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About this_is_qhm from the Philippines: I love the intricate vocal harmonies only Mariah can make.

Re: Please (91,868) (91,881) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Mariah reserves the right to her story however she wants. The fact that she doesn't always make it a point to consistently acknowledge them is now clearly rooted in whatever differences they have had in the past. And we are not even gonna dare open that can of worms simply because we can't. We still don't know the intricacies of what happened, at least from Mariah's side. Mariah's verbal omission could turn out to be completely justified or completely unreasonable or somewhere between those two extremes. But until we actually hear it, I guess it wouldn't be too much to respect that and reserve our judgments and opinions on what she should or should not do. Who are we to admonish her based on the accounts of two other people without hearing her out first? Should she now apologize to Walter for not using the more correct possessive pronoun "we" when referring to who wrote the song? Can't the "I" refer to the specific parts of the song that she came up with, like someone said on this board earlier? Because that's what I understand from what she says. Maybe Walter should consider that possibility before he yaps and probably also talk about other artists he has worked with other than Mariah. He has done this, to my recollection, at least from what I was able to come across, 3 times now this decade - on his wife's nail salon reality show, the 2014 Billboard interview, and this Variety interview. Doesn't he realize that these are probably part of the reason why he and Mariah still don't have a relationship? His proudest moment as a producer is My Heart Will Go On. Maybe he should talk about that more. (Sunday 22 December 2019; 08:23)

Re: Please (91,854) (91,862) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Amen girl. People come in here always saying how Mariah should give credit to this or that for being instrumental in this or that way in her career. That somehow Mariah failing to mention them in interviews is the equivalent of denying their input in her career. When has Mariah outright said or denied anyone she has previously worked with of any credit at all? When exactly has Mariah claimed to have done everything on a song without needing help from anyone? At the end of the day, the music industry is still a business. As long as you are getting paid the right amount of royalties for your contributions to material you have worked on, then actually having a good relationship with the artist is only a bonus, as bad as that sounds. Just because Mariah doesn't talk about them a lot doesn't mean she doesn't value what they have done for her career. (Saturday 21 December 2019; 18:13)

YouTube Q&A (91,844) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines The YouTube Q&A was very cool. She was funny and engaging and managed to answer the questions asked her without going off on her usual tangents. The most intriguing part was when she mentioned about a man she has already talked to. Then she said she actually talked to two men. The rational part of of me is thinking, okay, she is working with 2 different producers who she thinks people will be surprised by. The more imaginative part of me is thinking how unexpectedly awesome it would be if the two guys she was actually talking about were Daft Punk. (Saturday 21 December 2019; 04:48)

Re: Second week at #1 (91,811) (91,817) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines If Mariah and the Lambily are lucky enough to have AIWFCIY rule the charts for three weeks, then we should prepare ourselves for the understandable possibility that the song could be the first #1 to completely drop off of the Hot 100 the week after. Still gonna be historic, though. Mariah Carey, ladies and gentlemen. Making and breaking records since 1990. (Friday 20 December 2019; 17:36)

Re: Walter A. gets really candid (91,808) (91,813) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines The musical backdrop is definitely genius through and through. No one is denying that. And sure, some fans can be severely unreasonable with the death threats and there's no excuse for such actions. But none of them would be coming for him if it weren't for his shady, flammable statements in his interviews (no one's attacking any of Mariah's past producers who she has had great working relationships with). She has never denounced his involvement in the song. That is not the same as her skipping over the detail of who produced it, which is the only thing she does in some interviews. She freaking mentioned the old man's name in the Amazon documentary. What more does he want? This is inconsistent behavior for someone who has admitted time and time again how much the song has been a blessing to him. And for him to be agreeing to do these interviews of questionable intentions in a week where it's all about Mariah? Of course he's not gonna be acknowledged as much because Mariah is the artist. As crucial as his contribution was to the song, he's still a behind-the-scenes guy. Dude needs take an entire row of seats to lay on, get a grip of the realistic amount of media attention that is actually afforded to a producer in the music industry and accept that. No one is downplaying the insanity, torment, safety concerns and inconvenience caused by the death threats that he and his family supposedly receives - they definitely do not deserve that. He also has a right to say his side of the story, but he should also be smart to know that it's his statements that fuel this behavior from these fans. It's not about allowing yourself to be bullied into silence - it's about knowing when to decline interviews or at least avoid answering probing questions that could aggravate the more aggressive, less rational members of the Lambily. Not being constantly mentioned by your previous working partner is a small price to pay especially when you reliably receive royalty paychecks for the material you have worked with together. He should stop being a little bitch and be actually appreciative of the fact that not many producers can say they have such a rare lucrative juggernaut like AIWFCIY, and be careful not to disparage the woman who's partly responsible for actually putting him on the map. I'm a fan of Walter's work, but I'm a Mariah fan first, and she has yet to say or do anything that invalidates her recollection of the song's composition, so I stand with her on this. He, on the other hand, is proving himself to be just a whiny, bitter, attention-seeker whose appreciation and respect he has always vocalized for Mariah is yet to be reflected on his actions. (Friday 20 December 2019; 16:31)

Tommy and Thalia congratulate Mariah (91,806) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines I don't know which of Mariah's recent 19th #1-related Insta post did Tommy congratulate her in (he seems to have deleted his comment after all the bashing) but there's this screenshot of it where Tommy basically congratulates her as Santa (a reference to the role he played in the video), jokingly reminding her of the time he said that she wouldn't turn into Connie Francis. He ended the comment with "we did it", which I guess is what ticked most fans off. (And is a classic example of men having to reassert their role in a woman's success.) Below his comment, Thalia also commented a series of congratulatory emojis. Mariah did respond to the man, saying "always the jokester" or something to that effect. Oh well. With Mariah acknowledging Walter's role in the documentary and then this, I guess all is well until the memoir drops. We'll see. (Friday 20 December 2019; 11:35)

Mariah on James Corden (91,791) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines She sang Oh Santa and Christmas Time Is In The Air Again. Wise move since AIWFCIY is already everywhere. The main vocals are fully live you guys. Plus these are the most comforable she has looked performing on TV in a looooong time. Best part is she actually looks like she's having fun and wants to be there. Such a treat. (Thursday 19 December 2019; 19:50)

Re: Walter A. gets really candid (91,775) (91,783) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines This is further proof that Walter can't keep his story straight. At least Mariah has a consistent narrative of the events. And what is Walter on about saying Mariah never shared the credit with him? She literally just namedropped him in the Amazon mini-documentary of the song. It's clear who's the drama queen and attention-seeker here and it's not the one one who has a five-octave range. He's a good producer, but it's obvious why he hasn't made a mark post-90s. On a shallower note, with Tommy and Walter, Mariah seemed to learn her lesson and hasn't trusted any opportunistic guy with a receding hairline since the 90s. But then again, Mariah just got her 19th number one so we love everybody. (Thursday 19 December 2019; 12:55)

Re: Mariah (19 No 1's) and Rihanna (14 No 1's) (91,779) (91,780) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Rihanna indeed has improved a lot over the years. I don't agree that her tone is necessarily "pleasant", because I clearly remember many people includung critics comparing her vocals to that of a bleating goat. But she really has come a long way from where she started. Rihanna's phenomenal success is a confluence of many factors: she worked with the right people, she is very charismatic, she had Mariah's 90s work ethic, she knew which artists to collaborate with and piggyback for the best chance of making a hit, she is backed by a great promotional machine, and most of all, she has a tone that, just like Britney's, is not the best, but stands out bigtime. (Thursday 19 December 2019; 10:52)

Re: Mariah (19 No 1's) and Rihanna (14 No 1's) (91,746) (91,758) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Interesting, but I am doubtful that Rihanna still has that same clout she had with the public in the past with today's Ariana-Billie-Lizzo-orientated generation of new listeners. (Wednesday 18 December 2019; 19:22)

Re: Billboard week of 12.28 (91,732) (91,757) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Well the age analogy wasn't exactly the best because aging is a much more finite thing that is bound to happen anyway. It's actually more akin to holding a certain record or distinction until someone else comes along to replace you. Being #1 is like a mini-record (weekly, to be exact) that you hold until the next one. That's how pageant titles, political terms, and even award show winners work. The current winner is always referred to as the most recent winner until a new winner is announced, even if an entire year has already passed. And as for the Oscars or any huge award-giving body, they don't really associate the award with the year it was given. They don't refer to the edition by the year it was conducted but rather the number of times it has been held (92nd Annual Academy Awards instead of 2020 Oscars, etc.) especially since the actual work they won for was released the year before (or even the year before that for the Grammys). Same goes with #1 songs as explained by Edward but on a weekly basis; it only just gets a little confusing for that special transitional week between years. (Wednesday 18 December 2019; 19:10)

Re: Mariah and Britney (91,740) (91,741) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Maybe in the mid 2000s until about 2011 but after that? Nah. Even her surprisingly good Glory album failed to resonate with audiences and that was in 2016. (Wednesday 18 December 2019; 10:21)

Lambs rejoice (91,730) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Remember how sad, even bitter some got when Lil Nas X broke Mariah and Boyz II Men's record months ago? Now it looks like that was a small price to pay for every record she broke with AIWFCIY topping the charts this year. And these are records that will likely remain unbroken in this lifetime at the very least. The song is truly her ultimate, most enduring and most distinctive musical legacy. Even more exciting is its potential to return to the top spot every year from here on out. Congrats to Mariah and the entire Lambily, but our work is far from done. The best part about this milestone is that the publicity that surrounds it makes it a huge promotional beast on its own. Let's keep it there for the next 2 weeks and watch Mariah make even more records before this year ends. (Wednesday 18 December 2019; 00:35)

Re: Caution (91,656) (91,659) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines I'd agree, but then I remembered this isn't 2009, not even 2013 anymore, and so much about the music industry has changed especially in the last decade that being a legend is just not enough to guarantee to sell any new release. Caution was strictly a critical success, none of its tracks are even remotely considered hits and Mariah released it as a middle-aged woman in a notoriously ageist industry, so to have an unreleased title track of an obscure album from an artist that most of the society only remembers during the holidays sell that many (or that few) copies is an achievement. We're on the cusp of a new decade, and younger artists like Gaga, Katy, Beyoncé and even Rihanna who were crushing it when this decade began have struggled to notch top 5 hits in the last 5 years. We're at a time where supposedly "hot" younger artists who aren't Taylor or Adele are discounting their new albums halfway through the tracking week just so that they can debut at number 1 with less than 150k sales including streaming equivalent units. So y'all need to dial down your expectations even more and start appreciating the little victories because the harsh, honest reality is that it's getting less and less likely that things are gonna be looking up for Mariah commercially from here on out. Caution, the song is no AIWFCIY. It's not even an Obsessed or a #Beautiful. Get humble and grateful, guys. It's Mariah season after all. Be well. (Monday 16 December 2019; 15:48)

Re: Generations explained in link (91,647) (91,654) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Gen Z is otherwise known as "the silent generation" because they have been born into and gained consciousness in a gadget-inundated world, hence their tendencies to prefer online communication over personal, face-to-face interaction. (Monday 16 December 2019; 03:55)

Re: Oh Santa (91,520) (91,529) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Oh Santa is obviously a much weaker rehash of the AIWFCIY formula, but is gold compared to the countless pathetic attempts of other artists at scoring an upbeat holiday hit. If she promoted it alongside AIWFCIY, it probably would gain more attention and would not be so underrated. (Thursday 5 December 2019; 15:25)

Article: All I Want voted most annoying holiday song (91,497) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines People just cannot seem to get enough of it. That's a funny way of showing annoyance. My hunch is that the people who voted for it are the same people who can't do without it every year. (Monday 2 December 2019; 15:22)

Re: AIWFCIY is already no.8 on Spotify (91,486) (91,488) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines It should. It has to be. 2019 is perfect timing. It's 20 years since she received the Billboard Artist of the Decade award and her first Song of the Decade recognition, 10 years since she got her second Song of the Decade, she got her Icon Award earlier this year, the song and its parent album turned 25 this year, so call me superstitious or that I'm reading too much into things, but with every milestone and accolade, this is getting less and less coincidental and feeling more and more like everything is truly aligning for her 19th #1 in 2019. (Sunday 1 December 2019; 06:54)

Mariah's Christmas concert performances (91,476) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Mariah's mantra for this Christmas seems to be - chile, if I'm gonna be gunning for that 19th #1 with my 25-year-old classic hit, I might as well be sounding great. I mean seriously. I envy those who were and will be watching her series of concerts this December because many video footages of her performing show some of her best performances in years. She's reaching higher notes (nailing more of them than usual), belting and sustaining much better, whispering and cooing more clearly, showing improved vocal agility and just exuding a confidence and positive aura that hasn't shone as bright in the last few years. The woman is consistently attempting the high notes in the melodies of AIWFCIY and Emotions, and she even sings The Star, CBC and CTIITAA live now. This is already a win in my book. (Thursday 28 November 2019; 17:45)

25th anniversary edition releases (91,383) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Any album turning 25 years old is a milestone, regardless of actual commercial or critical success. I feel like a good reason why we haven't had 25th anniversary edition releases of Mariah's earlier albums pre-Merry Christmas is because of her eternally 12 mantra. I mean even while doing interviews to promote the Merry Christmas's re-release she still drops bits and pieces here and there about how she doesn't like to count the years. This childish aversion to age and aging only gets more ridiculous with each passing year, but hey, at least she's being consistent. Another factor, I think, is her personal relationship with each of her albums. Merry Christmas, even if she initially wasn't thrilled with the idea of recording it in the first place, is still special to her because it is a Christmas album and it houses her biggest worldwide hit (and possibly biggest royalties earner) ever. Butterfly wasn't exactly re-released, but she showed just how special it is to her by celebrating its 20-year anniversary with a vinyl release on top of the expected social media throwback acknowledgement post (which is all most of her earlier albums got). I hope her debut album gets the full re-release treatment that Merry Christmas received next year. 30 is a big deal, especially for an album that started everything with a big bang. (Monday 18 November 2019; 00:37)

Caution's anniversary (91,363) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Happy first birthday to the album that in many ways gave majority of the lambs hope. Not many artists can say that released their most universally acclaimed album almost 3 decades into their career. It fell off the radar quickly, but at least we know it definitely wasn't for a lack of quality. (Saturday 16 November 2019; 00:07)

Biggest female artist of all time by Billboard (91,362) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines I don't think anyone's really surprised by this, really. Mariah is still referenced time and time again whenever chart records are set or broken. Congrats to Mariah and all the lambs all around the world. (Saturday 16 November 2019; 00:00)

Rainbow at 20 (91,246) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines All the odds were stacked up against Rainbow: the pressure of succeeding Mariah's magnum opus, the trend shift from R&B towards Latin, urban and teen pop, the increasingly tumultuous relationship between Mariah and her then label, her changing voice, etc. It seemed like it was bound to be doomed. But Rainbow, as tinny and inferior as it sounded especially compared to Mariah's previous releases at the time, it still performed quite well. It may be considered by most as the beginning of Mariah's decline, but anyone who really paid attention to the music released that year would know that Rainbow was actually one of the best mainstream releases that year (which wasn't as rife with modern classics as the years that came before). In 2019, Heartbreaker and its remix still slap harder than most of today's hits, Bliss is just as ethereal and Crybaby is just as slinky as they were two decades ago, and while Can't Take That Away and Thank God I Found You are still high on the cheese factor, at least they're expensive cheese. Not bad at all for an album that's often overlooked and regarded as one of Mariah's weakest works. Happy 20, Rainbow. (Monday 4 November 2019; 16:02)

Re: 90s R&B and 1994 albums (91,182) (91,190) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines Great analogy. Erotica was considered Madonna's "love letter to the gays" at the time and is one of the first albums to bravely address the AIDS epidemic and homosexuality, both of which were taboo topics at the time that pretty much everyone shied away from. One difference between the Erotica + Sex and the Glitter soundtrack + movie eras was the intent behind it. Mariah did it to launch her movie career and broaden her musical horizons, while Madonna did it in hopes of desensitizing the public when it comes to discussions relating to sex, especially female sexual expression. Another key difference is that Glitter bombed by every standard imaginable largely due to the fact that the movie sucked and because of the 9/11 incident; while Erotica + Sex were still very successful and only bombed compared to Madonna's previous successes, it's just that the public were already tired of her penchant for controversy at the time, thinking she had gone too far. Which makes me appreciate Bedtime Stories more because it was the first time since Madonna's debut where she didn't rely on deliberate button-pushing for promotion. The focus was on the music. Even the promotional strategies were clever. She promoted Secret via a snippet online (which was revolutionary in 1994), and used the tagline, "Madonna wants to tuck you in bed with her new album", tuck with a "T", which is obviously a naughty wink to her oversexualised Erotica image. (Monday 28 October 2019; 05:29)

Re: 90s R&B and 1994 albums (91,185) (91,188) by this_is_qhm from the Philippines The Babyface + Madonna combo is still probably one of the most random collaborations in pop music. Babyface did so well in the production, especially how he layered Madonna's vocals to make it sound more full and plush. That instrumental is still everything, though. The pentatonic notes in the intro is so distinct that the song is instantly recognizable within the first 2 seconds of hearing it. If there was one Madonna song that I wish were Mariah's, it's Take A Bow. So lush, cinematic, elegant and even expensive. (Monday 28 October 2019; 04:17)

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