Synopsis

Shot in stark black and white, the video presents Mariah Carey as a woman consumed by longing for an absent lover. She lies on an overturned boat and a giant seashell, wanders through a dreamlike landscape of oversized white flowers, and appears vulnerable against the open water. Her lover searches from a distant lighthouse before the two finally reunite at its summit. After their embrace, Carey walks away from the lighthouse with a renewed sense of happiness and emotional release.

Factoids & Trivia

• The video premiered on MTV on March 19, 1998, shortly before "My All" was released as a single from Carey's *Butterfly* album.

• Its monochrome photography and sculptural imagery give the clip a classical, fashion-editorial quality. The scenes involving the seashell and white flowers were inspired by Sandro Botticelli's painting *The Birth of Venus*.

• The man playing Carey's lover was Ralph Lauren model Matt King.

• Although the story suggests a seaside location, the main video was filmed on a soundstage at Sony Pictures Studios in California. The lighthouse, boat and other elements were created as part of the production design.

• The original video should not be confused with the separate clip for "My All/Stay Awhile," the So So Def remix. That version uses grainy, home-video-style footage and shows Carey in a much more informal, celebratory setting.

• "My All" was one of the videos included on Carey's 1998 VHS release *My All*, which paired the music video with related material from the Butterfly era.