After spending three weeks at #11 with “Obsessed” and refusing to take no for an answer, Mariah Carey finally breaches the top ten. Boosted by downloads and increased airplay (seriously, I couldn’t escape the song on radio in Northern California this past weekend), “Obsessed” now sits at #7 on this week’s Billboard Hot 100.

“Obsessed” marks Carey’s 27th time in the top 10, tying Elton John and Janet Jackson for fifth place. Madonna remains the queen bee, counting 37 such jewels in her crown, while The Beatles are just behind her, with 34. Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder are next in line, at 28 visits apiece.

On September 13, 1997, “Honey,” the first single from Carey’s Butterfly album, debuted at #1, her 16th top ten hit (not to mention her 12th stay in the penthouse). “Honey” spent two more weeks at the top, no doubt thanks to the James Bond-inspired video, in which the singer showed off a sexier side to the public (see if her swimsuit-and-stilettos combo doesn’t set your heart aflutter):

While the original version of “Honey” remains a favorite, at the time I was all about David Morales’ Classic Mix. Well, that and David Fumero, the Cuban-American lad with whom Carey frolics in the surf at the video’s end. Then a male model, Fumero went on to join the cast of One Life To Live (here’s a taste of his work on the soap).