Faces (2 Unlimited song)

"Faces" is a song by Belgian/Dutch Eurodance band 2 Unlimited, released on 23 August 1993 by Byte, Zyx and PWL as the third single from their second album, No Limits! (1993). The song was co-written by band members Ray Slijngaard and Anita Dels, with Phil Wilde and Jean-Paul De Coster who produced it. "Faces" peaked at number two in the Netherlands, number eight in the United Kingdom and at number six on the Eurochart Hot 100. The accompanying music video was directed by Nick Burgess-Jones and filmed in London.

Release
The single version of "Faces" is a radio edit of the album version included on the No Limits! album internationally. "Faces (Radio Edit)" substitutes the less-palatable, harsh synth lead with a milder rendition of the same riff. In the United States, this radio edit of "Faces" was included on the No Limits! album instead of the album version found on all international pressings. In the UK, the radio edit of "Faces" omitted the main rap, but like their previous single "Tribal Dance", the song left in more vocals from band member Ray Slijngaard. The UK album version instead deletes Slijngaard's vocals during the main raps, but kept his spoken vocals during the break.

Chart performance
"Faces" scored chart success in many European countries, peaking at number two in their homeland of the Netherlands, behind 4 Non Blondes' "What's Up?", number three in Belgium, number four in Spain, and number five in Finland. The song debuted at number 40 on the Dutch Single Top 100 before peaking five weeks later, spending 12 weeks within the chart. It also entered the top 10 in Austria (10), Germany (8), Ireland (7), Lithuania, and the United Kingdom (8). In Germany, "Faces" spent a total of 19 weeks within the German Singles Chart.

In the United Kingdom, it peaked at number eight in its second week on the UK Singles Chart on 5 September 1993. The single spent two weeks at that position, and 7 weeks within the UK Top 100. It also peaked at numbers six and 28 on Music Week's Dance Singles and Airplay charts, as well as number 30 on the Record Mirror Club Chart in the same period. "Faces" was a top-10 hit also on the Eurochart Hot 100, where it peaked at number six on 25 September, after debuting on the chart at number 20 three weeks earlier. On the European Dance Radio Chart by Music & Media, it reached number two, being held off the top spot by Mariah Carey's "Dreamlover". In France, Italy and Sweden, the song was a top-20 hit, peaking at numbers 16, 13 and 11, respectively. Outside Europe, "Faces" charted in Australia, reaching number 54 on the ARIA singles chart.

Critical reception
In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton wrote, "This new single if anything contains more depth than their average work, with changes of tempo rife throughout." Alan Jones from Music Week felt it was "a more complex than usual offering from the Dutch duo who eschew their simple and highly effective straight-ahead rave style in favour of a tempo-changing and less instant song." He added, "They'll pay the price at retail with one of their smaller hits to date, though the Top 20 is still a cert." Gail Heritage from Port Lincoln Times named it a "favourite" of the album, remarking that it "opens the door to recognising people for their own individuality." James Hamilton from the Record Mirror Dance Update described it as a "techno synth buzzed but unrushed tinkling blippy sweet loper". Toby Anstis reviewed the song for Smash Hits, stating that "this is just a taster of what the album sounds like". He added that "it'll be a hit". Australian Woroni named "Faces" an "obvious highlight" of the No Limits! album, along with "No Limit" and "Tribal Dance".

Music video
The music video for "Faces" was directed by British director Nick Burgess-Jones and produced by Spidercom Films. It was filmed in Park Royal film studio in London. The backdrop of the video depicts a futuristic desert landscape where band members Ray Slijngaard and Anita Dels are surrounded by machines and screens, where different faces are shown. Sometimes the duo is seen in black-and-white, with the surroundings still in colours. "Faces" received heavy rotation on MTV Europe in September 1993. There were made two different edits of the video; the rap version and the no rap version. The rap version was later made available on 2 Unlimited's official YouTube channel in 2014, and had generated more than three million views as of early 2024. Burgess-Jones previously directed the videos for "No Limit" and "Tribal Dance".