Fantasy by Mariah Carey

"Fantasy" is a 1995 single by Mariah Carey, the lead release from her fifth album, Daydream. Carey wrote and produced it with Dave Hall. It is built around a sample of Tom Tom Club's "Genius of Love." It debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, a first for a female artist, and held that position for eight consecutive weeks.

The song began with a melody idea. Carey had a basic tune in mind. Then she heard "Genius of Love" on the radio. She decided to build an up-tempo track around its hook. She has said the sample gave her a feeling that took her back to growing up and listening to the radio. She has also said it fit the melody she already had. The result was a mix of a pop tune and an old-school groove, with an easy, bouncing character.

Her partner on the track was Dave Hall, who had already worked with her on "Dreamlover." Hall recalled that Carey came to him with "Genius of Love." He laid strings over it, then developed a groove he thought would show off her voice. The work went quickly. By his account, Carey had the song written within two days of starting. The two also cleared the sample properly. When they contacted Tom Tom Club, the group was intrigued and signed over the rights right away. The songwriting credits list, alongside Carey and Hall, Tom Tom Club members Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth, plus Adrian Belew and Steven Stanley.

A rough copy was played for Columbia chief Tommy Mottola. He was Carey's husband at the time. Mottola loved the song and agreed to put it on the album. The lyrics describe a woman who is in love with a man. Every time she sees him, she imagines an impossible relationship with him. The theme is light and dreamy. The production matches it.

Columbia Records released "Fantasy" in the summer of 1995 as the first single from Daydream. Sources give slightly different release dates, with some pointing to August 23 and others to September 12 in the United States. The single reached number one on the charts in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States. In America it entered the Hot 100 at number one, the first time a woman had done that and only the second time any act had, after Michael Jackson's "You Are Not Alone." It held the top spot for eight weeks and became the ninth number one of Carey's career.

Carey also directed the video herself, her first time in the director's chair. The video shows her rollerblading through Playland Amusement Park in Rye, New York.

The record's second life came with the remix. Carey arranged a version with rap verses from Ol' Dirty Bastard of the Wu-Tang Clan. It was produced by Sean Combs, then known as Puff Daddy, who also sang background vocals. The Bad Boy remix of the song leaned on the bassline and the "Genius of Love" sample. WhoSampled lists Donny and Marie's "A Little Bit Country, a Little Bit Rock 'N Roll" and two Ol' Dirty Bastard tracks, "Baby C'mon" and "Goin' Down," among its samples.

The collaboration was not an easy sell inside the label. Columbia was reportedly reluctant about the remix. Executives feared the change was too far from her usual sound and could hurt the album. Ol' Dirty Bastard reportedly asked for a large fee for his verses. When Carey reached out to him, he asked for $15,000 to rap on the record. The move was part of a broader shift on Daydream toward urban R&B. Carey arranged the remix to help her cross over into the hip-hop market.

Carey later said the Bad Boy version accounted for more than half of the sales of "Fantasy." The remix started a pattern in which pop artists teamed up with rappers to make crossover hits. That formula dominated the charts for many years afterward. In 2022, Pitchfork named the Ol' Dirty Bastard remix the best song of the 1990s.

For anyone who wants to play the song or mix it, the key and tempo of the song are listed on the key and BPM page for "Fantasy".