Open Arms

"Open Arms" is a song by American rock band Journey. It was released as a single from their 1981 album, Escape. Co-written by band members Steve Perry and Jonathan Cain, the song is a power ballad whose lyrics are an empowering plea to a lover to forgive past wrongdoings and agree to start anew. It is one of the band's most recognizable radio hits and their biggest US Billboard Hot 100 hit, reaching number two in February 1982 and holding that position for six weeks. 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. The single was released as the album's third single between late 1995 and early 1996 in most markets outside the United States, since the immensely popular original was still firmly engrained in the public consciousness there. It became a #4 hit in the United Kingdom and was performed live on the BBC's flagship chart television show, Top of the Pops. It also charted in the top ten in Ireland and New Zealand, and at #15 in the Netherlands. 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. (wiki)