Released: October 3, 1995

Songwriter: Walter Afanasieff Mariah Carey

Producer: Mariah Carey Walter Afanasieff

[Verse 1]
Once, I was a prisoner
Lost inside myself
With the world surrounding me
Wandering through the misery
But now I am free

[Verse 2]
You gave me a breath of life
Unclouded my eyes
With a sweet serenity
Lighting a ray of hope for me
And now I am free

[Chorus]
Free to live
Free to laugh
Free to soar
Free to shine
Free to give
Free to love
Free enough to fly

[Bridge]
Once, I was all so alone
Unsteady and cold
But your love rained down upon me
Washing away uncertainty, yeah, yeah

[Outro]
But now
I am free
I am free

Mariah Carey

Mariah Carey (born March 27, 1970) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, and philanthropist.

Under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, Carey released her self-titled debut studio album Mariah Carey in 1990; it went multi-platinum and spawned four consecutive number one singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Following her marriage to Mottola in 1993 and success with hit records “Emotions” (1991), “Music Box” (1993), and “Merry Christmas” (1994), Carey was established as Columbia’s highest-selling act. Daydream (1995) made music history when its second single “One Sweet Day”, a duet with Boyz II Men, spent a record sixteen weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100, and remains the longest-running number-one song in U.S. chart history, along with Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito.” During the recording of the album, Carey began to deviate from her R&B and pop beginnings and slowly traversed into hip hop. This musical change became evident with the release of Butterfly (1997), at which time Carey had separated from Mottola.