#1's | ||||
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Greatest hits album by | ||||
Released | November 16, 1998 [1] | |||
Recorded | 1988–1998 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 73:13 | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Producer |
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Mariah Carey chronology | ||||
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Singles from #1's | ||||
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#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.
The album was met with some criticism regarding the new songs and the decision to only include Carey's number-one hits in the United States. Despite this, the album became a worldwide commercial success. It debuted at number four on the Billboard 200, topped the charts in Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Greece and Taiwan; and reached the top-ten throughout almost every major worldwide music market. #1's was certified six-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and double platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) denoting shipments of five and two million copies. The album reported sales in Japan at 3,250,000 copies in the first three months and remains the best-selling album of all-time in Japan by a non-Asian artist. As of 2021, the album has sold over 15,000,000 units worldwide. [5]
"Sweetheart", a duet with Jermaine Dupri, received little commercial success due to its limited release. "When You Believe", a duet with Whitney Houston, charted well around the world, peaking at number fifteen in the US, the top two in Norway, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland and the top five in Belgium, France, the Netherlands and the UK, and reaching number one in Hungary. "When You Believe" was featured in The Prince of Egypt soundtrack, and received the Academy Award for Best Original Song. The album's third single, "I Still Believe", performed best of the four new songs, peaking at number four in the US.
On May 15, 2015, Carey released #1 to Infinity , an updated version of #1's with 18 of her number ones, to coincide with the beginning of her residency show of the same name in Las Vegas. [6]
Everyone swung it like I didn't want to put something out because I wouldn't accept less than a No. 1 Pop Single. That's not even true. Like I didn't want to "break a streak." My streak was broken a long time ago. I don't even have a streak. I had five number ones, then I had records that didn't go to number one. Whatever. I wanted to put out "Breakdown" with Bone-Thugs-N-Harmony. That was a no-brainer. Release it. I'll always be upset "Breakdown" never got its shot.
—Carey, on her disappointment in the singles chosen, during an interview with Vibe . [7]
During mid-1998, after the release of her sixth studio album, Butterfly (1997), the previous September, Carey was in the midst of developing a film and soundtrack project titled All That Glitters . [4] Midway through the project, All That Glitters fell into developmental hell, causing Carey to pause the entire production. [4] During this period, Carey considered embarking on a tour to support Butterfly, which was continuing to sell strongly. [4]
Throughout 1998, the songs Carey was compiling songs for the compilation album led to a publicized conflict with Columbia Records. Carey insisted that while the compilation is not a greatest hits collection, Sony titled the album #1's to reflect the fact that the album is a collection of her number-one hits rather than her "greatest" or "favorite" songs. [8] Carey has frequently cited "Underneath the Stars" (1996) and "Breakdown" (1998) as examples of songs she was unsuccessful in releasing on the collection. [9] [7] Carey has expressed distaste towards the album's song selection, expressing her disappointment in the omission of her "favorite songs." [8]
In December 2001, Columbia released the album Greatest Hits , which featured Carey's number-one singles alongside songs she said "needed to be really heard", such as "Underneath the Stars" and "Forever". [10] Carey discussed the album in an interview with MTV, stating, "There's a lot of songs that I'm happy are gonna see the light of day. I think people are going to like this Greatest Hits because there are songs on it that were not necessarily singles." [10]
In Carey's 2020 memoir The Meaning of Mariah Carey , Carey states that she conceptualized #1's as part of a four-album agreement with Sony Music to terminate her contract with Columbia. Sony wanted to release an album that featured her US number-one singles, void of any new material. However, Carey felt that not including any new material would be unfair to fans, and eventually four new songs were included to accompany her thirteen number ones. [8]
The first of Carey's number ones to be featured on the album was "Vision of Love". It was Carey's first single and was the song that propelled her into the music scene. The song received acclaim, and was credited with influencing and popularizing the use of melisma throughout the 1990s. [11] [12] Three other songs were included from her self-titled debut album, of them were "Love Takes Time", "Someday" and "I Don't Wanna Cry". The fifth single featured on the album was "Emotions", the lead single from the album of the same name. Because of the album's strict array of chart topping singles, none of the other singles on Emotions made the track listing. Another song that was featured on #1's was Carey's version of The Jackson 5 classic, "I'll Be There", which was the lead single from her live album, MTV Unplugged . The singles from Carey's 1993 release Music Box , made an appearance on the album as well. "Dreamlover", the seventh number one from the album, was the lead single from Music Box. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks and was described as a "slight piece of pop fluff", representing a more commercial side to Carey than the "more ambitious", "Vision of Love". [13] The song was the start of a vocal maturity for Carey, and was considered a notable song in her career. [14] The second single from Music Box, "Hero", also made the album's final cut. According to author Chris Nickson, Hero was one of Carey's "most inspirational ballads". [14] The album's third single, Carey's cover of Harry Nielsen's "Without You" failed to make the US album version, since it didn't reach the summit spot there; however, due to the song's popularity in Europe, it was included in the album's international edition.
"All I Want for Christmas Is You", the lead single from Carey's holiday album Merry Christmas also made the international track listing. The song became one of the best-selling singles by a non–Asian female, and the best-selling Japanese single of 1994, selling 1.1 million copies. [15] Additionally, "All I Want for Christmas Is You" was called "one of the essential musical hallmarks of the holiday season", and is the only holiday song and ringtone to reach multi-platinum status in the US. [16] Occupying three of the thirteen number ones on the album were the singles from Carey's 1995 release, Daydream . The album's lead single "Fantasy", was featured on #1's. However, it was the song's official remix, which featured rap verses from Ol' Dirty Bastard, which made the album cut. This was a personal decision made by Carey, as it was of her preference. [4] The second song from Daydream to be featured on the album was "One Sweet Day", Carey's duet with Boyz II Men. The song topped the Hot 100 for a then-unprecedented sixteen weeks, and held the record for longest running number-one song in Hot 100 history until 2019. [17] The third and final song from the album, "Always Be My Baby", spent two weeks atop the charts in the US, therefore earning a place on the album as well.
Carey's most recent studio effort at the time, Butterfly , also yielded two number-one songs. The album's lead single, "Honey", was a career-transitional song for Carey, which introduced her as a hip hop soul artist, as well as featured extended rap verses throughout the song. [18] While very different than anything Carey had ever recorded, the track was described as "street Hip-Hop music, with a booming bass." [18] The second song from Butterfly, "My All", spent one week atop the charts. Carey described the song as "[having] a lush sound and intense styling." [19] Solely written by Carey and Walter Afanasieff, "My All" featured guitar arpeggios, which were synthetically created with the clever use of sampling and playing keyboard notes. As a result, the song was well-received, being called a "slinky, slow jam R&B sound, that fit Mariah like a glove." [18]
Since Carey intended #1's to serve as a sign of gratitude to her fans, the album contained four new songs not previously included on her albums. The first was a cover of Rainy Davis' "Sweetheart" (1987) performed as a duet with co-producer and rapper Jermaine Dupri. Dupri had worked with Carey in the past, contributing to her album Daydream, and co-produced several hip-hop remixes of her songs. [4] Carey said of the inspiration for its recording, "I was thinking of the old songs I used to listen to when I was in school. It's a really cute record. Young girls'll like it the way I liked it when I was growing up." [7] Another new song featured on #1's was "When You Believe", which Carey said was included because she felt it was "a miracle" that she and Houston collaborated on a record. [8] During the development of All That Glitters, Carey had been introduced to DreamWorks producer Jeffrey Katzenberg, who asked her if she would record the song "When You Believe" for the soundtrack to the animated film The Prince of Egypt. [20] Carey and Houston were shown the film separately, and both became very enthusiastic about participating in the project. [20] In an interview with MTV, Carey made the following statement regarding "When You Believe" and working with Whitney Houston:
"It's sort of a message song. It's what 'Prince of Egypt' is about, Moses. If we were ever going to come together on any kind of record, this is definitely the right one, and really the coolest thing to me is that after all of the drama and everybody making it like we had a rivalry, she was just really cool and we had a really good time in the studio. We had fun. And so, if nothing else, it was a good experience... and diva-ism, whatever." [20]
The song was co-written by Stephen Schwartz and Babyface, who also produced the song. [19] Carey had previously collaborated with Babyface on her albums, Music Box (1993) and Daydream (1995). Babyface expressed how he went through more than one version of the song and described its production as a beautiful movie ballad, something different than he, Carey or Houston ever recorded. [7] In an interview with Vibe, Carey said that she "liked [the song] the way it was." [7] She had characterised it as "a very big ballad but in an inspirational way" and denied speculation that there had been past rivalry or animosity between her and Houston prior to its recording: "I never even really talked to her until this. We never had any issues between us. The media and everybody made it an issue." [7]
Mariah and I got along very great. We had never talked and never sang together before. We just had a chance for camaraderie, singer-to-singer, artist-to-artist, that kind of thing. We just laughed and talked and laughed and talked and sang in between that ... It's good to know that two ladies of soul can still be friends."
—Houston, on her friendship and working with Mariah Carey. [21]
Carey co-wrote and co-produced the song "Whenever You Call" with longtime collaborator Walter Afanasieff for her album, Butterfly. However, in order to change the song's tempo and format, Carey decided to re-do the song as a duet with Brian McKnight, because she felt it was one of the best songs on Butterfly. [19] Carey had also expressed how McKnight's vocals added a great deal to the song, describing the project as "perfecting the song". [19] McKnight shared similar sentiments, saying, "It was amazing to go into the studio with someone who's so successful, and has that kind of track record. Mariah is someone who could ask anyone in the world to sing with her, and they called me. The album contains a duet with Whitney Houston ... it's just been great company to be in." [22]
One of the songs Carey recorded specifically for #1's was a cover of Brenda K. Starr's "I Still Believe" (1988) co-produced by Stevie J and Mike Mason. During the late 1980s, Starr helped Carey secure a record contract while she worked as Starr's backup singer. [23] In the album's liner notes, Carey wrote that the purpose of the song was solely paying tribute to her. According to Carey, the song "reminds me of the fact that not long ago I was a teenage girl with nothing to my name but a demo tape, my voice, and my ability to write songs. Brenda K. Starr treated me like a 'star' and gave me a shot." [24] Another song Carey and Stevie J co-produced was a cover of, "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" (1975) by Diana Ross. The latter song was the third non-original song on the album, and experienced a limited release throughout few countries in Europe. [25] During a press release for the album, it was reported that an exclusive live version of "Hero" would be included. [21] However, the idea fell through and was never released. [26]
In December 1999, Columbia released the video/DVD #1's, which contained music videos and recordings of live performances for the number-one singles featured on #1's, as well as "Heartbreaker", the lead single from Carey's following album Rainbow (1999), which had already reached number one at the time. [13]
"Sweetheart" was released to American urban contemporary radio on September 7, 1998, and was promoted as the third single for Jermaine Dupri's debut album Life in 1472 , and the lead single for #1's. [27] [28] A commercial release was scheduled for September 29, but was canceled in favor of promoting "When You Believe". [29] [30] In the US, due to the song's low radio airplay, "Sweetheart" only reached number twenty-five on Billboard's Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles. [24] Internationally, the song performed better, peaking within the top twenty in Germany and Switzerland.
"When You Believe", released as the album's second single and first commercially available single on November 2, was also promoted as the first single from both The Prince of Egypt: Original Soundtrack and Houston's fourth studio album My Love Is Your Love . It achieved worldwide success, peaking within the top two in Norway, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland, and in the top five in Belgium, the Netherlands, France and the United Kingdom. [31] In the UK, "When You Believe" became one of Carey's biggest successes, selling 260,000 units. [32] Despite reaching high positions around the globe, "When You Believe" performed moderately in the US, where it peaked at number fifteen. [31]
Released as the album's third single on February 8, 1999, "I Still Believe" performed stronger in the US than the album's previous singles, peaking at number four. The song was certified platinum in the United States, however performing weakly in other territories. "I Still Believe" performed well in Spain, where it peaked at number seven, and in Canada, where the song reached the top-ten.
"Do You Know Where You're Going To" was issued as a promotional single in Brazil and some parts of Europe during June. [13] It did not chart in any major music market. "Whenever You Call" was considered for release as a single in mid-1999, but its promotion was canceled due to the impending release of Rainbow and its lead single "Heartbreaker". [24]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Robert Christgau | ![]() |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Entertainment Weekly | B− [2] |
NME | 1/10 [35] |
The album received generally mixed reviews from music critics. #1's was awarded four and a half out of five stars from Heather Phares of AllMusic. Phares complimented the album's content, feeling the song selection was too commercial, but very strong. [3] Additionally, Phares wrote "Her career has been an extraordinary succession of number ones and record-breaking firsts in the music world, her entire album catalog has achieved RIAA multi-platinum status." [3] Phares also commented on the accompanying DVD, writing, "Interviews and interactive menus make #1s a better-than-average DVD video collection and one that will doubtlessly please Carey's legions of fans." [3] Mark Bautz, an editor from Entertainment Weekly gave the album a B−. Bautz felt that Carey's primary limitation was "wan, homogeneous songs" and that "hearing them months apart on the radio makes them passable, but strung together on #1s they're like a mile-long elevator ride." While criticizing the album for its song selection and content, he complimented the songs "My All" and the remix for "Fantasy", writing, "that said, though, Fantasy (with O.D.B.) and My All stand up as two of the best pop tunes of the '90s." [2] The album received a scathing review from Britain's NME magazine, with its critic David Stubbs writing that Carey is "cold-eyed" and her output calculated to achieve commercial success. [35]
In a review for Carey's 2001 album, Greatest Hits , Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine felt the album was solely a string of Carey's most commercial and popular hits, however, not her best. Cinquemani complimented Greatest Hits and wrote, "It seems like only yesterday that we were served with the self-congratulatory #1s, a collection of Carey's record-breaking string of chart-toppers, but the 27-track Greatest Hits is the singer's first proper hits compilation." [36] In his consumer guide for The Village Voice , critic Robert Christgau gave the album a "choice cut" rating, indicating "a good song on an album that isn't worth your time or money; Some (choice cut)s are arbitrarily personal, others inescapably social." His "choice cut" was Fantasy (with O.D.B.) [33] [37]
In 1998, Carey received the World Music Awards for becoming the "World's Best Selling Recording Artist of the 1990s" as well as the award for "World's Best Selling R&B Artist". [38] [39] Carey received the 1998 Billboard Music Award for Artist of the Decade. [40] At the 1999 BMI Music Awards, Carey took home the coveted Songwriter of the Year award. [40] "When You Believe" was nominated at the 2000 Grammy Awards for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals and won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Duo or Group. [40] Additionally, the song won the award for Best Original Song at the 71st annual Academy Awards. [41] After the album's release, Carey won a Blockbuster Entertainment Award in the category of Favorite Female Artist, and Entertainer of the Year at the Soul Train Music Awards. [40] #1's won a 1999 Japan Gold Disc Award for International Pop Album of the Year. [42]
As executives at Columbia had done during the album's development, Eric Boehlert of Rolling Stone noted the importance of the release date of #1's and other albums on sale during the same period: "Artists who make a habit of hitting it big during the holiday shopping season are wise indeed, as sales traditionally skyrocket. This year is no exception." [24] Journalist and author Marc Shapiro, in his biography of Carey, attributed the album's high sales to the presence of new songs, writing:
"The consensus among the music press was that Mariah's insistence on including the new material made all the difference in increasing sales figures more than expected. Including some new with the old in a greatest-hits package had been tried from time to time by other artists with varying degrees of success, but with the triumph of #1's, it would become a regular element in nearly all future greatest-hits albums. As such packages go, #1's was a solid retrospective of Mariah's chart hits, but because these songs were oversaturating the radio, including a favorite nonhit album track or two might have made a nice change. The new songs were a definite bonus even though none ever really rose to the spectacular level of her best ... they added up to a nice touch but little more." [24]
#1's was released in the same week as several other albums by high-profile musicians such as Garth Brooks, Jewel, Method Man, Ice Cube and Whitney Houston. MTV News called November 17 "what is shaping up to be the music industry's Super Tuesday ... most onlookers know that first week sales aren't everything, but they will also tell you that they are pretty darn important." [43] #1's entered the U.S. Billboard 200 at number four, with 221,000 copies sold in its first week. [13] In its sixth week of release (ending January 2) the album's weekly sales peaked at 360,000 copies. It remained in the top twenty for thirteen weeks and on the chart for sixty-two weeks. It made two re-entries, including in 2022, where it peaked at number 20. [13] In Canada, #1's was certified triple-platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA), denoting shipments of 300,000 copies. [44]
In Europe, the album experienced success, peaking within the top-ten in almost every major music market. By 2003, the album received a double-platinum certification by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), denoting shipments of two million copies throughout Europe, until that year. [45] In France, #1's was certified double-platinum. [46] The album received a platinum certification in Belgium, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, where it shipped 800,000 copies. [47] #1's received a gold certification in Germany, the Netherlands and Norway. Aside from its success in Europe, the album experienced its highest sales in Japan (after the US), where it sold 3,250,000 copies in the first three months after its release. [48] In Japan, #1's remains the best-selling album in Japan by a non-Asian artist and is certified the triple-Million award. [48] [49] In 2022, the album was certified six-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting shipments of six million copies throughout the United States. The album has sold more than 15 million copies worldwide. [5]
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Sweetheart" (Rainy Davis cover) (featuring JD) |
|
| 4:25 | |
2. | "When You Believe" (with Whitney Houston, from The Prince of Egypt: Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack , 1998) | Stephen Schwartz | Babyface | 4:36 | |
3. | "Whenever You Call" (with Brian McKnight, from Butterfly, 1997) | Carey |
|
| 4:23 |
4. | "My All" (from Butterfly) | Carey |
|
| 3:52 |
5. | "Honey" (from Butterfly) | Carey |
| 5:00 | |
6. | "Always Be My Baby" (from Daydream , 1995) | Carey |
|
| 4:20 |
7. | "One Sweet Day" (with Boyz II Men) (from Daydream) |
|
| 4:42 | |
8. | "Fantasy" (Bad Boy Mix featuring Ol' Dirty Bastard) (from Daydream) |
|
|
| 4:54 |
9. | "Hero" (from Music Box , 1993) | Carey |
|
| 4:20 |
10. | "Dreamlover" (from Music Box) | Carey |
|
| 3:54 |
11. | "I'll Be There" (Jackson 5 cover) (featuring Trey Lorenz) (from MTV Unplugged , 1992) |
|
|
| 4:25 |
12. | "Emotions" (from Emotions , 1991) | Carey |
|
| 4:10 |
13. | "I Don't Wanna Cry" (from Mariah Carey , 1990) |
|
| Walden | 4:49 |
14. | "Someday" (from Mariah Carey) |
|
| Ric Wake | 4:08 |
15. | "Love Takes Time" (from Mariah Carey) |
|
| Afanasieff | 3:49 |
16. | "Vision of Love" (from Mariah Carey) |
|
|
| 3:31 |
17. | "I Still Believe" (Brenda K. Starr cover) |
|
|
| 3:56 |
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
13. | "Someday" (from Mariah Carey) |
|
| Ric Wake | 4:07 |
14. | "Love Takes Time" (from Mariah Carey) |
|
| Afanasieff | 3:49 |
15. | "Vision of Love" (from Mariah Carey) |
|
|
| 3:31 |
16. | "I Still Believe" (Brenda K. Starr cover) |
|
|
| 3:56 |
17. | "Without You" (Badfinger cover) (from Music Box) |
|
| 3:35 | |
18. | "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To?)" (Diana Ross cover) |
|
| 3:47 |
No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
19. | "All I Want for Christmas Is You" (from Merry Christmas , 1994) |
|
|
| 4:01 |
Notes
Adapted from the Number 1's liner notes. [51]
| Production
|
Weekly charts
| Monthly charts
Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Argentina (CAPIF) [118] | Gold | 30,000^ |
Australia (ARIA) [119] | 2× Platinum | 140,000‡ |
Belgium (BEA) [120] | Platinum | 50,000* |
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) [121] | Platinum | 250,000‡ |
Canada (Music Canada) [122] | 3× Platinum | 300,000^ |
France (SNEP) [46] | 2× Platinum | 600,000* |
Germany (BVMI) [123] | Gold | 250,000^ |
Japan (RIAJ) [124] | 3× Million | 3,600,000 [125] |
Netherlands (NVPI) [126] | Gold | 50,000^ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [127] | 2× Platinum | 30,000^ |
Norway (IFPI Norway) [128] | Gold | 25,000* |
South Korea | — | 352,405 [129] |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [130] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
Sweden (GLF) [131] | Platinum | 80,000^ |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [132] | Platinum | 50,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [133] | 2× Platinum | 600,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [134] | 6× Platinum | 6,000,000‡ |
Summaries | ||
Europe (IFPI) [135] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000* |
Worldwide | — | 15,000,000 [5] |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
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: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)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.
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.
"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.
"When You Believe" is a song made for the 1998 DreamWorks musical animated feature The Prince of Egypt, music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. A pop single version of "When You Believe" performed by American singers Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, with additional music and lyrics by writer-producer Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, was also recorded for the film's end credits and its soundtrack album by DreamWorks Records. Additionally, the song was released as a single on November 2, 1998, serving as the lead single for the soundtrack and for both Houston's fourth studio album, My Love Is Your Love by Arista Records, and the second single and first commercial single for Carey's first compilation album, #1's by Columbia Records. The original version of the song, featured in the narrative portion of the film, is performed by Sally Dworsky, Michelle Pfeiffer, and a children's choir soloist Andrew Bryan. "When You Believe" is described as a big ballad, with meaningful and inspirational lyrics, describing the ability each person has to achieve miracles when they reach out to God and believe.
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.
Greatest Hits is the second greatest hits album by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey, released in the United States on December 4, 2001, by Columbia Records. It contains most of Carey's singles released during her tenure at Columbia from 1990 to 2000, including her then-fifteen US Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles. As of November 2018, Greatest Hits has sold 1,230,000 copies in the US. Globally, the album has sold an estimated five million copies.
"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.
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, 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 on November 20, 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 U.S. 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 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 4, 2008, 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 22, 2009, 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 sixth greatest hits album by American singer-songwriter and producer Mariah Carey. It was released by Sony Music on May 15, 2015. It features Carey's then eighteen US number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100. 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.