Whatev's Mariah Carey Top 50!

I remember @funky trying to sell the line that her voice was shot from Butterfly onwards. The first time I noticed any difference in a studio recording was Can't Take That Away, which is notably raspier and less clean. Although, as we know, the fact that she could even piece together that final run shows that even in 1999, her voice was still in fine form.
 
4
My All
Butterfly

Everything about this release was perfect: the song, the video, the promo, the look, the remixes. It's hard to think of another time when it's all been so spot on. In its original form, this is her best Latin-inspired ballad, which became the template for many subsequent replications. Written and produced with Walter Afanasieff, this was the first song written for the Butterfly album, and became her 13th US #1, as well as peaking at #4 in the UK. The lyrics (again about Derek Jeter) are achingly beautiful and the vocal range is extraordinary - not just in terms of notes but all the different tones she uses. I love the live versions that start with this and then merge into the Morales Classic Club Mix with those super fun DIVA backing vocals - JUST ONE MORE NIGHT! Then there's the Stay Awhile remix, which is also a festive moment with its own video. And don't forget Mi Todo, the Spanish version!

 
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3
Fantasy
Daydream

So this was my all-time favourite song for many years and still remains one of them. I remember hearing it for the first time - I would've been about 11 - and I recorded it off the radio onto a cassette, which I then sat in my dad's car and played over and over again until I'd learnt it all off by heart. It was AND STILL IS such an amazing, joyful pop song. Written with Dave Hall and built heavily around the Genius of Love sample, it shows off her voice brilliantly and is the perfect example of what she can achieve as a songwriter when all the hooks work together. It's a formula she has tried to replicate less successfully on subsequent lead singles, such as Honey, Heartbreaker and Loverboy. This was the first song by a female artist to debut at #1 in the US and held the top spot for 8 weeks (her 9th #1). It was a #1 hit in several other countries and reached #4 in the UK. She directed the video and famously worked with Puff Daddy to create the ODB Remix, which will probably be her career peak and greatest legacy. Whilst I do like the Bad Boy Remixes, the original version will always be unbeatable for me.

 
2
We Belong Together
The Emancipation of Mimi

I was a bit worried that my love for this song would have faded slightly, but listening to it again now, it's clearly a true classic and still sounds amazing. Of course it represents more than just a fantastic, smash hit song; it was a career-defining moment and nothing short of a cultural phenomenon, which provided much-needed retribution for her after being written off for years by critics and the public - the early 2000s were not an easy time to be a lamb! Thank god LA Reid sent her back into the studio with Jermaine Dupri, Manuel Seal and Johnta Austin or things could have been very different. 15 years into her career, it gave her a mega hit, her 16th US #1 (#2 in the UK) with a record-breaking run at the top, several awards and healthy album sales to match. What a time to be alive! The song is really the epitome of an R&B slow jam and I love that it's just a straightforward classy, elegant song with gorgeous vocals, no rappers, no gimmicks and a great video - 463 million hits on YouTube! Amazing background vocals too - remember finding out she was singing "WHO ELSE? WHO ELSE?" on the chorus and being mind-blown? The remix is pretty good too.

 
We Belong Together (Live at BET Blueprint)

The best live performance of the song, in my opinion.

 
1
Breakdown Featuring Krayzie Bone & Wish Bone
Butterfly

I don't really know why this is my favourite song ever, but it is. I probably listen to it almost daily and it still sounds fresh almost 25 years later. I love everything about it: the lyrics, the vocals (all her own), the beat, the sparse music, the melodic raps, the perfect wailing towards the end. It doesn't hit you in the face with its charms - it's definitely a slow burner - but its intricate subtleties are probably what have kept it interesting for me all these years, which is something I very much need. Mariah wrote the lyrics and produced the song's melody and chorus, while Steve J and Puff Daddy assisted with its writing, chord progression and production. The video is great too - I love the butterfly runway bits and the chair dancing - so classy and, for once, she doesn't look awkward in her movements.

HOW DO I FEEL? I-I-I-I'M LOSING MY MIND!

There we go, gays. Best song ever.

 
Hope you enjoyed! Let me know your thoughts.

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My All - stone groove smash hit wonder. The other girls WISH! (that goes for most of MC's oeuvre though)

Fantasy - must say I agree that it's her best lead single. I'm dying for that Ryan Reynolds thing to come out actually so it can have another *moment*

We Belong Together - I love it, I appreciate it and I enjoy it but not a dUb top fave. Love what it did for her and it is obviously STELLAR if we're being objective

Breakdown - well obv I knew this would be your #1 from the beginning. Can't fault it! Gold. Thank GOD Derek Jeter dumper her.

Congrats on a fabulous countdown which had me enraptured, @Whatevar!! šŸ’—

GIF by Quizizz
 
Full Top 50 Recap
  1. Breakdown
  2. We Belong Together
  3. Fantasy
  4. My All
  5. Whenever You Call
  6. Butterfly
  7. Crybaby
  8. Everything Fades Away
  9. The Beautiful Ones
  10. Anytime You Need A Friend
  11. Heartbreaker
  12. Caution
  13. When You Believe
  14. Loverboy
  15. Always Be My Baby
  16. I Still Believe
  17. Music Box
  18. Babydoll
  19. Petals
  20. Migrate
  21. Canā€™t Let Go
  22. Want You
  23. All Iā€™ve Ever Wanted
  24. If Itā€™s Over
  25. I Stay In Love
  26. Inseparable
  27. Bliss
  28. Someday
  29. Betcha Gonā€™ Know
  30. Long Ago
  31. Mine Again
  32. Lead The Way
  33. GTFO
  34. Angels Cry
  35. Slipping Away
  36. Endless Love
  37. Love Takes Time
  38. H.A.T.E.U
  39. The Roof
  40. Vision Of Love
  41. Miss You
  42. Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)
  43. Touch My Body
  44. Emotions
  45. Through The Rain
  46. Make It Happen
  47. Bringinā€™ On The Heartbreak
  48. Lullaby
  49. Thirsty
  50. Triumphant (Get ā€˜Em)
 
Very much here for My All (especially the remix obviously) and Fantasy. Never cared for We Belong Together. Just listening to Breakdown now...
 
funny how Breakdown is also my ALL TIME #1 Mariah song! I Was blown away since listening to it for the first time on my Butterfly CD.
 
Great top four. I wouldnā€™t put Breakdown in my top ten, but I love it. The other three are totally in my top 5 of all time too.

WHO KNEW I WAS A MARIAH LOON?
 
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