“Make It Happen” was released in February 1992 as the third single from Mariah's Emotions album. “I'll always remember recording it,” Mariah told Blues & Soul in 1995. “It was four in the morning at the studio and I was messing around at it and David [Cole] was actually asleep at the board. We used to work non-stop. Then when I came up with the part that goes, ‘If you believe in your soul,’ David woke up and put his hand in the air and just said, ‘Yes!’ ”
In the United States, “Make It Happen” made its debut at number seventy-four on the Billboard Hot 100 chart dated February 22. Five weeks later, the song became Mariah's seventh consecutive Top 10 single, before eventually peaking at number five during the week of April 11, 1992.
“Make It Happen” entered the United Kingdom's Official Singles Chart at number twenty during the week of April 18, becoming Mariah's highest entry and her fourth Top 20 single on the chart, where it eventually peaked at number seventeen.
Cole and Clivillés were also in charge of the “Make It Happen” remixes, which incorporate elements from the song “Dr. Love” by First Choice.
| Song | Remix | Run time |
|---|---|---|
| Make It Happen | Radio Edit
|
4:07 |
| Make It Happen | C&C Classic Mix
Produced by David Cole, Robert Clivillés. |
5:22 |
| Make It Happen | C&C Extended Mix
Produced by David Cole, Robert Clivillés. |
6:15 |
| Make It Happen | C&C Dub Mix
Produced by David Cole, Robert Clivillés. |
7:27 |
| Make It Happen | C&C Radio Mix
Produced by David Cole, Robert Clivillés. |
4:52 |
The music video for “Make It Happen,” directed by Marcus Nispel, was filmed at the Angel Orensanz Foundation for the Arts in February 1992 and shows Mariah bringing the community together while performing the song to save a church in danger of being closed down. “I'm just getting used to this video thing, it's kinda new for me.” Mariah told Entertainment Tonight from the set. “We basically wanted to keep it as simple as possible to really let the song come across. We didn't want to overshadow the song with a lot of crazy imagery. It's just a pretty straightforward performance piece.”
In the United States, the “Make It Happen” Single was released on Cassette containing the Radio Edit of the song and the Special Motion Edit of “Emotions.” The Maxi Single, available on 12" Vinyl and Cassette, contains four versions of “Make It Happen” (Extended, Dub, C&C Classic Mix and Album Version), while the CD Maxi Single adds two additional tracks: the Radio Edit of “Make It Happen” and the Special Motion Edit of “Emotions.”
The European CD Maxi Single of “Make It Happen” includes five different versions of the song: Radio Edit, Extended Version, Dub, C&C Classic Mix and Album Version). The 12" Vinyl Maxi Single includes the Extended Version, Dub Version, C&C Classic Mix and Album Version. The Single, issued on Cassette and 7" Vinyl, includes the Radio Edit of “Make It Happen” and the Special Motion Edit of “Emotions.”
Released on April 6, 1992, in the United Kingdom, the CD Maxi Single includes five versions of “Make It Happen” (Radio Edit, Extended Version, Dub, C&C Classic Mix and Album Version). The 12" Vinyl and the Cassette Maxi Single include four tracks: Extended Version, Dub, C&C Classic Mix and Album Version. “Make It Happen” was also issued on 7" Vinyl, including the Radio Edit of the song and the Special Motion Edit of “Emotions.”
In Australia, the “Make It Happen” Single, including the Edit version of the song and the Special Motion Edit of “Emotions,” was issued on CD and Cassette. The Maxi Single, available on 12" Vinyl and Cassette, contains four versions of “Make It Happen” (Extended, Dub, C&C Classic Mix and Album Version), while the CD Maxi Single adds two additional tracks: the Radio Edit of “Make It Happen” and the Special Motion Edit of “Emotions.”
The Japanese “Make It Happen” 3" CD single became available on March 19, 1992, and includes the Special Motion Edit of “Emotions” as the B-side.
Not more than three short years ago
I was abandoned and alone
Without a penny to my name
So very young and so afraid
No proper shoes upon my feet
Sometimes I couldn't even eat
I often cried myself to sleep
But still I had to keep on going
Never knowing if I could take it
If I would make it through the night
I held on to my faith
I struggled and I prayed
And now I've found my way
If you believe in yourself enough
And know what you want
You're gonna make it happen
(Make it happen)
And if you get down on your knees at night
And pray to the Lord
He's gonna make it happen
(Make it happen)
I know life can be so tough
And you feel like giving up
But you must be strong
Baby just hold on
You'll never find the answers
If you throw your life away
I used to feel the way you do
Still I have to keep going
Never knowing if I could take it
If I would make it through the night
I held on to my faith
I struggled and I prayed
And now I've finally found my way
If you believe in yourself enough
And know what you want
You're gonna make it happen
(Make it happen)
And if you get down on your knees at night
And pray to the Lord
He's gonna make it happen
(Make it happen)
I once was lost
But now I'm found
I got my feet on solid ground
Thank you Lord
If you believe within your soul
Just hold on tight
And don't let go
You can make it happen
(Make it happen)
If you believe in yourself enough
And know what you want
You're gonna make it happen
(Make it happen)
And if you get down on your knees at night
And pray to the Lord
He's gonna make it happen
(Make it happen)
Lyrics: Mariah Carey. Music: Mariah Carey, David Cole, Robert Clivillés.
Produced by David Cole, Robert Clivillés and Mariah Carey.
