ALWAYS BE MY BABY
Lyrics: Mariah Carey
Music: Jermaine Dupri, Mariah Carey, Manuel Seal
Produced and Arranged: Mariah Carey, Jermaine Dupri
[The Inside Story Behind "Always Be My Baby"]


We were as one, babe
For a moment in time
And it seemed everlasting
That you would always be mine
Now you want to be free
So I'll let you fly
'Cause I know in my heart, babe
Our love will never die

You'll always be a part of me
I'm part of you indefinitely
Boy, don't you know you can't escape me
Ooh darling, 'cause you'll always be my baby
And we'll linger on
Time can't erase a feeling this strong
No way you're never gonna shake me
Oh darling, 'cause you'll always be my baby

I ain't gonna cry, no
And I won't beg you to stay
If you're determined to leave boy
I will not stand in your way
But inevitably, you'll be back again
'Cause you know in your heart, babe
Our love will never end

You'll always be a part of me
I'm part of you indefinitely
Boy, don't you know you can't escape me
Ooh darling, 'cause you'll always be my baby
And we'll linger on
Time can't erase a feeling this strong
No way you're never gonna shake me
Oh darling, 'cause you'll always be my baby

I know that you'll be back, boy
When your days and your nights get a little bit colder
You'll be right back, baby
Oh baby, believe me
It's only a matter of time

You'll always be a part of me
I'm part of you indefinitely
Boy, don't you know you can't escape me
Ooh darling, 'cause you'll always be my baby
And we'll linger on
Time can't erase a feeling this strong
No way you're never gonna shake me
Oh darling, 'cause you'll always be my baby

With "Always Be My Baby," the third single from Daydream, Mariah Carey achieved her 11th number one hit, putting her in a three-way tie with Madonna and Whitney Houston as the solo female artist with the most number one hits to this date. "Always Be My Baby" also made Carey three for three, with all the singles from her fifth full-length studio album hitting the top of the Hot 100. There would be no more singles from the album after "Always Be My Baby," although "Forever" would become an airplay hit.

In search to find producers to work with on Daydream, one of the people Carey turned to was Jermaine Dupri. She knew she wanted to collaborate with the Atlanta-based musician ever since she heard his production of "Jump" for Kris Kross. He had also achieved success writing and producing for the female quintet Xscape on his own So So Def label. "He's got a very distinct vibe," says Carey. "Jermaine, Manuel (Seal), and I sat down and Jermaine programmed the drums. I told him the feel that I wanted and Manuel put his hands on the keyboards and I started singing the melody. We went back and forth with the bridge and the B-section. I had the outline of the lyrics and started singing 'Always be my baby' off the top of my head."

Like other producers before him, Dupri was impressed with Carey's vocal abilities. "She can pretty much do anything with her voice," he says. "She's really strong vocally." Carey's talents extend to her backing vocals as well. On "Always Be My Baby," like many of her other songs, the backing vocals take on some of the burden that instruments do in other artists' songs. "The background vocals are an important part of the whole picture for me," she explains. "That's why I like to do them myself a lot of the time, or at least initially I'll lay down the tracks. I'll double my voice or do a couple of tracks of my own voice. It's easy for me to match my voice. And then if I'm going to use other background singers, I'll let them go on top of mine. To me, on those kinds of records, the hook is really important. And I tend to do a lot of ad-libs, so it can get lost."

Less than a year after "Always Be My Baby" hit number one, Carey was back on the Hot 100 - not as an artist, but as the head of her own label, Crave. The first single to be distributed by Crave to chart was "Head Over Heels" by the female R&B group Allure. "I've always wanted to help get new artists signed and I feel there's so much talent out there," says Carey. "I remember how it felt not knowing anybody, not knowing where to turn, and waiting to get noticed or signed. So Crave is a dream of mine. I'm trying to work with any of the artists who want my input or want help or want to collaborate. And it's cool for them because I'm a peer. I reached success at an early age and it's easy to relate to me as a friend, not just a record company person."

As for the name of the label, Carey isn't ready to reveal its true origin. "It came from a song I wrote that no one's ever heard. It's a secret. One day I'll talk about it."