Mariah Carey the Great and Powerful

She scored more hits and sold more records than any other artist since 1990 yet Mariah Carey’s impact on the popular culture remains strangely underrated. So, instead of waiting until the end of the life of this often unappreciated diva, let’s reflect on her legacy by acknowledging 10 of her key contributions to music.

Whether as a result of unfavourable comparisons to her predecessor and only worthy rival, Whitney Houston, or because of her many shortcomings as a live entertainer, Carey has long been a target for harsh criticism by people who fail to appreciate her value. Indeed, by simply reading the comments of ignorant individuals across the blogosphere, it’s clear that Carey’s role as one of the most important artists of her time clearly misunderstood.

Luckily, some of us recognise that Carey is more than the big-haired, high-heeled, daft diva persona that she presents to the world. Rather, she is a cleverly disguised genius of song whose legacy has laid a foundation on which generations of artists can build their own careers.

Now that I’ve gotten the thick layers of cheesy praise out of the way – thanks for the inspiration, Oprah – check out our list of 10 ways that Carey changed music below:

10. The Whistle Register

Thanks to lungs of steel and melodramatic vocal performances, Carey has often been compared to Whitney Houston and Celine Dion as our generation’s answers to Aretha Franklin, Shirley Bassey and Barbra Streisand. Yet, Carey’s unique voice takes her more than just a step further than her peers. In fact, in musical terms, she goes more than 10 steps higher than they can ever dream of reaching.

Carey’s range easily dwarfs all of her rivals and at the very top of her voice is the coveted whistle register. Yes, the great Minnie Riperton introduced those warbling high notes to popular music but Carey has helped music fans to rediscover the wonders of the human voice as her almost other worldly flourishes at the extremes of her range have become her trademark.

Watch Carey perform “Emotions” below:

9. Songwriting

Quick Music Minute: Did you know that Carey has written most #1 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 than any other woman (17)? Also, did you know that she is ranked as the third most successful songwriter in the chart’s history, behind only Paul McCartney (32) and John Lennon (26)? Of course, by writing I’m referring to sitting in a studio with pen and paper instead of paying for a slot in the credits.

Carey’s melody-driven approach to composing music is influenced by Stevie Wonder, and her ability to disguise GRE level vocabulary as catchy singalong hits is what separates her from an ever-growing list of imitators. Even when Carey is being playful, her clever play on words remains a skill worthy of admiration.

Here is an excerpt from Carey’s “Heartbreaker (Ft. Jay-Z)” to help you better understand her songwriting skills:

It’s a shame to be so euphoric and weak
When you smile at me
And you tell me the things that you know
Persuade me to relinquish my love to you
But I can not resist at all

Watch Carey’s “Heartbreaker” video below:

8. Miss MOR

Carey’s flexible voice and songwriting prowess made her one of the faces of MOR music during the 1990s. For those of you too young to know the term that has since lost popularity among critics, it simply means Middle of the Road, and it refers to material that is essentially a mix of various “soft” styles – Pop, Quite Storm R&B and Jazz. In other words, it’s the sound of modern Adult Contemporary Pop radio.

Together with Houston, Dion and Sade, Carey satisfied easy listening music fans throughout the early 1990s with her pleasant blend of Pop, Gospel and R&B. Now, we have younger acts, such as Leona Lewis, trying to fill the void that Carey created when she chose a more blatantly Urban style but unfortunately for them, Adele is the new ruler of that market and as Gandalf the Grey said to Saruman, “she does not share power.”

Watch Carey perform “Love Takes Time” below:

7. Christmas Champion

Every Holiday season, there is one singer who gets more airplay than any other act and the person is Carey. Since releasing her Merry Christmas album in 1994, she became the voice of everything festive and the personification of Christmas cheer.

Carey’s version of “O Holy Night” is widely considered the standard and most people actually only know her arrangement of the tune. Additionally, with the exception of Luther Vandross’ “Every Year, Every Christmas”, Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” is quite possibly the only modern Holiday classic, despite the many failed attempts by several other artists to craft their own.

I’ve heard dozens of impressive Holiday albums throughout the years but Carey’s Merry Christmas undoubtedly had the greatest cultural impact during the last few decades. Long after she has passed, ”All I Want for Christmas is You” will continue to be a success as her true signature song and a lasting reminder of her musical genius.

Watch the video for “All I Want for Christmas is You” below:

6. Hip-Pop Pioneer

We just mentioned that Carey took a detour into more obviously Urban music in the mid-1990s but what exactly does that mean? Well, she stripped off her former signature black dress, slipped into a two-piece, surrounded herself with rappers and became Pop music’s version of Mary J. Blige.

Carey first became down with the streets when she teamed with the late Ol’ Dirty Bastard on the remix of “Fantasy” and the rest is history. Along with Diddy, who was then known as Puff Daddy, Missy Elliott, TLC and Jermaine Dupri, Carey pioneered the Hip-Pop movement and permanently blurred the lines between various genres.

It was rare to see a Pop music singer, especially one of the grand MOR divas, sharing the limelight with rappers and Carey made it seem natural. Indeed, unlike the hard-edged Blige, Carey was a sugary sweet Pop princess known for her inspirational ballads and innocent appeal.

Flash forward to 2013, what was once considered a major risk is now the norm, and the Beyonces, Christina Aguileras and Rihannas happily follow in Carey’s footsteps. I would also argue that the Best Rap/Sung Collaboration title at the Grammy Awards wouldn’t exist without her but that’s a tale for another day.

Watch the video for Carey’s “Fantasy (Remix)” below:

5. Remixes Revolutionary

Before Carey crafted remixes of her hits with rappers, she cemented her position as a trailblazer in another field – Dance music. Together with producers David Morales, and David Cole and Robert Clivilles of C C Music Factory, Carey revolutionised the sounded of the American club scene.

Carey joined forces with Morales to create the Def Club Mix of her monster 1993 hit “Dreamlover” and became one of the first artists to completely revamp a song for a remix. Nobody expected her to re-sing the track with fresh vocal arrangements and scat like a Jazz master over soaring synths for 10 minutes but she did it anyway. Sadly, such great effort is rarely exerted while creating remixes but Carey still carries the torch for the sake of gay clubs everywhere as the Donna Summer her generation.

Listen to Carey’s “Dreamlover (Def Club Mix)” below:

4. So Many Samples

Rappers love integrating a well placed sample into their music and so does Carey. Interestingly, most of her hits were based on interpolations and adaptations of other songs, and many young acts – Ashanti, Keri Hilson and Jennifer Lopez – have since emulated her style.

See a list of some of Carey’s popular sample choices below:

“Dreamlover” - ”Blind Alley” by The Emotions

“Fantasy” - ”Genius of Love” by Tom Tom Club

“Honey” - ”Hey DJ” by World’s Famous Supreme Team and “The Body Rock” by Treacherous Three

“The Roof” - ”Shook Ones part II” by Mobb Deep

“Heartbreaker” - ”Attack of the Name Game” by Stacy Lattisaw

Watch the Carey’s “The Roof” below:

3. The Last of the Divas

It seems as though it was just yesterday when divas ruled the world but then Madonna corrupted the youth with her vaginal antics. Long gone are the days when big voices, glamorous gowns and showgirl personas were the requirements for success. Instead, we are left with oversexed harlots who sell visuals instead of good music.

Thankfully, Carey never fully abandoned her diva ways. The Butterfly era reintroduced her as star with more similarities to Janet Jackson than Whitney Houston but Carey remained a prima donna (see what I did there?) at heart. Just look at American Idol today and you’ll see how the young singers awkwardly try to channel the flair of past divas while Carey sits just metres away, larger than life in 6 inch heels and a Tom Ford gown.

Watch Carey’s showcase her diva ways with “It’s Like That” below:

2. Girl Power

Carey never boasted about being a flagship figure for the girl power movement but she certainly fits the bill. In an industry dominated by men, her many successes have helped to opened doors for other women, regardless of their ethnicity, to reach the top of the charts.

Standing in a ball park with a very short list of artists, Carey’s accomplishments are what younger acts strive to match. She has 18 #1 singles on the Hot 100 (second only to The Beatles’ 20), she spent a total 79 weeks at the top of the chart (more than any other performer), her record sales exceed a reported 200 million (most of which are albums, not ringtones) and she is the only singer in history to land the Billboard Song of the Decade twice. I could keep listing Carey’s achievements but I don’t have all day.

Watch the video for Carey’s 18th #1 song, “Touch My Body”, below:

1. Complex Vocals Performances

Some people regard Whitney Houston as the greatest singer of our generation but I humbly disagree and attribute that title to Carey. There is no doubt that the former influenced millions of vocalists, including her “When You Believe” collaborator, but she never displayed Carey’s level complexity or versatility.

Carey experiments with the various colours and textures of her voice in a way that no other artist in Pop music has done to date. With her incredible sense of pitch, she draws of the precision timing of Ella Fitzgerald, the styling of Sarah Vaughan, range of Minnie Riperton and the grit of Aretha Franklin.

Really, Carey is a chameleon in every sense of the word as she switches her approach to suit every genre that she sings – Jazz, Gospel, R&B, Soul, Pop, Dance, Soft Rock, Hip-Hop and Country. That attention of detail continues to inspire other artists who eagerly attempt to imitate her breathy coos and knotty vocal runs, the latter of which Carey used to rebrand the modern ballad via “Vision of Love” and again with “We Belong Together”.

Watch Carey perform “Vision of Love” below and you should observe the impact it had on various acts, such as Beyonce and Christina Aguilera, below:

Thoughts?

errrr

Underrated? so the chick was overexposed as hell from 1990 to 2001 had a break was exposed as hell in the music scene 2005-2009 and is the reason every singer has to feauture a rapper eventually... or a remix.

And every other singer that has come out since 1990 has cited her or Whitney as an influence just like EVERY r&b guy has to say they are inspired by Michael Jackson

This article is some seriously crazy stan shit Mariah needs to keep her lambs at bey and watch over her flock before they go to the crazy farm.

What's next The Beatles are underrated?

Gunsnhalen said:

What's next The Beatles are underrated?

Maybe there should be a Mariah Unsung episode

dancerella said:

Gunsnhalen said:

What's next The Beatles are underrated?

Maybe there should be a Mariah Unsung episode

There is a driven or Behind the music or one of those...

But man the lambs are really on that honey butterfly crack with this

Then again i have heard people say The Beatles, Michael Jackson & The Rolling Stones are all underrated -.-

By this account it seems every artist is underrated

she also started that trend with female singers where the older they get, they get less and less mature and classy. see also Toni Braxton and Janet Jackson.

errant said:

she also started that trend with female singers where the older they get, they get less and less mature and classy. see also Toni Braxton and Janet Jackson.

Gunsnhalen said:

dancerella said:

Maybe there should be a Mariah Unsung episode

There is a driven or Behind the music or one of those...

But man the lambs are really on that honey butterfly crack with this

Then again i have heard people say The Beatles, Michael Jackson & The Rolling Stones are all underrated -.-

By this account it seems every artist is underrated

Well I see your point

But to a certain extent those artists are underrated.

MJ is not underrated as a performer but as a artist (songwriter, producer, arranger) he definitly is. Most people dont even know he has written most of his well known songs by himself.

errant said:

she also started that trend with female singers where the older they get, they get less and less mature and classy. see also Toni Braxton and Janet Jackson.

You forgot your favorite singer as well

mjscarousal said:

Gunsnhalen said:

There is a driven or Behind the music or one of those...

But man the lambs are really on that honey butterfly crack with this

Then again i have heard people say The Beatles, Michael Jackson & The Rolling Stones are all underrated -.-

By this account it seems every artist is underrated

Well I see your point

But to a certain extent those artists are underrated.

MJ is not underrated as a performer but as a artist (songwriter, producer, arranger) he definitly is. Most people dont even know he has written most of his well known songs by himself.

While that is true for him a lot of artists are underrated for different thing's they do.

But either way people like Mariah, The Beatles, MJ etc. Are constanty thrown down throats as being the best selling artists of all times and on every tops artists list Beatles and MJ are usually top 10(Mariah falls somewhere in the top 100 )

And every and i mean EVERY r&b singer from the 90's till now has cited MJ as an influence just like practically every artists since the 1960s has slated The Beatles as an influence.

So with all that in mind i can't ever say those artists are ever underrated cause for decades people have cited them as influences and they still sell and get tons of airplay.

Frank Zappa wrote and composed rock, jazz, blues, doo-wop and orchestral albums as well as produced and no one is writting articles about how he changed music

mjscarousal said:

errant said:

she also started that trend with female singers where the older they get, they get less and less mature and classy. see also Toni Braxton and Janet Jackson.

You forgot your favorite singer as well

What is with singers getting older and catty?

Madonna, Aretha, Janet, Mariah, Patti etc.

Hell this is part of why i like Diana Ross she may have burned some bridges back in the day but she is quiet as a mouse now

Then again i guess old age can just make people catty in general :hmmm2:

mjscarousal said:

errant said:

she also started that trend with female singers where the older they get, they get less and less mature and classy. see also Toni Braxton and Janet Jackson.

You forgot your favorite singer as well

Prince? Bowie? the Beatles?

errant said:

mjscarousal said:

You forgot your favorite singer as well

Prince? Bowie? the Beatles?

is Prince mature or immature? that is thread worthy

The writer of this article is certainly a Mariah stan but I don't care because I am too I think Mariah is less appreciated these days compared to in the past. It's her own fault really, as the quality of most of her music (not all) has gone down and she presents herself in this over-the-top cartoonish manner that seems fake. Obviously Mariah's place in music history is secure, but she's past her peak. A lot of the younger female recording artists certainly do imitate Mariah, whether they're aware of it or not though.

mjscarousal said:

Gunsnhalen said:

There is a driven or Behind the music or one of those...

But man the lambs are really on that honey butterfly crack with this

Then again i have heard people say The Beatles, Michael Jackson & The Rolling Stones are all underrated -.-

By this account it seems every artist is underrated

Well I see your point

But to a certain extent those artists are underrated.

MJ is not underrated as a performer but as a artist (songwriter, producer, arranger) he definitly is. Most people dont even know he has written most of his well known songs by himself.

Hmm, I guess it depends on what your definition of "well known" is but I think that you are exaggerating. "By himself" clearly means with no co-writers, right? If we use singles as the definition of "well known" there is no way that he wrote most of them by himself. Remember, he had a ton of hits at Motown and I don't think that he wrote any of them himself.

HAPPYPERSON said:

Carey experiments with the various colours and textures of her voice in a way that no other artist in Pop music has done to date. With her incredible sense of pitch, she draws of the precision timing of Ella Fitzgerald, the styling of Sarah Vaughan, range of Minnie Riperton and the grit of Aretha Franklin.

Huh? When has Mariah ever recorded anything that sounds like Aretha Franklin? Particularly late sixties/early seventies Aretha?

delete

[Edited 3/23/13 9:09am]

Her "Emotions" album channeled all of those great R&B singers from the past. I definately heard Aretha's influence and many others on that album. This is probably when she was accusing Tommy of trying to make her sound old. Other than that, not really.

HappyPerson said:

and these are admirable qualities? Having rappers piss all over her tracks,and using excessive samples? To me,her music went downhill when she began doing these things.

SoulAlive said:

HappyPerson said:

]We just mentioned that Carey took a detour into more obviously Urban music in the mid-1990s but what exactly does that mean? Well, she stripped off her former signature black dress, slipped into a two-piece, surrounded herself with rappers and became Pop music’s version of Mary J. Blige.

Carey first became down with the streets when she teamed with the late Ol’ Dirty Bastard on the remix of “Fantasy” and the rest is history. Along with Diddy, who was then known as Puff Daddy, Missy Elliott, TLC and Jermaine Dupri, Carey pioneered the Hip-Pop movement and permanently blurred the lines between various genres.

It was rare to see a Pop music singer, especially one of the grand MOR divas, sharing the limelight with rappers and Carey made it seem natural. Indeed, unlike the hard-edged Blige, Carey was a sugary sweet Pop princess known for her inspirational ballads and innocent appeal.

Flash forward to 2013, what was once considered a major risk is now the norm, and the Beyonces, Christina Aguileras and Rihannas happily follow in Carey’s footsteps. I would also argue that the Best Rap/Sung Collaboration title at the Grammy Awards wouldn’t exist without her but that’s a tale for another day.

Rappers love integrating a well placed sample into their music and so does Carey. Interestingly, most of her hits were based on interpolations and adaptations of other songs, and many young acts – Ashanti, Keri Hilson and Jennifer Lopez – have since emulated her style.

See a list of some of Carey’s popular sample choices below:

“Dreamlover” - ”Blind Alley” by The Emotions

“Fantasy” - ”Genius of Love” by Tom Tom Club

“Honey” - ”Hey DJ” by World’s Famous Supreme Team and “The Body Rock” by Treacherous Three

“The Roof” - ”Shook Ones part II” by Mobb Deep

“Heartbreaker” - ”Attack of the Name Game” by Stacy Lattisaw

and these are admirable qualities? Having rappers piss all over her tracks,and using excessive samples? To me,her music went downhill when she began doing these things.

I thought that it was odd that she was praised for her songwriting while at the same time making the claim that she used a lot of samples. If she is a strong songwriter why does she need to "steal" other artists grooves?

rialb said:

I thought that it was odd that she was praised for her songwriting while at the same time making the claim that she used a lot of samples. If she is a strong songwriter why does she need to "steal" other artists grooves?

Sampling not necessary stealing depending on how it's used. If you just take something someone else did, then yes it's stealing. If you build on something someone else has done then it's just sampling. This second one has been going on much longer than the term sampling. In addition to Mariah, other artists like Janet Jackson and George Michael have done this.

Shard said:

The writer of this article is certainly a Mariah stan but I don't care because I am too I think Mariah is less appreciated these days compared to in the past. It's her own fault really, as the quality of most of her music (not all) has gone down and she presents herself in this over-the-top cartoonish manner that seems fake. Obviously Mariah's place in music history is secure, but she's past her peak. A lot of the younger female recording artists certainly do imitate Mariah, whether they're aware of it or not though.

I was just going to say she's really underrated as a songwriter, mostly because she writes easy to digest lyrics. She's never been and never will be on the level of a Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, or Bruce Springsteen, but she does have an astute gift for writing good hooks.

But mostly, she's pretty much underappreciated as an artist. Everyone knows she can sing, but Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, Donna Summer, Whitney Houston, and Celine Dion didn't write much of their material, and compared to Madonna, Janet Jackson, Beyonce, and Britney Spears in her early days, she looks very hokey and uncomfortable on stage. It also may not have helped that her big rise to fame occurred just as pop music went into decline due to the rise of grunge and gangsta rap. True, she was extraordinarily successful in the 1990's, but she was only one of a handful of artists who had big pop success until the late 1990's, when a new generation of artists came into the scene (Spice Girls, Backstreet Boys, Nsync, Britney Spears, Chrsitina Aguilera).

Though she had some success in the last decade, primarily with the Mimi album, her cartoonish antics and diva behavior began to overshadow her music, and much of it suffered as a result. And unfortunately, like a lot of artists who approach their 40's and beyond (particularly female artists), they become less relevant to newer audiences, as they create and follow their own idols who are much closer to their own age. That's why people like Taylor Swift, Rihanna, and Katy Perry rule the pop charts now and Mariah is left to star on reality TV.

BTW, this article was spot on about her dance remixes. I think this is one of her best ones ever.

[Edited 3/23/13 20:48pm]

Gunsnhalen said:

What's next The Beatles are underrated?

Well...

Okay, so I was watching....I don't know if I can say this... It's horribly embarrassing..this program on television... with Mariah Carey on it...and everybody knew who she was... and seemed to think she was some kind of divine being... but several people didn't seem to know any songs by the Beatles... and they had to sing one...

All right! I was watching American Idol!

But seriously, several of the performers did make comments about not really being familiar with the Beatles. They might not be "underrated" but they certainly seem "underknown" by what seems to me to be a larger and larger and somewhat disturbing (considering these are people who want to be in music careers) proportion of people.

EddieC said:

Gunsnhalen said:

What's next The Beatles are underrated?

Well...

Okay, so I was watching....I don't know if I can say this... It's horribly embarrassing..this program on television... with Mariah Carey on it...and everybody knew who she was... and seemed to think she was some kind of divine being... but several people didn't seem to know any songs by the Beatles... and they had to sing one...

All right! I was watching American Idol!

But seriously, several of the performers did make comments about not really being familiar with the Beatles. They might not be "underrated" but they certainly seem "underknown" by what seems to me to be a larger and larger and somewhat disturbing (considering these are people who want to be in music careers) proportion of people.

I noticed that as well. But why is anyone surprised that these kids don't know any Beatles songs? To them the Beatles are ancient, just like Bing Crosby, Glenn Miller, and Duke Elllington were to us at the same age. To them, Mariah Carey is the same as Diana Ross was to us at the same age, a true legend, but not really relevant to their musical tastes. Beyonce, Britney, Spears, and Christina Aguilers are the musical idols they relate to.

rialb said:

mjscarousal said:

Well I see your point

But to a certain extent those artists are underrated.

MJ is not underrated as a performer but as a artist (songwriter, producer, arranger) he definitly is. Most people dont even know he has written most of his well known songs by himself.

Hmm, I guess it depends on what your definition of "well known" is but I think that you are exaggerating. "By himself" clearly means with no co-writers, right? If we use singles as the definition of "well known" there is no way that he wrote most of them by himself. Remember, he had a ton of hits at Motown and I don't think that he wrote any of them himself.

FYI

Well-known Songs written by Michael Jackson BY HIMSELF:

Another Part of Me

Bad

Billie Jean

Don't Stop Til You Get Enough

Dirty Diana

Black or White

Earth Song

Heal The World

D.S.

I Just Can't Stop Loving You

Liberian Girl

Heartbreak Hotel

Stranger in Moscow

The Girl is Mine

The Way You Make Me Feel

Smooth Criminal

In The Closet

They Don't Care About Us

and these are just the ones off the top of my head. I didn't list all the ones he wrote when he was with his brothers at Epic and I didn't list the "unknown" ones AND I didn't list the ones where he was co-writer.

Btw, MOST of these songs were HITS around the world.

[Edited 3/24/13 15:04pm]

Free2BMe said:

FYI

Well-known Songs written by Michael Jackson BY HIMSELF:

D.S.

Not well known

In The Closet

Teddy Riley co-wrote it

Well-known songs not written by Michael Jackson at all:

Got To Be There

Rockin' Robin

I Wanna Be Where You Are

Ain't No Sunshine

Ben

One Day In Your Life

Farewell My Summer Love

Rock With You

Off The Wall

She's Out Of My Life

Human Nature

Thriller

P.Y.T. (99% of what Michael came up with was scrapped)

Man In The Mirror

Gone Too Soon

You Are Not Alone

One More Chance

Hold My Hand

You don't have to act so rude over a simple comment that rialb made. I'm big MJ fan BTW.

aardvark15 said:

Free2BMe said:

FYI

Well-known Songs written by Michael Jackson BY HIMSELF:

D.S.

Not well known

In The Closet

Teddy Riley co-wrote it

Well-known songs not written by Michael Jackson at all:

Got To Be There

Rockin' Robin

I Wanna Be Where You Are

Ain't No Sunshine en

One Day In Your Life

Farewell My Summer Love

Rock With You

Off The Wall

She's Out Of My Life

Human Nature

Thriller

P.Y.T. (99% of what Michael came up with was scrapped)

Man In The Mirror

Gone Too Soon

You Are Not Alone

One More Chance

Hold My Hand

You don't have to act so rude over a simple comment that rialb made. I'm big MJ fan BTW.

How old are you? 12? You seem very immature.Bye, bye sweetie. Come back when you can hang with grown-ups.

[Edited 3/24/13 20:16pm]

[Edited 3/24/13 20:18pm]