Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)
| "Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)" | ||
|---|---|---|
| Missing image Mariahcareysingle_aao.jpg Image:Mariahcareysingle_aao.jpg | ||
| Single by Mariah Carey & Westlife | ||
| From the albums Rainbow & Coast To Coast | ||
| Single Released | 2000 | |
| Single Format | Not Released in US | |
| Genre | Pop | |
| Song Length | 3:23 | |
| Record label | Sony | |
| Writers | Phil Collins | |
| Producers | Mariah Carey Jimmy Jam Terry Lewis | |
| Video Director (Album Version) | ?????? | |
| Video Director (Single Edit W/Westlife) | ?????? | |
| Chart positions | #1 (UK) | |
| Mariah Carey single chronology | ||
| "Thank God I Found You" 2000 | "Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)" 2000 | "Crybaby/Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme)" 2000 |
| Westlife single chronology | ||
| "Fool Again" 2000 | "Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)" 2000 | "My Love" 2000 |
"Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)" was the hit single between Mariah Carey and boyband Westlife. It was the third single released from Mariah Carey's 9th album, Rainbow and the first single released from Westlife's 2nd album Coast To Coast.
| Contents |
The Song
The single was co-produced by Mariah and the Flyte Time team of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. The song is a cover, as it was originally written and performed by international popstar, Phil Collins. The epic love ballad entails the struggles of a despondent person imploring his/her ex lover to "take a look at the person now" knowing that chances of reconcilation are "against all odds", but that is the chance that has to be taken.
Chart Success
Although it was promoted as part of the Rainbow album and sung in live performances in the USA, it was not promoted as a commercial or radio single in the USA, whereas it was released in most major markets internationally. The single was initially released in early 2000, but re-released in September 2000 as a duet with the international boyband sensation, Westlife. Although Mariah did not rerecord her vocals, the instrumental track was reproduced with a more organic sound complete with a bevy of overwhelming violins. This version became a #1 hit in the UK; the original by Phil Collins only achieved a peak of #2 upon release in 1984. It gave Westlife their sixth consecutive #1 entry, making them the first act in UK chart history to have their first 6 singles enter at #1.
Music Video
There are a few music videos of the single. A music video of the original song, as from the Rainbow album, consists of a montage of clips of Mariah singing the song from her various tour stops to cullings from her Homecoming special. The video is touted to be very rare, and it reported that it was only shown once on VH1. Another more popular music video of the song details Mariah and Westlife recording the song and having adventures on boats as they explore the island of Capri. The video is often criticized for using a very cheap film stock and having little plot. There is also another edit of the music video with Westlife, this time showing members of Westlife acting appropriately as in the previous video, members of Westlife were seen looking at Mariah's body in inappropriate manners.
Remixes
Remixes of this song also exist, as remixed by the Pound Boys. The Pound Boys remix does not feature vocals by Westlife, and only of Mariah Carey. The Pound Boys first gained attention from Mariah and her label after completing an underground "white label" mix of her song "Petals" from the Rainbow album.
Official Remixes/Versions List
Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now) (Album Version)
Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now) (Single Edit) featuring Westlife
Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now) (Backing Track) featuring Westlife
Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now) (Instrumental) featuring Westlife
Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now) (Pound Boys Main Mix)
Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now) (Pound Boys Radio Edit)
Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now) (Pound Boys Deep Dub)
Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now) (Pound Boys Dub)