“Love Takes Time” was a last-minute addition to Mariah's 1990 debut album. “I wrote ‘Love Takes Time’ after the album had already been completed.” Mariah told Perry Stern in 1990. “I wrote it with Ben Margulies, my songwriting partner, and we just threw it down on tape thinking it would be for my second album. I played it for Don Ienner, Tommy Mottola and Bobby Colomby after one of my shows and they all flipped out and said, ‘This is a number-one record — we've got to stop and put it on this album!’ ”
The song was produced by Walter Afanasieff, who would later become Mariah's songwriting partner. “Tommy [Mottola] called me up one day and said, ‘We've got this Mariah Carey album done, but there's a song that she and Ben Margulies wrote that is phenomenal, and I want to try everything we can to put it on the album,” Afanasieff told Billboard. “We cut the song and the music and the basics in about a day. We got the tape and recorded everything and we went to New York and did her vocals. She did all the backgrounds, practically sang all night. It was a three-day process: a day and a half for music, kind of like a day for vocals, and a day for mixing.”
“It was on a work tape that we had and we recorded a very quick demo. It was just a piano vocal demo — I played live piano and she sang it.” Margulies added. “On some of the original first copies of the record, they didn't have time to print the name of the song. It was a song that actually was strong enough to stop the pressing. I don't know if they had to throw away a few hundred copies.”
The effort was worth it. “Love Takes Time” was released as a single on September 11, 1990, and became Mariah's second number-one song on the Billboard Hot 100. “Love Takes Time” spent three weeks atop the chart, making Mariah the first act in nearly three decades whose two first singles spent three or more weeks at number one. On August 31, 2023, it was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, denoting shipments of over 1,000,000 units.
| Song | Remix | Run time |
|---|---|---|
| Love Takes Time | Radio Version |
3:49 |
The music video for “Love Takes Time” was directed by Jeb Brien and Wayne Maser and filmed in July 1990 in Venice, CA. “When we shot that video it rained about every ten minutes and each time I would get in position to do the take it would start raining and it was really, really annoying!” Mariah said about the video shoot. “I spent most of the time preparing for the video in the trailer for like seven hours. But, all in all, it turned out pretty well.”
“Love Takes Time” was released on Cassette in the United States, including “Sent From Up Above” as the B-side.
In Europe, the “Love Takes Time” Single, including “Sent From Up Above” as the bonus track, was released on 3" CD and 7" Vinyl. The Maxi Single adds “Vanishing” as the third track and was available on 3" CD and 12" Vinyl.
Released in the United Kingdom on October 29, 1990, the “Love Takes Time” Single, including “Vanishing” as the B-side, was released on Cassette and 7" vinyl. The Maxi Single, which also contains the song “You Need Me,” was available on CD and 12" Vinyl. A second Maxi single, released on a 5" Picture Disc CD, also includes the song “Vision Of Love”
In Australia, “Love Takes Time” was released on CD, Cassette and 7" Vinyl, including “Sent From Up Above” as the bonus track.
Japan saw the release of “Love Takes Time” on 3" CD on October 21, 1990. The Single also includes the song “Sent From Up Above.”
I had it all
But I let it slip away
Couldn't see I treated you wrong
Now I wander around
Feeling down and cold
Trying to believe that you're gone
Love takes time
To heal when you're hurting so much
Couldn't see that I was blind
To let you go
I can't escape the pain
Inside
Cause love takes time
I don't wanna be here
I don't wanna be here alone
Losing my mind
From this hollow in my heart
Suddenly I'm so incomplete
Lord I'm needing you now
Tell me how to stop the rain
Tears are falling down endlessly
Love takes time
To heal when you're hurting so much
Couldn't see that I was blind
To let you go
I can't escape the pain
Inside
Cause love takes time
And I don't wanna be here
I don't wanna be here alone
You might say that it's over
You might say that you don't care
You might say you don't miss me
You don't need me
But I know that you do
And I feel that you do
Inside
Love takes time
To heal when you're hurting so much
Couldn't see that I, I was so blind
To let you go
I can't escape the pain
Inside
Cause love takes time
And I don't wanna be there
I don't wanna be there alone
Written by Mariah Carey, Ben Margulies.
Produced by Walter Afanasieff.
