Whatev's Mariah Carey Top 50!

Whatevar

GET OUT.
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Here we go, lamb chops!

mariah carey twirling GIF
 
I might play along with this. I'm in SUCH a Mariah place (STILL) right now.
 
I bought the vinyl of "Mariah Carey" which is currently only ÂŁ12 on Amazon

USE THE AMAZON LINK, PEOPLE!
 
Before we begin, the Top 10 songs beloved by many lambs that will sadly NOT be featuring:

Vanishing
Dreamlover*
Hero
One Sweet Day
Underneath The Stars
Honey*
Fourth Of July
Obsessed
#Beautiful
Infinity (:D)

*I love these but, sorry, NO ROOM.

Also no Christmas songs, no remixes (although they will be mentioned) and no live songs. I might do a separate Top 10 live tracks.
 
Make It Look Good to the top!

Also, no Honey? :shock:
 
I'm a big fan of her reworked David Morales remixes, especially these two gems, which both appear on albums (Daydream and Butterfly respectively) and provide a change of pace and mood for otherwise ballad-heavy R&B albums. While they may feel like interludes, they are both over 3 mins long and better songs than some of the filler we've had to endure since.

Daydream Interlude (Fantasy Sweet Dub Mix)



Fly Away (Butterfly Reprise)
 
Pleased to see some recognition of Infinity, even in passing...

*deep breath*dreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee*swirling strings*eeeeeeeeeeee*ooh ahh ooh ahh*eeeeeeeeeam *throaty chuckle*
 
Sorry @Pipo - it didn't make the cut but deserves a mention for being one of those ridiculous songs that holds treasured memories. I was probably at the peak of my fandom when this came out. It pretty much sums up everything that is wrong with her quality control but we love it.

Boy (I Need You) Featuring Cam'Ron
 
Another fan favourite that didn't quite make it, though I do love it. A deep cut from the billion-selling Daydream album, its charm is in its laid back, late night vibe with a vocal restraint that's lacking elsewhere on this scream-a-thon album. Co-written with Babyface, I also love it because she's the sole credited producer, which is rare in her back cat.

Melt Away
 
Something about this track just screams Mariah. I love the E=MC² album anyway, but this song always brings to mind MC splashing around naked in a puddle trying to flog some crappy perfume. The tinny R&B production, the plinky plonky backing track, the fake jabbing strings, the referencing her own songs, the whistle notes - it's all there and I LIVE FOR IT.

For The Record
 
I love a Darkchild production so this was always going to be right up my street. A follow up to the inferior One & Only, this was tacked onto the Ultra Platinum Edition of The Emancipation of Mimi and never really got any recognition (#14 Bubbling Under). One of her more credible hip-hop efforts, I think, and probably better for the fact that, while she's got a writing credit, she wasn't involved in the production.

So Lonely (One & Only Pt. II) Featuring Twista
 
This was in the Top 50 until today when I realised a better song was criminally overlooked and I just couldn't justify giving this a spot. I love its hollow finger clicks and breathy, squeaky vocals. It reeks of hit-chasing desperation (that worked out well) but I genuinely love the vocal acrobatics and shoehorned gospel drama. Let's all re-live the amazing video again...

I Want To Know What Love Is
 
I love this schmaltz-fest. Rainbow was a big album for me and my first tour, so hearing this on the radio was always exciting. I remember buying multiple copies of the CD single - the artwork! Terrible, lazy video though. It's easy to forget that this was her 15th US #1 and that it even scraped into the Top 10 here in the UK. I favour the piano-led Stargate Radio Edit over the punchier album version, but it's the Make It Last Remix that still sounds effortlessly cool and fresh today.

Thank God I Found You (Stargate Radio Edit) Feat. Joe & 98°



Thank God I Found You (Album Version) Feat. Joe & 98°



Thank God I Found You (Make It Last Remix) Feat. Joe & Nas
 
A rare but beautiful track from the 2008 film Tennessee, produced by Lee Daniels and starring Mariah (look it up, kids). In it, she performs Right To Dream, co-written with Willie Nelson. It's OK, but this cover of Kris Kristofferson's 1970 country hit (also covered by Willie Nelson in 1980 and various others) is much better and unlike anything she's ever done before. Her voice sounds strong and pretty without any of the affectations that her subsequent work can be plagued by. It never made it onto the soundtrack and leaked online in 2010.

Help Me Make It
 
Although I said there wouldn't be Hero, I had to mention the Never Too Far/Hero Medley, just for laughs. It was a horrible time for everyone - just after 9/11, Glitter had flopped, she had had a breakdown, but like a phoenix limping out of the ashes, she came up with this. Some questionable lead vox, but the backing vocal arrangement is really nice and she performed it live a few times, managing to get it to #81 in the US. I do like Never Too Far as a song but not enough to include it in the sacred Top 50.

Never Too Far/Hero Medley
 
I loved the 'Never Too Far/Hero' medley at the time even though it was cheesy af. As much as I stanned 'Hero' at the time (including an ill fated performance as a backup vocalist at school), I don't think 'Hero' would make my top 50 either.
 
I don’t have the time to do anything at the moment, which is a shame, as I’d LOVE TO.
 
Oh I love the inclusion of So Lonely. I probably still prefer the first Part, but still a great track with amazing (cheap) production.
 
Although I said there wouldn't be Hero, I had to mention the Never Too Far/Hero Medley, just for laughs. It was a horrible time for everyone - just after 9/11, Glitter had flopped, she had had a breakdown, but like a phoenix limping out of the ashes, she came up with this. Some questionable lead vox, but the backing vocal arrangement is really nice and she performed it live a few times, managing to get it to #81 in the US. I do like Never Too Far as a song but not enough to include it in the sacred Top 50.

Never Too Far/Hero Medley


Truly her nadir. Just WHO thought it was a good idea to get her to try and have a bash at one of her most well known songs again and put a gospel choir in the background just to show up how dreadful her vocals were even MORE?
 
But all the embedded songs so far are... *chef's kiss* (how could they not be?). These days I'm particularly feeling Melt Away, which slots alongside Slipping Away and Long Ago in the stealth 90s R&B part of her back catalogue. Perfect for an evening sprawled on the chaise longue.
 
50
Triumphant (Get 'Em) Feat. Rick Ross & Meek Mill
(2012)

Underrated doesn't even cover it. I like the song. I like the lyrics. I like the vocals. I like the video - not sure why DJ Khaled is in it. The climax from 2:53 onwards is insane - put your headphones on, girls. I'd much rather listen to this on repeat than many of her overplayed big hits. And, of course, it gave rise to some fabulous remixes with brand new vocals, which were well received. GET 'EM! GO! Shame it flopped so hard - #115 in the US, #144 in the UK - ouch.

 

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