Music
Five of the Best: Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is the highest-selling female artist in history and has one of the most iconic and distinctive voices of any performer. Carey has the rare talent of singing above the seventh octave, which gives her that unique, high-pitched whistle tone. Her amazing voice, coupled with catchy pop songs, has made her one of the voices of her generation. While many of her songs centre around the theme of love, she has a vast range of musical styles as you can see from our below list. Carey will perform an incredible show at Vector Arena on November 13. We hope you enjoy this edition of Five of the Best!
- All I Want for Christmas
OK we realise this may be a controversial choice; it is after all a Christmas carol. But All I Want for Christmas is also one of Mariah Carey’s most well-known and best performing singles. And quite frankly it doesn’t feel like Christmas without Carey’s Christmas album – this song in particular. Carey’s Merry Christmas album was released in 1994 and this single was actually a chart success around the world. Carey’s phenomenal voice makes this catchy classic impossible to sing along to, but that certainly has not stopped us from trying! We think All I Want for Christmas is Miss Carey at her finest and we had to squeeze it into this list.
- Heartbreaker
Heartbreaker, written and performed by Mariah Carey and Jay Z, pushed Carey more and more into the R&B/hip-hop genre. The song was the first single off Carey’s 1999 album, Rainbow, and reached number 1 on the US Billboard charts. Heartbreaker was Carey’s 14th chart topping single, which cemented her as the most successful female artist in terms of number 1 singles and one of the most successful artists of all time with only Elvis Presley and the Beatles registering more hit singles.
- Vision of Love
Vision of Love was Mariah Carey’s debut single off her self-titled debut album, which was released in 1990 to major critical and commercial success. Vision of Love was Carey’s first number 1 hit in the US and was a sign of the immense success still to come. The song is a slow-tempo love song that perfectly highlights Carey’s amazing vocal range and whistle register. Carey has performed this song on almost every tour since it was released and it is still a highlight when performed live at concerts. It is a classic Mariah Carey song and is one of her best known and most loved tracks still to this day.
- We Belong Together
We Belong Together is widely considered Mariah Carey’s musical comeback. It was the second single of her tenth studio album, The Emancipation of Mimi, and was released in 2005 (It’s Like That was the lead single). The song returned Carey to the top of the charts in many countries around the world, including Australia. The hip-hop ballad was supported by a music clip showing Carey running out on her wedding to an older man to reunite with her young ex-lover. We Belong Together was nominated, and won, a raft of awards, including Grammy Awards, and was a mark of Carey’s ability to reinvent herself and produce relevant and popular tracks 15 years after her debut.
- Hero
Hero has become the quintessential Mariah Carey tune. The pop/R&B ballad highlights Carey’s incredible vocal range and is widely considered her signature song. Featured on Carey’s 1993 Music Box album, Hero received huge critical acclaim and was a global chart success as well as a multi-award winning song. Due to its popularity, Hero has become one of Carey’s most-performed songs. The inspirational nature of the lyrics in the song has given Hero a place in history; Michelle Obama is reported to have played the tune to husband and US President, Barack Obama, prior to his election victory in 2008. Even without the high-profile fans, we think Hero is a very deserving number 1 song on the list of Mariah Carey’s greatest hits.
Click here to purchase tickets to Mariah Carey’s performance at Vector Arena on November 13.
