Almost Home (Mariah Carey song) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids "Almost Home"
Single by Mariah Carey
from the album Oz the Great and Powerful soundtrack
Released	February 19, 2013 (2013-02-19)
Recorded	2013
Studio	Roc the Mic Studios, New York City
Genre	Pop electropop R&B
Length	3:48
Label	Walt Disney Island
Songwriter(s)	Mariah Carey Simone Porter Justin Gray Lindsey Ray Tor Erik Hermansen Mikkel Eriksen
Producer(s)	Mariah Carey Stargate
Mariah Carey singles chronology
"Triumphant (Get 'Em)" (2012) "Almost Home" (2013) "#Beautiful" (2013)

"Almost Home" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey. It is the main track from the 2013 Walt Disney Pictures film Oz the Great and Powerful. Commissioned by Disney, Simone Porter, Justin Gray, and Lindsey Ray wrote the bulk of the record. When Carey signed on to sing the song, she and Stargate's Tor Erik Hermansen and Mikkel Eriksen would later change it a bit and ultimately, complete it. On February 6, 2013, it was announced that Mariah Carey had recorded the song for the Disney film with production team Stargate, and that it would be released through digital download on February 19, 2013.

The song delivers an inspirational message, "Almost Home" has received generally favorable reviews from music critics, many of whom praised the vocal performance of Carey, calling it a "return" to her sound of the 1990s after the lukewarm reviews given to her recent releases, including "Triumphant (Get 'Em)" (2012). Following the announcement of the single, it was revealed that Carey had recorded an accompanying music video for it with David LaChapelle. The video premiered on March 8, 2013, the same day Oz the Great and Powerful was released theatrically.

Background and composition

On February 6, 2013, it was revealed that Carey was working with Stargate on a song titled "Almost Home", as the lead single from the soundtrack album for the movie Oz the Great and Powerful, with the singer saying in a statement that the song has "a message that works beautifully with the film. It's a feel-good record; it gives you the feeling of reaching your home and being with people that you love." Carey has since stated that she dislikes the song. The song was recorded in New York City at Roc The Mic Studios, and released in a partnership between Def Jam Recordings and Disney Music Group for the promotional campaign for the movie. The single's artwork was unveiled through Carey's Instagram account on February 14, 2013, with the single itself being released on February 19, 2013. However, it leaked the day before.

A pop song, "Almost Home" contains elements of other music genres such as R&B, hip hop and EDM. Carey delivers an inspirational message with the song, and, as described by Jocelyn Vena of MTV, the singer's placed "right in the mythical land from the famed movie", singing during the chorus, "When you're almost there / And you're almost home / Just open up your eyes and go / When you're almost there / Almost home / Know you're not alone / You're almost home."

The song is performed in the key of B♭ major in common time with a tempo of 87 beats per minute. For the final chorus, the song's key shifts up one semitone to B major. Carey's vocal range spans from F₃ to E₅ in the song.

Commercial performance

In France, the song managed to peak at number 185. The song sold 19,000 digital downloads in its debut week in the United States. Despite the weak performance, "Almost Home" managed to peak within the top 20 on the R&B Songs and the Adult Contemporary charts at number 18 and 20 respectively. In Lebanon, the song peaked at number 10, becoming the artist's first top 10 hit in the country.

Music video

Synopsis and background

Following the announcement of the single, it was revealed that Carey had recorded an accompanying music video for it with David LaChapelle, who previously directed the music video for Carey's "Loverboy" (2001). On February 19, 2013, a teaser of the video was aired on Good Morning America. The video premiered on March 8, 2013 at Carey's VEVO channel, the same day Oz the Great and Powerful hit theaters. LaChapelle captures the singer belting the Stargate co-produced song, alone, while donning a beautiful black gown. The photographer-director incorporates footage from the fantasy feature throughout the 3+1⁄2-minute-long visual.

Accolades

Track listing

Digital download

1. "Almost Home" – 3:47

Credits and personnel

Recording

• Recorded at Roc the Mic Studios, New York City

Personnel

• Mariah Carey: Lead vocalist, singer, songwriter, producer.
• Justin Gray: Writer, producer
• Lindsey Ray: singer, songwriter
• Mikkel Storleer Eriksen & Tor Erik Hermansen: Record producers, songwriters
• Simon Porter: songwriter.
• Production, instruments, programming – Def Jam, Disney Music Group

Charts

Certifications and sales

See also

In Spanish: Almost Home para niños