1993 Rock Classic, Written in 1 Day, Became a Timeless Love Anthem

In the early nineties, alt-rock band Mazzy Star released a track that would become a timeless love anthem. “Fade Into You” is a hit that features all of the elements of a classic love song: passionate lyrics, a slow and haunting melody, and a memorable music video.

The beloved track was released in 1993 on the band’s second studio album, So Tonight That I Might See, and quickly became one of the band’s most iconic releases to date.

The song has become a go-to addition to movie and TV soundtracks, used when a particular scene wants to portray feelings of love and longing, and during the emotional moments when the characters are yearning for one another. Case in point: the song is played during a Season 1 episode ofGilmore Girls, when Rory (Alexis Bledel) and Dean (Jared Padalecki) are about to have their first kiss at the winter formal.

Despite becoming hugely popular, the song never reached the No. 1 spot on the charts. In the U.S., “Fade Into You” peaked at No. 44 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 2 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. In the U.K., the track reached No. 48 on the Official Singles chart. At the time of writing, it has been streamed over one billion times on Spotify.

“I thought it was a beautiful song, and we jammed on it for a while. And then it eventually it made the cut,” singer Hope Sandoval said in a 2018 interview with news.com.au.

“Fade Into You” was written in just a day, which is an impressive feat. “We weren’t trying to write a hit song — we were just writing a song,” guitarist and composer David Roback, added at the time. “I think we had a melody and a feel, and we just followed that feel. And that became the song.”

Related: 1995 No. 1 Classic Rock Hit Is Suddenly Climbing the Charts 31 Years Later