Background
I told Bone Thugs n' Harmony I wanted to record something with them. Their reaction was something like, 'Okay...?' I think I shock people with the ideas I have, but I believe the result is okay.
—Carey, on her decision to work with Bone Thugs n' Harmony on Butterfly.Carey recorded the song at the Hit Factory in New York City, throughout 1997. "Breakdown" was one of the first of Carey's album tracks to veer in a hip hop direction, and many were surprised when she contacted Bone Thugs-n-Harmony to record the song because she was considered more of a R&B/adult contemporary artist. According to author Chris Nickson, "Breakdown" was an important component of Butterfly: "'Breakdown' showed Mariah treading forcefully into territory that was new for her and making it her own; it had a melody that simmered under her vocal, and a groove that was irresistible." When Carey began recording the album, she had slow and sultry ballads such as "Whenever You Call" and "Butterfly", but also had big R&B and hip-hop like "Honey". For this reason, Carey recorded "Breakdown" in order to fill in the midsection of the album, and serve as the album's "backbone."
Read more about this topic: Breakdown (Mariah Carey Song)
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