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. “Forever” opens with an almost Country riff, before revealing a 1950s chord progression and sentimental lyrics, made grand by the powerful vocal performance.

“Melt Away,” her second collaboration with Babyface, is a sultry R&B ballad where she displays the richness of her lower register. “Long Ago” has a “dark fairytale” songwriting style and Mariah’s vocals recall a state of inebriation caused by the memories. The Gospel-tinged “I Am Free” complete with a organ sound throughout, is a spiritual reflection about the relief provided by faith. “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 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. “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. Once the funky beat of “Fantasy” is over, the pace of the album slows down, inviting us to lay down and dream with Mariah. These lyrics are also enhanced by the productions and arrangements, which make the listening experience even more ethereal. 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 “ 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.” The album cover, shot by Steven Meisel, also captured her expression as if she were lost in her thoughts, daydreaming. 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. Something that people don’t pay attention to is how the cover and title mirror the music for instance. 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. 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. It’s the songs that make it an undeniable classic in Pop music. She was unstoppable.Ĭommercial success isn’t, however, what makes Daydream an iconic album.

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. “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. “Fantasy” debuted at #1, and stayed for 8 weeks. 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. It was only natural that the next album would be a big hit and that’s exactly what happened.ĭaydream 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.

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 Octowhen Sony released Mariah Carey’s fourth studio album, Daydream.

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