Underneath the Stars (song)

"Underneath the Stars" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. The song was written and produced by Carey and Walter Afanasieff, for her fifth studio album, Daydream (1995). It was released on April 5, 1996 through Columbia Records, as the sixth and final single from the album and as a B-side to "Forever" in Australia. The R&B-influenced song, which has been considered by Carey as one of her personal favorites, features a soft and retro-style melody and had music critics drawing comparisons to earlier works from Minnie Riperton, one of Carey's vocal inspirations.

"Underneath the Stars"
Single by Mariah Carey
from the album Daydream
A-side"Forever" (Australia)
ReleasedApril 5, 1996
RecordedDecember 1994
Genre
Length3:33
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Mariah Carey, Walter Afanasieff
Producer(s)
  • Mariah Carey
  • Walter Afanasieff (album version)
  • Mariah Carey
  • Trackmasters (remix)
Mariah Carey singles chronology
"Forever"
(1996)		 "Underneath the Stars"
(1996)		 "Honey"
(1997)

"Underneath the Stars" received a limited number of pressings in the United States and failed to chart on the US Billboard Hot 100. However, the song did manage to chart at number sixty-nine on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay component chart in 1996, as well as at number thirteen on the R&B Digital Songs chart in 2020. Critically, it was considered one of the best songs on Daydream by music reviewers. A music video was shot in Europe which Carey released on November 13, 2020.[1] The song was performed throughout the Daydream World Tour and the performance at the Tokyo Dome was later included on The Rarities.

Background

Throughout 1993, Carey began conceptualizing Music Box (1993), which became the highest selling album of Carey's career.[2] For her past two albums, Carey's creative choices were heavily controlled by her label Columbia Records, as well as her husband and CEO of the company, Tommy Mottola.[2] Carey's previous effort, Emotions (1991), drew influence from 1950s, 60s, and 70s balladry, gospel, R&B, and soul music and failed to achieve the same success matched by her debut album.[2] Following its tepid commercial performance, Columbia aimed for Music Box to be a vehicle for very commercial singles that could garner strong radio airplay.[3] The album was formed as a pop record and was more mainstream than anything on Emotions. Music Box went on to sell over 32 million copies worldwide and earned its place among the best-selling albums of all time.[4][5] Due to the album's success, Columbia allowed Carey more control over the music she recorded for Daydream (1995).[2]

Before Carey knew or began searching for the direction she wanted the album to follow, Carey already had the idea and melody for "Underneath the Stars" and felt that it would fit into the album no matter what the eventual sound would be.[3] As such, it became the first song Carey wrote and recorded for the album and served as a sort of tribute to the music which she grew up listening to, as well as one of her main vocal inspirations, Minnie Riperton.[3] "Underneath the Stars" was the first song Carey recorded for her fifth studio album, Daydream (1995).[2] The song was eventually chosen as the sixth and final single from the album and was released on April 5, 1996 through Columbia Records.[3] In Australia, the song was released as a B-side to Carey's previous single, "Forever" (1996).[6]

Composition

"Underneath the Stars" features a "'70s soul vibe," courtesy of the use of a Rhodes piano, as well as synthetic record scratches, in order to the give the song an authentic aged sound.[2] The song also incorporates Carey's usage of double voice, in which she sings the verses in a lower octave and then sings the crescendo and climax in a higher register over it. Carey felt the additions were simple steps taken to further display a contemporary R&B groove and pay homage to the style of Minnie Riperton, who was one of Carey's biggest vocal influences growing up.[2] According to author Chris Nickson, the song has a soft sound and "a lot of texture" and bass shows a more creative side to Carey.[2] While reviewing Daydream, Stephen Holden from The New York Times described the song's double voice, as well as its lyrical content: "'Underneath the Stars,' in which all the voices are Ms. Carey's, achieves the same dissolving synergy between a lyric and entwining vocal lines as she sings: "Beautifully and bittersweetly / You were fading into me."[7]

Reception

While not commercially released, "Underneath the Stars" has been lauded with a widespread acclaim, becoming one of the album's best-received tracks, with music critics complimenting its instrumentation and vocals. Rolling Stone stated that, "Afanasieff cowrote one of his strongest tunes yet, the sweet, bouncy 'Underneath the Stars.'"[8] Chris Nickson, author of Mariah Carey Revisited: Her Story (1998), said the song 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."[9] Chris Dickinson from St. Louis Post-Dispatch called the song one of Carey's best compositions and wrote "it easily evokes a languid dreamy sensuality with its throbbing bass-line and synthetic record scratches."[10] Writer and journalist Christopher John Farley from Time described "Underneath the Stars" as "cool and blissfully nostalgic," while Cheo H. Coker called it "dynamic but subtle."[11][12] The song received a limited number of pressings in the United States, where it charted weakly on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, peaking at number sixty-nine.[3] According to Billboard, due to receiving a "limited number of pressings", the song failed to make an impact on the Hot 100.[13]

After the release of the 2020 EP, the song peaked at number thirteen on the Billboard R&B Digital Songs chart.[14]

Controversy
Further information: Number 1's (Mariah Carey album) § Background and album title

Throughout 1998, when Carey was compiling songs for her first compilation album, #1's the song led to a publicized conflict with Columbia Records. Carey wanted to include the song along with "Breakdown" and felt that a greatest hits record should reflect on her most personal and favorite songs, not her most commercial.[15] Sony on the other hand, wanted to release an album that featured her U.S. number one singles, void of any new material.[15] Carey has expressed distaste towards the album's song selection, expressing her disappointment in the omission of her "favorite songs."[15]

In a 2001 interview with MTV, Carey made the following statement regarding her first Greatest hits album. She stated that, "There's a lot of songs that I'm happy are gonna see the light of day. I think people are going to like this Greatest Hits because there are songs on it that were not necessarily singles."[16]

Music video

Background

On February 11, 2012, Carey revealed through her Twitter account that a music video for the song was actually recorded.[17] Filming sessions occurred in England and the Netherlands; Carey commented, however, that the video "never got released & I don't know where it is!"[18] In 2020, during the release of The Rarities and the promotional campaign "MC30", Carey teased the release of the video on an Instagram post captioning it "Work in progress."[19] The video was released on Carey's Vevo account on November 13, 2020.[17]

Synopsis

The video was filmed during Carey's Daydream promotional trek around the release of the album, with plenty of audience members and behind-the-scenes touring footage along with shots of Carey singing the track in a lavender slip dress in a night time setting.[17] The video is intercut with footage from her 1996 Daydream World Tour.[13]

Live performances

Due to its limited release and chart performance, "Underneath the Stars" was only performed during Carey's Daydream World Tour (1996).[20] During the shows in Japan, Carey featured the song as the tenth track on the set-list. Appearing on stage wearing a long black evening gown, Carey discussed the song's composition and development with the audience, prior to its recital.[21] The live performance from the Tokyo Dome on March 7, 1996 was recorded and released on a rare DVD titled "Mariah Carey Live In Japan" and also featured on Carey's The Rarities.[22][23]

Carey has since performed the song in 2012 in Austria and Morocco and at the 2017 Dubai Jazz Festival.

Track listing
  1. "Underneath the Stars" – 3:33
  2. "Underneath the Stars" (Drifting Re-Mix) – 4:00
  3. "Underneath the Stars" (Drifting Re-Mix w/o rap) – 4:00
  • AUS CD single[6]
  1. "Forever" – 4:01
  2. "Underneath the Stars" – 3:33
  3. "Forever" (Live) – 4:12
  4. "Make It Happen" (Live) – 4:43
  • Underneath the Stars EP[26]
  1. "Underneath the Stars" (Drifting Re-Mix) – 4:00
  2. "Underneath the Stars" (Drifting Re-Mix w/o rap) – 4:00
  3. "Underneath the Stars" (Sweet A Cappella) – 3:30

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the Daydream liner notes.[27]

Charts
Chart (1996) Peak
position
US R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay (Billboard)[28] 69
Chart (2020) Peak
position
US R&B Digital Songs (Billboard)[14] 13

Notes
  1. "The long lost video for Underneath The Stars is finally here!..." Twitter.com. November 13, 2020. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  2. Nickson 1998, pp. 147
  3. Nickson 1998, pp. 148
  4. "Mariah Carey – Biography". Yahoo! Music. Archived from the original on June 22, 2011. Retrieved August 17, 2010.
  5. Williams, Chris (July 3, 2011). "Mariah Carey's Music Box LP (1993) Revisited With co-writer Walter Afanasieff – Return To The Classics". Soul Culture. Archived from the original on July 10, 2011. Retrieved July 5, 2011.
  6. Forever (CD Single liner notes). Mariah Carey. Columbia Records. 1996. 663440 2.CS1 maint: others (link)
  7. Pareles, Jon (October 8, 1995). "Mariah Carey Glides Into new Territory". The New York Times. Retrieved June 13, 2011.
  8. Holden, Stephen (October 8, 1995). "POP MUSIC; Mariah Carey Glides Into New Territory". The New York Times.
  9. Nickson 1998, pp. 149
  10. Dickinson, Chris (October 19, 1995). "Is A Little More Funk Too Much To Ask?". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Lee Enterprises. Retrieved June 13, 2011.
  11. Farley, Christopher John (September 26, 1995). "Pop's Princess Grows Up". Time. Retrieved June 13, 2011.
  12. Coker, Cheo H. (October 1, 1995). "Carey's 'Daydream' Has the Goods to Silence Detractors". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. Retrieved June 13, 2011.
  13. "Mariah Carey Unearths 'Underneath the Stars' Video After 24 Years: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  14. "Mariah Carey Chart History (R&B Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  15. Shapiro 2001, p. 116
  16. Reid, Shaheem (November 16, 2001). "Mariah Insists Her Greatest Work Isn't Always Most Popular". MTV. MTV Networks. Retrieved September 28, 2010.
  17. "Mariah Carey Unearths Never-Released 'Underneath the Stars' Video". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
  18. Carey, Mariah (February 11, 2012). "Mariah Carey on Twitter". Twitter. Twitter. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
  19. "Mariah Carey Teases Release Of "Lost" Video For 'Underneath The Stars'". thatgrapejuice. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  20. Nickson 1998, pp. 155
  21. Argenson 2010, pp. 29–33
  22. "Mariah Carey Live In Japan (1996) DVD". Amazon.co.uk. March 7, 1996. Retrieved May 8, 2011.
  23. "Underneath The Stars: Mariah Carey Delivers 'The Rarities' For New Collection". The Second Disc. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  24. Underneath the Stars (CD Single liner notes). Mariah Carey. Columbia Records. 1996. CSK 8776.CS1 maint: others (link)
  25. Underneath the Stars (12" Vinyl liner notes). Mariah Carey. Columbia Records. 1996. CAS 8945.CS1 maint: others (link)
  26. "Underneath the Stars EP by Mariah Carey". iTunes. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  27. Carey, Mariah (1995). Daydream (Liner Notes) (Compact Disc). Mariah Carey. New York City, New York: Columbia Records.
  28. "Mariah Carey Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved May 24, 2015.

References
  • Argenson, Jim (2010), Mariah Carey Concert Tours, St. Martin's Press, ISBN 978-1-155-56204-9
  • Nickson, Chris (1998), Mariah Carey revisited: her story, St. Martin's Press, ISBN 978-0-312-19512-0
  • Shapiro, Marc (2001). Mariah Carey: The Unauthorized Biography. ECW Press. ISBN 978-1-55022-444-3.

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