Underneath the Stars
"
Underneath the Stars" is a song written and produced by American singer
Mariah Carey and
Walter Afanasieff for Carey's sixth album,
Daydream. The protagonist of this
ballad recalls "drifting away" as she explored young love "underneath the stars", and Carey has been quoted as saying this was her favorite track on the album. It was released as the album's sixth and final
single in
1996 (see
1996 in music).
Because
Sony executives wanted to maintain Carey's record of hit singles and believed "Underneath the Stars" was not good enough to be a single, it was only given a promotional radio release in the U.S. It received sufficient airplay to appear on the
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, peaking at number sixty-nine.
Although no
video of the song has been released by Sony, former employees connected to Mottola have claimed that one exists but was shelved after Sony halted promotion of the single. Carey announced to her Daydream Tour audience in Rotterdam, Holland that her performance of the song that evening would be filmed for the music video. A remix (known as The Drifting Remix) was commissioned by
The Trackmasters, and features Carey resinging her vocals over a darker and more urban beat.