September 25 [7:55 EDT] -- To the surprise of almost no one,
Mariah Carey will enter next week's Billboard pop albums chart at
number one with her latest effort Butterfly, which sold over
235,000 copies in its first week.
At least some of the album's success must be credited to the
high-profile producers Carey brought in for help, including Puffy
Combs, Stevie J. and A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip. Carey told MTV News that while she
laid down the foundation for the number one album and the chart-topping single Honey
the end product was very much a joint effort.
"Well, when I wrote the lyrics and melody and laid out the vocals, I was by myself, so that's
what really dictates the changes in that song," Carey said. "I don't really like to be in the
studio with a producer when I'm doing that, because it gets too hectic."
However, Carey was in the trenches with Puffy, Stevie, and Q-Tip when the four were
putting Honey together.
"I'm there, basically, because with that song when we decided to put
the 'Hey DJ' part in the beginning, that was sort of like... Puffy was
like, 'I think we should have a bridge,' and I said, 'Ahh, I don't
think we should have a bridge,' and he's like, 'I'm telling you,
we should have a bridge.' So then Stevie and I were like, 'Put
this "Hey DJ" part here.' Then we put it in the middle, and
then we put it in the beginning, so it was very much of a
collaborative effort, starting with Q-Tip's idea to use the loop to the
completion of the record," Carey explained.
The hard work of Mariah, Puffy, Stevie, and Q-Tip may only bask briefly in the light at the
top of the charts..., as brisk sales of Elton John's "Candle In The Wind '97" may mean a
short stay for Carey's Honey on top of the singles chart.
September 25/97, MTV
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