Fade into You

"Fade into You"
Single by Mazzy Star
from the album So Tonight That I Might See
B-side
  • "I'm Gonna Bake My Biscuit"
  • "Under My Car"
  • "Bells Ring" (acoustic)
  • "Halah"
ReleasedSeptember 1993 (1993-09)
Genre
Length4:55
LabelCapitol
ComposerDavid Roback
LyricistHope Sandoval
ProducerDavid Roback
Mazzy Star singles chronology
"Five String Serenade"
(1993)		 "Fade into You"
(1993)		 "She's My Baby"
(1995)
Audio sample
Album version, as it appeared on So Tonight That I Might See

"Fade into You" is a song by American 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. It has also made several decade-best and all-time lists from publications such as Rolling Stone and Pitchfork. In 2025, the song eclipsed one billion plays on Spotify.

Reception

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". Listeners of Australian alternative music radio station Triple J ranked the song the 32nd greatest of 1994. Evan Rytlewski of Pitchfork conferred the title of "the dreamiest single of the '90s" on the track. In August 2025, United States far right politician and vice president JD Vance said that "Fade Into You" was probably his "favorite song of the entire 90s rock era." That November, the song reached over a billion plays on Spotify.

Paste named it one of the best 100 songs of the 1990s and said it "sounds the way nostalgia feels, velveteen and aching and lush, a weighted blanket for the soul. Hope Sandoval sings like she's half-asleep and heartbroken about it, every syllable trailing off into that slow-motion haze of slide guitar, brushed drums, and tambourine."

Music videos

Two music videos were made for "Fade into You". The first was directed by Merlyn Rosenberg and premiered on MTV's late-night alternative rock program 120 Minutes in October 1993, a few weeks after the album's release. 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)[when?] and neighboring Stockton Street tunnel, coupled with genuine footage of the same sites shot in the 1930s.

The second music video was directed by Kevin Kerslake and first aired in March 1994. 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. It has the initials JC and SW carved into the tree in tribute to a deep connection of two of the bandmates. It is located just off of Route 66.[citation needed] 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. Only the first music video was broadcast internationally.

Track listings

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

Charts

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "Fade into You"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) Gold 45,000‡
Italy (FIMI) Gold 50,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ) 4× Platinum 120,000‡
Portugal (AFP) Platinum 25,000‡
Spain (Promusicae) Gold 30,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI) Platinum 600,000‡
Streaming
Greece (IFPI Greece) 2× Platinum 4,000,000†

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
† Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Fade into You"
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States September 1993 Modern rock radio Capitol
April 1994 CD
United Kingdom August 15, 1994
  • 10-inch vinyl
  • CD
Australia October 10, 1994
  • CD
  • cassette

Cover versions

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, Psych, Starship Troopers and End of Watch. The song was used in several additional films and television shows, such as Yellowjackets, Virgin River, Dopesick, Catherine Called Birdy, and Off Campus.

References

  1. 1 2 Borzillo, Carrie (August 13, 1994). "Capital Catches a Rising Mazzy Star". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 33. p. 7. Capitol has been working the first single, 'Fade Into You,' since last September, but modern rock radio only began to show serious support in the last few months.
  2. ↑ Terich, Jeff (April 5, 2012). "10 Essential Dream Pop Albums". Treble. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 "The 50 Best Alt-Rock Love Songs". Spin. February 12, 2021.
  4. ↑ Moreland, Quinn (June 14, 2020). "Mazzy Star: So Tonight That I Might See Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  5. 1 2 Dirst, Andrew (March 6, 2026). "Gen Z Totally Missed The Point Behind These 5 Classic Hits That Went Viral". Grunge. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  6. 1 2 Armstrong, Sam (November 24, 2025). "Mazzy Star's 'Fade Into You' Joins The Spotify Billions Club". uDiscover Music. Retrieved March 10, 2026.
  7. ↑ "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. September 15, 2021. Retrieved July 3, 2022.
  8. ↑ "The Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s: 20-01". Pitchfork. September 3, 2010.
  9. ↑ "The Hottest 100 Archive: 1994". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. November 11, 2017. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  10. ↑ Pitchfork (September 28, 2022). "The 150 Best Albums of the 1990s". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 7, 2025.
  11. ↑ Eaton, Sabrina (August 15, 2025). "VP JD Vance reveals personal side: Magic cards, Mazzy Star, memes and ice cream". cleveland. Retrieved February 4, 2026.
  12. ↑ Casey Epstein-Gross. "The 100 greatest songs of the 1990s". Paste.
  13. ↑ "MTV 120 Minutes" (PDF). Gavin Report. November 5, 1993. p. 44.
  14. ↑ "MTV 120 Minutes + Dreamtime (March 20, 1994)". YouTube. March 20, 1994. Retrieved April 7, 2025.
  15. ↑ Fade into You (US CD single liner notes). Capitol Records. 1994. C2 7243 8 58121 2 5.
  16. ↑ Fade into You (Australasian CD single liner notes). Capitol Records. 1994. 88114482.
  17. ↑ Fade into You (US cassette single sleeve). Capitol Records. 1994. 4KM 7243 8 58286 4 5.
  18. ↑ Fade into You (UK CD single liner notes). Capitol Records. 1994. CDCL 720, 7243 8 81534 2 3.
  19. ↑ Fade into You (UK 10-inch vinyl sleeve). Capitol Records. 1994. 10CL 720, 7243 8 81534 0 9.
  20. ↑ Fade into You (Australian cassette single sleeve). Capitol Records. 1994. 8814484.
  21. ↑ Fade into You (US limited in-store play CD liner notes). Capitol Records. 1994. DPRO-79401.
  22. ↑ "Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – Week Ending 12 Mar 1995". The ARIA Report – via Imgur.
  23. ↑ "Top Singles. Volume 60, Issue 18 (1994-11-21)". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  24. ↑ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (24.–29.11 '94)". DV (in Icelandic). November 24, 1994. p. 16. ISSN 1021-8254 – via Timarit.is.
  25. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart on 21/8/1994 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  26. ↑ "Official Singles Chart on 21/8/1994 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  27. ↑ "Mazzy Star Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  28. ↑ "Mazzy Star Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  29. ↑ "Mazzy Star Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  30. ↑ "Cash Box Top 100 Pop Singles – Week Ending November 12, 1994". Cash Box. Retrieved March 21, 2021.
  31. ↑ "Mazzy Star Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 6, 2026.
  32. ↑ "Official IFPI Charts − Digital Singles Chart (International) − Εβδομάδα: 39/2026" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on October 7, 2026. Retrieved October 7, 2026.
  33. ↑ "מדיה פורסט – המצעד הבינלאומי השבועי – Week 26 – 22/06 – June 28, 2025" [Media Forest – International Weekly Chart – Week 26 – 22/06 – June 28, 2025] (Select the year 2025 and the option "26 22-06-25 28-06-25" from the stretched lists, then click "שירים מובילים - רדיו - בינלאומי" to see the chart.) (in Hebrew). Media Forest. June 29, 2025. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
  34. ↑ "2026 40-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. October 2, 2026. Retrieved October 3, 2026.
  35. ↑ "Dutch Single Tip 10/01/2026" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts. Retrieved January 10, 2026.
  36. ↑ "Singel topp 100 − Uke 37, 2025" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norge. Retrieved September 13, 2025.
  37. ↑ "Top 200 Singles: Semana 40 de 2026" (PDF) (in European Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. p. 10. Retrieved October 14, 2026.
  38. ↑ "Veckolista Singlar, vecka 39, 2026". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved September 26, 2026.
  39. ↑ "Árslistinn 1994". DV (in Icelandic). January 2, 1995. p. 25. ISSN 1021-8254 – via Timarit.is.
  40. ↑ "The Year in Music 1994 – Hot Modern Rock Tracks". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 52. December 24, 1994. p. YE-62. ISSN 0006-2510 – via Google Books.
  41. ↑ "Danish single certifications – Mazzy Star – Fade into You". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved December 18, 2024.
  42. ↑ "Italian single certifications – Mazzy Star – Fade into You" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
  43. ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – Mazzy Star – Fade into You". Radioscope. Retrieved March 21, 2026. Type Fade into You in the "Search:" field and press Enter.
  44. ↑ "Portuguese single certifications – Mazzy Star – Fade into You" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved October 14, 2026.
  45. ↑ "Spanish single certifications – Mazzy Star – Fade into You". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
  46. ↑ "British single certifications – Mazzy Star – Fade into You". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 7, 2024. Select singles in the Formats field. Type Fade into You Mazzy Star in the "Search:" field.
  47. ↑ "IFPI Charts – Digital Singles Chart (International) – Εβδομάδα: 35/2026" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
  48. ↑ Borzillo, Carrie (April 23, 1994). "Capital Catches a Rising Mazzy Star". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 17. p. 1. CD-5 with unreleased bonus tracks out now.
  49. ↑ "Single Releases". Music Week. August 13, 1994. p. 25.
  50. ↑ "New Release Summary – Product Available from : 10/10/94: Singles". The ARIA Report. No. 243. October 9, 1994. p. 19.
  51. ↑ Matthew Neale (July 24, 2020). "Inhaler share sweeping cover of Mazzy Star's 'Fade Into You'". nme.com. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  52. ↑ Strauss, Matthew (June 18, 2020). "Perfume Genius Covers Mazzy Star's "Fade Into You": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 9, 2026.
  53. ↑ Murray, Robin (June 4, 2022). "American Football Share Their Take On Mazzy Star's 'Fade Into You'". Clash Music. Retrieved February 14, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  54. ↑ Disalvo, Tom. "Listen to Mallrat's new cover of Mazzy Star's 'Fade Into You'". nme.com. NME. Retrieved February 20, 2025.
  55. ↑ Danielle Chelosky (October 10, 2024). "Sponge – 'Fade Into You' (Mazzy Star Cover)". stereogum.com. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  56. ↑ "Behind The Rubens' cover of Mazzy Star 'Fade Into You' for Like A Version". Triple J. August 15, 2024. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
  57. ↑ Riesman, Abraham Josephine (October 1, 2013). "Video: Is Mazzy Star's 'Fade Into You' the Most Overused Song in Film and TV?". Vulture. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  58. ↑ December 8, Jessica Leon; EST, 2022 at 10:00 AM. "Best of 2022: How the song 'Fade into You' made its way into multiple shows (and a movie)". EW.com. Retrieved August 28, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)