Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, actress, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. She was signed to Columbia Records in 1988 and rose to fame after releasing her eponymous debut album two years later. Carey is the first artist in history to have their first five singles become consecutive number one songs on the Billboard Hot 100. Renowned for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style, and signature use of the whistle register, Carey is referred to as the "Songbird Supreme" by Guinness World Records.
"We Belong Together" is a song by American singer Mariah Carey from her tenth studio album, The Emancipation of Mimi (2005). The song was released on March 29, 2005, through Island Records, as the second single from the album. "We Belong Together" was written by Carey, Jermaine Dupri, Manuel Seal, and Johntá Austin, and produced by the former three. Since the song interpolates lyrics from Bobby Womack's "If You Think You're Lonely Now" (1981) and the Deele's "Two Occasions" (1987), the songwriters of those respective songs are credited. "We Belong Together" is built on a simple piano arrangement with an understated backbeat. The lyrics chronicle a woman's desperation for her former lover to return.
"I'll Be There" is the first single released on Third Album by The Jackson 5. It is written by Berry Gordy, Hal Davis, Bob West, and Willie Hutch.
"All I Want for Christmas Is You" is a Christmas song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. She co-wrote and co-produced it with Walter Afanasieff for her fourth studio album and first holiday album, Merry Christmas (1994). Columbia Records released it as the lead single from the album on October 29, 1994. The track is an uptempo love song that includes bell chimes, heavy back-up vocals, and synthesizers.
"Make It Happen" is a song by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey. Written and produced by Carey and C+C Music Factory's David Cole and Robert Clivillés. It was released on April 4, 1992, by Columbia Records as the third and final single from her second studio album, Emotions (1991). The pop-, R&B-, and dance-influenced track incorporates traces of gospel in its bridge and crescendo. Described by author Chris Nickson as Carey's most personal and inspirational song, it tells of her personal struggles prior to her rise to fame, and how her faith in God helped sustain her.
"Hero" is a song by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released on October 19, 1993, via Columbia Records as the second single from Carey's third studio album, Music Box (1993). Originally intended for Gloria Estefan, the song was written and produced by Mariah and Walter Afanasieff. While writing the song, Carey did not connect to its style or sound, therefore forfeiting it over to the soundtrack of the film of the same name. However, after being convinced to keep it, she changed some of the lyrics to more precisely fit her personality. Lyrically, the song is regarded as one of Carey's most inspirational and personal ballads, with its protagonist declaring that even though people may feel discouraged or down at times, in reality, they are "heroes" if they look inside themselves and see their own inner strength; in time, it will help them "find the way".
"One Sweet Day" is a song by American singer Mariah Carey and R&B group Boyz II Men. The song was released on November 14, 1995 as the second single from Carey's fifth studio album, Daydream. The artists co-wrote the song with Walter Afanasieff, who co-produced it with Carey. The song speaks about the death of a loved one, how the protagonist took their presence for granted and misses them, and finally about seeing the person in heaven. Both Carey and Boyz II Men wrote the song about specific people in their lives, being inspired by sufferers of the AIDS epidemic, which was globally prevalent at that time.
"Honey" is a song by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released on August 26, 1997 by Columbia Records as the lead single from her sixth studio album Butterfly (1997). The song was written and produced by Carey, Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs, Kamaal "Q-Tip" Fareed, and Steven "Stevie J" Jordan. The song samples "Hey DJ" by the World's Famous Supreme Team, and "The Body Rock" by the Treacherous Three. "Honey" was a re-defining song in Carey's career, pushing her further into the hip hop music world.
"Shake It Off" is a song performed by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey, taken from her tenth studio album, The Emancipation of Mimi (2005). It was written and produced by Carey along with Jermaine Dupri, Bryan-Michael Cox, and Johntá Austin. The song was initially solicited to radio on July 12, 2005, by Island and Mercury Records as the album's third single in the United States, while "Get Your Number" served as the album's third single elsewhere. Described by Dupri as "ghetto," the track is a R&B song that makes use of pop and hip hop influences and a simple, sparse production. Lyrically, the song follows Carey as she moves on from her relationship with an unfaithful lover, packing her things and breaking up with him over an answering machine.
Glitter is the soundtrack to the 2001 film of the same name and the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter and producer Mariah Carey, released on August 18, 2001 in Japan by Sony Music and worldwide on September 11, 2001 by Virgin Records. It was a complete musical departure from any of Carey's previous releases, focusing heavily on recreating a 1980s post-disco era to accompany the film, set in 1983. By covering or heavily sampling several older tunes and songs, Carey created Glitter as an album that would help viewers connect with the film, as well as incorporating newly written ballads. The singer collaborated with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and DJ Clue, who co-produced the album.
"Get Your Number" is a song by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey. It was written by Carey, Jermaine Dupri, Johntá Austin and Bryan-Michael Cox, and produced by the former two and LRoc. It was released as the third international single from Carey's tenth studio album, The Emancipation of Mimi (2005). The song is built around a sample of "Just an Illusion" (1982) by British band Imagination. Due to the inclusion of the sample, several other writers are credited as songwriters. Lyrically, the song features the protagonist persistently asking for the phone number of an individual at a club.
"Triumphant " is a song by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey. It was written and produced by Carey, Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox, with additional writing credits and features by American rappers Rick Ross and Meek Mill. Released on August 3, 2012, Carey revealed that she wrote the song during difficult and personal experiences in her life, and that writing the song helped alleviate the pain. She later stated that "Triumphant " was written when her husband Nick Cannon was in the hospital with acute kidney failure in early 2012, and was also inspired by the death of her past collaborator and friend, Whitney Houston.
"Betcha Gon' Know " is a song by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey, from her twelfth studio album Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel (2009). It was co-written and co-produced by Carey, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, James "Big Jim" Wright and The-Dream. Due to the success of her eleventh studio album, E=MC² (2008), and its lead single "Touch My Body", Carey had planned to embark on an extensive tour in support of the effort, but poor charting subsequent singles from the album prompted a halt on promotion by her label, Island Records. It was also rumored that Carey had become pregnant and miscarried, though she never addressed it until late 2010. She began to work on her twelfth studio effort, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel throughout 2009, and it was released later on in the year. In October 2010, Carey revealed that she had in fact been pregnant in late 2008, and that was the reason why tour plans were cancelled.
"#Beautiful" is a song recorded by American singers Mariah Carey and Miguel. It was released as the lead single from Carey's fourteenth studio album, Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse (2014). "#Beautiful" was written by Carey, Miguel, Nathan Perez, Brooke Davis, Mac Robinson, and Brian Keith Warfield, with Carey, Miguel and Perez producing the song. Released on May 6, 2013, Carey and Miguel did not reveal that they had collaborated on the song, until April 25, 2013, when Carey revealed the title in a 25-second teaser video during season twelve of American Idol. It was also on Idol, on May 9, that Carey premiered the official music video for "#Beautiful", before uploading an alternative edit to her VEVO account, that is set to the explicit version of the song.
"You're Mine (Eternal)" is a song by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey included on her fourteenth studio album, Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse (2014). It premiered on February 12, 2014, as the third single from the album. It was written and produced by Carey with Rodney Jerkins. An R&B song, the lyrics revolve around the singer reminiscing about a past lover. Critical response to the song was positive: Carey's breathy vocal style and use of the whistle register at the climax earned praise from critics. It also garnered several comparisons to one of Carey's previous singles, "We Belong Together" (2005).
Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse is the fourteenth studio album by American singer-songwriter and producer Mariah Carey. It was released on May 23, 2014, through Def Jam Recordings. The record had been in development since 2011; during its production, Carey hired friend and collaborator Randy Jackson to manage her career, before replacing him with another frequent collaborator, Jermaine Dupri. The album consists of guest appearances from Nas, Miguel, Wale, and Fabolous, as well as gospel and R&B duo Mary Mary, in addition to Carey's twins Moroccan and Monroe. On the deluxe edition of the album, Mary J. Blige made an appearance on the remix of "It's a Wrap" – taken from Carey's twelfth studio album Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel (2009). These remixes were originally intended to appear on Carey's canceled remix album, Angel's Advocate (2010).
"Thirsty" is a promotional single by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey from her fourteenth studio album, Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse. It was co-written by Carey in collaboration with Hit-Boy, Denesia Andrews and MaryAnn Tatum. Carey and Hit-Boy also produced it, with co-production from Rey Reel. The alternate version of "Thirsty", featuring one rap verse from American rapper Rich Homie Quan, received its radio premiere on Power 105.1 on May 13, 2014, a day before the album version featuring just Carey was made available to stream. It has been described as a "club-friendly" R&B song influenced by hip hop, which makes use of a minimal synth beat.
"A No No" is a song by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey from her fifteenth studio album, Caution (2018). The song was written by Carey, Robert "Shea" Taylor, Priscilla Hamilton, Mason Betha and Camron Giles. Since the track samples "Crush on You" (1997), songwriting credits were added for a total of nine. Digitally released as a promotional single in November 2018, Epic Records serviced it to rhythmic contemporary and urban contemporary radio as the second single from the album on March 4, 2019. "A No No" is a hip hop and R&B song with a blithely dismissive chorus and frisky beat.
The Rarities is the upcoming eighth compilation album by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey, scheduled to be released on October 2, 2020, by Columbia and Legacy Records. It will be issued as part of "#MC30", a promotional campaign marking the 30th anniversary of Carey's eponymous debut album, Mariah Carey, and will coincide with her upcoming memoir The Meaning of Mariah Carey. Featuring previously unreleased material "with personal relevance and meaning" to Carey—some of which are discussed in her memoir—the album will also include 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 will be released exclusively in Japan.
"Save the Day" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released on August 21, 2020 as the lead single from her upcoming eighth compilation album, The Rarities (2020), scheduled to be released on October 2, 2020 by Columbia and Legacy Records. The song's music was composed by Carey, and the lyrics and melody were written by Carey, Jermaine Dupri, James "Big Jim" Wright, Charles Fox, and Norman Gimbel. The song was also produced by Carey.
