Mariah & Whitney Singles Rate - THE RESULTS

MNINS was really the big fat buffer in Whitney's incredible 80s run, wasn't it? It just couldn't measure up to the string of #1s that preceded it. Even the line referencing it in Salt n Pepa's "Whatta Man" is better than the entire song it comes from. Whitney doing average is just not something we were prepared for in '90. But as @Frozen said, she was about to rebound with one of the defining singles of her career. So fuck you, people. Whitney wasn't about to go quietly.
 
funky said:
MNINS was really the big fat buffer in Whitney's incredible 80s run, wasn't it? It just couldn't measure up to the string of #1s that preceded it. Even the line referencing it in Salt n Pepa's "Whatta Man" is better than the entire song it comes from. Whitney doing average is just not something we were prepared for in '90. But as @Frozen said, she was about to rebound with one of the defining singles of her career. So fuck you, people. Whitney wasn't about to go quietly.
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I think they were trying to lean in a bit of a more urban direction with it after the backlash she received from Whitney for being too "pop". The issue is, I don't think it's that strong. Not sure it would have been anymore successful but "Lover for Life" would have been my choice for single #4. It's DIVINE

 
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I ADORE the album as a whole but, apart from the first 2 singles, there really isn't anything else on there that screams 'single material'. She was lucky to have a hit with 'Miracle' and should've left it at that.
 
I like the melody of the TAOLG. The lyrics in the verses are the parts that sound thrown together to me.
 
69th. Reflections (Care Enough)
Average score 7.11



Japan-only single from 'Glitter'. It's meant to be from the POV of Mariah's character Billie but having read the #1 best-selling book, it's easy to picture Mariah using her own background in composing this.

68th. I Still Believe
Average score 7.17



Mariah's tribute to Brenda K. Starr having been her background singer in the late 80s. A massive hit in the US hitting #4 and a UK #16. IIRC there was a TOTP performance of this. Can a lamb confirm?

67th. I Know What You Want
Average score 7.22



Busta Rhymes featuring Mariah back in 2003 gave both of them their biggest hit in years with the track hitting the Top 5 on charts worldwide.

65th. Open Arms/Say Somethin'
Average score 7.28





First we have the 3rd single from 'Daydream' outside of the US and a cover of the 80's Journey hit wasn't as well received by critics as her previous covers with some calling it uninspired and second rate. She was on such a hot streak at the time that it still managed to go Top 5 in the UK. Then we have Mariah's 2nd collaboration with Snoop Dogg, this time on the 'Emancipation' album. Not that successful chartwise but IMO a definite improvement on the other Snoop collab.
 
64th. GTFO
Average score 7.28 (Four 10s)



The final track from 'Caution' on the countdown. I can still remember the day this was released and it storming the iTunes chart with many calling it a return to form. And it gave us one of my favourite memes.
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63rd. Never Forget You
Average score 7.39



The fourth single from 'Music Box', released in the US as a double a-side with 'Without You', was Mariah's first time working with Babyface. It made Top 3 in the US. One of the lesser tracks on the album in my opinion.

62nd. Could I Have This Kiss Forever
Average score 7.42



A Whitney duet with Enrique Iglesias which first appeared on his debut English album and appeared later in remix form on 'Whitney - The Greatest Hits'. It appears to be critically reviled with the majority of criticism aimed at Enrique but was successful chartwise, making the Top 10 in the UK and hitting #1 in the Netherlands and Switzerland. It was also Whitney's final Top 10 hit in Germany.

61st. Never Too Far
Average score 7.5 (One 10)



The second single from 'Glitter' and a double a-side with 'Don't Stop (Funkin 4 Jamaica)', this did little to turn around the poor sales of the album. I remember this getting lots of airplay on MTV at the time but it just scraped the UK Top 40. A bit hit in Belgium randomly enough.
 
The Busta duet reminds me of good times grinding in the R&B room at Popstarz in Kings Cross. It was ghetto as fuck. There were always fights. But the music was TOP NOTCH

GTFO can GTFO, quite honestly

"Never Forget You" on the other hand is absolutely glorious. Music Box is the best example of any album where the album tracks, as whole, outrate the singles, as a whole. I'm going to play this song now in tribute. LOVE
 
I love "Say Somethin". We've heard the sound a million times before from Neptunes, but I can't get enough of it. She sounds so effortless and sexy on it. Apparently she hates it though.

"I Know What You Want" set the foundation for Emancipation, and made her palatable to radio once again. "GTFO" is placed appropriately, as is "Never Too Far". I prefer "Lead the Way" to the Glitter ballads above. Was it not a single?

"Never Forget You" is, well, forgettable. I like "Could I Have This Kiss Forever" but never knew it at the time. For some reason it did nothing in the US despite both their profiles being high at that time.
 
60th. Loverboy
Average score 7.5 (Four 10s)



The lead single from 'Glitter'. We all know the story behind this one. It was at this point that I really began to switch off from Mariah as I found this a tuneless mess of a song. I realise I'm in the minority here as it's quite well regarded amongst the Moopy lambs but I just can't. The 'Firecracker' version did little to redeem it too, in fact it's probably WORSE.
 
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2001 Loverboy is definitely better I think. A Loverboy without "This stuff is starting now" and "YEAH CANDAAAY" is just not the same.

I love it regardless. It's an amazing style-over-substance moment for Mariah.
 
59th. One Sweet Day
Average score 7.61



The 2nd single from "Daydream" and a worldwide smash putting Mariah & Boyz II Men at the top of the US charts for a record-making 16 weeks. It was only recently broken by Lil Nas X's 'Old Town Road'. The song replaced Whitney's 'Exhale' at #1 and was finally unseated months later by Celine Dion's 'Because You Loved Me'. Composed after the death of frequent Mariah collaborator David Cole (Emotions, Make It Happen, You're So Cold), Mariah has said 'she wrote the song hoping that all her fans that have lost someone could relate to "One Sweet Day" and maybe help ease the pain of the loss'. It was one of the immediate highlights on the album for me back in the day but it's overplayed these days and not one I'd choose to play when in need of a Mariah fix.
 
58th. I'll Be Lovin You Long Time
Average score 7.72



The 3rd single from "E=MC²" and, for me, one of the best on the album. This was expected to be a huge hit at the time and got high praise from critics. Even notorious moanyholes Slant magazine called it 'a stroke of genius'. Unfortunately critical love wasn't enough to save it from flopping on release when it only hit #58 in the US.
 
57th. Where Do Broken Hearts Go
Average score 7.75



The 4th single from the massive "Whitney" album and the seventh of the record-breaking 7 #1 singles in a row. This was initially hated by Whitney and she had to be persuaded by Clive Davis to record it, with him telling her it would be a #1 if she sang it. It's also notorious for the backlash Whitney received at the Soul Train awards when the audience booed at the video amid criticism of selling out and acting white.
 
WDBHG sure was gloopy night Clive was right, it was perfect for a white mainstream audience in the late 80s obsessed with power ballads

DWAHIA is definitely the better of the two big second album ballads
 
It’s just more soulful. WDBHG is more in the “One moment in time” category, and I care for that even less

see also: Mariah’s “Hero” and “Without You”

just all too WHITE for me :D
 
Frozen said:
60th. Loverboy
Average score 7.5 (Four 10s)



The lead single from 'Glitter'. We all know the story behind this one. It was at this point that I really began to switch off from Mariah as I found this a tuneless mess of a song. I realise I'm in the minority here as it's quite well regarded amongst the Moopy lambs but I just can't. The 'Firecracker' version did little to redeem it too, in fact it's probably WORSE.
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I liked this for the song, not your commentary of it
 
Open Arms is from the era Mariah's vox box swallowed the whole world. As a token of that humility, it's a huge favourite of mine for delivering those humongous Mariah sensations.
 
Don't be hard on Frozen. Any Mariah countdown is appreciated, even if it must contain a Whitney song here and there.
 
I Still Believe was a sensual standout then and that she's never pulled it off again only increases its allure. Props to Brenda K ok.
 
That Enrique number is drivel, but an east access hit and to her credit she humours him far more than I thought she would have in the video.
 
WDBHG is alright, maybe slightly prefer DWAHIA but it is truly the most oversung song of all time. It is relentless. :D

My favorite ballad from Whitney is "Just the Lonely Talking Again". It's so lush.

 
"I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time" deserved to do better for sure. But "Bye Bye" squandered any momentum she had. I think IBLULT or "Migrate" would have given her another top ten.
 
I'm still in the for twenty (out of ten) four play with Lover Boy 1.0, the foul play was irreversibly toxic for her and I genuinely see it along with the other as completing a proper vision she likely wouldn't have been given credit for anyway, but 2.0 is a wet your pants squealing hoot and in 2020 it's win win really.
 
I know what you want is a comedy classic. Chafing on stage to lip one chorus and penguin walk back off after was one of the most stunning spectacles I've ever witnessed.
 
56th. H.A.T.E.U.
Average score 7.83



"Having A Typical Emotional Upset" was the 3rd single from 'Memoirs' and a critical hit that some ranked as one of the top four off the album. Released only in the US as an airplay single it peaked at #72 on the R&B chart.
 
55th. Underneath The Stars
Average score 7.89



The 6th and final single from the diamond-selling 'Daydream', this is a Mariah favourite. No video was ever released though she admitted in 2012 that one was shot. It was also the source of dispute between Mariah and Sony when it came to the release of '#1's' as she wanted a greatest hits album to include personal favourites whereas the label wanted her most successful hits.
 
54th. I'll Be There
Average score 7.89 (Two 10s)



Upto 1992, Mariah had been accused of being a studio creation. While not comfortable with doing a full tour, she settled on an MTV Unplugged appearance. This song, made famous by the Jackson 5, was a last minute inclusion after being told that a cover version was usually done by acts who appeared on the show. The resulting EP was a massive success, reigniting interest in the UK where all her singles since 'Vision Of Love' had missed the Top 10 and hitting #2 and also became her 6th US #1.
 
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