FANTASY
Lyrics: Mariah Carey, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth
Music: Mariah Carey, Dave Hall, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth, Adrian Belew, Steven Stanley
Produced and Arranged: Mariah Carey, Dave Hall
[The Inside Story Behind "Fantasy"]


When you walk by every night
Talking sweet and looking fine
I get kind of hectic inside
Baby, I'm so into you
Darling, if you only knew
All the things that flow through my mind
But it's just a

Sweet sweet fantasy baby
When I close my eyes
You come and take me
On and on and on
It's so deep in my daydreams
But it's just a sweet sweet fantasy baby

Images of rapture
Creep into me slowly
As you're going to my head
And my heart beats faster
When you take me over
Time and time and time again
But it's just a

Sweet sweet fantasy baby
When I close my eyes
You come and take me
On and on and on
It's so deep in my daydreams
But it's just a sweet sweet fantasy baby

I'm in heaven
With my boyfriend
My laughing boyfriend
There's no beginning and there is no end
Feels like I'm dreaming but I'm not sleeping

It's just a sweet sweet fantasy baby
When I close my eyes
You come and take me
On and on and on
It's so deep in my daydreams
But it's just a sweet sweet fantasy baby




The Inside Story Behind "Fantasy"


I had the melody idea for 'Fantasy' and then I was listening to the radio and heard 'Genius of Love,' and I hadn't heard it in a long time," recalls Mariah Carey. "It reminded me of growing up and listening to the radio and the feeling that song gave me seemed to go with the melody and the basic idea I had for 'Fantasy.' I initially told Dave Hall about the idea and we did it." Issued as a single in 1982, "Genius of Love" by Talking Heads spin-off group Tom Tom Club peaked at number 32 on the Hot 100. "We called up the Tom Tom Club and they were really into it," says Mariah of her first single off the Daydream album.

Dave Hall, who also collaborated with Carey on "Dreamlover," recalls that "Fantasy" was "a fun song to do. Mariah brought me 'Genius of Love' and I laid some strings on it and put it to a groove that I felt would really fit her. And that song didn't take us but a minute to do, because she really busted that out within two days. We did a rough copy and let (Sony Music Entertainment CEO) Tommy Mottola hear it and he loved it, so all we had to do was bring it back in and mix it down."

The Daydream album reflected Mariah's love of hip-hop music. She took that influence one step further with "Fantasy," asking Sean "Puffy" Combs to helm a remix that emphasized the bass line more than the original pop version. Carey also invited Ol' Dirty Bastard from the Wu-Tang Clan to add some rap to the track.

"Fantasy" was an important step in Carey's career, and not just because the single was the second ever to debut at number one on the Hot 100, following Michael Jackson's "You Are Not Alone," and the first by a female artist. The video for "Fantasy" marked Carey's debut as a video director. "I've done a lot of videos and wasn't always a hundred percent thrilled," she explains. "For the most part, I was never thrilled with the results, so I figured I would give it a shot." Carey earned high marks for this end result, which featured her Rollerblading in tight shorts, and a clown tied to a pole.

Three weeks after "Fantasy" entered the Hot 100 in pole position, the Daydream album repeated that feat on the Billboard 200. It was the first time that an artist had debuted at number one with an album and that album's first single. But more importantly for Carey, the experience of recording her sixth album was far different from making the first one. "I feel it's a lot easier now," she says. "When I think back to the first album, I wasn't used to the process of working with other people and producers, and I had a different role to play. I was like the guest of the producer in the studio, a kid that had a deal and was hoping to have some success. And now I feel more confident and more in control, because I am. I go in and do what I want. I sing by myself and if the co-producer chooses to come in at the end and give me some critique, that's fine and I'm really open to that. But I feel more free doing it the way I've been doing it for the past couple of albums."


Back to Song Book main





ON THE COVER »

Interview
September 2007
Now available on newsstands

Allure
Beauty Reporter, page 96
September 2007

ELLE
Beauty IT List, page 464
September 2007

"M by Mariah Carey" Ad
Marie Claire, page 61
Glamour, page 111
Cosmopolitan, page 105
October 2007

Browse through our
magazines archive here!


UPCOMING EVENTS »

Aug/Sept 2007
"M by Mariah Carey"
Fragrance Launch
Print Ads

September 18, 2007
"MTV Unplugged" Reissue
Purchase here

October 21, 2007
Induction to Long Island
Music Hall of Fame

October 23, 2007
"M by Mariah Carey" Promo
Personal Appearance
Macy's New York

Nov/Dec 2007
"M by Mariah Carey"
TV Campaign

November 2007
Receiving a Star
Hollywood Walk of Fame

November 19, 2007
New DVD Release - Europe

November 28, 2007
New CD & DVD Releases - Japan

November 21, 2007
New Single Release - Japan

December 4, 2007
New Album Release - U.S.


   BT DMA07 People's Choice Nominee - Vote For MariahDaily.com!
ON THE TUBE »

September 26, 2007
Cribs
6:00m ET - MTV2

September 27, 2007
Pop Up Video: "Fantasy"
6:30pm ET - VH1 Classic

September 29, 2007
Movie: "The Bachelor"
3:50pm ET - ELOVE

September 29, 2007
Women Who Rock
5:00pm ET - VH1 Classic

September 29, 2007
Movie: "The Bachelor"
11:10pm ET - ELOVE

September 30, 2007
30 Outrageous Celeb Feuds
12:00pm ET - ETV

September 30, 2007
Movie: "The Bachelor"
12:35pm ET - Starz Edge

October 1, 2007
30 Outrageous Celeb Feuds
1:00am ET - ELOVE

October 5, 2007
Movie: "The Bachelor"
4:00am ET - Starz!

October 9, 2007
Movie: "The Bachelor"
8:45am ET - Starz!



VIDEO OF THE WEEK »


BET Testimony with Mariah Carey, 2001
Format:
MPG : Size: 218.4MB
[ Download here ]
PHOTO OF THE WEEK »


Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards
Santa Monica, California
September 3, 1998
QUOTE OF THE WEEK »

"You really have to look inside yourself, find your inner strength and say, 'I'm proud of what I am and who I am, and I'm just going to be myself.'"




1998
May · June · July · August · September · October · November · December

1999
January · February · March · April · May · June · July · August · September · October · November · December1 · December2

2000
January · February · March · April · May · June · July · August · September · October · November · December

2001
January · February · March · April · May · June · July · August · September · October · November · December

2002
January · February · March · April · May · June · July · August · September · October · November · December

2003
January · February · March · April · May · June · July · August · September · October · November · December

2004
January · February · March · April · May · June · July · August · September · October · November · December

2005
January · February · March · April · May · June · July · August · September · October · November · December

2006
January · February · March · April · May · June · July · August · September · October1 · October2 · November1 · November2 · December1 · December2

2007
January1 · January2 · February1 · February2 · March · April · May · June · July · August · September