the summer. The song also topped the charts in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, as well as on the Eurochart Hot 100. In the UK, the song hit the top spot during its fourth week on the UK Singles Chart, on 22 August 1993, and was the first single to top the chart that was not released on 7-inch vinyl. The single spent four weeks at the top of the chart and sold over 442,000 copies in the UK. Outside Europe, it peaked at number-one in Australia, on the RPM Dance/Urban chart in Canada and in Zimbabwe. In the United States, the single reached number 15 on the Cash Box Top 100 and number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100, earning a gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). "Mr. Vain" also peaked at number two for two weeks on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. It charted also in Japan. The song also earned a gold record in Austria, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK, while it received a silver record in France. It was also awarded a 3× gold record in Germany, with a sale of 750,000 units, and a platinum record in Australia and Norway. Critical reception AllMusic editor William Cooper called "Mr. Vain" an "engaging house tune". He compared it to Snap!'s "Rhythm Is a Dancer" and Real McCoy's "Another Night" with its "instantly memorable keyboard hook". Larry Flick from Billboard described it as a "chirpy rave/NRG track", stating that "if its European chart success is a fair indicator", then the song "will be all the rage within minutes." Nicole Leedham from The Canberra Times noted Culture Beat's "combination of soul, insightful lyrics and dance floor-friendly music". Student newspaper Columbia Daily Spectator stated that "near-indiscernible rapping over a pulsing techno beat and an unforgettable synth line" make it "the quintessential '90s dance track." Tom Ewing of Freaky Trigger wrote that "Mr. Vain" "heads straight for the dark heart of the club, sketching a dancefloor predator who – like Eezer Goode – is as much metaphor as character. For drugs, lust, loss of control – who knows? The lyrics' almost-there English works to the song's benefit – there's an awkward poetry to "Call him Mr Raider, call him Mr Wrong" – and for once the obligatory rap isn't an embarrassment, with Jay Supreme's gloating,