Daydream (Mariah Carey Album) - Conception and Composition

Conception and Composition

I had the melody idea for 'Fantasy' and then I was listening to the radio and I heard 'Genius of love', and I hadn't heard it in a long time. It reminded me of growing up and listening to the radio and the feeling the song gave me seemed to go along with the melody and the basic idea I had for 'Fantasy'. I initially told Dave Hall about the idea and we did it.

—Carey, on her idea and inspiration for "Fantasy", in an interview with Fred Bronson.

One of the first songs that was recorded for the album was "Fantasy". While Carey began developing new ideas for Daydream, she thought of the song "Genius of Love" by Tom Tom Club. She had always been a fan of the tune, and presented Dave Hall with the idea of sampling the song's hook. Hall incorporated a groove that he felt complimented Carey's voice, while she composed some of the other beats and wrote the lyrics. Carey recorded a remix to the song as well, featuring hip-hop verses from O.D.B of the Wu-Tang Clan, as well as production from Puffy. She spoke highly of the remix, complimenting Puffy and O.D.B, "He's so known in the street, and he's one of the best people out there...we kind of did what we both do and having O.D.B took it to another level. He was my ultimate choice, so I was really happy with the way it turned out." "One Sweet Day" was a song that Carey wrote with the R&B group Boyz II Men. After Carey's friend and past collaborator David Cole died, she began writing and developing a song that would pay homage to him and all the friends and family her fans had lost along life's journey. Carey had the chorus and concept composed, and after meeting with Boyz II Men, they realized they too had a similar idea in development. Together, using Carey's chorus and idea, as well as the melody they had produced, they wrote and composed the song. It was produced by Afanasieff, who built on the song's melody and added various grooves and beats. Carey expressed how the song was "meant to be" and how all the pieces fit into place:

"I wrote the initial idea for 'One Sweet Day' with Walter, and I had the chorus...and I stopped and said, 'I really wanna do this with Boyz II Men,' because...obviously I'm a big fan of theirs and I just thought that the work was crying out for them, the vocals that they do, so I put it away and said, 'Who knows if this could ever happen, but I just don't wanna finish this song because I want it to be our song if we ever do it together. whole idea of when you lose people that are close to you, it changes your life and changes your perspective. When they came into the studio, I played them the idea for the song and when finished, they looked at each other, a bit stunned, and told me that Nat "Nathan Morris" had written a song for his road manager who had passed away. It had basically the same lyrics and fit over the same chord changes. It was really, really weird, we finished the song right then and there. We were all kinda flipped about it ourselves. Fate had a lot to do with that. I know some people won't believe it, but we wouldn't make up such a crazy story."

Jermaine, Manuel 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.

—Carey, talking about the writing and development of "Always Be My Baby".

While the album's development was underway, Carey expressed interest in working with Jermaine Dupri, whom she had been a fan of since his 1992 song, "Jump". Soon after, Carey, Dupri and Manuel Seal began composing a song for the album. As Seal played the piano, Carey began humming and playing with certain notes in the B-section, until she came up with the chorus for "Always Be My Baby". After the rest of the song was written and composed, Carey recorded the song alongside longtime background singers Kelly Price, Shanrae Price and Melonie Daniels. Together, they built "a wall of background voices" in which she would cover with her final belting notes. The song featured a downbeat rhythm, while its composition was described as "sassy and soft R&B" which displayed a "sexy and slow jam." "Underneath the Stars" was the first song recorded for Daydream. The song featured a "'70s soul vibe" as well as synthetic record scratches, in order to the give the song an authentic '70s sound. Carey felt the additions were simple steps taken to further display a contemporary R&B groove. Additionally, she felt the song paid homage to the style of Minnie Riperton, who was one of Carey's biggest vocal influences growing up. The song had a soft sound, and had "allot of texture" and bass, showing a more creative side to Carey.

has a real '70s vibe, we even put those scratches you hear on old records to give it that kind of flavor. was a good place to start, because it got me into the head of making an album that was more R&B-more in the vibe of the Minnie Ripperton era, which has always been an inspiration to me.

—Carey, talking about the writing and inspiration behind "Underneath the Stars".

For the album, Carey covered the 1982 Journey's song "Open Arms". The song was of Carey's personal choice, as well as her own idea. Together with Afanasieff, they toned down the song's arrangement, making it a bit glossy, especially in comparison to the "raw and powerful One Sweet Day". Additionally, with the help of her background singers, Carey added a touch of gospel to the song. One of the more gospel-influenced songs on the album was "I Am Free". The song was created by Carey, Afanasieff and Loris Holland, with whom she had worked previously on Merry Christmas. Carey began humming the melody with the lyrics she had already written, while Holland played the organ and Afanasieff worked on the song's programming. Having Holland on the record proved to be wise, giving the song a genuine and unforced gospel feel. The chorus was sophisticated and natural, with each following line "cascading onto one another," something that would have proved difficult for a "less skilled vocalist." Carey started leaning away from the "standard Celine Dion ballad" and more towards R&B jams. However, she wasn't going to completely abandon the type of songs that made her famous. For this reason, Carey wrote "When I Saw You" with Afanasieff, a song that would truly embody some of her earlier work, as well as show off her powerful vocals. Returning to her R&B territory, Carey recorded "Long Ago", the second record she wrote alongside Dupri and Seal which contains a strong hip hop background. Her vocals in the song were described as "sliding over the insistent bassline like silk."

"Melt Away" was a song Carey produced on her own, and co-wrote with Babyface. The song's writing and production were "superb", with each verse gliding into its chorus. According to Chris Nickson, "Underneath the Stars" was as "strong as any slow jam released in the nineties, and one that would find a lot of flavor late at night with dancers." Another song that brought back reminders of older decades was "Forever". The throwback was featured through the chord changes and in the way the guitar arpeggios "stayed at the forefront of the music." The song displayed subtle vocals from Carey, as well as an undeniable richness. "Daydream Interlude (Sweet Fantasy Dub Mix)" was one of the liveliest tracks on the album. The song was a club remix of "Fantasy", which was tuned and remixed by famed house music producer David Morales. The song was directed to be a dance-club song, further broadening Carey's "musical horizon." The song incorporated Carey's vocals, and added them to a thumping house beat, something he would do for many of her future singles. "Looking In" was the final song on the album. It was Carey's most personal song at the time, one in which she let herself appear "naked" and "stripped down." According to author Chris Nickson:

" reflected on her life now, the changes she'd gone through, and the difference between the public perception of Mariah Carey and the real person. Intimate and revealing, it made an appropriate end to the album, and was evident that Mariah was growing, changing, and becoming much more herself, confident of who she was and what she could do."