RANKED: Mariah Carey Albums’ First Singles

International pop diva Mariah Carey’s reign as pop music’s leading artist in the last 20 years comes as no small feat.  Having the most Billboard Hot 100 number one singles as a soloist with 18, with several of them selling millions of copies, Mariah has a plethora of songs for critics and fans to decide on which ones are her best efforts.  On World Wide Waddie, we will examine the first singles on each of her albums and rank which singles best announced new albums by Ms. Carey.

After the ranking, share your comments on how you felt about the ranking and the comments.

14. “Through The Rain” (album: Charmbracelet, 2002)

After a tumultuous phase in her career over the 2001 Glitter album, Carey was quickly counted out by critics as a former pop queen.  Her music was panned in recent years for succumbing deeply to the hip-hop trends and minimizing her vocal talents to compete with newer pop contemporaries Britney Spears and Jennifer Lopez.  Thus, “Through The Rain” came out in fall 2002 as that comeback single to remind fans and critics that Mariah can make good music again.  Critics, especially in the adult contemporary markets praised the song choice.  Unfortunately, it immediately fell on deaf ears to the public and radio as the dated-sound sounded too syrupy and downtrodden for the current climate of pop and urban markets.

13. “Sweetheart” (album: #1′s (greatest hits), 1998)

After riding high on years of successful albums and singles, Mariah and Sony Records (her former recording home) felt the timing was right for a greatest hits package to give to the fans.  Ready for the Christmas shopping season of 1998, #1′s boasted every single that brought Carey to the top of the charts. Unfortunately, not every single lived up to that album title.  For example, lead single “Sweetheart,” which featured [now] frequent collaborator Jermaine Dupri, made a small impression on radio and video outlets, while the follow-up single “When You Believe,” the highly-anticipated duet with Whitney Houston, overshadowed the promotion of it.  Regardless, #1′s went to sell more than four million units in the United States alone which proves that album sales are not always driven by strong performing singles.

12. “Touch My Body” (album: E=MC², 2008)

The pressure was on for Mariah to create a decent follow-up to her 2005 comeback opus The Emancipation Of Mimi.  With three years in between new album the cleverly titled E=MC² and its predecessor, expectations set that the new album would be the continuation as the title suggested.  Though its first single “Touch My Body” quickly ascended to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, critics and fans were turned off by the childish lyrics.  Plus, the song sounded more like co-writer/co-producer The-Dream in lyrics and singing style.  The DJ Toomp-produced “I’ll Be Loving You Long Time” was anticipated by critics as the first single, and it would have been a much better choice.

11. “Loverboy” (album: Glitter (soundtrack), 2001)

When recording new material for her first soundtrack album entitled Glitter, Carey decided to pay homage to the 80′s R&B/funk sound by using several samples of the classic joints of that era.  Unfortunately, her former pop music rival Jennifer Lopez, with aid of Sony Records which Mariah left, decided to steal the idea for her new album that was released before Mariah’s.  Thus, Mariah scrapped her song choices for newer ones to which “Loverboy” was born.  Sampling Cameo’s most recognizable hit “Candy,” Mariah created two versions that performed well on the pop and music charts in America.  Cameo has a featured mention on the pop promoted version, and rappers Ludacris, Da Brat, Shawnna and I-20 received credits on the urban radio-friendly version.  Unfortunately, many situations worked against the success of the single and its album.  Critics slammed Mariah’s lazy approach at singing the song and enlistment of four rappers that dominated the song that made her appear to the chorus gal.  The music video made matters worse as Carey’s barely there outfit, most notably, the infamous bandana bra top caught more attention than the song or video.  Overall, it was the case of critics letting Ms. Carey know that a hiatus was necessary.

10. “Heartbreaker” (album: Rainbow, 1999)

By the time the 1999 #1 “Heartbreaker” single topped the charts, critics recognized Mariah’s formula for chart-topping singles success.  Create love lyrics simple enough for a sing-a-long but intelligent enough to look up certain words in the dictionary.  Put those lyrics on an uptempo beat sampling recognizable R&B and hip-hop classics that becomes urban-radio friendly but safe enough to keep pop music radio interested.  Double those up with hooks in a familiar to its successful predecessors.  However, they criticized her for it by citing lack of creativity.  Perhaps the saying “if it is not broken, don’t fix it” does not apply to judging Mariah.  Despite the critics’ disapproval fans and radio DJs clamored to show love to this single giving her biggest first-week sales for a single.  Also, the song’s music video and hip-hop icon Jay-Z’s memorable cameo appearance made this a fan favorite globally.  Even young fans took interest in the sampled “Attack Of The Name Game” by former R&B queen Stacy Lattisaw once credits of “Heartbreaker” were revealed.

9. “Honey” (album: Butterfly, 1997)

The success of “Honey” made Ms. Carey the queen of pop music in the short seven years of her career at that time.  The song’s ascension to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts allowed Mariah to surpass rival Madonna as the leading female artist in history with the most #1 hits.  It also became Carey’s third single that debut on the top of the charts, a feat no one has accomplished since.  Most importantly, due to her divorce from record label boss Tommy Mottola, this was the first single was not guided and overseen by Mattola.  Thus, viewers of the music video experienced a noticeable change in the diva’s reinventive appearance from a sexy, demure ingénue to a overtly sexual pop goddess.  Popular rap mogul Sean “Puffy” Combs and rap icon Q-Tip led delivered the hip-hop influenced production.  At this point, Mariah gained a lot more urban music listening fans while slowly alienating her adult-pop contemporary audience.  Nevertheless, critics and fans heralded the diva’s reinvention in sound of the purposely-urban Butterfly album.

8. “Obsessed” (album: Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel, 2009)

When “Obsessed” debuted in the summer of 2009, fans and critics were never smacked in the face with a hard-edge, in-your-face single from a pop music diva.  A song like “Obsessed,” which was an obvious diss record to rapper Eminem, usually ends up on a mixtape or receives minimal airplay as a buzz single.  However, Mariah and company defied the odds released the memorable gem as the song’s lyrics threw one mean jab after another.  While the single did not interest the buying public to purchase Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel, it will be remember for a long time in the history books.  Heck, even rapper Eminem took note of the song and recorded a few answer tracks.  Nevertheless, Mariah’s record triumphed over the years’ worth of material that Em released to agonize the pop diva.

7. “Emotions” (album: Emotions, 1991)

“Emotions” was released in 1991 only a few months after her breakthrough eponymous debut album broke records and dominated radio airwaves.  Record label executives rushed Carey into the studio to churn out more hits to keep the momentum; whereas, people with similar success usually wait a minimum of two or three years before showcasing new material.  Originally, Emotions’ album track “You’re So Cold” was going to be the promotional introduction.  It was a safe choice considering the song is a ballad, a sound which made Mariah a household name.  However, once “Emotions” was completed the label heads pursue that uptempo track, and Mariah earned her fifth consecutive #1 hit.  While keeping the conservative, girl-next-door look, Mariah appeared to have a hint of sex appeal in the music video.  Also, her signature high-note which ended the bridges of this song is often mimicked by fans.

6. “I’ll Be There” (album: MTV Unplugged (live – greatest hits), 1992)

By 1992, doubters clamored to challenge Mariah Carey on her true vocal abilities.  The powerhouse vocals behind “Vision Of Love,” “Emotions,” “I Don’t Wanna Cry” and “Someday” were challenged by naysayers suggesting that Ms. Carey is just a studio vocalist since she never embarked on a tour to promote her hit singles.  When Mariah recorded her episode of the live telecast “MTV Unplugged,” she earned the last laugh by belting each of her hits with a live band and background vocalists.  It was her rendition of the Jackson 5 classic “I’ll Be There” with background vocalist and friend Trey Lorenz that silenced the doubt.  The soulful classic became another #1 single for Carey, and her version took on a life of its own.  Not too many covers of a classic chart-topper repeat the same feat and become a classic in their own right.  This single made the exception.

5. “It’s Like That” (album: The Emancipation Of Mimi, 2005)

After five years of disappointing and uninspiring singles, Mariah’s successful music career ended according to many critics.  By the release of 2005′s “It’s Like That,” Ms. Carey’s luck changed.  The song became her lifeline, thanks to her new record label boss L.A. Reid who forced her to record more tracks with super-producer Jermaine Dupri after Mariah turned in a copy of the intended album The Emancipation Of Mimi.  His insistence paid off for the diva.  “Like That” did not crack the top 10 of the pop and urban music charts, but it became a club hit and a much lauded welcome back to chart dominance.  The praises by critics and fans help propelled the new album top the chart with her highest first-week sales in her then 15-year career.  “Like That” created high expectations for the record-breaking “We Belong Together.” The party record is still spun in dance clubs throughout the world, and is a concert favorite in Mariah’s subsequent tours.

4. “All I Want for Christmas Is You” (album: Merry Christmas, 1994)

In modern pop music history, no one has made Christmas holiday music as popular as Mariah Carey.  Her 1994 Merry Christmas album became the fast-selling holiday album of all-time thanks to its leading single “All I Want For Christmas Is You.”  The original tune received airplay that rivaled newly popular mainstream tracks.  At that time and holiday seasons later, the song became inescapable.  The music video quickly became the most recognizable holiday video ever also.  Showing that great music stands the test of time, once Sony Records approved the song’s availability for paid downloads more than a decade later, the song reached top ten status in several countries every week during the holiday season.  Thus, “All I Want” earned its status as the most recognizable original holiday tune of modern pop music.

3. “Dreamlover” (album: Music Box, 1993)

The #1 1993 single “Dreamlover” propelled Mariah into international superstardom.  As the lead single to the Music Box, the song landed on the top of the U.S. charts; thus, becoming her longest-running #1 hit at the time.  Sampling The Emotions’ classic R&B tune “Blind Alley,” Mariah gained more control over the production of her music by experimenting with a more urban sound than was allowed in her previous efforts.  Her new direction as it topped the urban charts simultaneous to the pop charts.  “Dreamlover” drove music fans into buying copies of the Music Box, as the album climbed its way to one of the biggest selling albums ever in the United States, Australia, Japan and France.  The single itself won many awards and sales certifications as one of the fastest-selling singles of the 1990′s.  Today, “Dreamlover” remains on rotation in adult contemporary radio stations throughout America.  It is also one of her many signature songs and fan favorites to perform live.

2. “Vision of Love” (album: Mariah Carey, 1990)

Very few successful music artists strike gold on their very first single aimed for chart domination.  International pop music superstars Michael Jackson, Prince, Usher, Madonna, Whitney Houston, Beyoncé, Janet Jackson, Alanis Morissette, Barbra Streisand, Cher, Celine Dion, Shania Twain and Mary J. Blige released their very first singles that either barely dented the music charts or became forgettable in favor of a later signature song.  Carey’s first bat at radio success came courtesy of “Vision Of Love,” an epic ballad from her self-titled album, quickly earned success at the top of the Billboard music charts.  “Vision” prepared Carey’s newfound fame for similar success to follow-up singles “I Don’t Wanna Cry” and “Love Takes Time.” Even critics were not prepared to witness a direct rival for pop music’s most dynamic vocalist Whitney Houston, who already amassed seven #1 hits before Mariah recorded her debut album.  Many aspiring singers measured their talents by attempting to sing the ballad, even challenging themselves to mimicked the iconic lengthy run and held note at the end of the song.  All the aforementioned could possibly made the barely new music channel VH-1 crown Mariah’s “Vision” as the music video of the year.  Perhaps, her 2005 record-breaking #1 hit “We Belong Together” may have taken cue of this tune.  In short, “Vision Of Love” is signature Carey of the early 1990′s.

1. “Fantasy” (album: Daydream, 1995)

Mariah Carey’s Daydream album and “Fantasy” single began a second phase of the young diva’s music success and career.  After experiencing a warm reception to her urban music experimentation with “Dreamlover,” Ms. Carey decided to delve into the urban sound a bit more despite the nervousness of former boss/husband Tommy Mottola.  Sampling the classic R&B/funk club hit “Genius Of Love” by Tom Tom Club seemed to be a risky move for a pop diva who was known mostly as a balladeer.  Despite the opposition and nervousness of label execs, Mariah and producer Dave “Jam” Hall concocted one of pop and R&B music biggest and most memorable hits of the 90′s decade.  Instantly, the song made people dance.  The song topped charts in Australia, Finland, New Zealand and Canada. Carey, in her first role as video director, created a fun, visually-attractive video and later made the most daring move of her career.  She enlists New York hard-core rapper Ol’ Dirty Bastard to rap on the remixed version.  Who would have guessed a pop music princess could make great chemistry musically with a street rapper?  Initially, that frightened skeptics and also silenced them once the new version took a life of its own and is still in rotation on urban radio and dance clubs throughout the world.  If Mariah fantasized about world domination in music, her daydream became reality.