On this day in 1997, Mariah Carey released the lead single from her Butterfly album, ‘Honey’.
‘Honey’ represented a new chapter in Mariah’s career, as it was the first single following the separation of her marriage to Tommy Mottola. It marked an edgier sound, a fresh image and a more fun persona in her music videos.
During the promotion of this era, Mariah expressed that she felt more liberated as an artist and had previously felt stifled in her career. She fought with her label to have more creative control of her image and sound.
‘Honey’ became Mariah’s third single to debut atop Billboard’s Hot 100 and became her twelfth #1 single at the time, however she has since collected a total of nineteen chart toppers.
Internationally, ‘Honey’ peaked in the Top 5 in Canada, the UK, New Zealand and Spain, and was a Top 10 hit in Australia, Sweden and Italy.
The ‘Honey’ music video is one of Mariah’s most iconic and memorable, with a James Bond theme where Mariah escapes after being held hostage in a mansion. A remix video was also filmed, featuring Puff Daddy, Mase and The Lox.
The hip-hop remixes by Bad Boy and So So Def are just as impactful as the album version, and the re-sung David Morales dance remix was #1 on Billboard’s Dance Club Songs chart.
The song has been certified Platinum in both the US and Australia. It also earned Mariah a BMI Pop Award for ‘Best Pop Songwriter’.
Mariah’s latest single ‘Save The Day’, featuring Ms. Lauryn Hill is out now.
Music Video:
Remix Video:
Live:
Unboxing:
