Music Video
The single's music video was co-directed by Carey and Daniel Pearl. It was inspired by the Tennessee Williams play Baby Doll and a dream Carey had one night. The video begins with scenes of a man leaving his home one early morning; only his feet are shown. Carey is first seen residing in the old abandoned house, in the middle of a large meadow. She awakes, sad and depressed, with the viewer making notice or her battered and disheveled clothing. As she walks down the stairs, Carey sits on the staircase, lamenting in agony at her loneliness. As the video climaxes, Carey is seen finally leaving the foyer, apparently for the first time in many years, escaping from the misery she once called home. As she reaches the outskirts of the property, Carey mounts a horse, which assists her in jumping over the barbed fence. After leaving, Carey is seen smiling for the first time in the video, while waiving her arms in the air.
The video drew many comparisons to the rumors of Carey's deteriorating marriage at the time. Author Chris Nickson felt the video, like the song, served as a metaphor for the things that were taking place in her life at the time. Rumors circulated that Mottola was controlling, abusive and would even monitor Carey's phone calls. For this reason, she is portrayed with tattered clothing and hair in the video, with the final moments showing her escape. It features Carey finally leaving the lonely and abusive marriage she once was part of, and finally breaking free into the outside world. Unlike the video, the lyrics spoke of setting your loved one free, because it is the best thing for them; showing that their love for the person should be greater than their own happiness.
Read more about this topic: Butterfly (Mariah Carey Song)
Famous quotes containing the words music and/or video:
“The music in my heart I bore,
Long after it was heard no more.”
—William Wordsworth (1770–1850)
“It is among the ranks of school-age children, those six- to twelve-year-olds who once avidly filled their free moments with childhood play, that the greatest change is evident. In the place of traditional, sometimes ancient childhood games that were still popular a generation ago, in the place of fantasy and make- believe play . . . today’s children have substituted television viewing and, most recently, video games.”
—Marie Winn (20th century)