"Never Forget You" is a song performed by American singer

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whi ...

. It was co-written by Carey and

Babyface Babyface or Baby Face can refer to: Nicknames * Lester Joseph Gillis a.k.a. Baby Face Nelson, an infamous 1930s bank robber * Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette (1933–1971), an American hard bop and soul-jazz musician * "Baby Face", Jimmy McLarnin ...

. It was produced by Carey, Babyface, and

Daryl Simmons Daryl L. Simmons is an American R&B musician, songwriter and record producer, who worked with the production duo of L.A. Reid and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds. In 1977–1980 Daryl, with Manchild (band) recorded 2 soul & funk albums & the minor h ...

for Carey's third studio album, ''

Music Box A music box (American English) or musical box (British English) is an automatic musical instrument in a box that produces musical notes by using a set of pins placed on a revolving cylinder or disc to pluck the tuned teeth (or ''lamellae'') ...

'' (1993). It was released as the third single from ''Music Box'' in the first quarter of 1994 on January 18 by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

, as a double A-side with a cover of

Badfinger Badfinger were a Welsh rock band formed in Swansea, who were active from the 1960s to the 1980s. Their best-known lineup consisted of Pete Ham (vocals, guitar), Mike Gibbins (drums), Tom Evans (bass), and Joey Molland (guitar). They are recog ...

's " Without You". A month later, it was released as the album's fourth single on February 22, 1994. Lyrically, the song's protagonist describes her ex-lover and although they have since moved on, she will never forget them. The song was remixed for single release by

Jermaine Dupri Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, record executive, entrepreneur, and DJ. Early life Jermaine Dupri Mauldin was born on September 23, 1972, the son of Tina (Mosley) and Michael ...

, who has since collaborated with Carey on several tracks on almost all her albums since ''

Daydream Daydreaming is the stream of consciousness that detaches from current, external tasks when attention drifts to a more personal and internal direction. This phenomenon is common in people's daily life shown by a large-scale study in which partici ...

'' (1995). No music video was commissioned for the song, making it Carey's first commercially released single not to be accompanied by a video.

Chart performance

At the time of the single's release in the U.S. as "Without You/Never Forget You," ''

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'' magazine's rules allowed double-sided singles to chart together as one entry on the singles chart. A song that picked up the most airplay and/or sales for the respective chart was listed as the A-side. On the U.S. pop charts, it was listed as "Without You/Never Forget You" and reached number three on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, remaining in the top forty for 21 weeks. The maxi-single of "Never Forget You" was only released in the United States and promoted to

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radio audiences, charting as the A-side when it appeared on the R&B charts. As "Never Forget You/Without You," it reached the top ten on ''Billboards

Hot R&B Singles The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

chart primarily due to sales, and the

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certified it

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Critical reception

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 music ...

from ''

'' described "Never Forget You" as a "softly rhythmic pop/ R&B slow jam, equipped with a deliciously catchy chorus and wonderful booming instrumentation." He added, "Carey's vocal is sweetly sincere as she ponders a love affair that has come to an end. Another sparkling moment from the diva's current ''

'' opus." Bill Speed and John Martinucci from the ''

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'' called it "a

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

that puts you into a sentimental mood before you can say "I like this.""

Remixes and other versions

's R&B remixes of the song are included on its maxi-single release. A radio edit, an extended version and the instrumental version of the remix replace Babyface's original production with a new, pulsating synthetic R&B rhythm. The instrumental version was used on Carey's episode of ''

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''. The song has been covered by a Japanese R&B singer

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and is featured on her greatest hits album ''10 Years Best: We R&B''. On August 7, 2020, along with the celebration of the 30th-anniversary of Carey's debut studio album ''

'' (1990), the song was released as a three-track

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

, titled ''Never Forget You EP'', which contained the remixes from the US CD maxi-single – excluding the song's album version and the track "Without You".

Track listing

* U.S. CD maxi-single #"Never Forget You" (Radio Edit) – 3:38 #"Never Forget You" (Extended) – 5:19 #"Never Forget You" (Album Version) – 3:48 #"Never Forget You" (Instrumental) – 3:35 #"Without You" (Album Version) – 3:33 * Never Forget You EP #"Never Forget You" (Radio Edit) – 3:38 #"Never Forget You" (Extended) – 5:19 #"Never Forget You" (Instrumental) – 3:35

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

References

{{authority control 1990s ballads 1994 singles Mariah Carey songs Pop ballads Contemporary R&B ballads Songs written by Mariah Carey Songs written by Babyface (musician) Song recordings produced by Babyface (musician) Song recordings produced by Daryl Simmons 1993 songs Columbia Records singles Sony Music singles Songs about loneliness