Whatev's Mariah Carey Top 50!

Can't Let Go is in my Mariah Top 5. It is utterly sublime. It has aged so well. The MTV Unplugged version is my go-to for a spur-of-the-moment listen, and it leaves me gagged each time. But the album version is absolutely fantastic as well.

Migrate, well. It should have been the lead single. It's such a statement. And I say that as a Touch My Body stan. The lyrics are iconic, and would have worked so well in that era.

Want You is a cute girl. Not my type, but I am not mad at her.
 
No one will ever be able take away the fact that she could SING like this. Look at the way the backing singers look at her in complete AWE.
Exactly. It's literally an unbelievable, other-worldly level of talent. Imagine stanning Marge during the same era! Well, I guess there was... something for everybody!
 
Migrate (Live - SNL)

Actually it's not that bad, she just looks a bit stiff.


Her vocal at the end left T-Pain a bit stunned actually. I think it's a good vocal (especially for that promo circuit, where she was generally very, very off) but she was unfortunately super-glued to the floor as had become her performance style at that point.
 
My bf has gone out which has given me the perfect excuse to turn Migrate all the way up and bump my buss, as I know @Suedey is doing, imagining that she's grinding up on T-Pain's diamond-encrusted staff, while featuring her hips and accentuating her tits.
 
19
Petals
Rainbow

I know a LOT of fans rate this as one of her very best songs, and I get that the stripped-back quality is what makes it rather magical, but I like my Mariah on the more spectacular side when it comes to vocals, hence why this 'only' makes the lower reaches of the Top 20. I also think people really respond to the lyrics more than the music on this one, and I've never really been a lyrics queen; my ear immediately focuses on the music and vocals and it can be years before I pay much attention to the words. This one has very beautiful lyrics, telling a sad, honest story that covers her complex family relationships and turbulent marriage to Tommy. Written and produced with Jam & Lewis, the piano/synth/crashing drums provide a pretty backdrop for her soft, restrained voice - we're treated to plenty of that lovely deep register. It was immediately picked up by critics as the stand-out song on the album and she's gone on to try and replicate it on every album since. The way it segues into Rainbow interlude is gorgeous - I wish that had been a full song.

 
Petals is just breathtakingly good. Lyrically, one of her absolute best. And I think the production, especially of the vocals and BVs, is just sublime. An artistic peak.
 
I really think that the last part of Petals may be my favourite minute of her career. The mixture of sadness, defiance and hope is just... ugh...

And I missed a lot of life
But I'll recover
Though I know you really like
To see me suffer
Still I wish that you and I'd
Forgive each other
'Cause I miss you, Valentine
And really loved you
I really loved you
(I guess I loved you)
I tried so hard
(I missed you)
But you drove me away
To preserve my sanity
And I found the strength to break away
(Fly...)
 
18
Babydoll
Butterfly

OK, now we're getting to the tracks where I could DIE, they're so fucking good. This underrated deep cut was co-written by Missy Elliott (she got drunk and fell asleep, yada yada) and produced with Stevie J and Cory Rooney. It could easily be a Timbaland track, the production is so slick. I love the beat, the lyrics, the ridiculously intricate vocals, the breath-taking harmonies, everything! You can hear a lot of Trey Lorenz in places. At over 5 mins long, it could easily be written off as over-bloated filler, but I find it endlessly fascinating to listen to. I mean, how in the hell is this song 24 years old? It's songs like this that make Butterfly her greatest album.

 
And if you haven't yet appreciated the vocal masterclass of Babydoll, PLEASE listen to THIS:

Things I've NEVER EVEN HEARD before :o

 
I slept on Babydoll for years, but as I got older, it revealed its charms, and now it's firmly ensconced in just about every late-night playlist I have. All other so-called "sultry gems" are officially cancelled.

And YES to that comment about Butterfly. When even the "filler" has aged like this, you know it is the Greatest Album of All Time.
 
Songs like Babydoll, Slipping Away, Melt Away, Long Ago... those mid-90s R&B grooves... just sound soooo good these days, and you can hear their influence all over Ariana's recent (much inferior) work.
 
That Babydoll acapella just shows what a genius at vocal production she is. So intricate. Her mind. I can't.
 
17
Music Box
Music Box

*DIES*

Has there ever been a prettier, more moving song? Let's just listen to it and appreciate Mariah and Walter at the height of their songwriting genius. Excuse me while I have a little cry (lipping in front of the mirror). Could easily have been a HUGE single, but then most of the Music Box album had that mega-hit potential.

 
Music Box is like a prototype for that quiet storm, introspective ballad formula she would perfect with Looking In, Petals and latterly Languishing and Portrait. It's lovely.
 
16
I Still Believe
#1s

In hindsight, this might be a LITTLE high in the countdown, but it has so many personal memories for me and it's all about THE NOSTALGIA. I know it's a pretty run-of-the-mill cover, paying homage to Brenda K. Starr, who gave Mariah her first break as a background singer, but I LOVE its schmaltziness and powerful, raw vocal. I remember the #1s era being a very exciting time as a fan - she really was a huge star. I went on holiday to the US when this was out and she was performing on Oprah with Whitney, etc. And she could still SANG. I also love the very mainstream Morales remix (Pamela Anderson's favourite song, incidentally).

 
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The Morales mix is top notch but otherwise I Still Believe is way too gloopy for me.
 
Yes! I Still Believe came out during one of my peaks of fandom. 98-99 was probably her biggest "pop star" moment. Sure, the sales and the chart positions had been higher before, but at this point she was a huge celebrity, still scoring hits, and her late-90s sound and image evolution was probably the most interesting and creative period of her career. The song itself is lovely, and I particularly enjoy the husky vocal and the "No! No-no-no-no-no---oooh, I need you baby / I still believe that we can be together!" bit
 
I love how she just strolls up and sings this like she's in someone's living room. Amazing.


We can't overlook the fact that none other than Whitney had a front-row seat for this performance. You can tell that her competitive streak (typical Aries) jumped out, and even though the earlier (flawless) rendition of When You Believe might have tired her voice a little, she goes for it here and it's everything.
 
MUSIC BOX oh the freakouts I used to have to it as a 13 year old with my girls - one of my favourites. The finale is my favourite bit - Now and forever, my love...

I STILL BELIEVE that was a classic. The video - serving Monroe chic. Iconique.
 
15
Always Be My Baby
Daydream

Surely this is one of her most popular and enduring singles? The first of several collaborations with Jermaine Dupri (and Manuel Seal), it became her 11th #1 in the US (as well as spending 9 weeks at #2 and going triple platinum) and reached #3 in the UK. It also got a Grammy nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. She was so prolific at this time, directing the videos and recording multiple remixes, not to mention the recently discovered alt-rock album. As a 12-year-old, I remember hating the Def Classic Radio Remix that was played all the time on UK radio, but today it sounds pretty amazing, like a whole new song. I personally favour the Mr Dupri Mix most with slightly more exciting re-sung vocals and a playful melodic structure; this is definitely one of my go-to favourite tracks.

 
Remember the poster ABMB???

Anyway while this is a great song, it's one of those ones that has been overplayed into OBLIVION and therefore holds little appeal for me nowadays

Also I find it a little 🥴 that it's been repurposed as an ode to Dem Kinds when it's about a kind of unhealthy/dark obsession with someone who wants rid of you
 
Or maybe I'm too influenced by the DAVID COOK READING

 
14
Loverboy (featuring Cameo)
Glitter

OMG I might have a cry here. All the pain and suffering we've endured over this piece of shit song. But we love it. I've always loved it from day 1. Yes, it's clunky; yes, she sounds like she's got a terrible cold; yes, it sounds like she's making up certain parts of the melody as she goes along; yes, the video is deranged. But somehow, amongst all this disaster, it's also completely joyful and thrilling, and it still makes me smile today. Built around Cameo's "Candy" sample, it reached #2 in the US and #12 in the UK. And then, 20 years later, along came the original version and it all made SENSE. What a great record. It's definitely my preferred version, although this might be the novelty of its relative newness, and I don't think the vocals are as fun in places. Why is this iconic video not on her official YouTube channel?!

 
Always Be My Baby is one of her finest moments and I think probably her finest vocal performance for me- she’s just so effortless.
 
Loverboy on the other hand is absolute drivel.
WHERE’S THE DAMNED TUNE, MARIAH?
 
Loverboy was such a watershed moment in her career. A quick pivot into full HOT WTF MESS, with barely a melody to be found

AND YET

It just makes me so happy. At this point, you were either checking out or you were coming ALONG FOR THE RIDE, waving flags, whooping, giggling and grabbing your tits with careless abandon

I know which side I'M ON :disco:
 

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