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Come to My Window

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"Come to My Window"
Single by Melissa Etheridge
from the album Yes I Am
Released1993
StudioA&M (Hollywood, California)
Length
  • 3:55 (album version)
  • 3:35 (edit)
LabelIsland
Songwriter(s)Melissa Etheridge
Producer(s)
Melissa Etheridge singles chronology
"I'm the Only One"
(1993) 		"Come to My Window"
(1993) 		"All American Girl"
(1994)

"Come to My Window" is a song by American singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge, released in 1993 as the second single from her fourth studio album, Yes I Am (1993). This was the first song to become a hit after Etheridge publicly announced that she was a lesbian. With the driving force of gay rights, the song gained substantial airplay on radio stations, mostly through call-in requests.[citation needed] The song debuted on the Billboard charts after the first week of its release, reaching number 25 on the chart, remaining on the Hot 100 for 44 weeks [1] and being certified Gold.[2] The song also charted in Canada, reaching number 13 on the RPM Top Singles chart. It was the second song from Etheridge that earned her a Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. In 2019, Billboard included "Come to My Window" in its list of the "30 Lesbian Love Songs".[3]

Song information

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When the song was being promoted, a portion of the song's beginning was omitted. This was to help accommodate some radio stations that wanted an instrumental beginning rather than a vocal one. The song's lyrics describes the intense love that Etheridge has for another person. It describes situations that she is willing to endure and how happy the other person makes her feel. In addition, the song implicitly alludes to the singer's sexual orientation and activism by the lyrics:

"I don't care what they think.
I don't care what they say.
What do they know about this love, anyway?"[citation needed]

Etheridge tells both in her autobiography and during the interview on the bonus DVD of her greatest hits album that out of all songs she has written, "Come to My Window" is the one that surprises her the most, and that she almost did not put it on the album. She states that while she wrote the song, she did not realize what she was actually writing and that it was not before meeting Tammy Lynn Michaels that she understood what this song means to other people. She also says that it has the best musical bridge part of all her songs.

The sound effect at the beginning was created by Mauricio Fritz Lewak who put coins inside of a pair of clash cymbals. This song was also about her girlfriend at the time.[citation needed]

Critical reception

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Dave Sholin from the Gavin Report wrote "Singer/songwriter extraordinaire, Melissa Etheridge is never short on provocative imagery in any of her songs. She delivers one of her most powerful yet, which is supported by an equally riveting video."[4] Sam Wood from Philadelphia Inquirer felt "Come to My Window" "features the same annoying strummed tag line that seems to infect too much of what is called women's music. Etheridge may have intended to pay homage to her ghettoized sisters, but flaunting the contrived, amateurish chordal figure does nothing to add to the authenticity of the song. It just sinks it."[5]

Music video

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The black-and-white music video for "Come to My Window", directed by Samuel Bayer, cuts between a mental patient (Juliette Lewis) and Etheridge playing her guitar and singing. The video also features "child-like" drawings in certain scenes. According to an episode of VH1's Pop Up Video, these drawings were created by a crew member's five-year-old daughter. Additionally, the video was to have included an appearance by a little girl; the mental patient's "lost childhood". While the appearance was filmed, it got lost during editing.[citation needed]

Live performances

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Etheridge performed "Come to My Window" during The Concert for New York City, the benefit concert following the September 11, 2001 attacks. The song was played by the World Wrestling Federation in the background of a tribute to wrestler Owen Hart who died during a match.

Etheridge also appeared on an episode of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, singing "Come to My Window" at a fundraiser for Homeless Not Toothless at Dorit and Paul Kemsley's home.[6]

Track listings

[edit]

All songs were written by Melissa Etheridge.

  1. "Come to My Window" – 3:55
  2. "Ain't It Heavy" (live) – 5:34
  3. "The Letting Go" (live) – 3:51
  4. "I'm the Only One" (live) – 5:30
  • US and Canadian cassette single[9]
  1. "Come to My Window" – 3:55
  2. "Ain't It Heavy" (live) – 5:34
  • European and Australian CD single[10][11]
  1. "Come to My Window" – 3:55
  2. "Ain't It Heavy" (live) – 5:34
  3. "The Letting Go" (live) – 3:51

Credits and personnel

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  • Vocals and acoustic guitar by Melissa Etheridge
  • Drums and percussion by Mauricio Fritz Lewak
  • Electric guitar by Waddy Wachtel
  • Keyboards by Scott Thurston
  • Bass by Pino Palladino
  • Engineering by Hugh Padgham
  • Assistant engineering by Greg Goldman, John Aguto, Mike Baumgartner
  • Mixing by Hugh Padgham
  • Mastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[22] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Other versions

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In 1997, the John Tesh Project featuring Brandon Fields on saxophone, covered the song from their album "Sax All Night."[23]

References

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  1. ^ "Melissa Etheridge | Biography, Music & News". Billboard.
  2. ^ "Gold & Platinum". Recording Industry Association of America.
  3. ^ Russell, Erica (February 13, 2019). "30 Lesbian Love Songs: Women Singing About Women (Updated 2019)". Billboard. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  4. ^ Sholin, Dave (January 7, 1994). "Gavin Picks — Singles" (PDF). Gavin Report. Retrieved March 10, 2022.
  5. ^ Wood, Sam (October 5, 1993). "Godfather of Punk, Iggy Pop; Session with Stanley Turrentine". Philadelphia Inquirer.
  6. ^ "RHOBH Has Melissa Etheridge to Thank for Stopping Another Dinner Party from Hell". August 11, 2022.
  7. ^ Come to My Window (US CD single liner notes). Melissa Etheridge. Island Records. 1993. 422-858-029-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ^ Come to My Window (UK CD single liner notes). Melissa Etheridge. Island Records. 1993. CID 604, 858 029-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ Come to My Window (US & Canadian cassette single sleeve). Melissa Etheridge. Island Records. 1993. 422-858 028-4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ^ Come to My Window (European CD single liner notes). Melissa Etheridge. Island Records. 1993. 74321 18241 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. ^ Come to My Window (Australian CD single liner notes). Melissa Etheridge. Island Records. 1993. 858219-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2407." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  13. ^ "Melissa Etheridge Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  14. ^ "Melissa Etheridge Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  15. ^ "Melissa Etheridge Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  16. ^ "Melissa Etheridge Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  17. ^ "Melissa Etheridge Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  18. ^ "U.S. Cash Box Chart Entries – 1990 – 1996" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 22, 2018. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  19. ^ "RPM Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1994". RPM. Retrieved March 28, 2019 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  20. ^ "Billboard Top 100 – 1994". Archived from the original on March 1, 2009. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
  21. ^ "The Year in Music: Hot Adult Contemporary Singles & Tracks". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 52. December 24, 1994. p. YE-68. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  22. ^ "American single certifications – Melissa Etheridge – Come to My Windo". Recording Industry Association of America.
  23. ^ "Sax All Night overview". Allmusic.com.
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