Greatest Hits | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Greatest hits album by | ||||
Released | December 4, 2001 | |||
Recorded | 1988–2000 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 122:23 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Producer | ||||
Mariah Carey chronology | ||||
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The Essential Mariah Carey | ||||
Greatest Hits is the second greatest hits album by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey, released on December 4, 2001, by Columbia Records. It contains most of Carey's singles from 1990 to 2000 during her tenure at Columbia, including her then fifteen U.S. number-one singles. The album has been certified two-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and has sold 4.7 million copies worldwide.
Greatest Hits was re-released as The Essential Mariah Carey on January 10, 2011 internationally, as part of Legacy Recordings's Essential series, and features the same track listing. The U.S. edition, released on April 24, 2012, replaces some tracks with extended mix versions and additional non-single tracks, selected by Carey.
The release of Greatest Hits was part of a four-album deal to fulfill Carey's contract with Columbia Records, in exchange for her early departure from Columbia to join Virgin Records in 2001. [3] [4] The four-album deal consisted of two greatest hits albums: #1's (1998) and Greatest Hits, a studio album: Rainbow (1999), and a remix album: The Remixes (2003). [3] [5] Carey had little involvement in the development of Greatest Hits, [6] and there are no personal messages within its liner notes; [7] [2] when asked about the album on its release day by Entertainment Tonight , Carey remarked: "Does it come out today? Oh, ha ha." [8]
The previously released material in Carey's previous compilation album, #1's, only comprised of her then thirteen U.S. Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles, and was not described by Carey as a greatest hits album due to the exclusion of various songs that she felt was her "best work". [9] This disappointment was also expressed in the liner notes for #1's, in an "open letter to [her] fans":
"First of all – this is not a greatest hits album! It's too soon, I haven't been recording long enough for that! This album is a "thank you" and an acknowledgment of my gratitude to all of you out there for making these records #1 on the charts.
One day, I will put out a greatest hits with songs that didn't even go on the charts because they were never commercially released (i.e., "Breakdown", [lower-alpha 2] "Underneath the Stars", "Butterfly", etc.) or songs that came out that didn't go to #1 that are, in my opinion, better than some that did (i.e., "Make It Happen", "Anytime You Need a Friend", "Endless Love" with Luther, or "Can't Let Go")." [10]
By contrast, Carey was more positive about the track selection of Greatest Hits, describing the new inclusions as "songs that needed to be really heard". [9] In addition to every track from #1's, except "Whenever You Call" and the international bonus track "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)", the album also includes seven songs released prior to #1's, and five songs released after #1's, including the U.S. number-one hits "Heartbreaker" and "Thank God I Found You". [11]
"Against All Odds", a UK number-one hit, is included in the international editions of the album. [12] The Japanese edition released the following week on December 12, and includes four additional bonus tracks; "All I Want for Christmas Is You" is her best selling single in the country, with 1.1 million copies sold, [13] and "Never Too Far/Hero Medley", a newly recorded song that was released as a standalone single one day earlier in the U.S., was included as Sony Music Japan was the distributor of Carey's Virgin releases in the country. [14] [15]
Greatest Hits was re-released as The Essential Mariah Carey by Legacy Recordings internationally in 2011, and in the U.S. in 2012. For the U.S. edition, Carey contributed creative input to its track selection. In a press release, she stated: "I wanted to create a collection of some of my favorite songs, several of them are very big hits and some are more obscure favorites of mine as well as fan faves." [16] Carey selected four additional non-single tracks, "Vanishing" from Mariah Carey (1990), "Close My Eyes" and "The Roof" from Butterfly (1997), and "Bliss" from Rainbow, as well as the extended club remix versions of "Emotions" and "Anytime You Need a Friend", for the album. [16]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] [lower-alpha 3] |
Slant Magazine | [18] |
Greatest Hits received generally positive reviews from critics. Critics noted the timing of the album's release, in light of the personal and commercial troubles surrounding Carey's Glitter project, which released in September 2001. [2] [18] [19] [20] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic commended the "archival" nature of the album, but criticized its long runtime, recommending the "more concentrated" #1's instead. [2] In an updated review in 2011, [lower-alpha 3] Erlewine described the album as a "good and thorough retrospective of Mariah in her prime". [17]
Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine gave the album 3.5 out of 5 stars, praising the inclusion of "Make It Happen", "Without You", and "Underneath the Stars", stating that they "have certainly earned their spots next to hits" such as "Hero" and "One Sweet Day", and declared the album as Carey’s “first proper hits compilation”. [18] However, Cinquemani also negatively described the album as an attempt by Columbia and Carey's ex-husband to "cash in Carey's pre-borderline 'Columbia Years'". [18] Devon Powers of PopMatters also praised the album, describing Carey as a "pop princess, hammering out fast numbers with a zeal and determination" highlight that the album moves "chronologically through [her] remarkable career". [19] In a negative review, Sarah Liss of Now criticized the songs as "bland" and "hard to distinguish from each other". [20]
Greatest Hits debuted at number 52 on the U.S. Billboard 200, charting for a total of 13 weeks, and remained her lowest peaking album on the chart until 2020, when Mariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special charted at number 100. [21] It also debuted at number 46 on the UK Albums Chart on the week ending December 15, 2001, [22] but later reached a new peak of number seven on the week ending October 29, 2005, following the success of her tenth studio album The Emancipation of Mimi ; [23] it has charted for a total of 38 weeks on the chart. [24] On the same week, the album also charted its first of four non-consecutive weeks at number one on the UK Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart; it is her seventh number one album on the chart. [24]
The RIAA certified the album two-times platinum, denoting shipments of one million in the U.S.; the RIAA counts each disc separately for certification purposes. [25] As of November 2018, Greatest Hits has sold 1,230,000 copies in the U.S. [26] The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) certified the album three-times platinum, signifying over 900,000 copies sold in the UK. [27] Globally, the album has sold an estimated 4.7 million copies. [28] [29]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original album | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Vision of Love" | Mariah Carey (1990) | 3:31 | |
2. | "Love Takes Time" |
| Mariah Carey | 3:48 |
3. | "Someday" |
| Mariah Carey | 4:07 |
4. | "I Don't Wanna Cry" |
| Mariah Carey | 4:49 |
5. | "Emotions" |
| Emotions (1991) | 4:09 |
6. | "Can't Let Go" |
| Emotions | 4:27 |
7. | "Make It Happen" |
| Emotions | 5:08 |
8. | "I'll Be There" (featuring Trey Lorenz) |
| MTV Unplugged (1992) | 4:24 |
9. | "Dreamlover" |
| Music Box (1993) | 3:54 |
10. | "Hero" |
| Music Box | 4:18 |
11. | "Without You" | Music Box | 3:34 | |
12. | "Anytime You Need a Friend" |
| Music Box | 4:26 |
13. | "Endless Love" (with Luther Vandross) | Lionel Richie | Songs (1994) | 4:20 |
14. | "Fantasy" |
| Daydream (1995) | 4:04 |
Total length: | 58:55 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original album | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
15. | "Music Box" |
| Music Box | 4:57 |
16. | "All I Want for Christmas Is You" |
| Merry Christmas (1994) | 4:02 |
17. | "Open Arms" | Daydream | 3:30 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original album | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "One Sweet Day" (with Boyz II Men) |
| Daydream | 4:42 |
2. | "Always Be My Baby" |
| Daydream | 4:20 |
3. | "Forever" |
| Daydream | 4:01 |
4. | "Underneath the Stars" |
| Daydream | 3:35 |
5. | "Honey" |
| Butterfly (1997) | 5:02 |
6. | "Butterfly" |
| Butterfly | 4:36 |
7. | "My All" |
| Butterfly | 3:50 |
8. | "Sweetheart" (with JD) |
| #1's (1998) [lower-alpha 4] | 4:24 |
9. | "When You Believe" (with Whitney Houston) | #1's [lower-alpha 5] | 4:35 | |
10. | "I Still Believe" |
| #1's | 3:56 |
11. | "Heartbreaker" (featuring Jay-Z) |
| Rainbow (1999) | 4:48 |
12. | "Thank God I Found You" (featuring Joe and 98 Degrees) |
| Rainbow | 4:18 |
13. | "Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme)" |
| Rainbow | 4:32 |
14. | "Against All Odds" (featuring Westlife; international bonus track) | Phil Collins | Rainbow [lower-alpha 6] | 3:21 |
15. | "All I Want for Christmas Is You" (So So Def Remix; featuring Jermaine Dupri and Lil' Bow Wow) |
| Non-album single | 3:43 |
Total length: | 63:28 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original album | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
16. | "Never Too Far/Hero Medley" |
| Previously unreleased | 4:48 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original album | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Vision of Love" |
| Mariah Carey (1990) | 3:31 |
2. | "Love Takes Time" |
| Mariah Carey | 3:48 |
3. | "Vanishing" |
| Mariah Carey | 4:11 |
4. | "I Don't Wanna Cry" |
| Mariah Carey | 4:49 |
5. | "Emotions" (12" Club Mix) |
| Emotions (1991) | 5:54 |
6. | "Can't Let Go" |
| Emotions | 4:27 |
7. | "Make It Happen" |
| Emotions | 5:08 |
8. | "I'll Be There" (featuring Trey Lorenz) |
| MTV Unplugged (1992) | 4:24 |
9. | "Dreamlover" |
| Music Box (1993) | 3:54 |
10. | "Hero" |
| Music Box | 4:18 |
11. | "Without You" |
| Music Box | 3:34 |
12. | "Anytime You Need A Friend" (C&C Club Remix) |
| Music Box | 10:55 |
13. | "Endless Love" (with Luther Vandross) | Lionel Richie | Songs (1994) | 4:20 |
14. | "Fantasy" |
| Daydream (1995) | 4:04 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original album | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "One Sweet Day" (with Boyz II Men) |
| Daydream | 4:42 |
2. | "Always Be My Baby" |
| Daydream | 4:20 |
3. | "Underneath the Stars" |
| Daydream | 3:33 |
4. | "Honey" |
| Butterfly (1997) | 4:59 |
5. | "Butterfly" |
| Butterfly | 4:34 |
6. | "My All" |
| Butterfly | 3:50 |
7. | "Close My Eyes" |
| Butterfly | 4:21 |
8. | "The Roof" (Mobb Deep Extended Version; featuring Mobb Deep & Big Noyd) | Butterfly | 5:31 | |
9. | "When You Believe" (with Whitney Houston) | Schwartz | #1's (1998) [lower-alpha 5] | 4:34 |
10. | "I Still Believe" |
| #1's | 3:54 |
11. | "Heartbreaker" (featuring Jay-Z) |
| Rainbow (1999) | 4:46 |
12. | "Bliss" |
| Rainbow | 5:44 |
13. | "Thank God I Found You" (featuring Joe and 98 Degrees) |
| Rainbow | 4:17 |
14. | "Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme)" |
| Rainbow | 4:32 |
Notes
Adapted from Greatest Hits liner notes. [30]
Weekly charts
The Essential Mariah Carey
| Year-end charts
The Essential Mariah Carey
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA) [66] | 3× Platinum | 210,000‡ |
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) [67] | Platinum | 125,000* |
France (SNEP) [68] | Gold | 100,000* |
Ireland (IRMA) [69] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
Japan (RIAJ) [70] | Platinum | 200,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [71] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
South Korea | — | 177,945 [lower-alpha 7] |
United Kingdom (BPI) [75] | 3× Platinum | 900,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [76] | 2× Platinum | 1,230,000 [26] |
Summaries | ||
Worldwide | — | 4,700,000 [28] [29] |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Release | Format | Label | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
United States | December 4, 2001 | Greatest Hits | CD | Columbia | [2] |
Japan | December 12, 2001 | Sony Japan | [77] | ||
Various | January 10, 2011 | The Essential Mariah Carey | Legacy | [78] | |
United States | April 24, 2012 | [16] |
Mariah Carey is the debut studio album by American R&B singer Mariah Carey, released on June 12, 1990, by Columbia Records. Its music incorporates a range of contemporary genres with a mix of slow ballads and up-tempo tracks. Originally, Carey wrote four songs with Ben Margulies, which solely constituted her demo tape. After Carey was signed to Columbia, all four songs, after being altered and partially re-recorded, made the final cut for the album. Aside from Margulies, Carey worked with a range of professional writers and producers, all of whom were hired by Columbia CEO, Tommy Mottola. Mariah Carey featured production and writing from Rhett Lawrence, Ric Wake and Narada Michael Walden, all of whom were top record producers at the time. Together with Carey, they conceived the album and reconstructed her original demo tape.
The Emancipation of Mimi is the tenth studio album by American R&B singer Mariah Carey, released through Island Records in the United States on April 12, 2005. The album was considered Carey's "comeback album" by critics and became her highest-selling release in the US in a decade. In composing the album, Carey collaborated with many songwriters and producers throughout 2004, including Jermaine Dupri, Snoop Dogg, Kanye West, Twista, Nelly, Pharrell Williams, and James "Big Jim" Wright, many of whom appeared as featured guests on select tracks.
Butterfly is the sixth studio album by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, released on September 10, 1997, by Columbia Records. The album contains both hip-hop and urban adult contemporary sounds, as well as some softer and more contemporary melodies. Throughout the project, Carey worked with Walter Afanasieff, with whom she had written and produced most of the material from her previous albums. She also worked with many famed hip-hop producers and rappers, such as Sean "Puffy" Combs, Q-Tip, Missy Elliott and the Trackmasters. With the latter acts producing most of the album, Butterfly deviated from the adult contemporary sound of Carey's previous albums.
Daydream is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, released on September 26, 1995, by Columbia Records. The follow-up to her internationally successful studio album Music Box (1993), and the holiday album Merry Christmas (1994), Daydream differed from her previous releases by leaning increasingly towards urban music. Throughout the project, Carey collaborated with Walter Afanasieff, with whom she wrote and produced most of her previous albums. With Daydream, Carey took more control over the musical direction as well as the album's composition. Carey considered the album to be the beginning of her musical and vocal transition, a change that would become more evident in her sixth studio album Butterfly (1997). During the album's production, Carey endured many creative differences with her label and then-husband Tommy Mottola. On Daydream, Carey collaborated with Jermaine Dupri, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, and R&B group Boyz II Men. With Afanasieff's assistance and the addition of a few contemporary producers, she was able to make a subtle transition into the contemporary R&B market, after previously only pursuing pop, adult contemporary and traditional R&B music.
"Loverboy" is a song by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released on June 19, 2001, by Virgin Records America as the lead single from her eighth studio album Glitter, the soundtrack to the 2001 film of the same name. Written and produced by Carey, Larry Blackmon, Thomas Jenkins and Clark Kent, "Loverboy" is built around a sample from "Candy" by the funk band Cameo, who are also featured on the track. Lyrically, the song finds Carey fantasizing about her loverboy, a man that will fulfill her physical and sexual desires. The recording was accompanied by an official remix, titled "Loverboy Remix", featuring guest artists Ludacris, Da Brat, Shawnna and Twenty II.
The Remixes is the first remix album by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey, released on June 25, 2003, by Columbia Records. It is primarily a collection of remixes of some of Carey's songs: disc one is compiled of club mixes, while disc two contains Carey's hip hop collaborations and remixes.
#1's is the first greatest hits album by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, released by Columbia Records on November 16, 1998. The album contained Carey's then thirteen number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as four new songs. In Japan, the album also included her popular single, "All I Want for Christmas Is You", which was Carey's biggest selling single there.
"Dreamlover" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter and record producer Mariah Carey, released on July 27, 1993 by Columbia Records, as the lead single from the singer's third studio album, Music Box (1993). Its lyrics were written by Carey, with music composed by Carey and Dave Hall, and was produced by Carey, Walter Afanasieff and Hall. The song incorporates a sample of the hook from "Blind Alley" by the Emotions—previously used in "Ain't No Half-Steppin'" (1988) by Big Daddy Kane—into its melody and instrumentation. "Dreamlover" marked a more pronounced attempt on Carey's part to incorporate hip hop into her music, as was seen in her decision to work with Hall, who had previously produced What's the 411? (1992) by Mary J. Blige. This was partly in light of the mixed reception to her previous studio effort Emotions (1991), which featured gospel and 1960s soul influences. Lyrically, the song pictures a protagonist calling for a perfect lover, her "dreamlover," to whisk her away into the night and not "disillusion" her like others in the past.
"Always Be My Baby" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey from her fifth studio album, Daydream (1995). Written by Carey, Jermaine Dupri and Manuel Seal, and produced by Carey and Dupri, It was released by Columbia Records on February 20, 1996, as the album's third single in the United States and fourth single internationally. A midtempo pop and R&B ballad, "Always Be My Baby" describes the attachment the singer feels towards an estranged lover, while confidently asserting that they will eventually reunite. Described by critics as both a love song and a breakup song, its composition is characterized by piano keyboards, drums, acoustic guitars, and layered background vocals.
Emotions is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released on September 17, 1991, by Columbia Records. The album deviated from the formula of Carey's 1990 self-titled debut album, as she had more creative control over the material she produced and recorded. Additionally, Emotions features influences from a range of different genres, as well as 1950s, 1960s and 1970s balladry infusion. On the record, Carey worked with a variety of producers and writers, including Walter Afanasieff, the only holdover from her previous effort. Additionally, Carey wrote and produced the album's material with Robert Clivillés and David Cole from C+C Music Factory and Carole King, with whom she wrote one song.
Music Box is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released by Columbia Records on August 31, 1993. The album comprises ballads primarily written by Carey and Walter Afanasieff, with whom she had previously worked on Emotions (1991), and a few urban dance tracks. During the course of the album's development, Carey wanted to broaden her audience, choosing a more pop/R&B oriented sound. During this time frame, she experimented with different musical instruments, leading the album's sound away from her more contemporary previous two efforts.
Rainbow is the seventh studio album by American R&B singer Mariah Carey, released on November 2, 1999 in the United States, by Columbia Records. The album followed the same pattern as Carey's previous two albums, Daydream (1995) and Butterfly (1997), in which she began her transition into the urban adult contemporary market. Rainbow contains a mix of hip hop-influenced R&B tracks, as well as a variety of ballads. Carey produced the album with David Foster and Diane Warren, who, as well as Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, replaced Walter Afanasieff, the main balladeer Carey worked with throughout the 1990s. As a result of her separation from her husband, Tommy Mottola, Carey had more control over the musical style of this album, so she collaborated with several hip-hop artists such as Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Master P and Mystikal as well as female rappers Da Brat and Missy Elliott. Other collaborations include the pop and R&B acts Joe, Usher and boyband 98 Degrees.
Charmbracelet is the ninth studio album by American R&B singer Mariah Carey, released in North America on December 3, 2002, through MonarC Entertainment and Island Records. The album was Carey's first release since her breakdown following the release of her film Glitter (2001) and its accompanying soundtrack album. Critics described Charmbracelet as one of Carey's most personal records, following 1997's Butterfly. Throughout the project, she collaborated with several musicians, including Jermaine Dupri, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, 7 Aurelius and Dre & Vidal.
Merry Christmas is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, and her first Christmas album. Released by Columbia Records on October 28, 1994, at the peak of the initial stretch of Carey's career, between Music Box (1993) and Daydream (1995), the album features cover versions of popular Christmas songs in addition to original material. Carey worked with Walter Afanasieff, with whom she wrote all of the original tracks, as well as producing Carey's interpretations of the covered material. Three singles were released from the album, of which "All I Want for Christmas Is You" went on to become one of the best-selling singles of all time and the best-selling Christmas ringtone in the United States.
MTV Unplugged is a live EP by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, released in the United States on June 2, 1992, by Columbia Records. Following the success of Carey's previous two albums and the growing critical commentary on her lack of concert tours and unsubstantial televised performances, Sony organized a live performance show at the Kaufman Astoria Studios, New York on March 16, 1992. The show, titled MTV Unplugged, originally aired on MTV to help promote Carey's second album Emotions, as well as help shun critics who deemed Carey a possible studio artist. However, after its success, the show was released to the public as an EP, with an accompanying VHS titled MTV Unplugged +3.
Glitter is the soundtrack to the 2001 film of the same title and the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released in the United States on September 11, 2001 by Virgin Records. Mixing dance-pop, funk, hip hop and R&B, the album was a departure from Carey's previous releases, focusing heavily on a 80's post-disco sound to accompany the film which was set in 1983. The singer collaborated with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and DJ Clue, who also co-produced the album. The album features several musical acts such as Eric Benét, Ludacris, Da Brat, Busta Rhymes, Fabolous, and Ja Rule.
E=MC² is the eleventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, released on April 15, 2008 in the United States, by Island Records. The singer began recording the album in 2007 in Anguilla, after writing and composing most of its material during and after her 2006 Adventures of Mimi Tour. Carey worked with various songwriters and producers on the project, including Jermaine Dupri, Bryan-Michael Cox, Stargate, The-Dream, Tricky Stewart, Scott Storch and Danja.
The Ballads is the third compilation album by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey. The album features some of Carey's top selling ballads over the course of her career. It was released internationally in late 2008, and in North America in January 2010.
Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel is the twelfth studio album by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released on September 29, 2009 in the United States, by Island Records. After promotion for her previous album, E=MC² (2008) ended, Carey began to work on a new album, producing songs with Terius "The-Dream" Nash and Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, and revealed the album's title through Twitter. Carey said that Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel would have "big ballads", and that "each song is its own snapshot of a moment in a story".
#1 to Infinity is the third greatest hits album by American singer-songwriter and producer Mariah Carey. It was released on May 18, 2015 in the United States, by Sony Music. It features Carey's then eighteen US Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles, the highest for a solo artist. A new recording called "Infinity" was released as the only single on April 27, 2015. In January 2015, the singer announced that she had signed a residency deal to perform at The Colosseum at the Caesars Palace hotel in Las Vegas in May and July 2015, and would perform all of her number ones. As a result, she decided to re-release her first compilation, 1998's #1's, with an updated list of subsequent chart toppers. Carey promoted the album with her #1 to Infinity residency and with live performances at the Billboard Music Awards, Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Live! with Kelly and Michael.
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