American R&B singer Mariah Carey has recorded songs for fifteen studio albums, including a soundtrack and two Christmas albums, as well as two compilations, a greatest hits, a remix album and an extended play (EP). She has occasionally appeared as a featured artist on songs by other performers and she has also contributed vocals to multiple charitable releases.
After working as a backing vocalist for the American singer Brenda K. Starr, [1] Carey signed with Columbia Records (a record label owned by Sony Music) in 1988 with the help of Starr and released her eponymous debut album in 1990. She co-wrote all of the ten songs, seven of which were with her writing partner Ben Margulies. Mariah Carey was followed by Emotions (1991) and MTV Unplugged (1992). From then on she released a series of critically acclaimed and commercially successful albums in nearly every year of the remaining decade, including Music Box (1993) and Daydream (1995), both of which are certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). After a relatively unsuccessful period with Glitter (2001) and Charmbracelet (2002), whereby Carey suffered a physical and mental breakdown in between the releases, [2] [3] she returned to prominence with the multi-platinum, number-one albums The Emancipation of Mimi (2005) and E=MC² (2008) [4] and the critically acclaimed Caution (2018).
Carey has been noted for co-writing and producing all of her original material. Of her nineteen Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles in the United States – the most among soloists – she has written eighteen of them. [5] For her sophomore release Emotions, Carey wrote all of the lyrics herself and co-composed the music with other collaborators, and is similarly credited for doing the same for the majority of the songs on Music Box, Daydream and Butterfly (1997). [6] [7] [8] [9] The singer has collaborated with a number of songwriters throughout her career, with many of the songs reaching number-one on the music charts around the world, including "Hero", "All I Want for Christmas Is You", "Fantasy", "Always Be My Baby", "Heartbreaker", "We Belong Together" and "Touch My Body". In 2017, Billboard listed "It's a Wrap", "Lead the Way", "There for Me", "The Roof (Back in Time)" and "Thank God I Found You" (Make It Last Remix) as Carey's top five most underappreciated songs. [10]
Aside from writing and recording her own material, Carey has also recorded cover versions of other artist's songs at various points throughout her career. Her sixth number-one single, and her only one not to be self-penned, was a cover of the Jackson 5 song "I'll Be There", which features her background vocalist Trey Lorenz. [5] [11] Other covers include "Open Arms" by Journey, "Without You" by Badfinger, "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" by Phil Collins, "Bringin' On the Heartbreak" by Def Leppard, "I Want to Know What Love Is" by Foreigner, and "One More Try" by George Michael. [12] [13] In 1998, she recorded a cover of "I Still Believe" by Starr as a thank you for helping her get into the industry. [14] Carey has released two Christmas albums, Merry Christmas (1994) and its sequel Merry Christmas II You (2010), including the covers "Silent Night" and "O Holy Night" on the former and "The First Noel" and "Here Comes Santa Claus" on the latter.
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0–9 · A · B · C · D · E · F · G · H · I · J · L · M · N · O · P · R · S · T · U · V · W · X · Y |
# | Indicates songs recorded by Mariah Carey which are cover versions |
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• | Indicates songs recorded by Mariah Carey which contain partly or wholly re-recorded non-English lyrics |
‡ | Indicates remixes recorded by Mariah Carey which contain partly or wholly re-recorded vocals |
"Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme)" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey for her seventh studio album Rainbow (1999). The song was written by Carey and Diane Warren, and produced by Carey and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. It was released as the third single from Rainbow and a double A-side with "Crybaby" on April 17, 2000, by Columbia Records. The song is a ballad, blending pop and R&B beats while incorporating its sound from several instruments including the violin, piano and organ. Lyrically, the song speaks of finding inner strength, and not allowing others to tear away your dreams.
"Thank God I Found You" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, featuring guest vocals from R&B singer Joe and American boy band 98 Degrees. It was released on November 15, 1999, through Columbia Records, as the second single from her seventh studio album, Rainbow (1999). Written and produced by Carey alongside Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the song is a soulful pop power ballad with lyrics depicting a powerful love relationship in which the protagonist tells her lover "thank God I found you", that was inspired by a relationship Carey was going through at the time.
"Heartbreaker" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey featuring American rapper Jay-Z for her seventh studio album Rainbow (1999). It was released on August 23, 1999, by Columbia Records as the lead single from Rainbow. The song was written by the artists and produced by Carey and DJ Clue, with additional writers being credited for the hook being built around a sample from "Attack of the Name Game" by Stacy Lattisaw. "Heartbreaker" pushed Carey even further into the R&B and hip hop market, becoming her second commercial single to feature a rapper. Lyrically, the song describes lovesickness towards an unfaithful partner.
"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.
“If It's Over” is a song written by American singers and songwriters Mariah Carey and Carole King, with the former and Walter Afanasieff helming its production. It was originally released on September 17, 1991, on Carey's second studio album, Emotions. Lyrically, the song tells of a romance that has withered, and finds the protagonist asking her lover, “if it's over, let me go”. Several months after the release of Emotions, Carey performed the song during her appearance on the television show MTV Unplugged.
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.
"Someday" is a song by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey from her self-titled debut studio album (1990). It is a dance-pop, new jack swing and R&B song. Prior to Carey signing a record contract, she and producer Ben Margulies had written and produced a four-track demo which included "Someday". After signing a contract with Columbia Records, Carey began work on her debut album and she reached out to Ric Wake to ask if he would produce the song, to which he agreed. The composition of the demo recording was changed during the recording process, most notably replacing the horns with a guitar, which Carey disapproved of.
"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.
"My All" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey from her sixth studio album, Butterfly (1997). It was released as the album's fifth single overall and second commercial single on April 21, 1998, by Columbia Records. The song was written and produced by Carey and Walter Afanasieff. "My All" is built around Latin guitar chord melodies, and makes subtle use of Latin percussion throughout the first chorus, before taking on a more conventional R&B-style beat. Carey was inspired to write the song and use Latin inspired melodies after a trip to Puerto Rico, where she was influenced by the culture. The song's lyrics tell of a lonely woman declaring she would give "her all" to have just one more night with her estranged lover. It is the first song Carey wrote for the Butterfly album.
"Fantasy" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released on August 23, 1995, by Columbia Records as the lead single from her fifth album, Daydream (1995). The track was written and produced by Carey and Dave Hall. It samples Tom Tom Club's 1981 song "Genius of Love". The lyrics describe a woman who is in love with a man, and how every time she sees him she starts fantasizing about an impossible relationship with him. The remix for the song features rap verses from Ol' Dirty Bastard, something Carey 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.
"Always Be My Baby" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter, and record producer Mariah Carey for her fifth studio album, Daydream (1995). It was released by Columbia Records on February 20, 1996, as the third single in the United States and fourth worldwide. Written and produced by Carey, Jermaine Dupri and Manuel Seal, "Always Be My Baby" is a midtempo song, with lyrics describing the feeling of attachment and unity the singer feels towards her estranged lover, even though they are no longer together, she says he will always be a part of her and will "always be her baby" even after they move on.
"Let's Get Married" is a song by American contemporary R&B group Jagged Edge from their second studio album, J.E. Heartbreak (1999). Released on April 11, 2000, the song spent three weeks atop the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart in 2000 and reached number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2001, the song was issued in Australia as a double A-side with "Promise" and reached number two on the Australian Singles Chart. The music video features Fredro Starr and Kent Masters-King as the fictional couple deciding on whether they should get married or not.
"Underneath the Stars" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. The song was written and produced by Carey and Walter Afanasieff, for her fifth studio album, Daydream (1995). It was released on November 19, 1996, through Columbia Records, as the sixth and final single from the album and as a B-side to "Forever" in Australia. The R&B-influenced song, which has been considered by Carey as one of her personal favorites, features a soft and retro-style melody and had music critics drawing comparisons to earlier works from Minnie Riperton, one of Carey's vocal inspirations.
The Rarities is the eighth compilation album by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, released on October 2, 2020, by Columbia Records and Legacy Recordings. It is a part of "#MC30", a promotional campaign marking the 30th anniversary of Carey's self-titled debut studio album, Mariah Carey (1990), and coincides with her memoir The Meaning of Mariah Carey (2020). Featuring a mix of b-sides and previously unreleased material "with personal relevance and meaning" to Carey—some of which are discussed in her memoir—the album also includes a second disc consisting of audio from her March 7, 1996, live performance at the Tokyo Dome during her Daydream World Tour. A Blu-ray disc featuring enhanced video footage from the concert was released exclusively in Japan.
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