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Re: Wish/Could've beens list #1s (98,686) (98,692) by BFF from United States I respectfully disagree, sir. How can you deny the splendor of the "Emotions" album? It has so much more of Mariah's personality in it than the debut! The debut album just had too many cooks in the kitchen and not enough creative control from Mariah herself. I love "Vision of Love", "Vanishing", "Love Takes Time", "Someday", and even "I Don't Wanna Cry" but almost everything else feels like filler to me. There's not a single song on "Emotions" I dislike. The only other album I can say that about is "Butterfly". (Sunday 3 October 2021; 16:24)

Re: Wish/Could've beens list #1s (98,677) (98,679) by BFF from United States Don't forget about "Can't Let Go". It barely missed the #1 spot because the record label didn't want sales of the single to impede sales of the album. In general, I do not understand why the "Emotions" album is so underrated. It's definitely her second best album behind "Butterfly" and light years better than the debut album. And I agree on "Butterfly". If Sony had commercially released it, the song would have gone to #1. I think it went to #16 on the Hot 100 airplay chart. Ditto for "Forever", which went to #9 on the Hot 100 airplay chart and could have been a #1 single with a commercial release. "Can't Take That Away" or "Crybaby" probably could have gone to #1 with proper promotion as well. "Endless Love" with Luther narrowly missed #1. And let's not forget that "Loverboy", as messy as the released version was, could have been a #1 single if Destiny's Child's "Bootylicious" hadn't been released as a commercial single the same week. (Friday 1 October 2021; 15:32)

Glitter 20th anniversary (98,541) by BFF from United States I'm thinking back to how Mariah skipped the "Glitter" album during the MC30 roll out. I wonder if she's planning something for the 20th anniversary of the album release (9/11). It would be nice to have the "Loverboy" club remixes available for streaming. I know there were remixes for "Never too Far/Hero" Medley as well. I'd personally love to hear a Mariah-only recording of that song "Turn You Loose", which is featured in the opening scene with Billie and her mother. (Sunday 22 August 2021; 14:52)

Re: Remixes that surpass the original (98,539) (98,540) by BFF from United States "Fly Away" (Butterfly Reprise) (Def B' Fly Club Mix), "Always Be My Baby" (Always Club Mix), "One Sweet Day" (Sweet A Capella), "My All/Stay Awhile" (So So Def Remix), and "Any Time You Need a Friend" (Boriqua Tribe Mix) & (Soul Convention Mix), and "Do You Know Where You're Going To" (Mariah Bonita Club) are just a few of my favorites. I'm with you on Fantasy. Although I like the ODB version, I think I prefer the original mix. There were a few popular songs around that time that utilized the Tom Tom Club sample, but I think Mariah utilized it the best. Unfortunately, remix quality (and general quality of output) went downhill after "Glitter". Happy that Mariah had the major comeback with "The Emancipation of Mimi", but I find that album to be overrated. The songs outside of the singles were hit-or-miss for me. "Me I Am Mariah" is my favorite post-Sony album of hers but still don't think it provided much of anything in the way of remixes. (Sunday 22 August 2021; 14:41)

Re: Defamation (97,617) (97,622) by BFF from United States The implied meaning of George's statement remains the same even if I misquoted him slightly. "White girl who can sing" has the same implied meaning as "white girl who sings black". If you deny this, you're being willfully obtuse. And if I recall correctly, Joe Biden and Donald Trump were not the only two choices on the ballot. Other choices were available. People just chose to see it as a binary choice. (Friday 19 March 2021; 11:55)

Re: Defamation (97,608) (97,616) by BFF from United States I don't think Mariah is "anti-white", but I do think she's desperate to be seen as "down" and is constantly pandering to a kind of black cultural nationalism that was popular in the 1960s/70s and is now seeing a resurgence in the United States. I really didn't care for the way she looked down on her father for being a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church and didn't like the derogatory statements she made in her book about how his funeral service was "too white" until she intervened. It made her come off as quite conservative and close-minded. What I don't get is how she can position herself as some kind of "racial justice" advocate and vocally support Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, both of whom have made policy decisions that have had disastrous impacts on working class and poor black Americans (i.e. the 1994 Crime Bill and Mass Incarceration)vand poor/working class people of all backgrounds. But I'm sure Mariah's political analysis probably goes about as deep as "vote Democrat no matter who", so I guess I shouldn't be surprised. No one really talks about this, but black music critic Nelson George was the one who originally referred to Mariah as a "white girl who sings black", which was arguably the genesis of her desire to prove herself as "down". Statements like that emanate from the absurd notion that all black people sing a certain way and all white people sing a certain way or that somehow someone's skin color automatically determines their singing ability. I don't ever remember George apologizing for that statement either. (Thursday 18 March 2021; 23:31)

Re: Tommy Mottola, a monster? (97,554) (97,559) by BFF from United States It's interesting to reflect on the fact that Mariah and Mottola both now agree that they should have never gotten married. Mariah even wrote in her memoir that she did not want to marry him. When she married Tommy, I believe that Mariah was looking for stability after years of dealing with an unstable environment in her family. I don't think she was really in love with him. I think Mariah's perspective on the marriage in interviews in 1997/1998 was much healthier than it is now. Back then, she considered the marriage stifling and controlling but was also willing to acknowledge that she made the choice to be in the marriage. I believe that Tommy was controlling and that the marriage was very negative for Mariah, but I also believe he was instrumental in helping her achieve the professional success she achieved in the 1990s. He believed in her music and invested time, money, and energy into her vision. Another positive aspect of her time with Tommy was that she was not really in the tabloids in the way she was in the post-1997 period. In the early and mid 1990s, the focus was mostly on her music - not on being famous, not on her personal life, not on her image. We've had some great music since the late 1990s, but most of the output just hasn't measured up. (Tuesday 9 March 2021; 14:48)

My 10 essential Mariah house remixes (97,514) by BFF from United States 1. Fly Away (Butterfly Reprise) (Def B Fly Mix) 2. Always Be My Baby (Always Club Mix) 3. Fantasy (The Boss Remix) 4. Anytime You Need a Friend (Boriqua Tribe Mix) 5. Honey (Def Rascal Anthem) 6. The Roof (Morales Funky Club Mix) 7. Butterfly (Meme Club Mix) 8. I Still Believe (Morales Classic Mix) 9. Say Somethin' (Stereo Experience) 10. Do You Know Where You're Going To? (Mariah Bonita Club) (Sunday 28 February 2021; 16:38)

Justice for "Emotions" (97,496) by BFF from United States After "Butterfly," I would argue that "Emotions" is her second best album. And it's definitely her best album vocally. I particularly love everything she worked on with David Cole and C+C Music Factory and wonder how much more great work she could have produced with David Cole had he not tragically died during the height of the AIDS epidemic in the 1990s. The ballads and the uptempo songs on this album are all on point. From "Can't Let Go" to "You're So Cold", the writing and production on "Emotions" eclipsed her debut on multiple fronts. (Saturday 27 February 2021; 01:00)

Re: Album rankings (97,486) (97,492) by BFF from United States To me, "Daydream" felt too carefully crafted for commercial success and not enough of an artistic statement. I don't get the sense that Mariah enjoyed herself while recording that album as much as she did recording "Butterfly". I like the album but just do not think it's as good as "Butterfly". And as much as I love Mariah, I'm okay with Seal winning Record of the Year for "Kiss From a Rose". Alanis' "Jagged Little Pill" over "Daydream" I'm not sure so sure about. I disagree with many of Mariah's takes on her own work (i.e. disowning songs like "I Don't Wanna Cry" and "Love Takes Time" but not "Obsessed" or "Touch My Body"), but I agree with her assessment that "Butterfly" is her best. The ballads are great - "Close My Eyes", "Butterfly", "Whenever You Call". The hip-hop oriented tracks like "The Roof", "Breakdown" and "Honey" worked really well without veering off into the pandering direction she took in the post-"Butterfly" years. And I just love those house versions of "Butterfly" - I would have loved to see the full length "Fly Away" on the album. I also just have a very personal connection to "Butterfly" in the way that you said you connected to "Music Box". I listened to the CD version of "Butterfly" a ton on my Walkman. (Friday 26 February 2021; 01:25)

My ranking of Mariah's albums (97,421) by BFF from United States I've been thinking this over for a while before posting but here it goes. Studio albums only and leaving out the two holiday records. 1. Butterfly (1997) 2. Emotions (1991) 3. Daydream (1995) 4. Me I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse (2014) 5. Music Box (1993) 6. Rainbow (1999) 7. The Emancipation of Mimi (2005) 8. Glitter (2001) 9. Memoirs of An Imperfect Angel (2009) 10. Mariah Carey (1990) 11. Caution (2018) 12. Charmbracelet (2002) 13. E=MC2 (2008) I find "The Emancipation of Mimi" quite overrated and pretty hit-or-miss outside of the singles. I agree with Mariah's assessment of her debut that it's too overproduced. I love "Vision of Love" and "Vanishing" but that's about it. "Emotions" is 1000x better than her debut; that was one solid follow-up record. I think "Music Box" and "Rainbow" are under-appreciated albums in her catalogue; they deserve better receptions for songs like "Anytime You Need A Friend" and "Can't Take That Away", which are among Mariah's best. "Me I Am Mariah" showcases Mariah doing everything she does well, and I think it would have been much more successful if she had not been divorcing Nick during the rollout. "#Beautiful" is one of her most unique lead singles, and duetting with Miguel was a savvy move. I find "E=MC2" and "Charmbracelet" almost unlistenable. "Charmbracelet" would have been better if she hadn't recorded it in her whisper voice. "Caution" was a snooze fest for the most part and felt very rushed. "Butterfly" is her magnum opus., practically flawless from start to finish. (Saturday 20 February 2021; 23:04)

Re: E=MC2 EPs (97,315) by BFF from United States I wonder why she left off "Bye Bye" or if something happened. Seems like there were multiple versions that could have been included on an EP. "E = MC2" is one of my least favorite Mariah albums. Although I would have loved to see a few more of the singles go to #1, it really just felt like she was recycling ideas already explored on "The Emancipation of Mimi," which I like but think is slightly overrated. I thought the "Memoirs" album was much stronger than "E = MC2." Everything in Mariah's post-2001 period is pretty hit or miss with me with the exception of "Me I Am Mariah", which is a great album with a silly title. (Saturday 6 February 2021; 21:18)

Re: Swan song (96,026) (96,042) by BFF from United States I'm relatively new here, Randy, but I relate to what you are saying. I was not impressed by the book, and it made me lose respect for Mariah. She seems unable and/or unwilling to reflect upon her life in an objective and self-aware manner. I feel horrible about the things she experienced during her childhood and during her time with Tommy, but she's clearly editing things out that contradict the self image she wants to project to the public. I posted before about reading Mariah's book and comparing it to Jewel's memoir "Never Broken". Jewel had an arguably more difficult upbringing than Mariah - physically abusive parent, estranged mother, poverty in Alaska - but is far more capable of objective self reflection. And the quality of the writing was so much better. I agree with what you said about Celine Dion at Divas Live 1998. That special was not an Aretha tribute, and Celine was simply up there having fun. I was really miffed by Mariah's judgmental attitude towards her father's gravitation towards the Unitarian Universalist church. He probably liked the UU congregation for the same reason that many people do - it was probably a more forward-thinking faith than one he was raised in and allows room for doubt and skepticism. And I just do not understand the sudden change in her attitude towards her mother. It doesn't make sense to me. And to publicize all of this now when her mother is in her 80s? (Friday 9 October 2020; 14:53)

The memoir (95,935) by BFF from United States I'm nearing the end of the memoir, and I have to be honest. The quality of the writing is very poor, and I think Mariah comes off as an immature person who holds grudges and is not very capable of self-reflection. I don't get the sense that Michaela Angela Davis spent much time working on this. I get the sense that she wrote it in a few hours after speaking with Mariah a few times. And I also get the sense that she had a particular agenda for her writing. So many of the passages reinforce really retrograde racialist thinking and reduce people to the color of their skin. And why so many expletives in the writing? The judgmental attitude toward Mariah's father's gravitation toward the Unitarian Universalist church also really rubbed me the wrong way. As I was reading it, I thought back to reading Jewel's memoir "Never Broken", how much better the writing was, and how much more emotionally mature and self-aware Jewel came off. Jewel arguably had an upbringing equally as difficult (if not more) as Mariah's but does not seem trapped by the past in the way that Mariah is. I continue to respect Mariah's artistry and hate that she went through so many terrible things with her family, with Tommy Mottolla, et cetera. But in terms of Mariah the person, I think I've lost a bit of respect for her with this project. (Saturday 3 October 2020; 15:03)

Thoughts after first listen to "The Rarities" (95,912) by BFF from United States I was not very impressed with the tracks included from the 1990-1995 period, save for the b-sides "Everything Fades Away", "Slipping Away", and "Do You Think of Me". The highlights were songs on the second part of the album: "Out Here on My Own", "Loverboy", "I Pray", "Cool On You", "Mesmerized". and "Lullaby of Birdland". Mariah sounds less creatively stifled and more joyful on every single one of these tracks in comparison to songs like "Can You Hear Me", "All I Live For", and "One Night". This goes back to my initial reaction to the track listing. I wish that Mariah had included more songs from the post-1997 period. And my goodness, the original version of "Loverboy" is just so fantastically bouncy, campy, and fun. Hearing this just makes me even more furious at Jennifer Lopez, Tommy Mottolla, Irv Gotti, Ja Rule, and everyone else who participated in the "All That Glitters" sabotage. (Friday 2 October 2020; 12:09)

Loverboy (95,911) by BFF from United States The "Firecracker" original version is really, really good and 1000x better than the re-recorded version. The vocals are way better. The "Firecracker" sample and production give it a bounce and energy that the released version lacked. I think this version would have received a much better critical and commercial response. This is yet another glimpse into what "All That Glitters" could have been without the sabotage. (Friday 2 October 2020; 11:13)

Re: The "Someone's Ugly Daughter" album (95,846) by BFF from United States Am I the only one who is not very surprised by this? I remember in an interview Mariah once said that she loved the album "Live Through This" by Hole (Courtney Love's band). That album came out in 1994. I can totally see how making an alternative rock album would be cathartic for Mariah in 1995, and I really hope she unearths the version with her vocals and releases it. (Tuesday 29 September 2020; 00:37)

Re: Oprah interview (95,792) (95,800) by BFF from United States Someone with the enormous financial resources that Mariah has at her disposal has had plenty of opportunities to heal. To me, a lot of this performative victimhood and performance of traumatization is more about selling books and music than it is about "healing". And I'm sorry, but for her to compare her experience with the police in 2001 to police-involved killings happening in the United States is vapid, narcissistic, and selfish. The vast majority of people with psychiatric diagnoses "heal" in private through work with a psychologist and/or psychiatrist and do not receive publicity, attention, pity, etcetera. And it does take years to work through it. But performing it publicly with the goal of eliciting a pity party is not part of normal "healing". Sorry, but it's not. And I apply the same standard to myself. I believe that I would have gotten past a lot of my own issues if people surrounding me had not been constantly encouraging me to think of myself as a victim. I was able to get past things with the help of medication but, more importantly, I stopped holding on to grudges, I forgave people (family members particularly), cut off relationships that were not healthy, took responsibility for my own choices, and let go of this victim identity that I allowed to define my life for so long. I believe Mariah when she says that a lot of this stuff was/is painful for her, but I think rehashing stuff in such a public fashion indicates that the goal is not just "healing". And this is not to say that she should simply "get over it". But Mariah and other celebrities often have a lot of "Yes" people surrounding them. This often means that they are often unable to see themselves in a truly objective fashion. Mariah has had periods in which she was very self destructive, particularly during the 2014-2017 period with Stella. I've always respected Mariah's artistry. I always knew about the fact that her parents were an interracial couple and found it infuriating when Nelson George called her a "white girl who sings black". But I cannot help but wonder if the narrative being cooked up now is in the service of an agenda, and maybe that isn't entirely Mariah's. (Sunday 27 September 2020; 16:18)

Oprah interview (95,773) by BFF from United States I honestly wasn't a fan of the interview. I thought Oprah spoke to and treated Mariah like she was a little girl. It doesn't seem like Oprah respects Mariah very much, and Mariah seems to go along with it out of deference. I also don't like this idea, promoted in the interview, that negative things that happen to us leave us "irreparably damaged" for the rest of our lives. Mariah's experience growing up sounded absolutely awful, and it was gut wrenching to hear that story about Allison as well as Mariah's experience with those friends calling her racial slurs. However, I've read a few reviews of the memoir, and I get the sense that Mariah and her co-writer portray Mariah as a person who doesn't have much agency, a perpetual victim. And I guess this makes sense because it is, after all, a celebrity memoir. But Mariah will never be able to be a whole human being if she's encouraged to think of herself this way. It's definitely important to seek the help of a psychologist and/or psychiatrist if you're struggling with a psychiatric illness; but at some point, you have to move on from the past. You cannot continue to see yourself as "damaged" or you will never get beyond it. And I say this from personal experience as someone who was given the same bipolar II diagnosis as Mariah and who also spent time in a psychiatric hospital. It's interesting to me that Mariah seems to have edited out the bipolar II diagnosis she previously discussed in 2018. I also really don't get this sudden change in her attitude towards her mother. I have difficulty accepting Mariah's contention that the incident at her mother's house in 2001 and her mother's decision to call the police were some kind of attempt to "overpower" or "control". It's very clear to me that Mariah was having some kind of manic episode and was in a really bad place. I think treating the situation as a mental health emergency was a very valid reaction from a parent. Maybe it was an "overreaction" in retrospect but what was her mother supposed to do? Ignore a cry for help and possibly risk Mariah hurting herself? I get the sense that her co-writer is behind this change. I'm going to remain open-minded and read the memoir, but a lot of this seems like an unnecessary rehashing of things that most fans already know. Still holding out hope for a deep dive into the project "All That Glitters". (Saturday 26 September 2020; 13:35)

Re: Mariah's finally at peace (95,663) (95,664) by BFF from United States My theory about her lack of appreciation for her earlier work was that it was due to combination of the marriage to Tommy, journalists referring to her as a "white girl who sings black", not being allowed to incorporate hip-hop like she wanted to earlier on songs like "Dreamlover", and the situation at Sony post-divorce from Tommy. She was honestly trapped into a dynamic by these journalists who were so obsessed with her racial identity. It forced her into an awful position of constantly having to prove how "down" she was. There were certain collaborations that she did during the Rainbow/All That Glitters/Glitter era that I think came from that place of wanting to prove herself (i.e. having so many guest appearances on the "Rainbow" and "Glitter" albums). Some of them worked really well but others just seemed so forced. And it sounds like this dynamic triggered all kinds of terrible memories from her childhood and adolescence, things that she probably wanted to leave behind. It has always bothered me because it creates these retrograde racialist dichotomies around music, and it doesn't allow Mariah to be a multifaceted artist or human being. It's as if music critics had never heard of artists like Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, et cetera - all of whom sang soul/R&B ballads and love songs very much like the ones Mariah was writing. I became a fan during the "Butterfly" era, and I think the album really represents a fantastic blend of everything that makes Mariah great. I love ballad Mariah. I love hip-hop Mariah. I love songs like "Make It Happen", "Emotions", et cetera that are more gospel, house, and disco influenced. I love the house remixes she does. I love it when she brings her vulnerability and sweetness to covers of songs like "I'll Be There" or "Without You". (Sunday 20 September 2020; 13:05)

Out Here On My Own (95,612) by BFF from United States This is a really great cover, and I am not surprised that it was recorded for "All That Glitters". It fits perfectly with the theme of the film. This is just another indication of how watered down the final product became from what Mariah and Cheryl West originally envisioned. She really worked hard on this project for so many years, and I can't imagine how humiliating it must have been to go through the motions of promoting the watered down "Glitter" film and soundtrack in 2001. Really interested to read all about what happened in the memoir. Hopefully she is planning something interesting for the 20th anniversary of "Glitter". I really would love to hear that collaboration with Prince and a studio version of "Lillie's Blues". (Friday 18 September 2020; 13:53)

Re: The Rarities tracklisting (95,539) by BFF from United States I'm a little disappointed that we didn't get more unreleased material from the 1997-2005 period and that b-sides like "Everything Fades Away", "Do You Think of Me", and "Slipping Away" took up space that could have gone to completely new material. They are great songs, but most fans already know them. I would have been happy to have them released on digital EPs as part of #MC30. Surely "Butterfly"/"Rainbow" had more outtakes? And she was working on "Glitter" for four years, so there has to be more music from that project. I would not have minded hearing a recording of (adult) Mariah singing that song "Billie's Blues (Turn You Loose)" that was used in the movie during that scene with Billie Frank and her mother. Didn't she also record something with Prince for the film? And I'm not sure that the Live at Tokyo Dome disc is really necessary. I'd rather have audio or video from the Rainbow or Charmbracelet tours if we are getting tour footage/audio. Those tours were much more interesting than the Daydream tour. If she was planning to do a two-disc collection, I would rather have two discs of rarities/b-sides rather than one disc of rarities/b-sides and one disc of concert audio (from a concert most fans already know well). With all of that said, I'm very interested to hear the original recording of "Loverboy" as well as "Here We Go Around Again" and "One Night". Fingers crossed that she is planning another collection like this because this is definitely only a fraction of her rare/unreleased material. (Sunday 13 September 2020; 21:57)

The memoir (95,429) by BFF from United States I think what I'm most looking forward to in the book is a potential in-depth exploration of "Glitter" as a project from the time of its inception as "All That Glitters" up to the end of the "Glitter" era in late 2001. I listened to the "Glitter" episodes of The Mariah Report recently and thought it was really cool of Dan and Martin to go through the original screenplay by Cheryl West. The original concept sounded much more interesting than the finished product. I know that a cover version of "Out Here On My Own" is rumored to be part of the track listing for "The Rarities". Maybe that was originally tied to "All That Glitters". The lyrics of the song certainly fit in with the theme of the film. I'm pretty familiar with Mariah's fraught family dynamics and difficult childhood and adolescence, so I don't think those chapters of the book will hold many surprises. I'm also kind of bored with discussions Tommy Mottola saga. I would like to hear more about what was like for Mariah working at Sony after the divorce, and I wonder if she will talk about the movie offers she was never told about. (Monday 7 September 2020; 15:20)