’Tis the season for Mariah Carey
Ranking 19 greatest hits from the diva.
WELCOME to Mariah Carey season.
Though the Grammy-winner certainly has year-round appeal, something special kicks in after Thanksgiving when people start hearing her holiday classic All I Want For Christmas Is You again.
“We feel lucky, because it was the last major song to enter that Christmas canon,” Walter Afanasieff, who co-wrote the song with Carey in 1994, told Billboard.
“Then the door slammed shut. I’m sure there’s going to be another one; there has to be ... Christmas just keeps growing and growing. I believe will be the most successful, popular Christmas song of all time.” All I Want For Christmas Is You is Carey’s biggest-selling single of all time. But is it her best? Not exactly.
After all, Carey has 18 other No. 1 singles, more than any other solo artiste and every other artiste except The Beatles. Here’s a look at how Carey’s greatest hits stack up.
1 We Belong Together (2005, No. 1, 14 weeks) This ballad takes the best of Hip-Hop Mariah and marries it with the best of Pop Mariah to create a style that really is all her own. To make it even more powerful, it was an undeniable comeback a few short years after the music industry was calling her washed-up. Oh babybaby, don’t ever count Mimi out.
2 Always Be My Baby (1996, No. 1, four weeks) This carefree mid-tempo ballad showed how much fun Mariah could have when she felt like it. It still shows off her legendary range, but also shows that she can be chill and laid-back enough to make “doobedoo oh” work as a chorus.
3 Fantasy (1995, No. 1, eight weeks) The adventurous move into the dance-pop world was a bit shocking back in the day, as she built a whole new sound out of a smart sample of Tom Tom Club’s Genius Of Love.
4 One Sweet Day (1995, No. 1, 16 weeks) The heart-wrenching ballad with Boyz II Men is the pinnacle of Pop Mariah, where melisma adorns nearly every note to wring out every bit of emotion from the tribute to so many friends we lost along the way-eee.
5 Heartbreaker (1999, No. 1, two weeks)
Everything about this feels like late-1990s, moneyed optimism. There’s the way they leave Jay Z’s mic open throughout the song so we can hear all his “uh huh”s and ad-libs before he delivers a knockout verse about shopping, Jacuzzis and Benzes. And then there’s layers and layers of vocals so that it sounds like an army of Mariahs demanding, “Gimme your love.”
6 Honey (1997, No. 1, two weeks) The birth of Hip-Hop Mariah holds up very well, as do Puff Daddy’s rhymes, especially “Mariah, you on fire.”
7 Hero (1993, No. 1, four weeks) The most traditional uplifting pop ballad in her entire catalogue is also the one that feels the most timeless.
8 All I Want For Christmas Is You (1994, perennial No. 1 on holiday charts) The upbeat holiday classic modernises the girl-group carols carefully crafted by Phil Spector and turns it into a dramatic good time.
9 Don’t Forget About Us (2005, No. 1, two weeks) A dreamy slice of smooth R&B that shows how Mariah has learned the power of restraining her vocals.
10 Vision Of Love (1990, No. 1, four weeks)
As dramatic a pop debut in music history, young Mariah proved immediately that she had the vocal power to take on all comers.
11 Emotions (1991, No. 1, three weeks) After becoming known for her ballad-heavy debut, this showed that Mariah could sorta get down. And of course the dog-whistle scream is in full effect.
12 My All (1998, No. 1, one week) Built around acoustic guitars, this big ballad showcases how much Mariah’s delivery improved over the years, though the massive dance remix may be even more effective.
13 Love Takes Time (1990, No. 1, three weeks) The gorgeous ballad is one of Mariah’s most durable, even if it follows the Whitney Houston template a little too closely.
14 Dreamlover (1993, No. 1, eight weeks) The midtempo sweetness of the love song is a bit on the bland side, but she saves it by starting to stretch the constraints of being Pop Mariah.
15 Someday (1991, No. 1, two weeks) What saves this average song is the way Mariah delivers a Chaka Khanesque breakdown to shake things up.
16 I Don’t Wanna Cry (1991, No. 1, two weeks) Maybe the surest sign from her debut that Mariah’s powerful voice could turn an average song into a hit.
17 Touch My Body (2008, No. 1, two weeks) Maybe the biggest hit ever to fret about sex tapes being put on YouTube while also offering stage directions.
18 I’ll Be There (1992, No. 1, two weeks) Her remake of the Michael Jackson classic for her MTV Unplugged is cute, but surprisingly straightforward and ordinary.
19 Thank God I Found You (2000, No. 1, one week) The weakest of Mariah’s chart-toppers by a country mile – not just because 98 Degrees and Joe can’t keep up with her, but because the song is so flimsy it can barely support all the adornments. It was actually the sound of the 20th Century Mariah Bubble bursting. – Newsday/Tribune News Service