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On August 26, 1997 Mariah Carey’s “Honey” was released to radio and later debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (9/13/97). Serving as the first single from the r&b masterpiece, Butterfly, the single was not only Mariah’s 12th No. 1 at the time but it was her 3rd No.1 debut. “Honey” saw a 180 degree change in the diva as she was no longer an anonymous personality belting out the inspirational ballads. Produced by Diddy & Q-Tip and written solely by Mariah,“Honey” brought on a refreshing departure from the “old Mariah”—both equally talented yet drastically different. Here she melodically harmonized her gooey vocals with Kelly Price for the chorus, while belting out the verses in a new melismatic style. Hitting anywhere up to four notes per one syllable, it was quite remarkable. This type of vocal technique became is a key element in Mariah Carey’s later recordings.
The accompanying music video also brought on a metamorphosis for the singer/songwriter. Mariah Carey played out the drama of her divorce as a satire James Bond spoof. Mariah was a pseudo Bond-Girl held captive by an older Italian man in a big ole mansion. Sound familiar? As Mariah’s airy vocals begins “Ohh….ohh…” she knocks out her captives and makes a daring escape, swan diving off the balcony and emerging as hot & sexy vixen. Instead of singing about a “hero coming along”, she singing about her sweet dependency to her lover’s…*ahem*…honey. Arguably Mariah’s hottest video, the 27-year-old hit maker looked flawless in her barely there ensembles! Worth nothing, the video’s infamous dance break! The Honey-Bop lives on.
(source: http://toyazworld.com/2011/08/26/flashback-mariah-careys-honey-debuts-at-no-1/)
