“The Wind” is the closing track on Mariah's sophomore studio album, Emotions, released in 1991. Mariah wrote new lyrics on top of a 1954 instrumental jazz piece titled “The Wind,” originally performed by Chet Baker and written by Russell Freeman. “The song is a reflection on a lot of the young people who are dying of different things today,” Mariah told Steve Morse. “There's a lot of messed-up things happening in the world — AIDS and everything else. Actually, I never knew someone my age who died until a friend that I grew up with was recently killed in a drunk-driving accident, so I was kind of inspired by that, because it was the first time it was really real to me.”
The wind has taken you
You're free finally at peace
So still you lie
Leaving your cares behind
The pain is gone
Gone with the spirit in your eyes
Now you're wandering around
Above us
Looking downward
As we cry
You've flown into the wind
Escaping all the hurt within
Took to the sky
Leaving the world behind
So young to die
How could you let it all pass you by
And to the wind go so many dreams
That you held inside
Now you're just a memory
Burning in my mind
So young to die
How could you let life pass you by
And now you'll never know I loved you
And now you'll never know I cared
I really loved you
And now you'll never know
You'll only fade
Into the wind
New lyrics: Mariah Carey. Music: Russell Freeman.
Produced by Walter Afanasieff and Mariah Carey.
