Hoping for

 

3. Fantasy

2. My All

1. We Belong Together

 

Think it’ll be -

 

3. My All

2. Fantasy

1. We Belong Together

Living in the memory of our song

3. My All | 9.571 Highest Scores: 11: (Davidson, Lukuzz, Jord, Qween), 10: (Nina West, Bjork, Jessie Where, elgornio, Josh, Liam.k., JosephStyles, rafik4u, Jay), Lowest Scores: 6: (Simon)


At the #3 spot is My All, released in April 1998 as the 5th and final single from Mariah's 6th studio album Butterfly & for the first time in her career Mariah uses Latin guitar chord melodies, and makes subtle use of Latin percussion throughout the first chorus. The song was written by Mariah and Walter Afanasieff. Mariah was inspired to write the song and use Latin influences after a trip to Puerto Rico, where she was inspired by the culture. This was also the first song she wrote for the album. Upon release the song was critically acclaimed and became a massive success by becoming her 13th chart topper on the US Billboard charts. Elsewhere it was a moderate success by reaching a #4 peak in the UK & hit top 10 peaks in France, Belgium, Switzerland & Spain. In her 2020 memoir 'The Meaning of Mariah Carey', she revealed that the song was also inspired by a secret romantic rendezvous, she had with baseball player Derek Jeter, during her time in Puerto Rico.

Now this is surprising result, I knew this would do well, but top 3. This only beat the previous entry 'AIWFCIS' by 1.5 points. The song may be similar to the other emotional ballads that came before, but its distinguished by it's Latin influences on which she was branching out from her pop roots into more R&B and hip-hop sounds, and this fabulous number is a prime example of showing that musical growth. The subtle blend of Latin guitars during the first verse really adds a sense of melancholy and yet seductive at the same time as she yearns for one more night with her lover surrounded by soft synths and minimal beats. Then during the second half switches to a more sensual R&B sound as the song builds and so does Mariah's vocals as she bends those notes and really cuts loose and lets her voice soar over the slinky melodies & creating something different to anything she's ever done before. This is a definite standout from Mariah's discography and quite refreshing to see her evolve as an artist & branch out into new sounds.

FANTASY VS WE BELONG TOGETHER

 

WHO WLL WIN?

 

STAY TUNED TO FIND OUT......

Edited August 27, 20231 yr by Nina West

My favourite Mariah song of the 90s, my favourite Mariah song of the 00s... but Fantasy for the win, please :wub:

‘My All’ being this high is… a choice. Especially when she has other ballads that are superior! Like, it’s not a bad one but I personally don’t consider it “top tier” for her. Surprised this was the one BJ took too the most tbh!

The way I didn't send it in AF Idol because I thought people might find it boring. Apparently I missed out on a smash

 

> goes back in time and sends My All. Still comes 16th out of 16 x

We Belong Together please! I really like Fantasy but don’t think it would even make my personal top 20 Mariah songs

'My All' absolutely deserves to be this high and I'm so pleased, it's truly magnificent :wub:

My All is basically a dance track to me, the version in the UK charts and played on the radio was the remix

Great top 2 remaining then. I prefer 'Fantasy' a bit more so hoping that it wins!

Of the final 2 would prefer a win for We Belong Together

Ready for the final results

Feels like I'm dreaming, but I'm not sleeping

2. Fantasy | 9.88 Highest Scores: 11: (Davidson, Josh, Jade, vibe, Liam.k., JosephStyles, rafik4u, dandy*, Jay), 10: (Nina West, Jessie Where, JackTheeStallion, AaronTM), Lowest Scores: 7/7.5: (Bjork, Herbs)


At the runner-up soot is the incredible Fantasy, released in August 1995 as the lead single from Mariah's 5th studio album Daydream & samples Tom Tom Club's 1981 song "Genius of Love". The track was written and produced by Mariah & Dave Hall & this would mark the first time she'd incorpate urban R&B and hip hop into her music. The remix version of the song features rap verses from Ol' Dirty bast*rd, something which she arranged to assist in her crossover into the hip-hop market and credited for introducing R&B and hip hop collaboration into mainstream pop culture, and for popularizing rap as a featuring act. Upon release the song received critical acclaim and became a global success by topping the charts in Australia, Canada, New Zealand & in the USA, where it became the first song by a female artist to debut at the #1 spot in its first week, as well as becoming her 9th chart topper there. Elsewhere it also managed to reach top 10 peaks in 13 other countries. Since it's release the song has won many awards as well as being included in the 2021 edition of Rolling Stones magazine's Top 500 songs of all-time where it ranked at #419.

This would have made a more than worthy winner & it was literally neck and neck throughout, but in the end this lost out by just 2 points. This is definitely Mariah's most important song of her career as it's not only her first ever collaboration with a rapper, but would create the blueprint for musical unions between pop stars and rappers for years to come. The song itself is a shimmering pop R&B gem that opens with her trademark vocals before the sparkling beats arrives. The song's fusions of many different genres such as funk, hip-hop, R&B and pop creates a smooth yet catchy sound aided by the inspired use of a sample throughout the hooks & therefore creating the absolute perfect track. Even the remixed version is just as great, even if it's almost entirely different with new bass lines and the brilliant use of ODB's rap verses which really elevates this version to a whole other level of greatness. This song launched a whole new era for Mariah, and marked a refreshing change of pace for her.

Wait a minute, this is too deep (Too Deep)
I gotta change the station

1. We Belong Together | 9.976 Highest Scores: 11: (gooddelta, JackTheeStallion, Simon, elgornio, Lukuzz, Jord, vibe, AaronTM), 10: (Nina West, Josh, Jade, Liam.k., JosephStyles, rafik4u, Jay), Lowest Scores: 7: (Jessie Where)


Well there you have it guys, Buzzjack's favourite Mariah Carey single is none other than We Belong Together, released in March 2005 as the 2nd single from Mariah's 10th studio album The Emancipation of Mimi and incorporates lyrics from Bobby Womack's "If You Think You're Lonely Now" (1981) and the Deele's "Two Occasions" (1987). The song was written by Mariah, Jermaine Dupri, Manuel Seal, and Johntá Austin and produced by the former three. This track and the lead single were the last songs recorded for the album, after Mariah returned to Atlanta for a second meeting with Jermaine and she described her sentiments regarding this song as it gave her chills & had a great feeling about it when they finished it, something she knew was special even in it's original demo form. Upon release the song became a career re-defining moment for the artist, where many had considered her career over after her career stalled during the early 00's. The song broke chart records in the USA & became her 16th #1 hit & stayed there for 14 non-consecutive weeks, it joined four other songs in a tie as the third longest running number one song in US chart history, including one of her own song's 'One Sweet Day'. It was listed by Billboard as the 'song of the decade'. Elsewhere it also managed to top the charts in Australia & reached top 5 peaks in more than 10 countries, including Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain and in the UK. The song would also earn her several music industry awards and nominations throughout 2005 and 2006, and has been considered a 'return to form' and the 'return of the voice'.

Mariah made a stunning comeback with her 'The Emancipation of Mimi' album with this track being it's almighty centerpiece that put Mariah back on the map in terms of popularity and commercial success. Mariah didn't just return to form, she stormed back in with her biggest hit of the decade and became a full on historic phenomenon. She did it on her own terms with this stunning soulful ballad masterpiece. The soft and twinkling piano intro, the acoustic guitars and simple beats with sophisticated melodies. Then there's of course the gorgeous vocals which packs in an arrangements of emotions as the song climaxes towards the end where she really gets to belt out those stunning octave ranges, heightening the sorrow and drama of the lyrics, instead of the using the typical key-change, she uses her vocals to tell the story and it's all the more better for it. All of which makes this a worthy winner in this rate and I would like to thank everybody for taking part & following me on this long journey.

The Results in Full:

01. We Belong Together - 9.976
02. Fantasy - 9.88
03. My All - 9.571
04. All I Want For Christmas Is You - 9.5
05. Always Be My Baby - 9.476
06. Heartbreaker (ft Jay Z) - 9.166
07. #Beautiful - 8.952
08. Emotions - 8.88
09. Vision of Love - 8.857
10. It's Like That - 8.833

11. Honey - 8.714
12. Dreamlover - 8.714
13. Touch My Body - 8.547
14. Without You - 8.476
15. Obsessed - 8.428
16. When You Believe (ft Whitney Houston) - 8.238
17. Hero - 8.214
18. Oh Santa (Remix) (ft Ariana Grande & Jennifer Hudson) - 8.075
19. Oh Santa - 7.9
20. Anytime You Need A Friend - 7.833

21. Big Energy (Remix) (ft Latto & DJ Khaled) - 7.761
22. Butterfly - 7.666
23. Get Your Number (ft Jermaine Dupri) - 7.619
24. Someday - 7.595
25. Make It Happen - 7.571
26. Through The Rain - 7.547
27. Don't Forget About Us - 7.547
28. One Sweet Day (ft Boyz II Men) - 7.452
29. Love Takes Time - 7.38
30. I'll Be There (ft Trey Lorenz) - 7.357

31. The Roof (Back In Time) - 7.275
32. Shake It Off - 7.261
33. Can't Let Go - 7.238
34. I Know What You Want (ft Busta Rhymes) - 7.119
35. Open Arms - 7.095
36. Underneath The Stars - 7.05
37. I'll Be Loving U Long Time - 6.975
38. Breakdown (ft Krayzie Bone & Wish Bone) - 6.925
39. A No No - 6.825
40. I Still Believe - 6.738

41. I Don't Wanna Cry - 6.642
42. Endless Love (ft Luther Vandross) - 6.642
43. Forever - 6.55
44. Never Too Far - 6.5
45. Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme) - 6.5
46. Infinity - 6.35
47. Bringin' On The Heartbreak - 6.325
48. Save The Day (ft Lauryn Hill) - 6.325
49. I Stay In Love - 6.3
50. Bye Bye - 6.275

51. Say Somethin' (ft Snoop Dogg) - 6.261
52. Never Forget You - 6.238
53. The Art of Letting Go - 6.225
54. You're Mine (Eternal) - 6.2
55. Angels Cry (ft Ne-Yo) - 6.119
56. Loverboy (ft Cameo) - 6.095
57. I Want To Know What Love Is - 6.071
58. Up Out My Face (ft Nicki Minaj) - 6.025
59. Boy (I Need You) (ft Cam'Ron) - 5.976
60. You Don't Know What To Do (ft Wale) - 5.95

61. With You - 5.9
62. There's Got To Be a Way - 5.88
63. Almost Home - 5.75
64. Thank God I Found You (ft Joe & 98 Degrees) - 5.595
65. Against All Odds (ft Westlife) - 5.547
66. H.A.T.E.U. - 5.452
67. Sweetheart (ft JD) - 5.35
68. In The Mix - 5.35
69. When Christmas Comes (ft John Legend) - 5.2
70. Crybaby (ft Snoop Dogg) - 4.833

71. Triumphant (Get 'Em) (ft Rick Ross & Meek Mill) - 4.775
72. I Don't (ft YG) - 4.65
73. Don't Stop Funkin' (For Jamaica) (ft Mystikal) - 4.214

Expected, but I would have much preferred 'Fantasy' to clinch it!

Fantasy really is a timeless bop... now 28 years old, and still sounds incredible. :wub: It's definitely one of my favourite songs of all time!

 

My mum bought it on cassette single when it was a new release, so I remember 7 year old me listening to it on her Walkman, and really enjoying it. I still didn't have a concept about popstars and famous celebrities then, so I didn't know/care who Mariah was at that point, I just loved the song. One of my earliest memories of pop music!

 

Fast forward 10 years and 17 year old me had very much become a super fan. It was such a moment to witness Mariah having a triumphant era with The Emancipation of Mimi, and such a huge hit with We Belong Together. It's definitely somewhere within my Top 10 songs of the 2000s. I remember being so gutted when it didn't get to #1 in the UK, particularly because I wasn't keen on the song that prevented it from the top spot.

 

Thanks very much for hosting this, Nina! :wub:

Wait a minute, this is too deep (Too Deep)

I gotta change the station

 

1. We Belong Together | 9.976 Highest Scores: 11: (gooddelta, JackTheeStallion, Simon, elgornio, Lukuzz, Jord, vibe, AaronTM), 10: (Nina West, Josh, Jade, Liam.k., JosephStyles, rafik4u, Jay), Lowest Scores: 7: (Jessie Where)

Well there you have it guys, Buzzjack's favourite Mariah Carey single is none other than We Belong Together, released in March 2005 as the 2nd single from Mariah's 10th studio album The Emancipation of Mimi and incorporates lyrics from Bobby Womack's "If You Think You're Lonely Now" (1981) and the Deele's "Two Occasions" (1987). The song was written by Mariah, Jermaine Dupri, Manuel Seal, and Johntá Austin and produced by the former three. This track and the lead single were the last songs recorded for the album, after Mariah returned to Atlanta for a second meeting with Jermaine and she described her sentiments regarding this song as it gave her chills & had a great feeling about it when they finished it, something she knew was special even in it's original demo form. Upon release the song became a career re-defining moment for the artist, where many had considered her career over after her career stalled during the early 00's. The song broke chart records in the USA & became her 16th #1 hit & stayed there for 14 non-consecutive weeks, it joined four other songs in a tie as the third longest running number one song in US chart history, including one of her own song's 'One Sweet Day'. It was listed by Billboard as the 'song of the decade'. Elsewhere it also managed to top the charts in Australia & reached top 5 peaks in more than 10 countries, including Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain and in the UK. The song would also earn her several music industry awards and nominations throughout 2005 and 2006, and has been considered a 'return to form' and the 'return of the voice'.

 

Mariah made a stunning comeback with her 'The Emancipation of Mimi' album with this track being it's almighty centerpiece that put Mariah back on the map in terms of popularity and commercial success. Mariah didn't just return to form, she stormed back in with her biggest hit of the decade and became a full on historic phenomenon. She did it on her own terms with this stunning soulful ballad masterpiece. The soft and twinkling piano intro, the acoustic guitars and simple beats with sophisticated melodies. Then there's of course the gorgeous vocals which packs in an arrangements of emotions as the song climaxes towards the end where she really gets to belt out those stunning octave ranges, heightening the sorrow and drama of the lyrics, instead of the using the typical key-change, she uses her vocals to tell the story and it's all the more better for it. All of which makes this a worthy winner in this rate and I would like to thank everybody for taking part & following me on this long journey.

 

One of the best songs every written. Rightful winner in my opinion

Deserved winner! almost at a perfect 10 score there

If I would have voted I would have given WBT about 1 and Fantasy way more but there were too many crap songs she has (late in her career) so I did't bother.

Edited August 31, 20231 yr by JackJones