Mr. Vain

"Mr. Vain"
Single by Culture Beat
from the album Serenity
B-side	Remix
Released	16 April 1993
Format	CD single CD maxi
Recorded	1992
Genre	Eurodance[1]
Length	5:37
Label	Dance Pool
Writer(s)	Steven Lewis (Stephan Zick) Nosie Katzmann Jay Supreme
Producer(s)	Torsten Fenslau
Certification	see below
Culture Beat singles chronology
"No Deeper Meaning" (1991) "Mr. Vain" (1993) "Got to Get It" (1993)
Audio sample file info · help Alternative cover CD maxi - Remixes

"Mr. Vain" is a song by German Eurodance group Culture Beat. It was released in April 1993 as the lead single from the album Serenity. The song achieved huge success worldwide, reaching number-one in Australia, Austria, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. It also spent ten weeks at number one on the RPM Dance chart in Canada.

Background and chart performances

Written by Steven Levis, Nosie Katzmann and Jay Supreme and produced by Torsten Fenslau and Peter Zweier, "Mr. Vain" was 1993's best-selling single across Europe. Typical of the Eurodance style of the time, the song first broke in Germany before breaking more widely through the summer, eventually topping the chart in twelve countries. It reached number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned a gold disc. Mr. Vain also peaked at number two for two weeks on the American dance charts.^[2] Tania Evans is the female singer in "Mr. Vain" and the rapper is Jay Supreme.

It first entered the charts in the United Kingdom in late July 1993 at number 24 climbing to number one for the week ending 28 August 1993, at times it was selling twice as much its nearest challenger "It Keeps Rainin'" by Bitty McLean during its 4 week reign at the top.^[3] It spent a total of 15 weeks on the chart and was the tenth biggest selling single in Britain in 1993.

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

Track listings

CD maxi-single (Germany, 1993) "Mr. Vain" (Vain Mix) – 6:35 "Mr. Vain" (Decent Mix) – 7:06 "Mr. Vain" (Special Radio Edit) – 4:17 CD maxi-single – Remix (Germany, 1993) "Mr. Vain" (Mr. House) – 6:18 Remixed By: Doug Laurent "Mr. Vain" (Mr. Rave) – 6:42 Remixed By: Doug Laurent "Mr. Vain" (Mr. Trance) – 6:20 Remixed By: Doug Laurent "Mr. Vain" (Mr. Hardcore) – 6:37 Remixed By: Doug Laurent CD maxi-single (USA, 1993) "Mr. Vain" (Radio Edit) – 4:17 "Mr. Vain" (Intense Radio Edit) – 3:52 "Mr. Vain" (Vain Mix) – 6:35 "Mr. Vain" (Mr. Intense) – 5:28 "Mr. Vain" (Mr. Hardcore) – 6:38 Remixed By: Doug Laurent

Vinyl 12" (USA, 1993) "Mr. Vain" (Vain Mix) – 6:35 "Mr. Vain" (Mr. Club) – 6:39 "Mr. Vain" (Mr. Intense) – 5:28 "Mr. Vain" (Mr. Liebrand) – 5:40 "Mr. Vain" (Mr. Hardcore) – 6:38 CD single – Promo (USA, 1993) "Mr. Vain" (Lone Star Edit) – 3:30 CD maxi-single – Remix (Japan, 1996) "Mr. Vain" (FM 802 Rock Kids 802 Mix) – 4:25 "Mr. Vain" (Hyper Rave Mix) – 5:32 "Mr. Vain" (Tribal Mix) – 4:47 "Anything" – 6:26 "Mr. Vain" (Album Version) – 5:39 "Culture Beat Mega Mix" – 6:38 CD maxi-single – (UK, 1993) "Mr. Vain" (Special Radio Edit) – 4:17 "Mr. Vain" (Vain Mix) – 6:35 "(Cherry Lips) Der Erdbeermund" (Single Version) – 4:05 "I Like You" (Single Version) – 3:58

Charts and sales

Weekly charts Original version Chart (1993–94) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[4] 1 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[5] 1 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[6] 1 Belgium (VRT Top 30 Flanders)[7] 1 Canada Dance/Urban (RPM)[8] 1 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[9] 40 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[10] 1 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[11] 1 France (SNEP)[12] 3 Germany (Official German Charts)[13] 1 Ireland (IRMA)[14] 1 Italy (FIMI)[15] 1 Japan (Oricon)[16] 10 Japan (Oricon)^1[16] 6 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[17] 1 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[18] 1 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[19] 10 Norway (VG-lista)[20] 1 Spain (AFYVE)[21] 3 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[22] 2 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[23] 1 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)^2[24] 10 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[25] 1 US Billboard Hot 100[26] 17 US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[26] 2 US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales[26] 5 US Billboard Rhythmic Top 40[26] 20 US Billboard Top 40 Mainstream[26] 11 US Cash Box[27] 15 ^1 Mr. Vain Remix! (Japanese mini album) ^2 Remix "Mr. Vain Recall" version Chart (2003) Peak position Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[28] 8 Denmark (Tracklisten)[29] 46 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[30] 20 Germany (Media Control Charts)[31] 7 Hungary (Dance Top 40)[32] 7 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[33] 66 Romania (Romanian Top 100)[34] 40 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[35] 30 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[36] 46 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[37] 51

Year-end charts Chart (1993) Position Australia (ARIA)[38] 16 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[39] 10 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[40] 5 Canada (RPM Top 50 Dance Tracks)[41] 1 Italy (FIMI)[42] 17 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[43] 6 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[44] 13 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[45] 11 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[46] 10 Chart (1994) Position US Billboard Hot 100[47] 76 Certifications and sales Region Certification Sales/shipments Australia (ARIA)[48] Platinum 70,000 Austria (IFPI Austria)[49] Gold 25,000 France (SNEP)[50] Silver 142,000[51] Germany (BVMI)[52] 3× Gold 750,000 Norway (IFPI Norway)[53] Platinum 10,000 Sweden (GLF)[54] Gold 25,000 Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[55] Gold 25,000 United Kingdom (BPI)[56] Gold 400,000 United States (RIAA)[57] Gold 500,000 ^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone ^xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Covers and samples

• One of the song's original writers, Nosie Katzmann, recorded a new country version of the tune.
• A lounge version was recorded by Axel Boys Quartet.
• Premiere & Co. released a cover featuring Marquise in 1993.^[58]
• Australian rapper Nathan Jolly released a cover version in 1998 on his second studio album, Who Dat?
• The Pet Shop Boys covered the song during a live performance in Rio de Janeiro, as part of their 1994 "Discovery" Tour.^[59] The cover was performed in the middle of "One in a million".
• Culture Beat released a new version of the song in 2003 which was renamed "Mr. Vain Recall".
• In 2011, Katerina Graham posted a cover of the track on her YouTube page.

References

1. Birchmeier, Jason. "Culture Beat – Artist Biography". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
2. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 67.
3. Music Week, 4 September
4. "Australian-charts.com – Culture Beat – Mr. Vain". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
5. "Austriancharts.at – Culture Beat – Mr. Vain" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
6. "Ultratop.be – Culture Beat – Mr. Vain" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
7. "Radio 2 Top 30 : 4 september 1993" (in Dutch). Top 30. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
8. "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 2218." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
9. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2305." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 12 May 2015.
10. "Hits of the World". Billboard 105 (36): 49. 4 September 1993. ISSN 0006-2510.
11. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin - levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-9-5112-1053-5.
12. "Lescharts.com – Culture Beat – Mr. Vain" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
13. "Offiziellecharts.de – Culture Beat – Mr. Vain". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
14. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Mr Vain". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
15. "SINGOLI – I NUMERI UNO (1959-2006) (parte 4: 1990-1996)" (in Italian). It-charts.150m.com. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
16. カルチャー・ビートのヒストリー (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
17. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Culture Beat - Mr. Vain search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
18. "Dutchcharts.nl – Culture Beat – Mr. Vain" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
19. "Charts.org.nz – Culture Beat – Mr. Vain". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
20. "Norwegiancharts.com – Culture Beat – Mr. Vain". VG-lista. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
21. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
22. "Swedishcharts.com – Culture Beat – Mr. Vain". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
23. "Swisscharts.com – Culture Beat – Mr. Vain". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
24. "hitparade.ch – Culture Beat – Mr. Vain (Remix)". Hitparade.ch. Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
25. "Archive Chart: 1993-08-28" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
26. "Culture Beat – Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
27. CASH BOX Top 100 Pop Singles – Week ending JANUARY 22, 1994 at the Wayback Machine (archived 10 October 2012). Cash Box magazine. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
28. "Austriancharts.at – Culture Beat – Mr. Vain Recall" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
29. "Danishcharts.com – Culture Beat – Mr. Vain Recall". Tracklisten. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
30. "Culture Beat: Mr Vain Recall" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
31. "Single – Culture Beat, Mr. Vain Recall" (in German). Officialcharts.de. GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
32. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Dance Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
33. "dutchcharts.nl – Culture Beat – Mr. Vain Recall" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
34. (Romanian) Arhiva romanian top 100 – Editia 34, saptamina 1.09-7.09, 2003 at the Wayback Machine (archived 9 January 2005). Romanian Top 100. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
35. "Swedishcharts.com – Culture Beat – Mr. Vain Recall". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
36. "Swisscharts.com – Culture Beat – Mr. Vain Recall". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
37. "Culture Beat: Artist Chart History" Official Charts Company. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
38. "ARIA Charts - End Of Year Charts – Top 50 Singles 1993". ARIA Charts. ARIA. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
39. "Jahreshitparade 1993" (in German). Austriancharts.at. Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
40. "Jaaroverzichten 1993" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
41. "Dance/Urban – Volume 58, No. 23, December 18, 1993". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
42. "I singoli più venduti del 1993" (in Italian). Hit Parade Italia. Creative Commons. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
43. "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1993" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
44. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1993" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
45. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1993" (in German). Hitparade.ch. Hung Medien. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
46. "Chart Archive – 1990s Singles". everyHit.com. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
47. "Top 100 Hits for 1994". The Longbored Surfer. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
48. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
49. "Austrian single certifications – Culture Beat – Mr. Vain" (in German). IFPI Austria. Enter Culture Beat in the field Interpret. Enter Mr. Vain in the field Titel. Select single in the field Format. Click Suchen
50. "French single certifications – Culture Beat – Mr. Vain" (in French). InfoDisc. Select CULTURE BEAT and click OK
51. "Les Singles en Argent" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
52. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Culture Beat; 'Mr. Vain')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
53. IFPI Norsk platebransje at the Wayback Machine (archived 5 November 2012). IFPI Norway. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
54. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden.
55. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Culture Beat; 'Mr. Vain')". Hung Medien.
56. "British single certifications – Culture Beat – Mr. Vain". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Mr. Vain in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
57. "American single certifications – Culture Beat – Mr. Vain". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
58. Various – Best of Techno Power at the Wayback Machine (archived 21 July 2011). Music-db.org. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
59. "Pet shop boys sing CULTURE BEAT". YouTube. Retrieved 23 January 2014.

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics