“Fourth Of July” is a song Mariah wrote with Walter Afanasieff for her 1997 Butterfly album. “My favorite song from Daydream was ‘Underneath The Stars,’ ” Mariah said about the song's inspiration. “‘Fourth Of July’ was one of the first songs I wrote for the album and I was still so into ‘Underneath The Stars’ and we were sort of continuing in that '70s feeling and lyrically I really wanted to kind of paint a picture, when you listen to the song and you read the lyrics it's very visual in a lot of ways and moody.”
To commemorate the anniversary of the Butterfly album, Mariah included a previously-unreleased Acapella version of “Fourth Of July” on the 25th Anniversary Expanded Edition of the album.
| Song | Remix | Run time |
|---|---|---|
| Fourth Of July | Acapella |
4:16 |
Trembling
Starry eyed
As you put your hand in mine…
It was twilight
On the Fourth of July
Sparkling colors were
Strewn across the sky
And we sat close enough
That we just barely touched
While roman candles
Went soaring above us and baby
Then you put your hand in mine
And we wandered away
I was trembling inside
But I wanted to stay
Pressed against you there and leave the world behind
On that Fourth of July
So starry eyed
On the flowery hillside
Breathless and fervid
Amid the dandelions
As it swept over me
Like the wind through the trees
I felt you sigh with a
Sweet intensity and baby
Then you put your hand in mine
And we floated away
Delicately lay entwined
In an intimate daze
A crescent moon began to shine
And I wanted to stay
Tangled up with you among the fireflies
On that Fourth of July
Thunder clouds
Hung around
So threateningly
Ominously hovering
And the sky
Opened wide
Showering
Then you put your hand in mine
And we ran from the rain
Tentatively kissed goodnight
And went our separate ways
And I've never truly felt the way that I
Felt that Fourth of July
Truly I have never felt the same inside
Like that Fourth of July
Truly I could never feel the same as I
Felt that Fourth of July
Lyrics: M. Carey. Music: M. Carey, W. Afanasieff.
Produced by Mariah Carey, Walter Afanasieff.
