Mariah Carey - The Roof (Back In Time) (Official 4K Video) 

Most underrated song of her career... and possibly her lyrical best.

My dad is 60. He owns every Mariah album. He blasts her in the garage and sips wine. He requested Always be my Baby be played At his funeral, when I was 15. Ill never forget that.

The lyricism, the nostalgia, the vocalism, the perfectionism, the homage, the looks, the aesthetic, the filmography, the timelessness 😍😍

man she turned a classic rap tune into a heartfelt bop

She is so unbelievably beautiful here.

The track that confirmed to all, she loves hip hop and knows her roots. Hardest song on the album blended gracefully with hip hop & R&B.

The way she majestically portrays the events of that evening and how the thrill has stuck with her... Mariah is a true artist.

This song deserved so much better. How it didn’t hit the top of the charts is beyond me. Mariah was in her bag when she dropped this one.

“It wasn’t raining yet... But it was definitely... A little misty on a warm November night...” Her lyricism is definitely underrated

Her magnum Opus is most definitely Butterfly. Changed the entire game and template. The Roof, Honey, Breakdown, Babydoll. A masterpiece. Icon.

I was 17 when this came out. I’m now 42. This has aged like fine wine. MC for life!!!

The layering of lead and background vocals in this song is beyond this world.

The fact that Mariah was able to convey that moment she shared with Jeter, to us, without us even knowing it really happened and turning the experience into poetry with a melody is so groundbreaking. She is truly a singer-songwriter. The very definition of the word. How many “songwriters” can take a quick moment they shared with someone and turn it into something as beautiful as this. The Roof has always been my favorite song, and now I know why. I felt every thing she was singing about. And her words moved upon me like the rain caressed her that night on the rooftop.

This song is like a warm hug or a comfy blanket on a rainy candle-lit evening.

The whole vibe to this song and video still can't be matched by any other artist in my opinion.. This is my favorite era of hers

This Era of Mariah (Finally Separated From Tommy) is so Iconic and So fun to watch. She finally gets to collab with the artists she wants to, wear what she wants to, and she looks so free 🦋

probably her most underrated song. One of her best R & B songs

Her most underrated single?

Why is Mobb Deep not given as much recognition for their part on this track? Definitely made it one of my favorites ❤️

20 years later...and I still think 'Butterfly' is Mariah's masterpiece. 🦇

Easily one of the Mariah's Best songs.

People may say Hero, we belong together or touch my body .. I say THE ROOF . A true masterpiece 🏅

How does one of her best music videos only have 10 million views? Her date night look, some of the looks she gives the camera are hauntingly beautiful and iconic.

Such a masterpiece.. The way she uses the English language and rhymes in these lyrics can't be matched

The Butterfly era is classic Mariah. The defining moment in her career when she was free to be who she'd always been.

Jesus Christ this song is such an underrated masterpiece.

Mariah really doesn’t get the recognition she deserves for her songwriting. Obviously her vocals are always 🔥but damn can she write a song.

I don't GAF what she sounds like now, this woman has more than proven her talent. Amazing artist, in the truest sense of the word. God bless her

Poetry in song. The lyrics are so breathtaking. Combined with her voice and this beat, it's a blissful experience.

This song is pure art. The background vocals, the vocals and lirics are perfection.

“ The Roof” is one of Mariah Carey’s best lyrical compositions. My personal favorite. That being said I believe this did not become a big hit because Mariah was all over the place at one time. Back to back albums, singles, remixes , videos. Over saturation. I believe this is why she received so much public backlash by the time “Glitter” was released. Remember how many remixes and different videos she used to make for 1 song.

No one touches Mariah. She has such top quality music and such a unique sound. So many incredible songs.

"I got you stuck off the REALNESS" R.I.P Prodigy 👑

Mariah looks bomb in this video. 👌😍😍😍

Mariah's writing is TOP TIER! I'm stuck on Melt Away right now!!!

I love the rich tone her voice had here.

Most people see Mariah only as this powerhouse vocalist who has lost her charm and skills over time. They forget that she's so much more than that. She is an institution. Her lyricical creativity, her music, the legacy that she created will never be matched.

She legit looks like a 90s supermodel in the limo scenes. Gorgeous. ✨

Can’t believe RollingStones listed both Lana and Taylor (love them both) as the best songwriters, but this masterpiece of lyricism and storytelling exists. The lyrics alone in this song tramples over every song those two have ever written. Mariah is the one and only true songwriter.

“The Roof” is of course set on a rooftop on a “misty,” “warm November night”; she even mentions that it “wasn’t raining - yet” which foreshadows later events in the (song’s) story. In the first verse, she shares her inner monologue, confessing “my heart was pounding, my inner voice resounding, begging me to turn away but I just had to see your face to feel alive.” Here, she characterizes herself as once again having this intense, sensual yearning for the subject of her desires. Her desires, she so wonderfully describes, had her “twisted in a web” likening her love interest to a spider, thus making herself the entangled prey. There is also a certain sense of taboo to the lyrics of the song, seen by lines such as “my apprehension blew away, I only wanted you to taste my sadness as you kissed me in the dark.” The line not only refers to her apprehension, but also gives a wonderful metaphor of him “tasting” her sadness. Both of which leave the listener with questions: “Why is she so apprehensive? Why is she so sad?” Following the first verse, we meet the first incantation of the chorus in which she reveals that, with this song, she is going “back in time, to relive the splendor” that existed between herself and this mysterious man, “on the roof top that rainy night.” Mariah takes the masterful storytelling up another notch on the second verse, which opens with the cleverly rhymed line, “And so we finished the Moét, started feeling liberated.” Here, she attributes her surrender to him to the effects of a little champagne, yielding liberation. She further addresses the taboo of the encounter and the yearning she felt for him, expressively singing, “I threw caution to the wind and started listening to my longing heart.” Finally, he “softly pressed [his] lips to” hers, which brings light to “feelings [she’d] suppressed for such a long time.” This moment clearly was therapeutic for her, again evidenced by the following lyric: “For a while I forgot the sorrow and the pain and melted with you as we stood there in the rain.” It is remarkable and impressive how Carey is able to weave such intricate meaning and emotion into one line, yet still create rhyme. This, though, is the case for many of the other tracks on Butterfly, “The Roof,” however is one of the best examples. On its bridge, she admits to being in love. In one of the final choruses that follow, she provides some interesting, poignant, and telling ad-libs. Recalling the lyrics of the bridge, she coos, “Last night I had the strangest dream. It was actually quite symbolic. I whispered that I love you very subtly.” Almost unnoticeable, this ad-lib seamlessly intertwines itself into the harmonies and melody of the chorus. This “dream” she references may be the very inspiration behind the song.

This song. Probably the best writing Mariah has ever done, the vocal arrangement is perfect as it doesn't overshadow the lyrics... her best work.

Daydream and Butterfly are two masterpieces of Mariah. The first, is an album in which Mariah slowly begins to break free from the former husband's yoke. She begins to take control of her career by introducing the sounds she likes. A girl who goes slowly becoming a woman. However, Butterfly is her magnum opus, as she said. A wonderful album, intimate. Mariah reached, with Butterfly, the height of her maturity as a songwritter and performer This song is perhaps the best of all Mariah's career. The tone of her voice, the lyrics, the music... This song is one of my favorites.

This when music was as fresh as a summer breeze, the elements of R&B and Hip Hop intertwined like a symphony.

Seriously one of the most impressive lyrics ever written. It's a shame its not publicly known as such.

"Butterfly" really is such a gem. She has so many iconic eras, but she was especially beautiful in that era. This was the peak of her R&B power, she built off of what she started with "Fantasy", and went from singing ballads to singing more Hip-Hop infused R&B. She was also finally free of her record label/marriage, and she could follow her true passion, and decide her own image. I have so much love for Mariah, it's crazy, I speak like she is my best friend 😅 Every moment of her career has been so iconic, she is ever changing, an incredible vocalist, an immaculate songwriter, stunningly beautiful, and extremely intelligent. All of the positive adjectives. She is the legend of my life, there will never be another Mariah, she is the ONE.

Nobody will ever discredit this woman's gift of talent. Listen to this song at night with earphones w/ no Instagram, Snapchat or Twitter distracting you and just LISTEN to the lyrics.

This time is for A U T H E N T I C V I E W S i remember when Mariah Carey- ruled the world due to this !

thank you god, for creating mariah carey, and me

The best R&B song in the world

How can this song still sound amazing even today. This is her best track ever. The R&B vibe on this track is sick. This is the era I loved the most. That feeling when life wasn't stressful and hectic. This song is Mariahs masterpiece.

It's the end of 2022 and I'm listening to this and reminiscing on the old days. Both good and bad memories.❤️💔

She was serving looks dahling! She came through with this song

If you need one moment to pinpoint her transition from Pop Star to Legend, it is this very song and video you must be looking for. Unmatched, unforgettable, unreal. Nobody can do Mariah, except for Mariah.

When the queen rhymed "finished the moet" with "started feelin liberated" I died and went to heaven.

Who's still listening to this classic in 2024 like it just came out???

Not only is this my favorite Mariah Carey song, this is my favorite song in general of all time. Absolutely nothing else I've ever heard beats this. This never ever ever gets old. It is so cleverly written, and it is such a treat. It truly brings me to another world every single time. And then the fact that the video is so perfect as well. This song deserved so much more attention. This should be known by everyone, but in a way I kind of like that it's a hidden gem.

Am I the only one who thinks this song is way underrated?

"Every time I feel the need, I envision you caressing me" Oh my that sure is one of the most tantalizing thangs ever!!

She is a musical genius!!! The way she collaborates with real hip hop is so sick! This is probably my favorite track. It'll FOREVER be a classic

Lyrically, the best song written by Mariah. This and Underneath the stars prove her skills as a song writer. It's funny because over the last two months I have revisited everything Mariah and instantly realize everything missing in music today. This song has everything missing in music today. The vibe, instant connection, the descriptions and vocal musicianship. The way the the two genre's intertwine, like I couldn't imagine this song without the collaboration, they're just inseparable. A real hidden gem in her catalog. I wonder what everyone else thinks is her best lyrical work? Comment below...

Queen of vocal layering and background harmonies.

MASTERPIECE SHOULD HAVE BEEN #1

The sad thing is most people will not understand how amazing this song is

Mariah doesn't get much respect when she creates true art. People expect McDonald's style hit single's but she's actually much deeper than that.

The Butterfly album is an absolute gem

Mariah just got inducted into Songwriters All of Fame. So, I decided to come remind myself how long overdue she’s deserved her flowers.

This right here highlights Mariah's talents as a songwriter: poetic and intelligent.

This, Breakdown and Honey are the main reasons why Butterfly is Mariah;s best album and one of the best albums of all time.

Not only is Mariah the greatest singer of all time, but she is also the best song writer ever. This song's lyrics are genius, as many of her song's lyrics are, but this one is the best.

Who else is currently having a Mariah Carey marathon???

The Roof is extremely underrated. If you didn't have The Butterfly CD Or Cassette Or BET in the 90s, Then you would never have known it then or even now.

Even vocal coaches can't know how many layers she added to this song. The secret only Mariah knows

This for me is a song that I don't just listen to, I experience this song. This takes me back, pulls me in. Thank you Mariah.

Respect to Mariah for sampling Mobb Deep's shook ones and having them featured on the track. RIP Prodigy 🙏🏽

I LOST MY VRIGINITY TO THIS SONG AYYY

im in awe of her songwriting skills. if love doesn't feel like this, i don't want it. shoutout to kelly price on the background vocals

My fellow humans, this is what you call breathing artistry.

Today is the anniversary of butterfly and she mentioned this is her favorite song on the album 😍😍😍

Her best ever track imo. Total masterpiece, conveys the mood and emotion perfectly ♥️ love it even more now knowing the back story

This song is so beautiful. I can feel lost in a warm november night listening to this. I feel nostalgia, sadness, melancolia, rain, night, just listening to those beautiful beautiful lyrics. One of her best song ever.

"I only wanted you To taste my sadness As you kissed me in the dark"

This b side is better than most artists' entire discography.

When she was inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame, she was happier than ANY accolade she’d ever received. She is a poet, poetry, well, that is pure and true spirit.

Her songs are timeless. She's a LEGEND. Mariah FOREVER🦋

mariah needs to start being praised for her writing. i understand everyone loves her powerhouse vocals but the writing brings it together 😩!!!

truly one of her greatest masterpieces

The Roof and Breakdown with Bone Thugs… Flawless! Beautiful Poetic, Harmonious! Crazy level! ❤glad I experienced this time in music. It puts me in a Time Machine when I hear it.

One of her most underrated and beautiful masterpieces of all time.

The album Butterfly is a classic!!

This was when nobody I mean nobody was on Mariah level she was killing it

This album was just a classic!!

I love the concept of this song, paralleling being “shook” to engage in criminal activity to engaging in a person whose dangerous but who makes you feel alive. It’s like the good girl whose attracted to a boy from the hood. It’s a phase most girls go through during their teenage years. Truly a beauty and classic modern day tragic story. ❤️

Who writes lyrics like this nowadays? The talent Mariah has is just unparalleled. It cannot be quantified. It just needs to be appreciated. Goodness gracious

Such an underrated song

Without Mobb Deep...this song would not exist....js Although MC is a siren....this beat....Gooood Lorrrrd. Between the Two,,, unbeatable....song def. should have charted.

This is definitely one of her best creations, definitely a masterpiece and one of my favorite songs ever. This and Breakdown which is also severally underrated.

This is so good. Mariah Carey deserves more credit for the way she gets involved in her songs as a singer and songwriter. I just can´t get enough ;)

Her songs have so much more meaning after reading her memoirs. (not that they didn't before). I f**kin' love this girl #eternally12

Mariah Carey is hands down one of my favorite Female Music Artists of all time! My other favorites are Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston, Beyonce, Patti LaBelle, Anita Baker, Mary J. Blige, and too many to name!

“Last night I had the strangest dream / It was actually quite symbolic, I whispered that I love you very subtly.”