Upon its release, "Fantasy" garnered acclaim from contemporary music critics, who praised her songwriting and use of sampling. They commended her for exploring genres beyond the pop ballads she had become known for at the time. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic also complimented it, saying "Carey continues to perfect her craft and that she has earned her status as an R&B/pop diva." Stephen Holden from The New York Times gave the song praise, writing "with 'Fantasy', Ms. Carey glides confidently into the territory where gospel-flavored pop-soul meets light hip-hop and recorded some of the most gorgeously spun choral music to be found on a contemporary album." Additionally, he claimed "Fantasy" held some of the album's best moments, writing "she continues to make pop music as deliciously enticing as the best moments of "Fantasy". Slant Magazine ranked the song at number sixty on their "Best Singles of the '90s" list, writing it is "escapism perfected, [a] summer bubblegum gem with a sweet, flawless vocal line driven by a diva in her prime." Mark Frith from Smash Hits said it "was such a brilliant, original, clever record that many people are going to have high hopes for the LP." Another Smash Hits editor, Mark Sutherland, was negative, giving "Fantasy" two out of five, writing, "Unfortunately, it is also the 43rd Mariah Carey single in history to be Not Very Good At All."

|-

| PureWow

| The 53 Best ‘90s Songs of All Time

|

|

|-

| Slant Magazine

| The 100 Best Singles of the 1990s

|

|

|-

| Time Out

| The 50 Best ’90s Songs

|

|

|}

{|class="sortable wikitable"

|+Accolades for "Fantasy (Bad Boy Remix)"

|-

! Publication

! Accolade

! Rank

! class="unsortable"|

|-

| Esquire

| The 50 Best Songs of the ’90s

|

|

|-

| Pitchfork

| The 250 Best Songs of the 1990s

|

|

|}

{|class="sortable wikitable"

|+Accolades for "Fantasy (Def Club Mix)"

|-

! Publication

! Accolade

! Rank

! class="unsortable"|

|-

| Rolling Stone

| 200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time

|

|

|}

Chart performance

"Fantasy" was Carey's ninth No. 1 single on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was also the first single by a female artist to debut atop the chart, and only the second single to do so after "You Are Not Alone" by Michael Jackson. "Fantasy" spent eight straight weeks at the top of the American chart, from September 30-November 18, 1995; at the time, the song was Carey's longest stay at the top, after her earlier single "Dreamlover" (1993). "Fantasy" spent 25 weeks within the top 40, and was equally as successful on other Billboard formats, including the R&B and dance charts. Strong sales led to "Fantasy" being certified sextuple-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), It was ranked No. 7 on the Hot 100 year-end charts for 1995, and No. 49 on the 1996 year-end charts. and reached the top of the chart on November 20, 1995. It was present on the chart for a total of 20 weeks, and No. 18 on the RPM Year-end chart for 1995. "Fantasy" also reached the Top 10 in most of the countries of its release, including across Europe, and the Top 20 on the Oricon chart in Japan.

Remixes

Carey worked with producer Sean Combs (better known as Diddy, Puffy, Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, etc.), through his label Bad Boy Records, on an official "Bad Boy Remix" for "Fantasy". While Columbia Records had been allowing Carey more leniency with the musicians and producers she was working with, they became hesitant when she featured O.D.B. in the remix for "Fantasy". They feared the sudden change was completely left field for her music, and worried it would jeopardize the album's success. Carey has stated that the Bad Boy remix contributed to over half of the sales of "Fantasy".

On September 24, 2021, American rapper Latto released "Big Energy", which interpolates "Genius of Love", as "Fantasy" did. On March 28, 2022, Latto released the "Big Energy" remix, which features Mariah Carey herself, along with DJ Khaled, which interpolates "Fantasy".

Music video

thumb|right|250px|Carey in the music video of "Fantasy", riding Playland's "Dragon Coaster".|alt=A woman enjoying herself on a roller coaster.

The single's music video was the first that Carey directed entirely on her own. Carey had been open about the fact that she had not been happy with some of her previous music videos. In the official video for the song's remix, O.D.B. makes a few cameo appearances with a clown, as well as on the Boardwalk during additional scenes with Carey. Exactly a year later it was uploaded in 4K resolution.

Live performances

thumb|left|Carey and her dancers performing "Fantasy" on the Adventures of Mimi Tour in 2006

"Fantasy" was performed at the 23rd Annual American Music Awards, where Carey won two of the top awards. For the performance, Carey wore a long black trench coat and matching boots, pants and blouse, and was backed by three background vocalists. Additionally, Carey sang "Fantasy" on the British music chart program Top of the Pops, during a promotional stop in the United Kingdom on September 12, 1995. During its taping, she wore a blue blouse and black jumper. Two days later, Carey appeared on French television where she performed the song alongside several male and female dancers. Carey donned a mid-waist baring white blouse and black leather pants and matching heeled boots. Trey Lorenz and two female back up vocalists were also featured on stage during the show's taping. Aside from live television appearances, the song was performed on several legs of Carey's tours.

"Fantasy" was performed at every show on her Daydream World Tour (1996) set to the album version. The remix version was performed on her Butterfly World Tour (1998), Rainbow World Tour (2000), Charmbracelet World Tour: An Intimate Evening with Mariah Carey (2003–2004), The Adventures of Mimi Tour (2006), The Elusive Chanteuse Show (2014) and Caution World Tour (2019), each of which featured a varying synopsis. Carey performed the remix version in concert for the first time in 1998, placing a large projection screen on to the stage, and featuring snippets and cuts of Ol' Dirty Bastard throughout the video. Additionally, Carey was dressed in blue jeans and a white blouse, and danced several chair routines with several male dancers. The song was featured on the select set-list on three of Carey's live taped shows, Fantasy: Mariah Carey at Madison Square Garden, The Adventures of Mimi, and Around the World.

Legacy

"Fantasy" exemplified how a music sample could be transformed "into a fully realized pop masterpiece". Due to the success and influence of the song, Carey is credited for introducing R&B and hip hop collaboration into mainstream pop culture, and for popularizing rap as a featuring act through her post-1995 songs. Sasha Frere-Jones, editor of The New Yorker commented in referencing to the song's remix,

<blockquote>

"It became standard for R&B/hip-hop stars like Missy Elliott and Beyoncé, to combine melodies with rapped verses. And young white pop stars—including Britney Spears, 'N Sync, and Christina Aguilera—have spent much of the past ten years making pop music that is unmistakably R&B".

John Norris of MTV News has stated that the remix was "responsible for, I would argue, an entire wave of music that we've seen since and that is the R&B-hip-hop collaboration. You could argue that the "Fantasy" remix was the single most important recording that she's ever made." Norris echoed the sentiments of TLC's Lisa Lopes, who told MTV that it's because of Mariah that we have "Hip-Pop." Judnick Mayard, writer of TheFader, wrote that in regarding of R&B and hip hop collaboration, "The champion of this movement is Mariah Carey." Mayard also expressed that "To this day ODB and Mariah may still be the best and most random hip hop collaboration of all time", citing that due to the record "Fantasy", "R&B and Hip Hop were the best of step siblings."

The song has been featured in multiple films and television shows. In the 1998 film Rush Hour, the character Soo Yong sings the song while it plays on the car radio, shortly before her kidnapping. In 2011, the experimental metal band Iwrestledabearonce used the song at the beginning and end of the video "You Know That Ain't Them Dogs' Real Voices". Indie artist Grimes has called "Fantasy" one of her favorite songs of all-time and has said Mariah is the reason there is a Grimes. In 2019, Carey released a video of her doing a dance to the 'Bad Boy Fantasy' mix on TikTok, thus leading the dance to become another famous TikTok dance challenge, preceding the Obsessed Challenge earlier in the year. A remixed version of the song, with additional vocals from Jodie Comer, features prominently as part of the score and the plot for the 2021 film Free Guy; in the film, Comer's character Molotov Girl catches the attention of Ryan Reynolds's character Guy as she is singing the song, thus catalyzing the rest of the story. Reynolds, who produced and starred in the film, stated that, "I am a huge Mariah Carey fan [...] It really was one of those weird things that happened naturally. I write to music anyway, and I initially put a song in the script by The Outfield called "Your Love". It’s an old '80s tune. It's great, but it just didn’t have that epic scale I was looking for. And then "Fantasy" just came on my playlist and everything clicked in". "Fantasy" was also included on the 2021 edition of Rolling Stone magazine's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" at number 419, and in 2022 online magazine Pitchfork named its remix featuring Ol’ Dirty Bastard the best song of the 1990s.

Upon release, "Fantasy" also won many prestigious awards throughout the music industry in 1995 and 1996. At the Blockbuster Entertainment Awards, the song won the award for "Favorite Single." Additionally, the song was awarded the "Pop Award" honor at the 1996 annual American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP). Carey won the "Dance Record of the Year" award at the "National Dance Music Awards" in 1996.

Track listing and formats

  • Worldwide CD single
  1. "Fantasy" – 4:04
  2. "Fantasy" (Bad Boy) featuring O.D.B. – 4:53
  • UK CD maxi-single 1; US CD maxi-single
  1. "Fantasy" (Album Version) – 4:06
  2. "Fantasy" (Bad Boy Fantasy) – 4:51
  3. "Fantasy" (Bad Boy) featuring O.D.B. – 4:52
  4. "Fantasy" (Bad Boy Mix) – 4:14
  5. "Fantasy" (Def Club Mix) – 11:15
  • UK CD maxi-single 2
  1. "Fantasy" (MC Mix) – 6:29
  2. "Fantasy" (Puffy's Mix) – 4:53
  3. "Fantasy" (Puffy's Club Mix) – 4:49
  4. "Fantasy" (The Boss Dub) – 8:53
  5. "Fantasy" (Sweet Dub Mix) – 8:11
  • 2× 12-inch vinyl

:A1. "Fantasy" (Def Club Mix) – 11:14

:A2. "Fantasy" (MC Mix) – 6:26

:B1. "Fantasy" (Puffy's Mix) – 4:51

:B2. "Fantasy" (Bad Boy) featuring O.D.B. – 4:52

:B3. "Fantasy" (Album Version) – 4:06

:C1. "Fantasy" (The Boss Mix) — 8:51

:C2. "Fantasy" (Sweet Dub Mix) — 8:11

:D1. "Fantasy" (Puffy's Club Mix) — 4:48

:D2. "Fantasy" (Bad Boy Mix) — 4:13

  • Fantasy EP
  1. "Fantasy" (feat. O.D.B.) – 4:53
  2. "Fantasy" (feat. O.D.B. - Bad Boy Fantasy) – 4:51
  3. "Fantasy" (Bad Boy Mix) – 4:14
  4. "Fantasy" (Puffy's Club Mix) – 4:50
  5. "Fantasy" (Def Radio Mix) – 3:46
  6. "Fantasy" (Def Club Mix) – 11:15
  7. "Fantasy" (MC Mix) – 6:28
  8. "Fantasy" (The Boss Mix) – 8:52
  9. "Fantasy" (Def Drums Mix) – 4:00
  10. "Fantasy" (Sweet Dub Mix) – 8:13
  11. "Fantasy" (Live at Madison Square Garden – October 1995) – 4:31

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the Daydream liner notes.

  • Mariah Carey – co-production, songwriting, vocals
  • Dave Hall – co-production, songwriting
  • Tina Weymouth – songwriting
  • Chris Frantz – songwriting
  • Steven Stanley – songwriting
  • Adrian Belew – songwriting

Charts

{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|+Weekly chart performance

|-

!Chart (1995–1996)

!Peak<br />position

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

!scope="row"|Canada Retail Singles (The Record)

| 1

|-

!scope="row"|Canada Contemporary Hit Radio (The Record)

| 1

|-

!scope="row"|Denmark (Tracklisten)

| 5

|-

!scope="row"|Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)

| 4

|-

!scope="row"|Europe (European AC Radio)

| 2

|-

!scope="row"|Europe (European Dance Radio)

| 23

|-

!scope="row"|Europe (European Hit Radio)

| 1

|-

|-

|-

!scope="row"|France Airplay (Music & Media)

| 1

|-

!scope="row"|Germany (Official German Charts)

| 17

|-

!scope="row"|Hungary (MAHASZ)

| 6

|-

!scope="row"|Hungary Airplay ()

| 2

|-

!scope="row"|Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)

| 17

|-

|-

!scope="row"|Italy (Musica e dischi)

| 1

|-

!scope="row"|Japan (Oricon)

| 18

|-

|-

|-

!scope="row"|Netherlands Airplay (BDS)

| 6

|-

|-

|-

!scope="row"|Spain Airplay (Music & Media)

| 5

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

!scope="row"|UK Dance Albums (OCC)<br />

| 5

|-

|-

!scope="row"|UK Club (Music Week)<br />

| 1

|-

!scope="row"|UK Airplay (BDS)

| 3

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

!scope="row"|US Cash Box Top 100

| 1

|-

!scope="row"|US Cash Box Top 100 Urban Singles

| 1

|-

!scope="row"|US Adult Contemporary (Gavin Report)

| 3

|-

!scope="row"|US Top 40 (Gavin Report)

| 1

|-

!scope="row"|US Urban (Gavin Report)

| 1

|-

!scope="row"|US Adult Contemporary (Radio & Records)

| 15

|-

!scope="row"|US CHR/Pop (Radio & Records)

| 1

|-

!scope="row"|US CHR/Rhythmic (Radio & Records)

| 16

|}

{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|-

|+Weekly chart performance

! Chart (2021–22)

! Peak<br />position

|-

|-

|-

!scope="row"| US R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Songs (Billboard)

| 12

|}

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|-

|+Year-end chart performance

!Chart (1995)

!Position

|-

!scope="row"|Australia (ARIA)

| 18

|-

!scope="row"|Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)

| 41

|-

!scope="row"|Brazil (Brazilian Radio Airplay)

| 10

|-

!scope="row"|Canada Retail Singles (The Record)

| 2

|-

!scope="row"|Canada Top Singles (RPM)

| 18

|-

!scope="row"|Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)

| 37

|-

!scope="row"|Canada Dance/Urban (RPM)

| 5

|-

!scope="row"|Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)

| 27

|-

!scope="row"|Europe (European AC Radio)

| 21

|-

!scope="row"|Europe (European Hit Radio)

| 13

|-

!scope="row"|France (SNEP)

| 24

|-

!scope="row"|Hungary Airplay ()

| 6

|-

!scope="row"|Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)

| 93

|-

!scope="row"|Netherlands (Single Top 100)

| 77

|-

!scope="row"|New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)

| 4

|-

!scope="row"|UK Singles (OCC)

| 37

|-

!scope="row"|UK Airplay (BDS)

| 22

|-

!scope="row"|UK Club Chart (Music Week)

| 58

|-

!scope="row"|US Billboard Hot 100

| 7

|-

!scope="row"|US Dance Club Play (Billboard)

| 21

|-

!scope="row"|US Adult Contemporary (Radio & Records)

| 75

|-

!scope="row"|US CHR/Pop (Radio & Records)

| 31

|-

!scope="row"|US CHR/Rhythmic (Radio & Records)

| 13

|-

!scope="row"|US Hot AC (Radio & Records)

| 40

|-

!scope="row"|US Urban (Radio & Records)

| 33

|}

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|+Year-end chart performance

!Chart (1996)

!Position

|-

!scope="row"|US Billboard Hot 100

| 49

|-

!scope="row"|US Hot R&B Singles (Billboard)

| 46

|-

!scope="row"|US Top 40/Rhythm-Crossover (Billboard)

| 29

|-

!scope="row"|US CHR/Pop (Radio & Records)

| 55

|-

!scope="row"|US CHR/Rhythmic (Radio & Records)

| 45

|}

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style=text-align:center"

|+Five-year chart performance

!Chart (1993–1998)

!Position

|-

!scope="row"|US Rhythmic Top 40 (Billboard)

| 15

|}

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|+Decade-end chart performance

!Chart (1990–1999)

!Position

|-

!scope="row"|Canada (The Record/SoundScan)

| 7

|-

!scope="row"|US Billboard Hot 100

| 15

|}

Certifications

Release history

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"

|+ Release dates and formats for "Fantasy"

! scope="col"| Region

! scope="col"| Date

! scope="col"| Format(s)

! scope="col"| Label

! scope="col"|

|-

! scope="row"| United States

| August 23, 1995

| Radio airplay

| rowspan="5" |

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"| Australia

| rowspan="2"| September 11, 1995

| rowspan="2"|

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"| United Kingdom

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"| Canada

| rowspan="2"| September 12, 1995

| CD

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"| United States

|

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"| Japan

| September 21, 1995

| Mini CD

| Sony Music Japan

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"| Australia

| October 16, 1995

|

| rowspan="3"| Columbia

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"| Various

| August 14, 2020

|

| align="center"|

|-

! scope="row"| United States

| February 18, 2022

| 12-inch vinyl (Urban Outfitters exclusive)

| align="center"|

|}

References

Works cited