I Will Come To You

Album: Middle of Nowhere (1997)
Charted: 5 9
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Hanson set the pop music world on fire with their debut single, "MMMbop," but they scored another substantial hit with "I Will Come To You," a soaring ballad with a lead vocal by middle brother Taylor. It's a song about not just being there for someone, but seeking out that person in their time of need, asking nothing in return.
  • Hanson had already written "MMMbop" and a few other songs when they signed to Mercury Records, but the label brought in some experienced scribes to help them write songs to fill out the album. Among them was Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, who wrote "I Will Come To You" with them.

    Mann and Weil wrote some of the biggest hits of the '60s, including "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" and "On Broadway." In the '80s, they wrote "Somewhere Out There" and "Don't Know Much." "I Will Come To You" was the last of their Top 10 hits.
  • With a string section and guitar solo from Isaac Hanson, this song is pretty heavy for Hanson, who were very young at the time. When the album was released, they were just 16 (Taylor), 14 (Isaac 14), and 11 (Zac) years old.
  • Hanson followed "MMMbop" with "Where's The Love," which was released as a promotional single but not sold commercially - a bid to sell more albums. "I Will Come To You" was the next single, and it was sold commercially. By this time, Hanson had a Christmas album out and was still a really big deal. Their popularity waned in 1998 and 1999, in part because they didn't release another studio album until 2000. By that time, they had lost their momentum. When they released their next album in 2004, it was on their own independent label.
  • The music video, directed by Peter Christopherson, is heavy on special effects, with dark, warped shots of commuters in a busy city contrasting with scenes of Hanson in a golden glow performing the song in a meadow. It looks like the Hanson brothers are supposed to be angels of some kind, entering the terrestrial realm to bring comfort to those in need. It's a big change from their "MMMbop" video, where they're just running around having fun.

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