It was October 3, 1995 when Sony released Mariah Carey’s fourth studio album, Daydream.

Mariah was at the peak of her career in 1995: the Music Box album had broken her through a lot of international markets she hadn’t conquered before and Merry Christmas had become yet another success, destined to be a seasonal classic. It was only natural that the next album would be a big hit and that’s exactly what happened.

Daydream debuted at #1 upon its release and went on to sell more than 20 million copies Worldwide, earning a Diamond certification in the US for shipments of 10 million copies to retailers. Its singles were huge hits as well: between the fall of 1995 and the spring of 1996, Mariah spent 26 weeks at #1 on the Hot 100 with three of the four singles that were released from the album. “Fantasy” debuted at #1, and stayed for 8 weeks. “One Sweet Day” quickly followed; the iconic duet with Boyz II Men also debuted at #1 and became the longest running #1 hit in history – holding the pole position for 16 weeks. With no signs of slowing down, the third single, “Always Be My Baby,” helped Carey linger on at #1 for two more weeks to round out her total of 26. She was unstoppable.

Commercial success isn’t, however, what makes Daydream an iconic album. It’s the songs that make it an undeniable classic in Pop music. This is the album that helped freshen and revamp Mariah’s sound, while still maintaining all the ingredients that had made her a reliable force in the music industry. We have abundantly talked about the impact of “Fantasy” and its remix in honor of its 20th anniversary, for example, so we’ll just skip that and dedicate a bit more time to the rest of the tracks on this album, which are often, unfairly overlooked in the big picture.

Something that people don’t pay attention to is how the cover and title mirror the music for instance. There is no real proof that when Mariah started working on the album she had a specific concept in mind and she’s never discussed this, but she certainly chose a title that reflected the theme and sound of several songs. The album cover, shot by Steven Meisel, also captured her expression as if she were lost in her thoughts, daydreaming.

Many of the lyrical ideas on the album recall the concept of rêverie, reflection and imagination: “Fantasy” is obviously about imagining to be with someone, “One Sweet Day” is about the hope to be reunited one day with the “friends we’ve lost along the way;” on “Underneath the Stars” Mariah reminisces about a past romance and her feelings are “so heady and sublime,” on “Long Ago” she “[drowns] in thoughts of yesterday,” “Melt Away” deals with being so overwhelmed by love and passion to the point of almost falling into a trance, while “When I Saw You” recalls the first encounter with a lover “transcending space and time.”

These lyrics are also enhanced by the productions and arrangements, which make the listening experience even more ethereal. Once the funky beat of “Fantasy” is over, the pace of the album slows down, inviting us to lay down and dream with Mariah. “Underneath the Stars,” the second track, begins with a fluttering keyboard sound and Mariah’s sweet whispery vocals paint such a vivid scene in the listeners’ minds that it’s impossible to resist. The sweet 70s groove and the high notes in the background are a nod to Minnie Ripperton’s work, whom she’s cited as an influence.

“Open Arms,” a cover of the 1982 Journey single, starts with a gentle acapella intro before bursting into the power ballad sound of the original. The Gospel-tinged “I Am Free” complete with a organ sound throughout, is a spiritual reflection about the relief provided by faith. “Long Ago” has a “dark fairytale” songwriting style and Mariah’s vocals recall a state of inebriation caused by the memories. “Melt Away,” her second collaboration with Babyface, is a sultry R&B ballad where she displays the richness of her lower register. “Forever” opens with an almost Country riff, before revealing a 1950s chord progression and sentimental lyrics, made grand by the powerful vocal performance. The sparse Dance chords of the “Daydream Interlude” then reprise the theme introduced by “Fantasy” at the beginning of the record and pick the pace up a bit.

The album closes with “Looking In,” a self-reflective piano ballad about the contrast between Mariah Carey the person and the perception the public and media have of Mariah Carey. “The girl who lives inside the golden world” gives the listeners a glimpse into how she feels inside and how she deals with the scrutiny she’s under, promising that she’s not “disenchanted.” This was the first time Mariah had included such a personal song on one of her albums and it probably encouraged her to open up more about her emotions in her later work. The cryptic last line “they’ll never know the real me” is for the most part still true, 20 years later, because there’s always going to be some distance between the person and the public figure, and no matter how much we judge and speculate, there are some things only Mariah Carey can understand and know about herself.

“Looking In” is a statement veiled by the vulnerability of the harbored “adolescent fears” Mariah wrote about in the song. It’s not a coincidence that she genuinely teared up during her first and only live performance (so far) of the track in 2013, because its lyrics are deeply tied with her experiences. Besides, the “golden world” would often prove to be a daydream interrupted by the challenges she’s had to face in the real, cruel world.

In retrospect Daydream is probably her most recognisable album because it has everything that makes an album a Mariah Carey album: the sweet Pop records, the catchy hooks, the big ballads, the powerful vocals and that pinch of R&B influences thrown in for good measure. It was, however, the important first step toward her metamorphosis, a new phase of her career that would begin just two years after Daydream’s release; and probably the last time Carey managed to truly have mass appeal as an international superstar. That’s why millions of fans all over the world are going to celebrate this milestone today and cherish all the good childhood memories tied to the music. Happy Anniversary, Daydream!

The post Mariah Carey’s ‘Daydream’ still has fans enraptured, 20 years later! appeared first on THE 97.

In October, Columbia Records released “One Sweet Day” as the second single from the album. The song is a collaboration between Mariah and the R&B group Boyz II Men, who had achieved a lot of success and collected hits in the early 90s with sweeping ballads such as “End of the Road” and “I’ll Make Love to You.”

Mariah had an idea in mind for the song, which she discussed with her writing and producing partner Walter Afanasieff, and the theme was the pain for the death of a loved one. When she first decided to arrange a meeting with the group, she had already completed the first verse and the chorus and when she played them what she had, Nathan Morris was very surprised. Boyz II Men had recently lost their road manager and Nathan had started writing a song that fit perfectly, both lyrically and melodically, with what Mariah and Walter Afanasieff had begun to write. “One Sweet Day” basically was born by merging the two songs together, it was almost as if the collaboration was just meant to be.

Its universal theme and the uplifting message resonated with the public and made the song the biggest hit of Mariah’s career. Not only did the song debut at #1 upon its commercial release in November, but it remained at the top of the Hot 100 for 16 consecutive weeks, from December 2, 1995 to March 16, 1996. A record that many songs have come close to almost match but not break, as recently as this year. “One Sweet Day” topped the Pop, Adult Top 40 and Adult Contemporary charts and the CD Single was certified 2x Platinum for sales of over 2 million copies. In 2000 Billboard declared it the Song of the Decade (a feat Mariah would achieve once again 10 years later), while Mariah herself was crowned as the Artist of the Decade.

The music video documents the recording process of the song. Mariah has explained that they decided to film it while recording because they were afraid of conflicting schedules that wouldn’t have allowed them to get together for the video shoot.

That is, in fact, one of the reasons why they haven’t performed the song together more often since its release. They first sang it at Mariah Carey’s Madison Square Garden concert in October 1995, which was broadcasted on TV. “One Sweet Day” was also the powerful opening performance at the 1996 Grammy Awards, where it was nominated for Record of the Year and Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals (among the 6 nominations Mariah received that year).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brrDOl3Uew0

Later performances have been at the BET Christmas Special in 2001 and a surprise appearence during the final American stop of Carey’s The Adventures of Mimi Tour in 2006 at Anaheim, which was filmed and later released on DVD. In general, both Mariah and Boyz II Men avoid performing the song on their respective tours, despite being their biggest hit single, which has probably contributed to the song’s decrease in popularity with the public over the years. However, the song continues to be recognised in singing competitions such as American Idol and X-Factor, where it has been performed by the constestants on specific themed weeks.

Mariah’s fans usually feel attached to “One Sweet Day” because of its lyrics or because of nostalgic sentiments, both for personal experiences of loss or simply as a celebration of what the song has meant for Mariah Carey’s career. Many tend to prefer the two versions that were included in the CD Single: the acapella version or the Chucky’s remix, which feature different vocal arrangements and smooth out the production of the original, giving it a sweeter vibe instead of the epic/full sound of the album version.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSTLAswlWGM

While it would have been nice for it to have gotten more critical recognition, if only for what this superstar collaboration meant in the musical landscape of the 1990s, “One Sweet Day” will always be remembered for having made history with its commercial achievements and for that it is worthy of being celebrated in this important moment of Mariah Carey’s incredible career.

The post “One Sweet Day” in ’95, Mariah & Boyz II Men created harmony, and the longest-running #1, ever appeared first on THE 97.

By September of that year, Mariah was divorcing from Tommy Mottola, the head of Sony Music, who had signed her to the label. Mariah and Tommy married in 1993. All of this was affecting Mariah as an artist as well, pushing her to seek creative freedom as well as personal freedom. That’s why Butterfly is considered an artistic turning point. Mariah Carey was no longer considered a “Pop Princess,” her new music did not reflect that image anymore; instead, the album featured more R&B and Urban sounds. Butterfly is not where it all started, though. It was more so the culmination of an ongoing process, that had been made all the more obvious.

In hindsight, Mariah’s very first single, “Vision of Love,” was a #1 hit on the Pop and R&B charts, and her second album Emotions had a lot of influences from 70s R&B music. However, because she was marketed as a mainstream artist and having crossover success, it went to the back of people’s minds. All listeners noticed were the catchy hooks, gorgeous melodies and relatable lyrics that pretty much made her music genre-less.

By 1995, with the release of the blockbuster Daydream album, Mariah began to make bigger statements about her love for R&B and Hip-Hop. That’s when the classic “Fantasy” remix with O.D.B. burst onto the scene and helped change the face of mainstream music in the mid to late 90s, encouraging the trend to include rap verses on Pop songs, and initiating a tradition of high profile Rap/Sung collaborations in the early 2000s.

But that is only the most apparent example, because Daydream is actually a smooth blend between the Pop and R&B sensibilities of Mariah Carey.

“Always Be My Baby,” which is at this point a classic, was co-written and co-produced by Jermaine Dupri, who had produced hits for the R&B girl group Xscape and the Rap duo Kriss Kross at the time (and would go on to become longtime collaborator of Mariah’s). When the song was released as a single, a smoking hot remix with Xscape and Da Brat, sampling “Tell Me If You Still Care” by the S.O.S Band, was sent out to Urban stations helping it reach #1 on the R&B charts. The CD single also contained the B-side “Slipping Away,” produced by Dave Hall, which is among Mariah’s best songs and was probably excluded from the album’s tracklisting for its Urban-leaning sound.

The planned, but scrapped, 5th single off the album “Underneath The Stars” is a midtempo R&B slow jam reminiscent of Minnie Ripperton in its original version, but was remixed by The Trackmasters for the single release. The remix is equipped with a harder drumbeat, a more prominent bass-line and a sultry, layered re-sung vocal from Mariah. Additionally, “Melt Away,” a collaboration with the iconic Babyface, is often cited by fans as one of Mariah’s best songs for its sultry and classic R&B sound.

The truth is, a number of the songs on Daydream helped shape the core of the Butterfly album, serving almost as an “hors d’oeuvre” she would later make her main dish: “Underneath The Stars” could be considered the older sister to “Fourth of July,” as both contain vividly descriptive lyrics and gently layered vocals; Puff Daddy went from remixing Mariah’s hit single to actually producing the main version of her next lead single, “Honey”; similarly, The Trackmasters were upgraded to producers on her album, having their hands in “The Roof,” which is still one of Mariah’s most lauded songs. Daydream also ended with “Looking In” giving us a personal reflection on how Mariah felt the public perceived her as a celebrity versus how she felt as a regular person with good and bad sides. “Looking In” marked the first time Mariah gave a glimpse of her inner thoughts through her music, and probably is what encouraged her to write more personal lyrics on the Butterfly album.

Having considered the amount of Urban influences in Mariah’s work before 1997, all the fuss that was made about the shift in her music at the time, was without reason. It was not a moment of foolishness, nor an epiphany that made her decide to abandon what had made her a superstar, but rather it was a gradual and organic transition that didn’t burn the bridges with her past work, but actually blended it all together in a glorious catalog that’s still worthy of all the praise it receives.

The post The Beginning of a Metamorphosis: Mariah Carey’s Daydream appeared first on THE 97.