Synopsis

Mariah Carey plays Agent M, a secret operative held captive in a luxurious seaside mansion. After outwitting her guards, she escapes by leaping into a swimming pool, commandeering a boat and racing across the water. The chase leads to a tropical island, where she relaxes, dances and celebrates her freedom with a handsome companion. Styled as a glossy James Bond adventure, the video turns the song's playful sensuality into a fantasy about breaking loose and taking control.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video was filmed in and around San Juan, Puerto Rico, from June 27 to July 1, 1997. Its reported $2 million budget made it one of the most expensive music videos of its time.

• Carey helped develop the video's story and script. Its secret-agent premise, elaborate escape and "Mission accomplished" ending deliberately give the clip a cinematic spy-movie feel.

• The imagery attracted considerable attention because it appeared during Carey's separation from Sony executive Tommy Mottola. Viewers and journalists interpreted the kidnapping and escape as a metaphor for her marriage, although Carey rejected the idea that the video was a direct statement about him.

• "Honey" presented a noticeably more sensual and less conservative image of Carey than her earlier videos. The change became closely associated with the creative independence and hip-hop-influenced direction of the *Butterfly* era.

• Carey performed several physically demanding sequences herself, including the dive into the pool. She later joked that people thought she was the 1990s version of Mary Poppins.

• The original video is separate from the later Bad Boy Remix video. The remix clip reuses footage from version 1 but adds new scenes featuring Puff Daddy, Mase, Stevie J. and The LOX.

• The video received a nomination for Best Female Video at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards.