Daydream (Mariah Carey album)

Daydream
Studio album by Mariah Carey
Released October 3, 1995
Recorded December 1994 – August 1995
Genre Pop, R&B
Length 46:42
Label Columbia
Producer Mariah Carey, Walter Afanasieff, Dave Hall, Jermaine Dupri, Manuel Seal, David Morales
Mariah Carey chronology
Merry Christmas
(1994)		 Daydream
(1995)		 Butterfly
(1997)
Singles from Daydream
  1. "Fantasy"
    Released: August 29, 1995
  2. "One Sweet Day"
    Released: November 14, 1995
  3. "Open Arms"
    Released: December 5, 1995
  4. "Always Be My Baby"
    Released: March 9, 1996
  5. "Forever"
    Released: March 10, 1996
  6. "Underneath the Stars"
    Released: April 5, 1996

Daydream is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, released on October 3, 1995 by Columbia Records as the follow-up to Carey's commercially successful 1993 album Music Box and 1994 holiday album Merry Christmas. Daydream was slightly different from Music Box, as it leaned increasingly towards R&B and hip hop and features less of a pure blues sound, a decision that was made by Carey and was not initially well received by her record label, Columbia Records.

Despite her record label not being impressed about her new sound on the album, The album was well received by critics and Mariah's fans. In terms of sales, Daydream exceeded expectations – eventually becoming her second best selling album behind Music Box, shipping 10 million copies in the United States alone.[1] Daydream is Carey's second album to have achieved diamond status in the U.S. Daydream was listed by the National Association of Recording Merchandisers in their Definitive 200 Albums of All Time as the 116th most influential and popular album in history.[2] In Australia, the album finished 9th on the ARIA 1995 & 1996 End of Year Chart and 2nd on Billboard's 1996 Year-End Chart[3][4][5] Daydream remains one of the best-selling albums of all time, with sales of over 25 million copies worldwide.[6][7]

Contents

Background

Carey's third studio album, Music Box (1993) was a commercial success and her fourth studio album, the holiday collection Merry Christmas (1994) was also well-received. The period between Merry Christmas and Daydream was a transitional time for Carey, a period antagonized by the widely reported tension between Carey and her then-husband, Sony Music executive Tommy Mottola.

From the beginning of her career, Mottola had controlled nearly every aspect of Carey's career, keeping her sound carefully regulated and insisting that she continue to record middle-of-the-road pop music, despite her interest in hip hop, which was rapidly growing in popularity around the time of Daydream's release. Carey confessed that she never tried to change this situation because "[she] used to be insecure and cautious, and so [she] would listen to what the people said."[8] However, the control Mottola exerted over her career soon spilled into her personal life once they were married, increasing the amount of conflict between the two.[9] Soon, it was obvious that the marriage was in trouble – as stated in a Vanity Fair article, the couple "began to argue at the drop of a hat."[9]

In 1995, Carey announced that she would take her music in a new direction with the release of Daydream, much to the dismay of her husband and other label executives. Carey became very absorbed in the project, becoming the most involved she had ever been on an album. "I went into this phase of recording, recording, recording and doing it really fast," she told Time. "This time, I had more time, and I focused more on what I wanted to do."[10][11] Carey wanted to incorporate pieces of other genres to her songs—including hip-hop and rap—claiming these styles were missing in the early albums. However, she stated the initial reaction of her record label was not positive to this decision: "Everybody was like 'What, are you crazy?'. They're very nervous about breaking the formula."[10][12]

Recording

One of earliest cuts to appear on the album was the slightly uptempo "Fantasy." The song samples Tom Tom Club's "Genius of Love," an idea which came from Carey.[10] Mottola was initially supportive, but became miffed when she proposed that rapper Sean Combs help co-produce, and was even more disgruntled when she asked Ol' Dirty Bastard from the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan to appear on the remix of the song. While Mottola acknowledged that he was a fan of the genre, he and other label executives saw the introduction of rap into Carey's music as a potential career-killer.[10] Nonetheless, Carey completed the remix in the way she saw fit, and to much acclaim and success.

Other songs included on the album include "One Sweet Day", and third single "Always Be My Baby."[13] During the writing sessions of Daydream, Carey and producer Walter Afanasieff conceived the song "One Sweet Day," after which Carey approached R&B group Boyz II Men and proposed a duet. Upon hearing the song, they agreed, as they had also written a song that would fit perfectly with the arrangement of "One Sweet Day." Once again, Mottola reacted negatively to the inclusion of other artists on the album, but the song eventually became the most successful song in Billboard history, debuting at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remaining there for an unprecedented 16 weeks.

Music

Music critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine observed that Daydream positioned Carey directly between urban R&B and adult contemporary music.[14] As stated by Time, Daydream started an evolution which continued with Butterfly (1997) – toward more R&B and hip-hop and less pure pop sound.[15] "One Sweet Day" is one of the exceptions of this move, as it saw gospel shadings found in previous records such as "Make It Happen."[16]

The album saw a new artistic maturity of the singer, featuring a consistently strong selection of songs, with its lyrics being significantly stronger and smarter than previous, showing the matureness of Carey also in her songwriting.[17][18][11] As Carey got credit for writing or co-writing all the songs in this album (excluding the cover of Journey's "Open Arms"), the lyrics reflected some personal issues of her life which she was going through.[19]

Reception

Critical response

 Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
About.com 4/5 stars[20]
Allmusic 4.5/5 stars[21]
Entertainment Weekly (B) [22]

Daydream received generally positive reviews from critics. Reviews applauded the little changes of style from previous Carey releases, some of whom adding that it is her best record.[19][14][23] Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the album 4.5 out 5 stars. Commenting about the insertion of other genres, Erlewine claimed, "[she] certainly knows how to construct an album."[14] Reviewing for the Entertainment Weekly, Ken Tucker published a positive (B) graded overview also talking about the changes. To Tucker, Daydream most resembles in its emphasis on R&B grooves.[23] In other side, some critics felt the lyrics were a controlled exercise, with little emotion or heart.[24] Carey's cover of Journey's "Open Arms" was panned in most reviews. Erlewine described it as "second-rate."[14] According with Bill Lamb, the track seemed to be a uninspired song selection.[25]

The music industry took note of Carey's success—she won two awards at the American Music Awards for her solo efforts: Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist and Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist.[26] Daydream and its tracks were respectively nominated for six categories in the 38th Grammy Awards. Carey, along with Boyz II Men, opened the event with a performance of "One Sweet Day," which was mightily applauded.[27] In contrast, throughout the night, she was not called to the stage to receive even one Grammy. The cameras started to focus on Carey, revealing the fact that it was becoming harder for her to retain a smile. Her disappointment was becoming obvious.[27] Although many critics proclaimed Daydream as the best album of 1995, she ended that night with no awards.[27] Carey eventually was able to deal with this incident. "What can you do?" The singer asked. "I will never be disappointed again. After sitting through the whole show and not winning once, I can handle anything."[27]

Commercial reception

Daydream was released on October 3, 1995 in the United States and sold 224,000 copies in its first week of sales, becoming Carey's first album to debut number 1, staying at the top spot for 6 non-consecutive weeks and in the top ten for 29 weeks. However, the album moved 760,000 copies during the Christmas week of 1995 – the fourth biggest one-week sales for a female performer (as of December 2005).[28][29] After selling 7,556,000 copies in the U.S.[30] and shipping 10 million, the RIAA certified the album 10× platinum, also known as 'diamond'.[31][32] Daydream is one of the first sixty-two albums to have achieved the diamond status.[32] According to "Billboard", Daydream has become one of the best-selling albums of all time in Japan by a non-Asian artist, selling over 2,100,000 copies.[33] The album's lead single "Fantasy" debuted at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, making Carey the first female artist and just the second performer ever to accomplish the feat.[17] "One Sweet Day" was chosen as the follow-up and, despite repeating the previous feat of debuting at number 1, it spent sixteen weeks at the top of the chart, holding the record for the longest run at number 1 of all time.[17] "Always Be My Baby" did not debut at the top, but eventually become the third song of Daydream to reach number 1 in the U.S.[24] "Forever" and "Underneath the Stars" were released as the fifth and sixth singles respectively in selected countries and "Open Arms" was released as a promotional single in some countries of Europe.

Track listing

No. Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length
1. "Fantasy"   Mariah Carey, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth, Dave Hall, Adrian Belew, Steven Stanley N. Carey, D. Hall 4:03
2. "Underneath the Stars"   Carey, Walter Afanasieff M. Carey, W. Afanasieff 3:33
3. "One Sweet Day" (with Boyz II Men) Carey, Michael McCary, Nathan Morris, Wanya Morris, Shawn Stockman, Afanasieff M. Carey, W. Afanasieff 4:42
4. "Open Arms"   Steve Perry, Jonathan Cain M. Carey, W. Afanasieff 3:30
5. "Always Be My Baby"   Carey, Jermaine Dupri, Manuel Seal M. carey J. Dupri, M. Seal 4:20
6. "I Am Free"   Carey, Afanasieff M. Carey, W. Afanasieff 3:09
7. "When I Saw You"   Carey, Afanasieff M. Carey, W. Afanasieff 4:24
8. "Long Ago"   Carey, Dupri M. Carey, J. Dupri, M. Seal 4:33
9. "Melt Away"   Carey, Babyface M. Carey 3:42
10. "Forever"   Carey, Afanasieff M. Carey, W. Afanasieff 4:00
11. "Daydream Interlude" (Fantasy Sweet Dub Mix) Carey, Frantz, Weymouth, Hall, Belew, Stanley M. Carey, David Morales 3:04
12. "Looking In"   Carey, Afanasieff M. Carey, W. Afanasieff 3:35
13. "Fantasy (Def Club Mix)" (Japanese edition bonus track) Carey, Frantz, Weymouth, Hall, Belew, Stanley   3:45
14. "El Amor Que Soñé" (Latin American edition bonus track) Perry, Cain, Manny Benito M. Carey, W. Afanasieff 3:32

Charts and certifications

Charts

Chart Peak
position
Australian Albums Chart[34] 1
Austrian Albums Chart[34] 5
Belgian Flanders Albums Chart[34] 6
Belgian Wallonia Albums Chart[34] 3
Canadian Albums Chart[35] 3
Dutch Albums Chart[34] 1
European Albums Chart[36] 2
Finnish Albums Chart[34] 12
French Albums Chart[34] 2
German Albums Chart[37] 1
Hungarian Albums Chart[38] 13
Italian Albums Chart[39] 6
Japanese Albums Chart[40] 1
New Zealand Albums Chart[34] 1
Norwegian Albums Chart[34] 3
Spanish Albums Chart[41] 5
Swedish Albums Chart[34] 6
Swiss Albums Chart[42] 1
UK Albums Chart[43] 1
U.S. Billboard 200[44] 1
U.S. Billboard R&B/Hip hop Albums 1

Certifications

Country (Provider) Certification
(sales thresholds)
Australia (ARIA) 5x Platinum[45]
Austria (IFPI) Gold[46]
Canada (CRIA) 7x Platinum[47]
Europe (IFPI) 3x Platinum[48]
France (SNEP) 2x Platinum[49]
Germany (IFPI) Platinum[50]
Japan (RIAJ) Million[51]
Netherlands (NVPI) Platinum[52]
New Zealand (RIANZ) 5x Platinum[53]
Norway (IFPI) Platinum[54]
Poland (ZPAV) Gold[55]
Spain (PROMUSICAE) 2x Platinum[56]
Switzerland (IFPI) Gold[57]
United Kingdom (BPI) 2x Platinum[58]
United States (RIAA) Diamond[59]
Preceded by
The Great Escape by Blur		 UK number one album
October 7, 1995 – October 13, 1995		 Succeeded by
(What's the Story) Morning Glory? by Oasis
Preceded by
Ballbreaker by AC/DC		 Australian ARIA Albums Chart number-one album
October 15, 1995 – October 21, 1995		 Succeeded by
Dangerous Minds (soundtrack)
by Various artists
Preceded by
Jagged Little Pill by Alanis Morissette
Anthology 1 by The Beatles		 Billboard 200 number-one album
October 21, 1995 – November 10, 1995
December 30, 1995 - January 19, 1996		 Succeeded by
Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness
by The Smashing Pumpkins
Waiting to Exhale (soundtrack) by Various artists
Preceded by
Ballbreaker by AC/DC		 Swiss Albums Chart number-one album
October 22, 1995 – October 28, 1995		 Succeeded by
Life by Simply Red
Preceded by
Cracked Rear View by Hootie & The Blowfish		 New Zealand Albums Chart number-one album
October 22, 1995 – October 28, 1995		 Succeeded by
Design of a Decade 1986/1996
by Janet Jackson
Preceded by
Als Geen Ander by Marco Borsato		 Dutch Albums Chart number-one album
October 28, 1995 – November 3, 1995		 Succeeded by
'Round the Fire by BZN

Personnel

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.ticketspecialists.com/concerts/mariah_carey_tickets.htm
  2. ↑ "Definitive 200". The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. 2007. http://www.rockhall.com/pressroom/definitive-200. Retrieved 2009-04-05. 
  3. ↑ http://www.aria.com.au/pages/aria-charts-end-of-year-charts-top-50albums-1995.htm
  4. ↑ http://www.aria.com.au/pages/aria-charts-end-of-year-charts-top-50albums-1996.htm
  5. ↑ Billboard "Year-End Charts, 1996"
  6. ↑ "BET.com Exclusive: Mariah Celebrates 20 Years; Thanks Fans". Bet.com. 2010-06-11. http://www.bet.com/entertainment/News/mariahtwenty.htm?wbc_purpose=Basic&WBCMODE=PresentationUnpublished&Referrer=%7B1165D08F-7604-4004-92E0-04CCBC1FAAF0%7D. Retrieved 2010-008-25. 
  7. ↑ "Mariah Carey hangs up on the BBC". The London Paper. http://www.thelondonpaper.com/thelondonpaper/celebrity/celeb-news/mariah-carey-hangs-up-on-the-bbc. Retrieved 2010-008-25. 
  8. ↑ Shapiro, p. 90
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Shapiro, p. 91
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Shapiro, P. 92
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Christopher John Farley (2001-06-21). "Pop's princess grows up". Time. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,134725,00.html. Retrieved 2009-04-05. 
  12. ↑ "Mariah Carey Biography". People. http://www.people.com/people/mariah_carey/biography. Retrieved 2009-04-05. 
  13. ↑ Shapiro, p. 93
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Daydream > Overview". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:3pfexqehld6e. Retrieved 2009-04-06. 
  15. ↑ David E. Thigpen (1997-09-15). "Butterflies Are Free". Time. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,987000-1,00.html. Retrieved 2009-04-06. 
  16. ↑ Shapiro, p. 95
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Jason Ankeny. "Mariah Carey > Biography". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:hvfpxqq5ld0e~T1. Retrieved 2009-04-06. 
  18. ↑ "Biography - Mariah Carey". Wireimage. http://www.wireimage.com/celebrities.aspx?so=4,a&s=Mariah-Carey. Retrieved 2009-04-06. 
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Shapiro, p. 94
  20. ↑ Lamb, Bill. "Mariah Carey 'Daydream'". About.com. http://top40.about.com/od/reviews/gr/mcdaydream.htm. Retrieved 2010-08-20. 
  21. ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:5s967ub080jg
  22. ↑ http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,299059,00.html
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Ken Tucker (1995-10-03). "Carey'd Away". Entertainment Weekly. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,299059,00.html. Retrieved 2009-04-06. 
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 "Mariah Carey Biography". NME. http://www.nme.com/artists/mariah-carey. Retrieved 2009-04-06. 
  25. ↑ Bill Lamb. "Mariah Carey 'Daydream'". About.com. http://top40.about.com/od/reviews/gr/mcdaydream.htm. Retrieved 2009-04-06. 
  26. ↑ "Mariah Carey Career Achievement Awards". Mariahcarey.com. http://www.mariahcarey.com/news/awards.php. Retrieved 2009-04-08. 
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 27.3 Shapiro, p. 96
  28. ↑ Neil Strauss (2005-05-30). "Blige leads Christmas surge; Carey passes 50 Cent". redOrbit. http://www.redorbit.com/news/entertainment/344384/blige_leads_christmas_surge_carey_passes_50_cent/. Retrieved 2009-04-06. 
  29. ↑ Neil Strauss (1995-11-30). "The Pop Life". Time. http://www.nytimes.com/1995/11/30/arts/the-pop-life-073440.html. Retrieved 2009-04-05. 
  30. ↑ [1]
  31. ↑ "Search Results". Recording Industry Association of America. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=Daydream&artist=&format=ALBUM&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=Columbia&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=on&before=on&startMonth=1&endMonth=4&startYear=1986&endYear=2009&sort=Artist&perPage=25. Retrieved 2009-04-06. 
  32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 "Metallica, Boyz II Men, Backstreet Boys, Green Day, No Doubt Among Top-Selling Artists Honored At Diamond Awards". MTV News. 1999-03-17. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1425228/19990317/backstreet_boys.jhtml. Retrieved 2009-04-06. 
  33. ↑ Billboard Magazine 1996
  34. ↑ 34.0 34.1 34.2 34.3 34.4 34.5 34.6 34.7 34.8 34.9 "MARIAH CAREY - DAYDREAM (ALBUM)". Ultratop & Hung Medien. http://www.ultratop.be/en/showitem.asp?interpret=Mariah+Carey&titel=Daydream&cat=a. Retrieved 2010-08-20. 
  35. ↑ Canadian Albums Chart
  36. ↑ European Albums Chart
  37. ↑ German Albums Chart
  38. ↑ Hungarian Albums Chart
  39. ↑ Italian Albums Chart
  40. ↑ Oricon Albums Chart
  41. ↑ Spanish Albums Chart
  42. ↑ Swiss Albums Chart
  43. ↑ UK Albums Chart
  44. ↑ U.S. Albums Chart
  45. ↑ Kent, David (2003). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. ISBN 0-646-11917-6. 
  46. ↑ IFPI Austria
  47. ↑ CRIA
  48. ↑ IFPI
  49. ↑ http://www.infodisc.fr/CDCertif_P2.php
  50. ↑ IFPI Germany
  51. ↑ http://www.riaj.or.jp/data/others/million_list/1995.html
  52. ↑ NVPI
  53. ↑ Scapolo, Dean (2007). The Complete New Zealand Music Charts 1966-2006. RIANZ. ISBN 978-1-877443-00-8. 
  54. ↑ IFPI Norway
  55. ↑ ZPAV
  56. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 8480486392. 
  57. ↑ IFPI Switzerland
  58. ↑ http://www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/search.aspx
  59. ↑ http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH
Mariah Carey
Albums · Singles · Videography · Tours · Awards and nominations
Studio albums
Mariah Carey · Emotions · Music Box · Merry Christmas · Daydream  · Butterfly · Rainbow · Glitter · Charmbracelet · The Emancipation of Mimi · E=MC² · Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel · Merry Christmas II You
Live albums
MTV Unplugged
Compilation albums
#1's · Valentines · Greatest Hits · The Remixes · The Ballads · Playlist: The Very Best of Mariah Carey · LoveSongs
Video albums
The First Vision · MTV Unplugged +3 · Here Is Mariah Carey · Fantasy: Mariah Carey at Madison Square Garden · Around the World · #1's · The Adventures of Mimi
Tours
Music Box Tour · Daydream World Tour · Butterfly World Tour · Rainbow World Tour · Charmbracelet World Tour · The Adventures of Mimi Tour · Angels Advocate Tour
Filmography
The Bachelor · Glitter · WiseGirls · Ally McBeal · State Property 2 · You Don't Mess with the Zohan · Tennessee · Precious
Related articles
Crave Records · MonarC Entertainment · Mariah Carey Wish Icon Award · M by Mariah Carey · Luscious Pink · Forever
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