I will try and shake off Shake It Off ending that low down :( 2005 Mariah was unstoppable, hit after hit! *.*

 

Can't Let Go :wub: Stunning!

 

The Roof is a gem. I agree that it's rather subtle and creeps up on you. It's very sensual!

The rest of the results will be in 1's

I love Shake It Off! What a bop, I don't understand the hate but each to their own!

I'll build my world of dreams around you

30. I'll Be There (ft Trey Lorenz) | 7.357 Highest Scores: 9: (Bjork, JackTheeStallion, vibe, Herbs), Lowest Scores: 4: (Jessie Where)

At #30 is Mariah's cover of the Jackson 5 hit I'll Be There, which was performed as a duet alongside American R&B singer Trey Lorenz. Released in March 1992 as the lead single from Mariah's live EP MTV Unplugged. The song was a last minute addition to her setlist, after she had been informed that most acts on the show commonly perform at least one cover. The "MTV Unplugged" special was a huge success & Mariah's label, Columbia Records, received many requests to release the track as a single, which had not been planned. A radio edit of the song was created which removed dialogue portions of the performance. Upon release the song received critical acclaim & went onto become a commercial success by becoming her 6th chart topper in the USA & to date this is the only 'MTV Unplugged' single to hit #1. Worldwide it became her breakthrough hit outside the USA by topping the charts in Canada, Netherlands & New Zealand, as well as a #2 peak in the UK (her most successful at the time) & top 10 in Australia as well as hitting top 20 peaks in most of Europe, where her success had previously limited. In 1993 the song also received 2 Grammy nominations for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and Best R&B Song, losing both categories to Boyz II Men's "End of the Road". Mariah & Trey Lorenz performed their rendition of the song as a tribute to Michael Jackson's memorial service in 2009, 17 years after their first performance together.

Honestly thought that this would been top 20 at least, but the couple of middling scores really brought it down & the fact that it didn't gain any 10's or 11's is quite surprising. I remember watching that MTV live performance back in the day & this performance was a firm highlight & as soon as it came out my mum rushed out to buy the single & became a fan ever since. This helped establish Mariah as a live performer as at the time many thought she was a studio artist, but boy she proved them all wrong & silenced them with her almighty talent. Mariah's raw and soulful version of this track really elevates it from being just another standard cover version. Everything about this is breath-taking down to the string quartet, rhythm sections, simple piano beats & the gospel choir backing singers, and of course the smooth vocals of Trey Lorenz intertwined with Mariah's astounding vocals perfectly & brings a romantic melancholy to it. A firm classic in Mariah's discography & one of the most iconic live performances of all-time.

I love Shake It Off! What a bop, I don't understand the hate but each to their own!

 

I agree, it's such a classic!

 

'I'll Be There' is just there for me.

oh I really like I'll be There, even more than the original, I did buy that MTV live thing on CD back in the day

I’ll Be There gives the feels

I had it all but I let it slip away

29. Love Takes Time | 7.38 Highest Scores: 11: (Bjork, rafik4u), Lowest Scores: 3.5 (elgornio)


#29 is Love Takes Time, released in August 1990 as the 2nd single from Mariah's self-titled debut album Mariah Carey. Written by Mariah and Ben Margulies, while produced by Walter Afanasieff, The song was quickly recorded at the last minute due to the album already being completed and being processed for release. Mariah played the song's demo to former Columbia CEO Don Ienner while on an airplane. Don and other officials immediately insisted the song be included on the album, despite the album being in its final stages of completion and Mariah even considered saving it for her next album. Eventually the song made it onto the album as the closing track, however due to its late addition, it wasn't listed on album's early pressings. But subsequent pressings corrected that mistake. Upon release the song was another success for Mariah in the USA where it became her 2nd #1 hit. However worldwide it wasn't quite as a successful as her previous single but did manage a #2 peak in Canada & top 10 peaks Iceland & New Zealand, but elsewhere it didn't make much of an impact with a top 20 peak in Australia, top 40 peaks in UK & Netherlands & a minor peak in Germany. The track also went onto to win a BMI R&B Award for Song of the Year and Songwriter Award, as well as a Soul Train award for Best R&B/Urban Contemporary New Artist in 1991.

Despite managing two 11's, strangely enough it didn't gain any 10's in this countdown. This is a beautiful yet breathtaking ballad that pulls you in instantly right until the very last note. Definitely more restrained and subtle when compared to some of her later ballads, but still no less infused with raw emotion, shimmering passion and insightful vocal performance where she makes you experience the utter despair of a break up with such devastating honesty. The gentle bass and twinkling keyboards really adds a nice touch to the production and gives this stunning ballad a timeless quality to it. This deserved far more than the mere #37 peak that it got here in the UK, but at least the USA gave it the full appreciation it deserved.

love love love Love Takes Time <3 but I kinda knew it was gonna leave soon cos it doesn't get the love it deserves

the US got it right making it a #1 but the UK didn't love the song at all :/

'The Roof' at 31 is criminal...

Another US chart topping ballad from the 90's will drop next, just a little hint.

Like so many friends we've lost along the way

28. One Sweet Day (ft Boyz II Men) | 7.452 Highest Scores: 10: (Simon, Jord, vibe, Herbs, rafik4u), Lowest Scores: 0: (Jessie Where)


At #28 is the massive collaboration between Mariah & Boyz II Men One Sweet Day, released in November 1995 as the 2nd single from Mariah's 5th studio album Daydream. The artists co-wrote the song with Walter Afanasieff, who co-produced it with Mariah. Lyrically the song speaks about the death of a loved one & the artists wrote the song about [specific people in their lives, being inspired by sufferers of the AIDS epidemic, which was globally prevalent at the time. Upon release it was met with universal acclaim & became a massive success on the US Billboard charts by debuting at #1 and staying there for a record breaking 16 weeks & held the record for longest running single until 2017 & then bettered in 2019. This was Mariah's 10th & Boyz II Men's 4th US chart topper. Worldwide it wasn't quite as successful but did to reach top 10 peaks in 13 countries, including #1 peaks in Canada & New Zealand. The song would also go onto win many awards throughout 1996 including a BMI award, ASCAP award & together with the 'Daydream' album would be nominated for 6 Grammy awards, however they lost all nominations.

I've always found it fascinating that this was such an iconic event in the USA & yet everywhere else it was basically just another standard decent sized hit. Now this is a great Mariah song & love the sentiment behind it, however I wouldn't rank this one of her best, now don't get me wrong its good solid ballad, but there's far better songs in Mariah's discography than this. This is a gorgeous ballad full of genuine emotion, that is swathed in Boyz II Men's doo-wop vocals & Mariah's stunning emotive singing. The melancholy, vulnerability and hope all melded together into that soaring chorus gives everything a warm & rather comforting feel to the production. I've never been a fan of Boyz II Men, find a lot of their stuff a slog to listen to & given the overly long runtime, makes this feel rather saccharine & can be quite nauseating at times. This song isn't something I go back to very often, hell before this review I hadn't listened to it in over 10 years & in no rush to listen to it again. I don't dislike it by any means, its just an okay moment for me.

Time for another era's re-cap:

Mariah Carey – 2/5
Emotions – 2/3
Music Box – 4/5
Merry Christmas/II You – 2/3
Daydream – 2/6
Butterfly – 3/5
Rainbow – 1/5
Glitter – 0/3
Charmbracelet –1/4
The Emancipation of Mimi – 4/6
E=MC2 –1/4
Memoirs of An Imperfect Angel – 1/5
Me I Am Mariah –1/4
Caution – 0/2
Greatest Hits –1/4
Others – 2/9

Edited August 5, 20231 yr by Nina West

Shame to see One Sweet Day that low

I’ll Be There and Love Takes Time :love:

 

One Sweet Day is really good too

Details don't matter, we both paid the price

27. Don't Forget About Us | 7.547 Highest Scores: 10: (rafik4u), Lowest Scores: 6: (Nina West, Davidson, Bjork, vibe, Liam.k.)


At #27 is Don't Forget About Us, released in October 2005 as the 5th single from Mariah's 10th studio album The Emancipation of Mimi. It was written by Mariah, Jermaine Dupri, Bryan-Michael Cox and Johntá Austin, and produced by Mariah, Dupri and Cox. The song was one of the 4 new tracks that featured on the rei-released edition of the album subtitled Ultra Platinum Edition. During a writing session with Jermaine she considered keeping the song for her next album, but after L.A. Reid the CEO of Island Records heard the unfinished version of the track, he convinced Mariah to keep working on new songs & suggested on releasing a deluxe version of the album, which had already sold 4 Million copies by that point & Mariah agreed to the idea & feeling eager to release the song, instead of making her fans wait for a brand new album. Upon release the song became Mariah's 17th #1 hit in the USA, and capping off a successful comeback year for the artist. Worldwide it achieved moderate success by reaching top 20 peaks in UK, Italy, Australia, New Zealand & Switzerland as well as top 40 peaks in several other countries. In 2007 the song was nominated for 2 Grammy Awards, but lost out in both categories.

This track has never been a favourite of mine, always found it a bit unmemorable & felt too similar to the far better "We Belong Together". Now don't get me wrong I don't find the song terrible or anything, its just not something I go back to very often. The laidback tempo gives the song a seductive vibe with its lilting chorus combined with her breathy harmonies plays to Mariah's strengths really well. Especially as it builds throughout with the vocals becoming more intense before she hits those high notes at the end. I remember being very happy to see Mariah make a successful comeback after a rough couple of years & by scoring 2 chart toppers in one year, she silenced all those naysayers who said that her career was over.

One Sweet Day is great except for Boyz II Men, not my favourite group, too saccharine

Surprisingly low for One Sweet Day, although the 0 must have done great damage to its average. Although having said that, it's not in my Top 27 either! :lol: I gave 27 of Mariah's songs a score of 9 or more, whereas I gave One Sweet Day 8.5... which would put it anywhere from 28th to 34th in my personal rank (that's how many songs I gave 8.5+).

 

I actually like Don't Forget About Us a lot, but I wouldn't have predicted it to end up quite this high in the results!

I can stand up once again

26. Through The Rain | 7.547 Highest Scores: 11: (Lukuzz, Herbs), 10: (Nina West, elgornio, Josh, AaronTM), Lowest Scores: 4: (Jade, vibe)


At #26 is Through The Rain, released in September 2002 as the lead single from Mariah's 9th studio album Charmbracelet. Written by Mariah and Lionel Cole, and produced by the former and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. The song was meant to be an insight into Carey personal struggles throughout 2001, and lyrically talks about encouraging others. This was also her first release under new label Island Def Jam after parting ways with Columbia Records & then getting dropped by Virgin Records after many personal troubles & the lack of success for her previous album 'Glitter'. Mariah chose this track as the lead single a contemporary pop ballad as a way to recapture her audience throughout the earlier stages of her career. Upon release the song was well received by music critics, but commercially, it was her lowest charting lead single on the US Billboard charts at the time by stalling at #81. However it gained much stronger charting internationally by topping the charts in Spain & hitting top 10 peaks in Canada, Netherlands, Italy, Sweden, Switzerland & UK.

Actually quite shocked at the low #26 ranking on here, but a couple of middling scores caused it plummet. Now I really like the more back to basics approach to this song & if there was one thing to takeaway from the disasterous 'Glitter' era was that things needed to come down a notch and shift the focus back onto the music. I like how Mariah takes back control of the narrative with this shimmering ballad and directly acknowledging the struggles she’d faced. The gentle piano melodies, soft beats and music box synths all sounds fantastic along with Mariah's more restrained vocal delivery before that big key change where her voice soars beautifully over the production. Okay this wasn't quite the big comeback that Mariah had hoped for, its really more of a transitional moment & showed that she could still make great music. The big comeback moment would have to wait for a couple of years, as this was maybe a bit too soon & just needed more time to let the dust settle.

Oh no my last 11 went :(