Mariah Carey may be known best for her five-octave voice, but the “Elusive Chanteuse” also knows her way around a clever lyric. Carey, who was a co-writer on 17 of her 18 Billboard #1 hits, namechecks a Napa winery in her latest single, and the inspiration may have been decades in the making.
The owners of Caymus Vineyards say sales and followers have gone up since their “Caymus bottle” was mentioned in Carey’s buzzy kiss-off anthem, “GTFO.” The song, which is expected to be included on Carey’s as-yet-untitled 15th studio album, is a tale of a lover spurned, with the singer crooning the lyrics:
“Who was the knight in shining armor?
I could’ve sworn you’d love me harder
Might as well down this Caymus bottle
I ain’t the type to play the martyr.”
Fans have been quick to catch the Caymus call-out, sharing videos and memes of themselves with the wine, and Carey herself even re-tweeted a follower who mentioned the lyric.
A rep for Caymus confirmed that Carey first visited the winery some 20 years ago, though they say they had no idea the singer was planning on mentioning the brand in her song. “I think Mariah has known about Caymus for a long time, and we really enjoyed meeting her,” says Susan Orenstein, head of communications for Caymus. “She is an amazing artist, and we love the idea that Caymus came to her while she was writing a new song.”
Orenstein says the Wagner family, who own the vineyard and produce 65,000 cases of Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon each year, found out about the mention on Twitter, adding that, “it was a fun surprise.”
“Reaction is still coming in, but based on activity on social media, our sense is that people are excited to hear Caymus mentioned, and the song is definitely generating some buzz,” says Orenstein. “We’ve been reading some tweets that include people saying they are buying or looking up our Caymus Cabernet. Regardless of any uptick in sales, though, it’s exciting to have people talking about the song and our wine.”
Carey is set to perform on the American Music Awards on Oct. 9, where she’ll be debuting her next single, “With You.” The songbird is also returning to Caesars Palace in February for five more dates of her “The Butterfly Returns” residency.
As for Caymus, Orenstein says, “We would welcome collaborating with Mariah, but even more, we hope she’ll enjoy our wine for many years to come. We now consider her a friend of the winery and will gladly share some Caymus with her any time.”
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