versions

* A cover version of the song by Natalie Wilde appears in the film '' Dreamland''.
* UK artist Emmy The Great included a cover version of the song on the re-release of her 2011 album ''Virtue''.
* Kelly Clarkson and Miley Cyrus covered the song during Clarkson's 2012 Stronger Tour.
* J Mascis covered the song on his "J's Black Friday 7"", released November 28, 2014.
* UK electronic artists Slab recorded a version of Fade Into You on the album ''Ripsnorter'' (1999).
* The Irish rock band Inhaler released a cover of the song in 2020.
* The Midwest emo band American Football released a cover of the song in 2021.
* Miley Cyrus covered it in her Tiny Desk (Home) concert in 2021.
* The Australian singer Mallrat released a cover of the song in 2022.
* Paolo Nutini & BBC Concert Orchestra performed a live cover in 2022.
* The American rock band Sponge released a cover of the song in 2024.
* The Australian alt rock band The Rubens released a cover of the song in 2024.
* American country musician Jackson Kayne released a cover of the song in 2024.
* A remake of this song was done by the band Run Run Run and was later remixed by Z-Trip.
* A version by Nena is on her cover album '' Cover Me''.
* A version by Flickerstick is on their live album ''Causing a Catastrophe''.
* American indie rock band Manchester Orchestra has covered the song as well.
* Richard X samples the song in "Into U" on his album ''Richard X Presents His X-Factor Vol. 1''.
* The side-project of ''Interpol'' singer Paul Banks, The Walkmen's Matt Barrick, Josh Kaufman, and Muzz covered the song in 2020.
* A solo piano vocal version by Ben Harper appears on the Sweetheart 2014 compilation. This version is also used at the end of Suits (American TV series) season 4 episode 15 "Intent"
UK online magazine, '' Far Out'', considers the covers by Mallrat, American Football, Inhaler, Muzz, and Paolo Nutini & BBC Concert Orchestra to be the "five best covers" of the track.

Usage in media

In 2013, ''Vulture'' named "Fade into You" the most overused song in film and television, giving examples such as ''Gilmore Girls'', '' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation'', ''The Following'', ''Psych'', ''Starship Troopers'' and End of Watch. The song was used in several additional films and television shows, such as '' American Horror Story: Hotel'', Showtime's '' Yellowjackets'', Netflix's ''Virgin River'', Hulu's '' Dopesick'' and Amazon Prime Video's '' Catherine Called Birdy''.

References

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1993 singles
1993 songs
Capitol Records singles
Mazzy Star songs
Music videos directed by Kevin Kerslake