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.

Music videos

Two music videos were made for "Fade into You". The first was directed by Kevin Kerslake and premiered on MTV in late October 1993, several weeks after the album's release. 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, and 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.

The second music video was directed by Merlyn Rosenberg and first aired in February 1994. 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. Only the latter music video was broadcast internationally.

Track listings

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

Charts

Certifications

Release history

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 and Starship Troopers. The song was used in several films and television shows in 2022, such as Showtime's Yellowjackets, Netflix's Virgin River, Hulu's Dopesick and Amazon Prime Video's Catherine Called Birdy.

References