Mariah’s Top 10 Best Ballads

To coincide with the release of Mariah Carey‘s hotly anticipated fourteenth studio album Me. I Am Mariah… The Elusive Chanteuse, Hit The Floor Magazine compiled a list of what they believe to be her top ten ballads, ranging all the way from her debut back in 1990 to a selection from the current album:

Carey is famed for her inspirational and emotional down-tempo songs which have provided comfort for people in times of personal anguish. This list will encompass some ballads which also happen to have been big hits for her, as well as some more obscure ones too that most people are unfortunately probably not aware of.

So it was extremely hard to narrow down, but here’s what we reckon are the top 10 Mariah Carey ballads in no particular order!

10. ‘Close My Eyes’

A fan favourite, it alludes to her failed marriage with Sony executive Tommy Mottola and the struggles she experienced growing up. It is described by Carey as being her life story in one song, which took her four years to write. Sung in falsetto coos and backed with a finger snapping beat, this stripped down ballad is somewhat a rarity when comparing it to her other ballads. It is completely void of any low notes, belted notes or whistle notes, and sung entirely in her middle register. As much as we love it when Carey takes her voice to the heavens like no other can, this song shows how she can strip it back and keeps things simple while still showing immense emotion.

9. ‘There For Me’ 

Written in collaboration with Diane Warren during recording sessions for Carey’s seventh album Rainbow (1999), this inspirational ballad about being there for someone in hard times finally got to see the light of day in 2001, when it was released as the B-side to Carey’s charity release ‘Never Too Far/Hero Medley’ in 2001.

8. ‘Butterfly’ 

Another song from the album of the same name, and this time focusing specifically on her marriage to Mottola, this self penned ballad chronicles how she was trapped in a controlling relationship, and eventually spread her wings to achieve her full potential without shackles or confines.

7. ‘We Belong Together’

Hailed as the song which defines her entire career, ‘We Belong Together’ is one of the most powerful ballads, that Carey has ever written. Spending fourteen weeks atop the singles chart in the United States and crowned song of the decade, there’s no doubt that millions of people around the world connected with this song of Carey’s like no other before it, or after, for that matter.

6. ‘Cry’ 

The opener to Carey’s latest album – Me. I Am Mariah… The Elusive Chanteuse – this gospel influenced track makes use of everything that Carey fans know and love. A piano, heartfelt vocals, whistle notes, runs and riffs and flawless harmonies. It has been universally cited as a return to form and reminiscent of her early works by critics and fans alike.

5. ‘Looking In’ 

Included on the Daydream album as the closing track, Carey details how her life may look perfect from the outside looking in, but is not quite as it seems from the inside looking out. Drawing on experiences from her childhood and first marriage, anyone who has felt sequestered or oppressed will be able to relate to this song on a deeply personal level. “You look at me and see the girl, who lives inside the golden world/ But don’t believe, that’s all there is to see. You’ll never know the real me. She smiles through a thousand tears.”

4. ‘H.A.T.E.U.’ 

Despite not achieving any commercial success although it was released as a single, this song from her 2009 album Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, is one whereby the lyrics got covered underneath the glossy falsetto vocal performance. “Ooh this was a life phenomenal no one could explain, and I wish I could press reset and feel that feeling again. I sit and press rewind and watch us every night/ Wanna pause it but can’t make it stay.”

3. ‘Love Takes Time’ 

Although this song gave Carey her second consecutive number one song in America, it was very close to not being included on her debut at all. Added at the last minute, this is one of Carey’s classic early songs which showcases her belting to the heavens. “Love takes time, to heal when you’re hurting so much. Couldn’t see that I was blind to let you go.”

2. ‘Can’t Let Go’ 

Lifted as the second single from her second album Emotions, this track features Carey yearning for her long lost love to come back into her life. “Here I am, still holding on. I can’t accept my world is gone. Even though I try, I can’t let go.”

1. ‘My All’ 

A fan favourite and a staple in Carey’s concerts, this latin inspired song is about how a woman would give everything she has just to spend one more night with her estranged lover. “I’d give my all to have, just one more night with you. I’d risk my life to feel, you’re body next to mine, ’cause I can’t go on living in the memory of our song.”

Source: Hit The Floor