Chains

About Chains

"Chains" is a song by Australian singer-songwriter Tina Arena from her third studio album, Don't Ask (1994). It was composed by Arena, Pam Reswick and Steve Werfel and produced by David Tyson. The single was released in August 1994 by Columbia and Epic Records, receiving critical acclaim from mucic critics, whom praised Arena's vocal performance and comparing her to powerhouse singers like Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, and Olivia Newton-John.

Overview

"Chains" is a song by Australian singer Tina Arena from her third studio album, Don't Ask (1994). It was composed by Arena, Pam Reswick and Steve Werfel and produced by David Tyson. "Chains" peaked at number four on Australia's ARIA Singles Chart, reached number six in the United Kingdom, and charted well throughout Europe, earning her numerous awards in the process. The power ballad was also a hit in North America, peaking at number 38 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 20 on the Canadian RPM Top Singles chart. The track was re-released featuring Jessica Mauboy and the Veronicas following a rendition of the track at the 2015 ARIA Awards where Arena was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame. Critical reception The song received favorable reviews from most music critics. Scottish newspaper Aberdeen Press and Journal praised Arena's "stunning voice". AllMusic editor Kelvin Hayes called it a "stellar" "showcase single". Larry Flick from Billboard described it as a "immediately memorable, lyrically smart rhythm ballad" and added that "within an arrangement that smoothly builds from a subtle, finger-snappin' pop groove to a dramatic, rock-edged climax, Arena comes on strong with a voice that is a diva hybrid of Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, and Olivia Newton-John." James Richliano from The Boston Globe wrote that the singer "marries her powerhouse vocals to a smoky dance beat laced with edgy lyrics of a diva on the verge." A reviewer from Crawley News said the song is "brilliant". In 2017, The Daily Telegraph listed it as one of 21 Best Power Ballads in 2017, describing it as a "smooth, sultry plea of a woman trapped in an unhealthy relationship". Jim Farber from Entertainment Weekly compared Arena to Mariah Carey, adding that she "sings in the same overwrought, corporate style as Carey." Evening Herald complimented the singer as "a singing sensation by six". Monica Tan from The Guardian deemed it a "glass-breaking love song". Pan-European magazine Music & Media commented, "Caged in a CD jewel box, but for how long? Since she's now a gold seller in her native Australia, and funky grooves are a game without frontiers by nature, you shouldn't sit back and wait." Alan Jones from Music Week called it "a beguiling introduction" to the Aussie singer.

From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Notable quotes

“No man can put a chain about the ankle of his fellow man without at last finding the other end fastened about his own neck.”
— Frederick Douglass, Speech at Civil Rights Mass Meeting, Washington, D.C. (22 October 1883).
“Familiarize yourselves with the chains of bondage and you are preparing your own limbs to wear them.”
— Abraham Lincoln's speech at Edwardsville, Illinois (11 September 1858); quoted in Lincoln, Abraham; Mario Matthew Cuomo, Harold Holzer, G. S. Boritt, Lincoln on Democracy (Fordham University Press, September 1, 2004), 128. .
“[T]o be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others.”
— Nelson Mandela, in Long Walk to Freedom (1995), p. 404.
“Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains.”
— Jean-Jacques Rousseau, The Social Contract, Book I, Chapter 1
“Slaves lose everything in their chains, even the desire of escaping from them.”
— Jean-Jacques Rousseau, The Social Contract, (1762), I, Ch. 2.
“The dog has been taught to pay attention; as long as he pays attention, he may escape his chain.”
— Sumerian proverb, Collection V at , .

Quotes via Wikiquote (CC BY-SA), each with its original source.