Honey (Mariah Carey song)

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"Honey"
Honey Mariah Carey Single.png
Single by Mariah Carey
from the album Butterfly
B-side "Honey" (Bad Boy Remix)
ReleasedJuly 29, 1997 (1997-07-29)
Recorded1997
Studio The Hit Factory (New York City)
Genre
Length5:00
Label Columbia
Composer(s)
Lyricist(s) Mariah Carey
Producer(s)
  • Sean "Puffy" Combs
  • The Ummah
  • Stevie J
  • Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey singles chronology
"Underneath the Stars"
(1996)		"Honey"
(1997)		"Butterfly"
(1997)
Music video
"Honey" on YouTube

"Honey" is a song by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey from her sixth studio album, Butterfly (1997). It was released as the lead single from Butterfly on July 29, 1997, by Columbia Records. The song was written and produced by Carey, Sean Combs, Kamaal "Q-Tip" Fareed and Steven "Stevie J" Jordan. The song samples "Hey DJ" by World-Famous Supreme Team and "The Body Rock" by the Treacherous Three. "Honey" was a redefining song in Carey's career, pushing her further into the hip hop scene.

Contents

"Honey" was acclaimed by music critics, who called Carey's musical transition "genuine". "Honey" was successful in the United States, becoming Carey's third single to debut atop the Billboard Hot 100, setting the record for most singles to debut at number one, a record she held for 23 years, until it was broken by Ariana Grande. It stayed at number one for three consecutive weeks. "Honey" also topped the charts in Canada and reached the top-ten in Australia, New Zealand, Hungary, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The song was nominated in two categories at the 40th Annual Grammy Awards, for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance [4] and Best R&B Song. [5] Carey included the song in the setlist of various live shows and future tours, where she would sing both the original and remix versions.

"Honey" is well known for its accompanying music video, which presented a more suggestive and less conservative image of Carey than had been previously seen. The video features Carey being held hostage in a mansion, which she escapes in a James Bond–themed plot. Subsequent scenes see Carey escaping her assailants on a watercraft, dancing aboard a ship with sailors and frolicking on a beautiful island with her lover. The video garnered much coverage, as many comparisons were made between the video and the rumors of Carey's failing marriage. While Carey denied the comparisons were anything more than coincidence, many close friends including Walter Afanasieff, Carey's long-time writing partner, felt they were more than obvious.

Background and recording

After the success of her urban crossover album Daydream, Carey began exerting more control over the creative aspects of her career. [6] In doing so, she began pursuing a more hip-hop oriented sound, something very different from anything she had recorded previously. She was still writing ballads with Afanasieff, but began looking for more hip-hop/R&B producers to helm part of her new project. [6] Carey began working on the song, recorded in February 1997, [7] with Q-Tip. They brought the lyrics, samples and melody over to Puff Daddy who, as a producer, had just earned his second number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 with "Mo Money Mo Problems." [6] Due to reports of Puffy's overbearing nature, Carey recorded her vocals separately, until she gave him a few demos to choose from. Puffy explained why Carey recorded her vocals separately, and his feelings regarding having worked with her:

A lot of people feel I'm overbearing, so I wasn't allowed in the studio when she did her vocals. I'm trying to work on that, I'm such a perfectionist, sometimes I don't give people the chance to breathe. So I've been banned from a lot of studios. Mariah [recorded "Honey"] until she thought it was perfect, like a hundred times. She gave me like a hundred tracks to choose from. [6]

Puffy expressed his respect for Carey and her craft, mentioning that she re-did her vocals many times until she felt they were perfect. After they had the vocals, Carey and Puffy began working on the song's hook and incorporating the music samples and blending them into the bridge and chorus. [6] After the song was completed, Combs was very confident with the song, calling it "slammin'," but because of its heavy hip-hop influence, he felt only cautiously optimistic about the song's commercial success. [8] On a more personal note, "Honey" served as Carey's first single after her separation from estranged husband, Tommy Mottola, who also lead her current record label, Columbia Records. [6]

Composition

Gnome-mime-sound-openclipart.svg
"Honey"
A 31-second sample of the song that led Carey into a hip-hop and R&B influence, and became her twelfth number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"Honey" is an up-tempo song, that blends hip hop and R&B genres. [1] The song is set in the signature common time, and is written in the key of E♭ major. It features a basic chord progression of A♭-F♭-1. [9] Carey's vocal range in the song spans from the low note of C3 to the high note of B♭5; with the piano and guitar pieces ranging from G♭3 to G♭5. [9] The track was very different from anything Carey had ever recorded, and was described as "street Hip-Hop music, with a booming bass." [1] The song's melody was driven by Q-Tip's drum programming and Stevie J's keyboard notes. Combs's production gave the song a "light and airy" effect, further distancing it from Carey's contemporary sound. [1] "Honey" is built around a bassline sample from Treacherous Three's "The Body Rock" and a piano motif reprised from "Hey DJ" by The World's Famous Supreme Team. [1] The track united hip-hop and R&B with traces of pop music and was described as a "[song with a] catchy chorus, combining hip-hop and R&B into something that simply wasn't going to be denied by anyone, and offering a powerful start to a record." [1] According to author Chris Nickson, "Honey" revealed a more confident and independent side to Carey that had never been presented in her previous work. The song truly embodied a more mature and confident woman, with sultrier lyrics and a thumping hip-hop beat to accompany it. [6]

The song's Bad Boy Remix features rap leads from Jadakiss and Styles P of The LOX (Sheek Louch, the third member, appears in the music video) and Mase, with some vocals rapped by Combs himself. The song's So So Def Remix features rap leads from Jermaine Dupri and Da Brat.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [10]
Stereogum 7/10 [11]

"Honey" garnered acclaimed response from contemporary music critics. David Browne from Entertainment Weekly described the importance the song held for Carey's musical transition. He wrote "You're prepared for a song on which Carey finally breaks free of her adult-contemporary chains and gets down." He felt "Honey" sounded as "anyone striking out on his or her own — caught between old and new habits and taking cautious baby steps into the future." Browne also commented that Carey showed a commendable vocal restraint in the song, "showing some admirable restraint, she nestles herself into the downy-soft beats of "Honey." [12] Author Chris Nickson felt the single's importance was "well beyond its chart placing" and that the single was one of the most important songs in Carey's career, enabling her to transition into R&B and hip-hop. Nickson commented that before, Carey was seen as a pop singer with R&B tendencies, but "Honey" changed that idea, giving the singer "hip-hop credibility", and forced naysayers to "take another look." [13] Rich Juzwiak from Slant complimented the song, calling it "awakening, both sensually and musically." [14] Juzwiak concluded the review writing ""Honey" exemplifies the abrupt gear shifting that appreciating Mariah the artist requires. Its new pop brilliance doesn't always come easy, where detecting it depends on the audience's newfound ability to apply Carey's pop life to her pop music." [14] "Honey" was nominated for two Grammy Awards at the 1998 ceremony, for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and Best R&B Song. [13] [15] Additionally, the song won the BMI Pop Award for "Songwriter." [15]

Chart performance

"Honey" was Carey's third single to debut atop the Billboard Hot 100. Additionally, the song became her 12th chart-topper, breaking the fifth place record she had shared with Madonna and Whitney Houston. [16] It replaced "Mo Money Mo Problems" by The Notorious B.I.G. featuring Puff Daddy and Mase, and it was replaced by Boyz II Men's "4 Seasons of Loneliness". [16] At this point, Carey was tied with The Supremes for fourth most US number ones, behind Michael Jackson with thirteen, and Elvis Presley and The Beatles with 17 and 20, respectively. [16] "Honey" was certified double-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting shipments of over two million units. [17] The song stalled at number two on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (behind "You Make Me Wanna..." by Usher), spending 22 weeks in the chart. [18] "Honey" finished number 32 on the Billboard end of year chart for 1997. [19] In Canada, the song debuted on the RPM Singles Chart at forty-eight on the RPM issue dated August 18, 1997, [20] and reached the top of the chart on September 22, 1997. [21] It was present on the chart for a total of 20 weeks, [22] and ranked 18 on the RPM Year-end chart for 1997. [23]

The song debuted on the UK Singles Chart on September 6, 1997, at its peak of number three, becoming Carey’s 13th top ten single, and spent a total of eight weeks in the chart. [24] "Honey" is Carey's 15th best-selling single in the United Kingdom as of 2010, with estimated sales of over 200,000. [25] In Australia, "Honey" peaked at number eight on the charts, spending a total of 19 weeks in the chart. It was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), denoting shipments of over 35,000 units. [26] In New Zealand, the song peaked at number three, and stayed in the chart for 14 weeks. The song's success in most other worldwide markets was moderate, with it not reaching the same peaks as Carey's previous singles. While "Honey" peaked at number 12 in Finland, it fell dropped out of the chart the next week, spending a total of only one week in the chart. In Sweden, the song performed well, peaking at number eight and staying within the chart for ten weeks. In Austria and France, "Honey" peaked at number 39, spending one and four weeks on the charts, respectively. The song peaked at number 29 and 30 in Belgium Flanders and Wallonia.

Music video

Carey exiting a swimming pool in the "Honey" music video, which became one of the most iconic moments in her videography. Mariah Carey water.jpg
Carey exiting a swimming pool in the "Honey" music video, which became one of the most iconic moments in her videography.

Aside from the attention surrounding the song, the music video for "Honey" garnered much speculation. For the first time in her career, Carey was featured provocatively dressed, giving viewers a "taste of the freer Mariah." [13] [28] The video's concept was created by Carey with Paul Hunter filling in as the director. [28] Serving a James Bond theme, Carey was cast as "the very sexy agent M", a woman who escapes a large mansion in which she has been held captive. [28] Carey said of the video that "I don't really think the video is overtly sexual, but for me... I mean people used to think I was the nineties version of Mary Poppins!" [1]

The video premiered on MTV and BET in August 1997 and was shot in Puerto Rico on June 27, 1997 with a $2 million budget, making it one of the most expensive music videos of all time. [27] [29] The video begins with Carey, playing "Agent M", being held hostage in a large mansion. The captors are played by Eddie Griffin, Frank Sivero, and Johnny Brennan of The Jerky Boys, who continue to taunt Carey over her capture and eventual death. [27] "Agent M" speaks in Spanish to the captors, saying she cannot understand them. After a series of dialogue, Carey escapes Griffin's character and dives into a swimming pool from the mansion's roof. After an ensemble change, Carey dons a swimsuit and escapes the island via a watercraft. [27] The video's antagonists continue their pursuit of Carey throughout a large body of water, until she arrives aboard a large ship. It is unclear if both scenes are happening separately or side by side. Throughout most of the video, Carey is seen posing on a large sailboat, while wearing a white bikini. [27] After boarding the ship, Carey begins dancing and is soon joined by a group of male sailors. After a sequence of light dance routines, Carey is seen on an island with her lover, model David Fumero, and her real-life dog, Jack. They frolic together on the island, while Carey happily enjoys her romance. [27]

It was a grueling process; I'm not going to say it was easy. I got up at 3 A.M. every day, and worked until 9 in the morning the next day – for four hours in a row, swimming in my Gucci pumps! I can't say that I really jumped off the roof, but [I did] dive into the pool. But I did wear and swim in those pumps, and I was not happy.

—Carey on her experience on the set of "Honey" [28]

During the time of the video's release, Carey and Mottola were in the midst of their divorce and this led to many speculation on the video's message. Tabloids and critics were linking the video's theme to Carey's marriage, writing how Mottola would lock Carey in their mansion. [13] While Carey denied the allegations, many found it to be very obvious. Carey's writing partner of six years, Afanasieff, felt the video was undeniably about Mottola. [28] While speculation about the video grew, Carey continued to deny any intention of portraying her marriage in the video. [13] In an interview, Carey said that "Tommy loves the video, he says it's my best video yet." [13]

The song's Bad Boy remix featured a different music video as well. [13] It features the same concept, however not emphasizing on the kidnapping and escape. The video begins with Carey diving into the pool, and driving a watercraft. As she reaches a point far into the body of water, she is offered a rope lift from a helicopter. [16] After she accepts and ascends the line, Carey boards the aircraft alongside its pilots, Puffy and the members of Bad Boy Entertainment. Other scenes sequence Carey dancing with Puffy in a golden indoor tunnel. As the video concludes, more staff from the helicopter join Carey in the golden entryway, as they dance and enjoy themselves. [16]

Live performances

Carey performing "Honey" during her Number Ones Las Vegas residency Mariah Carey Las Vegas (1).jpg
Carey performing "Honey" during her Number Ones Las Vegas residency

"Honey" was performed on various live television appearances as well as most of Carey's tours. Carey first performed a mash-up of the song and the Bad Boy remix live on the British music chart program Top of the Pops in 1997. [1] The performance incorporated themes from both videos, in which Carey was dressed in the same white bikini from the music video. Additionally, the stage was set up to resemble the deck of a ship. [1] Dancers similar to the video joined Carey on stage as she performed the song. Carey performed "Honey" at the 1998 World Music Awards. The performance garnered her a standing ovation, and featured many male dancers, all donning sailor costumes. After the second verse, a large projection of the Bad Boy remix video played while pre-recorded rap verses from Puffy played. A live performance of the song was taped via satellite and aired live in Japan, featuring similar costumes and themes as the others. [1] Carey performed the song throughout her Butterfly World Tour (1998), which served as the accompanying tour for Butterfly. [1] During her live routine of the song, various male dancers donned in similar sailor outfits joined Carey on stage. Serving as an intro to the song, Carey re-enacts the hostage from the video, and formulates her escape. The song's performance in Honolulu, Hawaii was used as the official act of the song on Carey's 1998 concert DVD, Around the World , which featured live tapings from Japan, Taiwan, Australia and the US. [1]

For her Rainbow World Tour (2000), the beginning of the original video served as the acts intro.[ citation needed ] As the music began playing, Carey emerged wearing a mini sailor suit and a matching headpiece. During the set, many male dancers joined Carey on stage, and re-enacted a similar performance than that of her previous tour.[ citation needed ] "Honey" was performed during Carey's following tour, the Charmbracelet World Tour (2003–2004).[ citation needed ] The performances of the song throughout the tour were altered from those in 1997–98. The act began with the video intro like before, however the dancers featured no longer bore any resemblance to the video.[ citation needed ] Male and female dancers joined, performing traditional and exotic dance routines. Carey donned a blue one piece mini skirt, and joins with some light dance moves.[ citation needed ] Carey continued performing the song throughout her 2006 tour, The Adventures of Mimi.[ citation needed ] The performance did not include any video intro, but did introduce a four-piece of male dancers dressed in sailor outfits.[ citation needed ] Carey wore a pair of black leggings, accompanied by a sparkling mini-bra. During the performance in Madison Square Garden, Carey was joined with Sean "Diddy" Combs (previously known as Puffy) on stage after the second verse.[ citation needed ] During her Angels Advocate Tour (2010) performance of the song, Carey donned a sparkling mini-Herve Leger gown, with a faux-fur snug jacket.[ citation needed ] During the song, male and female dancers joined her on stage, and performed up-tempo dance routines.[ citation needed ] She performed the song regularly during The Elusive Chanteuse Show (2014), singing the So So Def Mix. She also included the song in her 2015 Las Vegas residency, Mariah Carey Number 1's, where she would enter the stage in a black leotard, riding a yellow jet ski, in homage to the video. Carey started performing "Honey" for the first time since July 2017 on her second concert residency, The Butterfly Returns (2018).

During The LOX's 2021 battle with The Diplomats (DipSet) via Timbaland and Swizz Beatz' Verzuz at the Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden, Jadakiss performed his verse from the Bad Boy Remix of "Honey" as part of a medley. Specifically, in response to a remark from Juelz Santana after DipSet had played Cam'ron's "Oh Boy" and "Hey Ma" that The LOX had no records for female fans, The LOX performed the Bad Boy Remix of "Honey", "Ryde or Die, Bitch" featuring Eve, other remixes featuring them of Jennifer Lopez's "Jenny from the Block" and Mary J. Blige's "Family Affair" and also Sheek Louch's "Good Love" and Jadakiss' "Knock Yourself Out". Before he performed his "Honey" Bad Boy Remix verse, Jadakiss remarked, "We got Grammys! These (expletive)s (DipSet) don't know what Grammys look like, they know what grams look like!" [30] [31] [32]

Track listing and formats

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the Butterfly liner notes. [38]

Charts

Certifications and sales

Certifications and sales for "Honey"
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [109] Platinum70,000‡
Canada (Music Canada) [110] Gold40,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ) [111] Gold5,000*
United Kingdom (BPI) [112] Silver200,000‡
United States (RIAA) [113] 2× Platinum2,000,000‡

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Honey"
RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)Ref.
United StatesJuly 29, 1997 Columbia
FranceAugust 25, 1997 Sony Music
United KingdomColumbia
CanadaAugust 26, 199712-inch vinyl
United States
JapanAugust 27, 1997CDSony Music
VariousAugust 28, 2020 Legacy
  • Canada
  • United States
February 17, 20232× 12-inch vinyl (Urban Outfitters exclusive)Sony Music [37] [122]

See also

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"My All" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey from her sixth studio album, Butterfly (1997). It was released as the album's fifth single overall and second commercial single on April 21, 1998, by Columbia Records. The song was written and produced by Carey and Walter Afanasieff. "My All" is built around Latin guitar chord melodies, and makes subtle use of Latin percussion throughout the first chorus, before taking on a more conventional R&B-style beat. Carey was inspired to write the song and use Latin inspired melodies after a trip to Puerto Rico, where she was influenced by the culture. The song's lyrics tell of a lonely woman declaring she would give "her all" to have just one more night with her estranged lover. It is the first song Carey wrote for the Butterfly album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fantasy (Mariah Carey song)</span> 1995 single by Mariah Carey

"Fantasy" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released on August 23, 1995, by Columbia Records as the lead single from her fifth album, Daydream (1995). The track was written and produced by Carey and Dave Hall. It samples Tom Tom Club's 1981 song "Genius of Love". The lyrics describe a woman who is in love with a man, and how every time she sees him she starts fantasizing about an impossible relationship with him. The remix for the song features rap verses from Ol' Dirty Bastard, something Carey arranged to assist in her crossover into the hip-hop market and credited for introducing R&B and hip hop collaboration into mainstream pop culture, and for popularizing rap as a featuring act.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One Sweet Day</span> 1995 single by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men

"One Sweet Day" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey and American vocal group Boyz II Men. The song was released on November 14, 1995, as the second single from the former's fifth studio album, Daydream (1995) by Columbia Records. The artists co-wrote the song with Walter Afanasieff, who co-produced it with Carey. Lyrically, the song speaks about the death of a loved one, how the protagonist took their presence for granted and misses them, and finally about seeing the person in heaven. The artists wrote the song about specific people in their lives, being inspired by sufferers of the AIDS epidemic, which was globally prevalent at the time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Always Be My Baby</span> 1996 single by Mariah Carey

"Always Be My Baby" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter, and record producer Mariah Carey for her fifth studio album, Daydream (1995). It was released by Columbia Records on February 20, 1996, as the third single in the United States and fourth worldwide. Written and produced by Carey, Jermaine Dupri and Manuel Seal, "Always Be My Baby" is a midtempo song, with lyrics describing the feeling of attachment and unity the singer feels towards her estranged lover, even though they are no longer together, she says he will always be a part of her and will "always be her baby" even after they move on.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Still Believe (Brenda K. Starr song)</span> 1988 single by Brenda K. Starr

"I Still Believe" is a song written and composed by Antonina Armato and Giuseppe Cantarelli, and originally recorded by pop singer Brenda K. Starr for her eponymous second studio album, Brenda K. Starr (1987). It is a ballad in which the singer is confident she and her former boyfriend will be together again one day. It is Starr's biggest hit in the United States, reaching the top-twenty on the Billboard Hot 100 and being considered her signature song. "I Still Believe" was covered by American singer Mariah Carey, a former backup singer for Starr before she achieved success, for her #1's album in 1998 and released as a single in 1999. It was also recorded by Cantopop singer Sandy Lam in 1989.

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