Mr. Vain

"Mr. Vain" is a song by the German group Culture Beat, released as the lead single from their second studio album Serenity (1993). It was written by Steven Levis, Nosie Katzmann and Jay Supreme, and produced by Torsten Fenslau. Tania Evans is the lead vocalist and Supreme is the rapper. The song achieved huge success worldwide, reaching number-one in at least 12 countries. In the United States, it peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 2 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. The song earned an award at the German Echo Award in 1994, in the category for "Best International Dance Single".[3]

"Mr. Vain"
Standard CD single
Single by Culture Beat
from the album Serenity
Released1993
Genre
Length5:37
LabelDance Pool
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Torsten Fenslau
Culture Beat singles chronology
"No Deeper Meaning"
(1991)		 "Mr. Vain"
(1993)		 "Got to Get It"
(1993)
Audio sample
  • file
  • help

Critical reception

AllMusic editor William Cooper called the song an "engaging house tune". He compared it to Snap!'s "Rhythm Is a Dancer" and Real McCoy's "Another Night" with its "instantly memorable keyboard hook".[2] Larry Flick from Billboard described it as a "chirpy rave/NRG track". He stated that "if its European chart success is a fair indicator", then the song "will be all the rage within minutes."[4] Nicole Leedham from The Canberra Times noted Culture Beat's "combination of soul, insightful lyrics and dance floor-friendly music".[5] Columbia Daily Spectator stated that "near-indiscernible rapping over a pulsing techno beat and an unforgettable synth line" make the song "the quintessential '90s dance track."[6] Tom Ewing from Freaky Trigger wrote that "Mr. Vain" "heads straight for the dark heart of the club, sketching a dancefloor predator who – like Ebeneezer Goode – is as much metaphor as character. For drugs, lust, loss of control – who knows? The lyrics' almost-there English works to the song's benefit – there's an awkward poetry to "Call him Mr Raider, call him Mr Wrong" – and for once the obligatory rap isn't an embarrassment, with Jay Supreme's gloating, bassy flow reminding me of knowingly devilish Chicago house classics like "Your Only Friend". "Mr Vain" is the hustling flipside to "All That She Wants", and almost as good a pop record."[7] Pop Rescue noted the song as "fantastically catchy" in their review of the Serenity album.[8]

Chart performance

"Mr. Vain" was one of the best-selling singles across Europe of 1993. It first broke in Germany before breaking more widely through the summer, eventually topping the charts in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100. In the UK, the song hit the top spot in its fourth week at the UK Singles Chart, on August 22, 1993.[9] The single spent four weeks at the top of the chart and sold over 442,000 copies in the UK.[10] Outside Europe, it peaked at number-one in Australia, on the RPM Dance/Urban Chart in Canada and in Zimbabwe. In the United States, the single reached number 17 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and earned a gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). "Mr. Vain" also peaked at number two for two weeks on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.[11] It charted also in Japan. The song also earned a gold record in Austria, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK, while it received a silver record in France. It was also awarded a 3× gold record in Germany, with a sale of 750,000 units, and a platinum record in Australia and Norway.

"Mr. Vain" is notable in the UK as it was the first number-one single not to be available as a 7" vinyl single since the 1950s and heralded the demise of the 7" single as a mass market medium.

Music video

The music video for "Mr. Vain" was directed by Matt Broadley.[12]

Impact and legacy

The German Echo Award honored the song with an award in the category for "Best International Dance Single" in 1994.[3]

MTV Dance ranked "Mr. Vain" at number 65 in their list of The 100 Biggest 90's Dance Anthems of All Time in November 2011.[13]

The Guardian picked "Mr. Vain" in their Sounds of Germany: a history of German pop in 10 songs in 2012. They wrote, "Culture Beat's glorious Mr Vain, with its rollicking beat, diva vocals and stilted rapping, comes as close as anything to summarising the spirit of the genre."[14]

Australian music channel Max placed "Mr. Vain" at number 732 in their list of 1000 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2012.[15]

In their The ABC in Eurodance in 2016, Finnish broadcaster Yle noted, "If someone could look up "The archetypal Eurodance hit song" in an Encyclopedia there would probably be a link to an audio file for "Mr Vain" - a song that more than anyone else came to define the 90's dance music."[16]

BuzzFeed listed the song number 17 in their The 101 Greatest Dance Songs Of the '90s list in 2017.[17]

Covers and samples
  • One of the song's original writers, Nosie Katzmann, recorded a new country version of the song.

Track listing and formats
  • CD maxi single (Germany, 1993)
  1. "Mr. Vain" (Vain Mix) – 6:35
  2. "Mr. Vain" (Decent Mix) – 7:06
  3. "Mr. Vain" (Special Radio Edit) – 4:17
  • CD maxi single – Remix (Germany, 1993)
  1. "Mr. Vain" (Mr. House) – 6:18
    • Remixed By: Doug Laurent
  2. "Mr. Vain" (Mr. Rave) – 6:42
    • Remixed By: Doug Laurent
  3. "Mr. Vain" (Mr. Trance) – 6:20
    • Remixed By: Doug Laurent
  4. "Mr. Vain" (Mr. Hardcore) – 6:37
    • Remixed By: Doug Laurent
  • CD maxi single (United States, 1993)
  1. "Mr. Vain" (Radio Edit) – 4:17
  2. "Mr. Vain" (Intense Radio Edit) – 3:52
  3. "Mr. Vain" (Vain Mix) – 6:35
  4. "Mr. Vain" (Mr. Intense) – 5:28
  5. "Mr. Vain" (Mr. Hardcore) – 6:38
    • Remixed By: Doug Laurent
  • 12" vinyl single (US, 1993)
  1. "Mr. Vain" (Vain Mix) – 6:35
  2. "Mr. Vain" (Mr. Club) – 6:39
  3. "Mr. Vain" (Mr. Intense) – 5:28
  4. "Mr. Vain" (Mr. Liebrand) – 5:40
  5. "Mr. Vain" (Mr. Hardcore) – 6:38
  • Cassette single (US, 1993)
  1. "Mr. Vain" (Radio Edit) – 4:17
  2. "Mr. Vain" (Radio Edit) (w/o Rap) – 4:17
  • CD single – Promo (US, 1993)
  1. "Mr. Vain" (Lone Star Edit) – 3:30
  • CD maxi single – (United Kingdom, 1993)
  1. "Mr. Vain" (Special Radio Edit) – 4:17
  2. "Mr. Vain" (Vain Mix) – 6:35
  3. "(Cherry Lips) Der Erdbeermund" (Single Version) – 4:05
  4. "I Like You" (Single Version) – 3:58
  • CD maxi single – Remix (Japan, 1996)
  1. "Mr. Vain" (FM 802 Rock Kids 802 Mix) – 4:25
  2. "Mr. Vain" (Hyper Rave Mix) – 5:32
  3. "Mr. Vain" (Tribal Mix) – 4:47
  4. "Anything" – 6:26
  5. "Mr. Vain" (Album Version) – 5:39
  6. "Culture Beat Mega Mix" – 6:38

Charts and certifications

See also

References
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  5. Leedham, Nicole (19 May 1994). "Everybody Dance Now". The Canberra Times. p. 27. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  6. Abrahamian, Atossa; Klopfer, John (21 October 2005). "From Dashboard to Dixie Chicks, Pop is More Than Just Pep". Columbia Daily Spectator. p. B5. Retrieved 15 March 2020.
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  15. "Top 1000 Greatest Songs of All Time – 2012". Max. 2012. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
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