Love Takes Time by Mariah Carey

"Love Takes Time" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was written by Carey and Ben Margulies, and was produced by Walter Afanasieff for Carey's debut studio album Mariah Carey (1990). It was released as the album's second single on July 9, 1990 through CBS Records. It was the first of several adult contemporary-influenced Carey ballads to be released as a single, and its protagonist laments the loss of a lover and confesses that "love takes time" to heal and that their feelings for their ex-lover remain. Carey quickly recorded the song at the very last minute prior to when her debut album was already "completed" and being processed for release. She played the "Love Takes Time" demo to CBS Records former CEO Don Ienner while on an airplane. Ienner and other officials immediately insisted the song be included on her upcoming album, even though the album was already going through final stages of completion and Carey wanted to save "Love Takes Time" for her sophomore effort. Eventually the song made the cut to the album as the closing track, although it was famously not seen on the track listing of early pressings of the album. Re-issues of the album correct this error. "Love Takes Time" was well received by music critics and went to become another success very similar to her debut single "Vision of Love" in the United States and Canada. It became her second number-one single in the United States on its ninth week, attaining the position for three weeks. However, it failed to match the foreign success of "Vision of Love", this time charting weakly in Europe, Australia and the United Kingdom. A music video was provided for the song, filmed in black and white at a beach. "Love Takes Time" has been included on Carey's compilation album Greatest Hits (2001), as well as #1 to Infinity (2015), among others. "Love Takes Time" was heavily promoted in the US, being performed live on shows such as The Arsenio Hall Show, Mariah's Thanksgiving NBC Special and The Des O'Connor Show. She performed the song live at various locations during late 1990, such as the Music Box Tour, her Number 1's tour in Las Vegas (2015-2017) and on selected dates of her ongoing residency, The Butterfly Returns (2018). Most recently performed on select dates on her recent tour Caution World Tour (2019).