 = Loverboy ( Mariah Carey song ) = 
 
 " Loverboy " is a song by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey . It was released on July 16 , 2001 by Virgin Records America as the lead single from Glitter ( 2001 ) . Written and produced by Carey , Larry Blackmon , Thomas Jenkins and Clark Kent , " Loverboy " is built around a sample from " Candy " by Cameo , who are also featured on the track . Lyrically , the song finds Carey fantasizing about her loverboy , a man that will fulfill her physical and sexual desires . The recording was accompanied by an official remix , titled " Loverboy ( Remix ) " , featuring guest artists Ludacris , Da Brat , Shawnna and Twenty II . 
 The track was subject to controversy , following reports that Jennifer Lopez and Tommy Mottola ( Carey 's ex @-@ husband ) stole the idea of sampling the singer 's original planned sample , Yellow Magic Orchestra 's " Firecracker " , over a month after Carey had signed for it . Since Carey 's Glitter was to be released over a month after Lopez 's album , she changed the song 's melody to sample from " Candy " instead . Controversy ensued following its release ; Carey was hospitalized for severe mental and physical exhaustion , following poorly received television appearances involving the song and album . 
 After the song 's release in the United States , " Loverboy " stalled on the Billboard Hot 100 . The song reached a peak of number two on the Hot 100 but failed to top the chart due to weak radio airplay . Though finishing as the best @-@ selling song of 2001 in the United States , " Loverboy " became Carey 's first lead single to not reach number one . Internationally , the song failed to garner strong charting , reaching the top @-@ ten in Australia and Canada , and the top @-@ twenty in Italy and the United Kingdom . 
 " Loverboy " received generally mixed reviews from music critics ; many called the song unoriginal and dated while others felt that the featured artists ( primarily on the remix version ) overpowered Carey and made the song disorganized . A music video , directed by David LaChapelle , was shot for both versions of the song . The first version features Carey as a scantily @-@ clad car girl , waving a flag as her loverboy finishes a race . The video for the remix version features similar footage , only including shots of the song 's guests in race @-@ cars during their verses . Finally , she performed " Loverboy " live on The Sweet Sweet Fantasy Tour in 2016 . 
 
 = = Background and release = = 
 
 Following the release of " Loverboy " , Carey embarked on a short promotional campaign for the song . On July 19 , 2001 , Carey made a surprise appearance on the MTV program Total Request Live ( TRL ) . As the show 's host Carson Daly began taping following a commercial break , Carey came out onto the filming stage , pushing an ice cream cart while wearing a large men 's shirt . Seemingly anxious and exhilarated , Carey began giving out individual bars of ice cream to fans and guests on the program , while waving to the crowd down below on Times Square , while diverging into a rambling monologue regarding therapy . Carey then walked to Daly 's platform and began a striptease , in which she shed her shirt to reveal a tight yellow and green ensemble , leading him to exclaim " Mariah Carey has lost her mind ! " . While she later revealed that Daly was aware of her presence in the building prior to her appearance , she admitted that he was meant to act surprised in order to provide a more dramatic effect for the program . Carey 's appearance on TRL garnered strong media attention , with many critics and newspapers citing her behavior as " troubled " and " erratic " . In the days following her appearance on TRL , Carey had begun displaying " erratic behavior " during a public record signing for the single at Tower Records in New York . As the appearance was filmed , she began rambling on several points , leading her to discuss radio @-@ host Howard Stern , and how his form of humor on his program bothered her greatly . At that point , Carey 's publicist Cindi Berger grabbed the microphone from her hand , and ordered the cameras to stop filming . Only days later , Carey began posting irregular voice notes and messages on her official website : 
 I 'm trying to understand things in life right now and so I really don 't feel that I should be doing music right now . What I 'd like to do is just a take a little break or at least get one night of sleep without someone popping up about a video . All I really want is [ to ] just be me and that 's what I should have done in the first place ... I don 't say this much but guess what , I don 't take care of myself . 
 After the quick removal of the messages , Berger commented that Carey had been " obviously exhausted and not thinking clearly " when she posted the letters . Two days later on July 26 , she was suddenly hospitalized , citing " extreme exhaustion " and a " physical and emotional breakdown " . Following the heavy media coverage surrounding Carey 's publicized breakdown and hospitalization , Virgin Records and 20th Century Fox delayed the release of both the film 's soundtrack and the film itself for three weeks : from August 21 to September 11 and from August 31 to September 21 , respectively . Following Carey 's absence from the public eye , as well as her abandonment of promotional appearances for the film and soundtrack , her unprecedented $ 100 million five @-@ album record deal with Virgin Records ( EMI Records ) was bought out for $ 50 million . The decision was brought out due to the low sales of the project , as well as the negative publicity surrounding her breakdown . Soon after , Carey flew to Capri , Italy for a period of five months , in which she began writing material for her new album , stemming from all the personal experiences she had endured throughout the past year . Additionally , she founded her own label modeled after her initials , MonarC Entertainment , and signed a new three @-@ album record deal with Island Records , valued at over $ 23 million . 
 At the time of the single 's release , Carey did not perform " Loverboy " live . The first performance of the song came 15 years later , on Carey 's Sweet Sweet Fantasy Tour in 2016 . 
 
 = = Composition = = 
 
 " Loverboy " ' s hook is built around a sample of " Candy " , by Cameo . Aside from borrowing from the melody , " Loverboy " features Cameo as a lead vocalist on the track . According to Chuck Taylor from Billboard , " Loverboy " is reminiscent of several of Carey 's previous lead singles , as they too were predominantly built around samples of older songs . He described some of its background flourishes as " swirling harmonies overtop " , and noted the inclusion of many shouts and ad @-@ libs from Carey and Cameo . Due to the song 's heavy usage of the " Candy " sample , and the heavy blend of instrumentation and vocals , he said that to his bewilderment , the song was " devoid of a standard hook " . NME 's Elios Therepio felt the idea of sampling " Candy " was genius " on paper " , but once recorded , suffered from various miscalculations . He felt it didn 't match the success Carey 's previous single , " Fantasy " ( which also recalled its melody from an older song ) , and criticized the inclusion of several over @-@ the @-@ top " keyboard and synth arrangements " . Regarding Carey 's voice , aside from describing it as " obscured " , Therepio expressed his difficulty in understanding her lyrical phrases , claiming it was weakened from " no @-@ everyone @-@ can @-@ understand @-@ what @-@ you 're @-@ saying ' -itis " . Gil Kaufman from MTV News noted the inclusion of " bouncing funky bass [ and ] rock guitars " , while Roger Caitlin of the Hartford Courant described how Carey was often reduced to " breathy background vocals " on " Loverboy " . Lyrically , the song finds Carey looking for her " loverboy " , and a sugar @-@ daddy that 's going to " love her right " . Therepio found it ironic how Carey was crooning for a sugar @-@ daddy , when she had just left one ( referring to her older ex @-@ husband Tommy Mottola ) . Additionally , he felt Carey was molding her image from that of a balladeer , to a " pin @-@ up image " of a pop star . The song 's lyrics are racy , and feature the protagonist asking for her " loverboy " to fulfill her sexual desires : " Loverboy come on and love me / Give me more " . 
 
 = = = Sampling controversy = = = 
 
 Throughout 2000 , Carey had already been writing and recording material for Glitter . During this period , she developed the concept for the album 's lead single , " Loverboy " . Originally , Carey had sampled the melody and hook from the 1978 Yellow Magic Orchestra song " Firecracker " , using an interpolation of it throughout the chorus and introduction . In early theatrical trailers for Glitter , the original version of " Loverboy " was still featured . As Carey had ended her contract with Columbia Records , Jennifer Lopez was signed by Tommy Mottola , and had begun recording material for her album , J.Lo ( 2001 ) . According to The Inc . ' s Irv Gotti , Mottola , head of Columbia and Carey 's ex @-@ husband , knew of Carey 's usage of the " Firecracker " sample , and attempted to have Lopez use the same sample before her . At the time , Carey had become increasingly paranoid over outside executives being informed about Glitter , especially following news of Lopez 's " theft " of the song . When the music publishers for " Firecracker " were questioned , they admitted Carey had licensed usage of the sample first , and Lopez had signed for it over one month later , under Mottola 's arrangement . Following the scandal , Carey was not able to use the original sample , as Lopez 's album was to be released far earlier than Glitter . She subsequently changed the composition of " Loverboy " , and incorporated a new sample , " Candy " by Cameo . According to Gotti , Mottola contacted him with instructions to create the Murder Remix of " I 'm Real " to sound exactly like another Glitter track he produced , titled " If We " featuring rappers Ja Rule and Nate Dogg . The " Firecracker " sample was eventually used by Lopez on her song " I 'm Real " , from her album J.Lo. The remix of Mariah 's " Loverboy " featured rapper Da Brat singing a pointed message about " bitches emulating [ her ] daily " , to the melody from " Firecracker " . 
 
 = = Critical reception = = 
 
 " Loverboy " was met with generally mixed reviews from music critics ; many were not impressed with the incorporation of the sample , and felt the song didn 't lead Carey into any newer ground or innovation . Additionally , several reviewers were not impressed with Carey 's concealed vocals and the song 's overly @-@ complicated production . Sarah Rodman of the Boston Herald described the song 's production as a " traffic @-@ jam " and wrote " ' Loverboy ' is another in an increasingly long line of glitzy , candy @-@ coated , creatively stunted song . " Writing for the Los Angeles Times , Natalie Nichols felt " Loverboy " was " predictable " and presented nothing new for Carey 's audience . USA Today 's Edna Gunderson wrote the song off as " skimpy " , while Glenn Gamboa from Newsday described its overall reception as " lukewarm " . Harry Guerin from Raidió Teilifís Éireann outed the song as one of Carey 's " finest moments " on Glitter , and disagreed with criticism regarding the " overly @-@ populated " musical background " . Allmusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine listed the song as the only " recommended " song from Glitter , while Gil Kaufman of MTV News called it a " fun , uptempo dance number " . Craig Seymour from Entertainment Weekly rated " Loverboy " a C- , and criticized its lyrical content and production . An anonymous writer from The Guardian felt the song had " no decipherable tune " , due to the inclusion of electronic musical instruments and background shouts and ad @-@ libs . Billboard 's Chuck Taylor described the song as " self @-@ sabotage " , and felt Carey was gambling her longevity . He described the production as a " mumbo jumbo of disparate elements " , and wrote " the mighty may have fallen here " . 
 
 = = Chart performance = = 
 
 Prior to Virgin 's release of " Loverboy " , Carey halted all promotional appearances corresponding to the song . Citing an emotional breakdown and a subsequent hospitalization , Carey remained out of the public eye for several weeks . After its release , " Loverboy " failed to garner strong charting on prominent international markets , and received poor radio airplay throughout the United States . " Loverboy " peaked atop the Billboard 's Hot Singles Sales chart for four consecutive weeks , though due to weak airplay , managed to reach number two on the Billboard Hot 100 with " Bootylicious " by Destiny 's Child holding it back from the top position . " Loverboy " finished as the best @-@ selling single of 2001 in the United States , with sales of 571 @,@ 000 units , falling short of the previous year 's best @-@ seller , which accumulated sales upwards of one million copies . The Recording Industry Association of America ( RIAA ) certified the song Gold . In Canada , " Loverboy " peaked at number three on the singles chart , and charted for a total of thirteen weeks . 
 Throughout Australasia and Europe , the song peaked outside the top @-@ twenty in most countries . " Loverboy " debuted at its peak position of number seven on the Australian Singles Chart , during the week of July 29 , 2001 . The following week , the song began its decline , and experienced a total chart trajectory of seven weeks . The song was certified Gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association ( ARIA ) , denoting shipments of over 35 @,@ 000 units . On July 29 , 2001 , " Loverboy " debuted at number 65 on the Ö3 Austria Top 40 chart , spending a total of three weeks in the chart . The song achieved relatively weak charting in both the Flemish and Wallonian territories in Belgium , peaking at numbers 49 and 34 , respectively . Making its debut at its peak position of number 54 , " Loverboy " charted for a total of nine weeks in France , before falling out on November 3 , 2001 . On the Dutch Top 40 chart , the song made its debut at number 68 . The following week the song peaked at number 34 , before dropping outside the top 40 three weeks later , ending its five @-@ week run . On July 26 , 2001 , " Loverboy " debuted at number 49 on the Swedish Singles Chart , and reached a peak of number 44 . Similarly in Switzerland , the song peaked at number 66 , and spent only four weeks fluctuating inside the chart . On the UK Singles Chart , the song debuted at its peak of number 12 . The following week , the song dropped to number 29 on the chart , before dropping outside the top @-@ forty two weeks later . 
 
 = = Remix = = 
 
 Aside from the regular version of the song , an official remix of " Loverboy " was included on Glitter . The song 's main remix , titled " Loverboy " ( Remix ) , uses the same sample as the album version and retains all of Carey 's original vocals . It has a different introduction , the singing and spoken parts of Cameo are greatly reduced ( and are not credited ) , and additional raps are included by Da Brat , Ludacris , Shawnna , and Twenty II . Critics panned the song , agreeing that the inclusion on the former pair only made it more difficult to hear and understand Carey 's singing . Many described their inclusion as " upstaging " the singer , while others felt they made the song increasingly tumultuous . NME writer Elios Therepio rated the remix five out of ten stars , and claimed the song to have been a much weaker lead single than Carey 's " Fantasy " ( 1995 ) . Jim Farber from Daily News criticized Brat 's verse , writing how it " cut right through " the production . The Morning Call 's Len Righi described the remix as " cloddish " , while Jim Abbott from the Orlando Sentinel felt the song 's guests " upstaged " Carey . 
 
 = = Music video = = 
 
 
 = = = Synopsis = = = 
 
 Two music videos , both directed by David LaChapelle , were shot for the song and its accompanying remix . The videos introduced a less demure image of Carey , one that received negative backlash from critics . She appears in the video with a lighter hair color than she had sported in the past , and wearing a series of revealing ensembles . Reviewers disregarded Carey 's newer image , primarily her double @-@ handkerchief bra , and likened her to younger pop singers such as Britney Spears , which they felt cheapened the singer . The video begins with Cameo driving all over a racetrack , while Carey , dressed in revealing clothing , is shown singing in various " car girl " positions at the track on a hot summer day . She flags down cars as the " flag girl " and dances as a " tire girl " in a kaleidoscope @-@ inspired sequence , before jumping out of a pop out cake to the roars of the crowd below . Several other scenes of Carey in a pink jumpsuit while riding on top of a race @-@ car are shown , during which Cameo continues the race . A video was also made for the remix and retains most of the shots of the original . In it , Ludacris and Shawnna can be seen rapping together as they ride in an old car , while Da Brat and Twenty II rap together in a more modern car without a hood . 
 
 = = = Reception = = = 
 
 The music video for " Loverboy " received generally mixed reviews from critics , many of whom felt Carey was portrayed in an overtly sexual manner . A writer from The Guardian criticized the video , calling it " wacky " and describing Carey 's choreography as " running amok " . Slant Magazine 's Sal Cinquemani felt the video was " brilliantly over @-@ the @-@ top " , while an anonymous columnist from NME commented that it would cause male viewers to " play with themselves " after watching . In a countdown of the " The 5 Least Sexiest Music Videos " , Priya Elan from NME included the video at number three , writing how the singer " spins with the mad @-@ eyed grace of someone who hasn ’ t been to sleep for 72 hours " ( referring to Carey 's mention of insomnia as a reason for her breakdown ) . Japiya Burns of The Michigan Daily was critical of Carey 's portrayal in the video , primarily her double @-@ handkerchief bra . He felt that in doing so , Carey was cheapening herself and her image to resemble younger pop singers such as Britney Spears . 
 
 = = Formats and track listings = = 
 
 
 = = Credits and personnel = = 
 
 Credits for Glitter adapted from the album 's liner notes . 
 Mariah Carey – songwriting , producer , vocals , background vocals 
 Larry Blackmon – songwriting 
 Tomi Jenkins – songwriting 
 Clark Kent – producer 
 Carl " Butch " Small – percussion 
 Peter Novak – engineer 
 Andrew Felluss – engineer 
 Ann Mincieli – engineer 
 Anthony Kilhoffer – engineer 
 Elliot Blakely – engineer 
 Dana Jon Chappelle – mixing 
 Michael " Mikizza " Schlesinger – mixing 
 Cameo – vocals 
 Mary Ann Tatum – background vocals 
 Remix 
 Da Brat – songwriting , vocals 
 Ludacris – songwriting , vocals 
 Shawnna – songwriting , vocals 
 Twenty II – songwriting , vocals 
 
 = = Charts and certifications = = 
 
 
 