Mariah Carey

[GlenMarley]

Loving the new certs! Hopefully #B can push MIAM to Gold someday. She really needs to perform that song more!

If Up Out My Face went Gold, then anything is possible! We need to make every single studio album gold.


Ive been a debut tracker for a long time. This are the last figures we had for it back in 2019. It could have sold another +50k since then with all the vinyls going around.

I've found more reports on this that could better showcase the debut's performance during this past decade:

2011: 4,850,910
2013: 4,878,000
2014: 4,890,200
2018: 4,900,000
2019: 4,910,000

If Nielsen Soundscan started tracking on 01/03/91 and MC was certified 4xPlatinum by 27/02/1991 it means that;

4,000,000 (pre-Soundscan) + 4,910,000 (Soundscan) + 407,510 (Columbia House Club) = 9.317.510 total sales in the US by Feb 2019 (around 317k copies since its last certification on Dec 1999).

So, its allegedly sold over 60k copies during the last decade (10k each last couple of years). At this rate, its gonna take another 11 decades to reach the 10M mark,. lmao

[stevyy]

If Up Out My Face went Gold, then anything is possible! We need to make every single studio album gold.

Then only MIAM and Caution are missing.

MIAM was at 330k in July 2018... that's 4 years ago. It should be at 480k now.
Caution... however, has no hit, no real song to be streamed on any substantial level... 200k sps or 250k sps at most.

It would be so good to see both being certified Gold.

[Jonathan]

https://pitchfork.com/features/lists...-of-the-1990s/

Pitchfork's best songs of the 1990s:

49. Mariah Carey: “Always Be My Baby” (1995)


From the moment “Always Be My Baby” begins, it’s immersed in nostalgia. What sounds initially like an acoustic guitar has the artificial shimmer of a romanticized memory, while Carey’s wordless chorus feels Motown-esque, buoyant in the face of what should be heartache. But “Always Be My Baby” is not a breakup song. It’s a song about eternity. Just because something is over doesn’t mean it’s over; every touch is in some way permanent, and anyone who passes through your heart leaves their shape behind. This infinite wave pool of romantic longing was a point of transformation for Carey—her first collaboration with Jermaine Dupri, who helped push her sound further into the gleam of hip-hop. “Always Be My Baby” is, by contrast, in no hurry to get anywhere, certain that even as things change they also recur, making for a cozy, classical R&B song that’s also a portal between worlds, flowing into and out of them forever. –Brad Nelson

1. Mariah Carey: “Fantasy (Remix)” [ft. Ol’ Dirty Bastard] (1995)

Leave it to Mariah Carey, the girl next door, to make the prospect of pure lust sound so naive, so syrupy sweet, that it could be read as something pious to a passerby. Leave it to a diva at the height of her fame to describe being horny as feeling “kinda hectic inside,” and to articulate it by singing more dizzying runs than an amusement park’s worth of rides. It feels right that she wrote, produced, and recorded “Fantasy” in only two days, roughly the amount of time a person can live solely on the giddiness of a flirtation and the anticipation of an eventual release. Here’s what love at 26, the age at which she put out the song, could feel like. It’s what you want love to feel like for the rest of your life, too.

Mariah’s ninth No. 1 came between hits from fellow icons Janet Jackson and Whitney Houston, outperforming both as a historical chart-topping record. “Fantasy” debuted at the top of the Hot 100, making Mariah the first woman to ever do so, and only the second artist to debut at No. 1 after Michael Jackson. Its foundation was a melding of genres—by reworking several elements from “Genius of Love,” the 1981 Tom Tom Club track that was already becoming a staple in rap sample libraries, she and co-producer Dave Hall suggested that pop music could be just as sly, reverent, experimental, and flip as hip-hop. And the remix, produced by Diddy and his Bad Boy collective, served as their proof of concept.

By several accounts, it’s a miracle that the remix exists at all. At the time, Mariah’s infamously controlling label honcho husband, Tommy Mottola, 20 years her senior, had hoped to make a family-friendly balladeer out of the singer. He didn’t want her sullying her pristine image, never mind at the hands of a rapper who performed under the name Ol’ Dirty Bastard. (Later in life, the singer would open up about how she, a light-skinned Black woman, was marketed by her label in ways that felt out of her control.) But Mariah, a superfan of Wu-Tang’s 36 Chambers who was known to blast ODB on a pink boombox while riding around in her limo, insisted that the rapper be given free rein. It became a spectacle, involving exorbitant amounts of money at the time—$15,000 for a verse—and several very drunk studio sessions.

And so ODB became the song’s ringmaster, opening with what would become one of the most recognizable callouts in block party history, ambling in and out of the song with a swaggering charm, inevitably swerving so hard that his drawl becomes a little bit country, a little bit rock’n’roll. It was chaos, it was genius, it made for a remix so successful that it ended up being responsible for half of the song’s insane sales. But the song also became something much more powerful for Mariah and those who would follow her: It was a declaration of independence, a reclamation of agency and identity, a blueprint for a new kind of pop song that would be replicated for decades to come. –Puja Patel

[XanderIsMe05]

The Quality isn't great but I uploaded the GYN & O&O new versions on my channel. For GYN I just spliced the new ad-lib into the HQ version. The sound of the dolby rip was somewhat tinny which is why it sounds odd, but I wanted to share! Credit to my friend Robbie for the rips!

Get Your Number (Alternate Intro)

One & Only (Explicit)

[delapuerta]

https://pitchfork.com/features/lists...-of-the-1990s/

Pitchfork's best songs of the 1990s:

This is beyond amazing. Congrats Mariah

[GlenMarley]

https://pitchfork.com/features/lists...-of-the-1990s/

Pitchfork's best songs of the 1990s:

Mariah #1 in Pitchfork's Best 90s songs? Has the world gone crazy? This is massive recognition.

[Goldmoney]

KWEEN TOPPING A PITCHFORK LIST WHAT WHAT THE ACTUAL F**K AUGSKWIHSKSK EVEN THO P4K IS A LOT MORE POP FRIENDLY THAN BEFORE IF YOU LOOK AT THE REST OF THEIR LIST I WOULD HAVE NEVER EXPECTED THAT IN A BILLION YEARS HOLY F**K THIS JUST MIGHT BE THE MOST SHOCKING MOMENT OF HER CAREER!!!!!

[Goldmoney]

I CAN’T WAIT FOR THEIR EVENTUAL REVISED 2000S LIST WHERE GOAT WILL FINALLY GET ITS CRITICAL JUST DUE!!!!

[Goldmoney]

I AM SO SHOOK RN.

[TheRealest]

Congrats sis! Get that recognition!

Honey should’ve been an entry tho

[Anderson]

OMG Fantasy is listed at #1 on Pitchfork's best songs of the 1990s !!!!
Am I in a dream?? I love Fantasy and it deserves that reputation!!
I'm so excited by this news...

[Anderson]

Fantasy is so iconic... probably the best uptempo song Mariah's ever recorded...
OMG she also has Emotions, Honey, Heartbreaker, Dreamlover, Loverboy, TMB...
Your faves could never!!

[SmartIsNewSexy]

https://pitchfork.com/features/lists...source=twitter

#1
Fantasy remix changed the game!
the song pioneered the pop/hip hop collaboration

[SmartIsNewSexy]

Huge recognition for Daydream album. 2 songs (fantasy and always be my baby) in the top50

Im glad fantasy is #1!
totally deserved

[SmartIsNewSexy]

[delapuerta]

It's a great recognition and a well deserved one

[SmartIsNewSexy]

Fantasy getting its flowers this year

- free guy film
- BEremix
- #1 pitchfork greatest songs of the 90s

[stevyy]

Fantasy getting its flowers this year

- free guy film
- BEremix
- #1 pitchfork greatest songs of the 90s

the definition of cultural reset...

[Goldmoney]

New indie Kween tbh.

[stevyy]

New indie Kween tbh.

watch SUD be named the album of the decade.

[skylynx]

Hello everyone,

I'm new here. I've been reading this thread for a long time and felt now was a good time to contribute!

Up until the pandemic, I was working in the office of a major European publicist who often worked with Mariah alongside many others (George Michael was another RIP)

I started early 2000's working as an intern and worked my way up. Along the way, I had lots of exposure to MC and her camp and I have always been a fan.

I wanted to contribute regarding the discussions about her voice and it's current condition. From what I've seen, its part of a bigger picture re: MC. I'll try and make this as concise as possible.

My first experience with MC was during her summer UK 2001 promo tour for Glitter. I was assisting the senior PR at a taping of a show for a now defunct MTV channel in the UK, MTV Base and MC was doing an hour long special with them and Trevor Nelson for the album. We taped early afternoon and MC requested champagne. I was dispatched to go and find a couple of chilled bottles of Cristal (not easy to find even a single one chilled but I digress) that MC could have to 'loosen' her up during the interview. The glasses were kept just out of shot by their seats and not to be filmed. It did loosen her up and it was a great interview. This became standard procedure when MC was in the UK doing press with us. Never in the morning but as soon as the afternoon came, a bottle of wine, mostly white, or champagne would be on hand and once emptied would be restocked with another in a nearby ice bucket. It was just what it was. MC never appeared drunk and it always seemed to chill her out and led to her having a better time during press. She mentioned her voice often regarding smoke she could detect in a nearby room or the temperature of the air con etc and seemed very concious of it and the affects on her voice. She would often move interviews to her hotel room or a smaller room because it was better for her voice and we always went out of our way to make sure she was comfortable on this front with all she needed. That time, MC didn't do any promotional performances. In the UK back then, most were mimed to track anyway as it was easier to edit and you could get more performances out of an artist without rehearsal or soundcheck requirements. But she mentioned a few times that she was glad she didn't have to sing anytime soon because even her speaking voice was 'tired'.

MC came back later that year and again in 2002 and 2003 for promotional appearances, none of which were live vocals and it was business as usual re: ensuring whatever beverage she needed was there and that she was happy and comfortable. We attended two of her live dates on the Charmbracelet tour (this was different as we would just see the show and then see her afterwards, we wouldn't be there before)
I remember she had sounded incredible in Birmingham and got great reviews for London and she was really happy. There was a Halloween party the night before her final UK date in Manchester and she went out and partied with friends and dressed up. Normally she would never usually do this, she would always be on vocal rest- but she wanted to. As a result, she cut some songs from the Manchester set list and I remember the general feeling was that she was a bit annoyed at herself but managed to get it back together as she went onto Europe. But this was the beginning of a relaxing towards what I heard from colleagues were always previously golden rules regarding her and her voice.

The first time I saw MC drink before a show was Live 8. The mood was really tense in the camp that day as she was worried about her voice on such a large scale event. She skipped the rehearsal to sleep and woke up, went into makeup, left the hotel and got to her trailer. I remember her drinking a little wine through a straw before she went on to loosen her up and it did. She really went out like a performer and let the vocals be whatever they were going to be. But this was the beginning of a pattern that from what I gather exists up until this day. MC is very nervous about live performance events that she can't control. Her US team would frequently only green light performances that could be dubbed or touched up after. Obviously an event like a Good Morning America is a must do promotional wise and MC would agree to it and her schedule would be amended as such that she had a day off before to rest her voice etc.

I remember a dinner MC had with George Michael and the lady I worked for. I wasn't there but I heard about it afterwards. GM had invited a friend of his who I think worked with him vocally and worked in opera too. A coach of some sort. Naturally there was wine during dinner and I think this friend of George's made a comment to MC about the drink not being good for her voice and MC didn't take it well and there was a bit of tension at the table. This I think encapsulates the issue at hand. MC's voice was always her USP. It is what made her who she is. She knows it better than anyone and often said it had a mind of it's own- like some days it just didn't want to co-operate. That combined with MC wanting to make up time she lost in her younger years by being more social and partying/drinking, it led to a more relaxed approach. Factoring in drinking, which is apparently like pouring acid on your cords for your voice and it makes sense why MC is where she is at today. I think she always knows she can pull it back and go back to what works- she abstains from alcohol for a bit, gets the vocal rest she needs and is reassured that her voice largely bounces back- look at her Beacon performances for example after Rockefeller or how she wanted to prove she still had it on the Charmbracelet tour. That fighter in MC comes back out and decides to make the necessary changes. But it doesn't last.

She is surrounded by teams of people she curates, people that faciliate what she wants. Liron who works for her today, started by working a fan site called MariahDaily and was then hired by MC. These people won't tell MC that the drink isn't working or advise better ways. They are all on the payroll and whilst a lot of them I've met have been lovely, working for MC is like an alternate reality and she calls the shots. So if she wants a drink to loosen up before a show, she has it. No one questions her. And she has nothing to prove. But it has led to the devaluation of the overall brand of MC with these high profile appearances that aren't in line with her legacy as one of the greatest vocalists of all time. It's a vicious cycle.

Welcome to UKMIX

[skylynx]

7x Platinum for TEOM was long overdue though was hoping for 8x platinum.

Looks like the sales collapsed quite a bit after 2006. The should've pushed "So Lonely" as the single and not Say Somethin to boot the Deluxe sales.

wow congrats Memoirs! 1 more album going platinum on her catalog

[skylynx]

Just look at our girl mixing it with these men and rock bands.

Mariah crosses 70million certified albums.

Outright highest certified female artist in USA history!

[skylynx]

These two songs on Daydream are her most evergreen from the 90s. Not weighed down by dated producction. They are just so fun and likelable.

This is the sort of music people want from Mariah. Not sure niche gospel, Portrait-obscure style song. She's written enough of these. give us fun pop bops and bangers.

https://pitchfork.com/features/lists...-of-the-1990s/

Pitchfork's best songs of the 1990s:

[Bliss]

Very surprising coming from Pitchfork but totally deserved as they’re two of her biggest classics

MIAM was at 330k in July 2018... that's 4 years ago. It should be at 480k now.

Most of that came from track equivalent albums thanks to Beautiful, it’s not getting much from streaming so it’s probably not even at 400k