Number 1's (Mariah Carey album)
Encyclopedia
#1's is the first compilation album
by American singer-songwriter
Mariah Carey
, released by Columbia Records
on November 17, 1998. The album contained Carey's thirteen number one singles on the Billboard
Hot 100
, as well as four new songs. In Japan, #1's also included her popular single "All I Want for Christmas Is You", which remained Carey's biggest selling single there. Though showing the characteristics of a regular greatest hits album, Carey expressed a dislike for the track listing, which she called a large collection of her most commercial singles. Carey felt that if #1's was a traditional greatest hits album, then it would include other songs that did not reach number one, but were far more important in her career. She has regularly voiced her frustration with the song choices on the album, expressing her disappointment with the omission of her "favorite songs."
Upon release, reviews for the album were mixed, with criticism directed towards both the new material and the decision to include only Carey's number one hits in the United States. While receiving tepid reviews from music critics, the album became a large commercial success throughout the world. It debuted at number four on Billboard 200
, number one in Japan, and in the top-ten throughout almost every major music market around the globe. #1's was certified five-times platinum
by the Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA), denoting shipments of over five million copies throughout the United States. Aside from the US, the album experienced its strongest sales in Japan, where the album sold over 3,250,000 copies in the first three months after its release. The album was certified the triple-Million award, and remains the best-selling album in Japan by a non-Asian artist. In Europe, #1's was certified double-platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), denoting shipments of well over two million copies throughout the continent. To date, #1's has sold over 17 million copies worldwide.
Four singles were released from the album. Serving as the album's lead single was "Sweetheart
", featuring Jermaine Dupri
. The song performed weakly on the charts, peaking within the top-twenty only in Germany and Switzerland. The follow-up single, "When You Believe
", a duet with Whitney Houston
, charted well throughout the world. In the US, the song performed moderately, peaking at number fifteen. In Europe however, the song reached the top-two in Norway, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland and the top-five in Belgium, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. "When You Believe" was featured in the The Prince of Egypt
soundtrack, and received the Academy Award for Best Original Song
. Sales of #1's were much higher than expected. Due to the album's success and achievements, it was credited with influencing the release of later greatest hits albums by other acts.
. Midway through the project, All That Glitters fell into developmental hell
, causing Carey to pause the entire production. During this period, Carey considered embarking on a US tour to support Butterfly, which was continuing to sell strongly. However, executives at Sony Music
, the parent company of Carey's label Columbia
, wanted her to prepare a greatest hits collection in time for the commercially favorable holiday season. Carey, not having time to record a studio album, agreed. However, they disagreed as to what content and singles should constitute the album. Sony wanted to release an album that featured her US number one singles, void of any new material. Carey on the other hand, felt that a greatest hits album should reflect on her most personal and favorite songs, not her most commercial. To accompany her thirteen number ones, Carey recorded four new songs. She felt that not including any new material would result in cheating her fans, therefore including some new material as well. While compromised, Carey often expressed distaste towards the album's song selection, expressing her disappointment in the omission of her "favorite songs."
For this reason, Sony titled the album #1's, as Carey felt the need to express the album's true content, a collection of her number one hits. Carey has frequently cited "Underneath the Stars" (1996) and "Breakdown" (1998) as examples of songs she was unsuccessful in releasing. In the album's liner notes
, Carey wrote that she was releasing a collection of her number one singles as a "thank you" and a tribute to her fans, and explained that someday she would release a true greatest hits album containing songs that were not released as singles, as well as singles that did not reach number one. In December 2001, Columbia released the album Greatest Hits
, which featured Carey's number one singles alongside songs she said "needed to be really heard", such as "Underneath the Stars" and "Forever
." In an interview with MTV
, Carey made the following statement regarding the album. "There's a lot of songs that I'm happy are gonna see the light of day. I think people are going to like this Greatest Hits because there are songs on it that were not necessarily singles."
". It was Carey's first single and was the song that propelled her into the music scene. The song received acclaim, and was credited with influencing and popularizing the use of melisma
throughout the 1990s. Three other songs were included from her self-titled debut album
, of them were "Love Takes Time
", "Someday
" and "I Don't Wanna Cry
". The fifth single featured on the album was "Emotions", the lead single from the album of the same name. Because of the album's strict array of chart topping singles, none of the other singles on Emotions made the track listing. Another song that was featured on #1's was Carey's version of the Jackson 5
classic, "I'll Be There", which was the lead single off her live album, MTV Unplugged. The singles from Carey's 1993 release Music Box, made an appearance on the album as well. "Dreamlover", the seventh number one from the album, was the lead single off Music Box. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks and was described as a "slight piece of pop fluff", representing a more commercial side to Carey than the "more ambitious", "Vision of Love". The song was the start of a vocal maturity for Carey, and was considered a notable song in her career. The second single from Music Box, "Hero
", also made the album's final cut. According to author Chris Nickson, Hero was one of Carey's "most inspirational ballads." The album's third single, Carey's cover of Harry Nielsen
's "Without You" failed to make the US album version, however, due to the song's popularity in Europe, it was included in the album's international edition.
"All I Want for Christmas Is You", the lead single from Carey's holiday album Merry Christmas
also made the international track listing. The song became one of the best-selling singles by a non–Asian female, and the best-selling Japanese single of 1994, selling over 1.1 million copies. Additionally, "All I Want for Christmas Is You", was called "one of the essential musical hallmarks of the holiday season", and is the only holiday song and ringtone to reach multi-platinum status in the US. Occupying three of the thirteen number ones on the album were the singles from Carey's 1995 release, Daydream. The album's lead single "Fantasy
", was featured on #1's. However, it was the song's official remix, which featured rap
verses from Ol' Dirty Bastard
, which made the album cut. This was a personal decision made by Carey, as it was of her preference. The second song from Daydream to be featured on the album was "One Sweet Day
", Carey's duet with Boyz II Men
. The song topped the Hot 100 for an unprecedented sixteen weeks, and holds the record for longest running number one song in Hot 100 history. The third and final song from the album, "Always Be My Baby
", spent two weeks atop the charts in the US, therefore earning a place on the album as well.
Carey's most recent studio effort at the time, Butterfly, also yielded two number one songs. The album's lead single, "Honey
", was a career-transitional song for Carey, which introduced her as an hip hop soul
artist, as well as featured extended rap verses throughout the song. While very different than anything Carey had ever recorded, the track was described as "street Hip-Hop
music, with a booming bass." The second song from Butterfly, "My All
", spent one week atop the charts. Carey described the song as "[having] a lush sound and intense styling." Solely written by Carey and Walter Afanasieff
, "My All" featured guitar
arpeggio
s, which were synthetically created with the clever use of sampling and playing keyboard notes. As a result, the song was well-received, being called a "slinky, slow jam R&B sound, that fit Mariah like a glove."
' "Sweetheart
" (1987) performed as a duet with co-producer and rapper Jermaine Dupri
. Dupri had worked with Carey in the past, contributing to her album Daydream, and co-produced several hip-hop remixes of her songs. Carey said of the inspiration for its recording, "I was thinking of the old songs I used to listen to when I was in school. It's a really cute record. Young girls'll like it the way I liked it when I was growing up." Another new song featured on #1's was "When You Believe
", which Carey said was included because she felt it was "a miracle" that she and Houston collaborated on a record. During the development of All That Glitters, Carey had been introduced to DreamWorks
producer Jeffrey Katzenberg
, who asked her if she would record the song "When You Believe" for the soundtrack to the animated film The Prince of Egypt. Carey and Houston were shown the film separately, and both became very enthusiastic about participating in the project. In an interview with MTV, Carey made the following statement regarding "When You Believe" and working with Whitney Houston.
The song was co-written by Stephen Schwartz
and Babyface, who also produced the song. Carey had previously collaborated with Babyface on her albums, Music Box (1993) and Daydream. Babyface expressed how he went through more than one version of the song and described its production as a beautiful movie ballad, something different than he, Carey or Houston ever recorded. In an interview with Vibe, Carey said that she "liked [the song] the way it was". She had characterised it as "a very big ballad but in an inspirational way" and denied speculation that there had been past rivalry or animosity between her and Houston prior to its recording: "I never even really talked to her until this. We never had any issues between us. The media and everybody made it an issue."
Carey co-wrote and co-produced the song "Whenever You Call" with longtime collaborator Walter Afanasieff for her album, Butterfly. However, in order to change the song's tempo and format, Carey decided to re-do the song as a duet with Brian McKnight
, because she felt it was one of the best songs on Butterfly. Carey had also expressed how McKnight's vocals added a great deal to the song, describing the project as "perfecting the song." McKnight shared similar sentiments, saying, "It was amazing to go into the studio with someone who's so successful, and has that kind of track record. Mariah is someone who could ask anyone in the world to sing with her, and they called me. The album contains a duet with Whitney Houston ... it's just been great company to be in."
One of the songs Carey recorded specifically for #1's was a cover of Brenda K. Starr
's "I Still Believe" (1988) co-produced by Stevie J
and Mike Mason. During the late 1980s Starr helped Carey secure a record contract while she worked as Starr's backup singer. In the album's liner notes, Carey wrote that the purpose of the song was solely paying tribute to her. According to Carey, the song "reminds me of the fact that not long ago I was a teenage girl with nothing to my name but a demo tape, my voice, and my ability to write songs. Brenda K. Starr treated me like a 'star' and gave me a shot." Another song Carey and Stevie J co-produced was a cover of, "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)
" (1975) by Diana Ross
. The latter song was the third non-original song on the album, and experienced a limited release throughout few countries in Europe. During a press release for the album, it was reported that an exclusive live version of "Hero" would be included. However, the idea fell through and was never released.
Mark Bautz, an editor from Entertainment Weekly
gave the album a B-. Bautz felt that Carey's primary limitation was "wan, homogeneous songs" and that "hearing them months apart on the radio makes them passable, but strung together on #1's they're like a mile-long elevator ride." While criticizing the album for its song selection and content, he complimented the songs "My All" and the remix for "Fantasy", writing, "that said, though, Fantasy (with O.D.B.) and My All stand up as two of the best pop tunes of the '90s." The album received a scathing review from Britain's NME
magazine, with its critic writing:
In a review for Carey's 2001 album, Greatest Hits
, Sal Cinquemani of Slant
felt the album was solely a string of Carey's most commercial and popular hits, however, not her best. Cinquemani complimented Greatest Hits and wrote, "It seems like only yesterday that we were served with the self-congratulatory #1's, a collection of Carey's record-breaking string of chart-toppers, but the 27-track Greatest Hits is the singer's first proper hits compilation." In his consumer guide for The Village Voice
, critic Robert Christgau
gave the album a "choice cut" rating, indicating "a good song on an album that isn't worth your time or money; Some (choice cut)s are arbitrarily personal, others inescapably social."
noted the importance of the release date of #1's and other albums on sale during the same period: "Artists who make a habit of hitting it big during the holiday shopping season are wise indeed, as sales traditionally skyrocket. This year is no exception." Journalist and author Marc Shapiro, in his biography of Carey, attributed the album's high sales to the presence of new songs, writing:
In Europe, the album experienced success, peaking within the top-ten in almost every major music market. By 2003, the album received a double-platinum certification by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), denoting shipments of well over two million copies throughout Europe. In France, #1's was certified double-platinum, with estimated sales of 732,400 copies. The album received a platinum certification in Belgium, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, where it shipped over 300,000 copies. #1's received a gold certification in Germany, the Netherlands and Norway. Aside from its success in Europe, the album experienced its highest sales in Japan (after the US), where it sold 3,250,000 copies in the first three months after its release. In Japan, #1's remains the best-selling album in Japan by a non-Asian artist and is certified the triple-Million award. The album was certified five-times platinum
by the Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA), denoting shipments of over five million copies throughout the United States. According to Nielsen SoundScan
, #1's has sold 3,703,000 copies in the US. To date, #1's has sold over 17 million copies worldwide.
. Internationally, the song performed better, peaking within the top twenty in Germany and Switzerland. "When You Believe", the album's second single, was promoted as the first single from both The Prince of Egypt: Original Soundtrack and Houston's My Love Is Your Love
. It was given a wider release than "Sweetheart" and achieved worldwide success. The song peaked within the top two in Norway, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland, and in the top five in Belgium, the Netherlands, France and the United Kingdom. In the UK, "When You Believe" became one of Carey's biggest successes, selling over 260,000 units. Despite reaching high positions around the globe, "When You Believe" performed moderately in the US, where it peaked at number fifteen. Serving as the album's third single, "I Still Believe" performed stronger in the US than the album's previous singles, peaking at number four. The song was certified platinum in the United States, however performing weakly in other territories. "I Still Believe" performed well in Spain, where it peaked at number seven, and in Canada, where the song reached the top-ten.
"Whenever You Call" was considered for release as a single in mid-1999, but its promotion was cancelled due to the impending release of "Heartbreaker
", the lead single from Carey's following album Rainbow
. "Do You Know Where You're Going To" was issued as a promotional single in Brazil and some parts of Europe during June. The song performed weakly around the world, not charting in any major music market. In December 1999, Columbia released the video/DVD #1's, which contained music videos and recordings of live performances for the number one singles featured on #1's, as well as "Heartbreaker", which had gone to number one during that time.
for becoming the "World's Best Selling Recording Artist of the 1990s" as well as the award for "World's Best Selling R&B Artist". Carey received the 1998 Billboard Music Award
for "Female Artist of the Decade". At the 1999 BMI Music Awards
, Carey took home the coveted "Songwriter of the Year" award. "When You Believe" was nominated at the 2000 Grammy Award
s for "Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals
" and won an NAACP Image Award
for "Outstanding Duo or Group
". Additionally, the song won the award for "Best Original Song" at the 71st annual Academy Awards
. After the album's release, Carey won a Blockbuster Entertainment Award in the category of "Favorite Female Artist", and "Entertainer of the Year" at the Soul Train Music Awards
. #1's won a 1999 Japan Gold Disc Award
for International Pop Album of the Year.
Production
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
by American singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
, released by Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
on November 17, 1998. The album contained Carey's thirteen number one singles on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, as well as four new songs. In Japan, #1's also included her popular single "All I Want for Christmas Is You", which remained Carey's biggest selling single there. Though showing the characteristics of a regular greatest hits album, Carey expressed a dislike for the track listing, which she called a large collection of her most commercial singles. Carey felt that if #1's was a traditional greatest hits album, then it would include other songs that did not reach number one, but were far more important in her career. She has regularly voiced her frustration with the song choices on the album, expressing her disappointment with the omission of her "favorite songs."
Upon release, reviews for the album were mixed, with criticism directed towards both the new material and the decision to include only Carey's number one hits in the United States. While receiving tepid reviews from music critics, the album became a large commercial success throughout the world. It debuted at number four on Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, number one in Japan, and in the top-ten throughout almost every major music market around the globe. #1's was certified five-times platinum
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
(RIAA), denoting shipments of over five million copies throughout the United States. Aside from the US, the album experienced its strongest sales in Japan, where the album sold over 3,250,000 copies in the first three months after its release. The album was certified the triple-Million award, and remains the best-selling album in Japan by a non-Asian artist. In Europe, #1's was certified double-platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), denoting shipments of well over two million copies throughout the continent. To date, #1's has sold over 17 million copies worldwide.
Four singles were released from the album. Serving as the album's lead single was "Sweetheart
Sweetheart (song)
"Sweetheart" is a song written by Rainy Davis and Pete Warner and originally recorded by Davis, which appeared on her eponymous debut album. The song reached number 24 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs in 1986...
", featuring Jermaine Dupri
Jermaine Dupri
Jermaine Dupri Mauldin , known as Jermaine Dupri or JD, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper.- Early life and career :...
. The song performed weakly on the charts, peaking within the top-twenty only in Germany and Switzerland. The follow-up single, "When You Believe
When You Believe
"When You Believe" is an Academy Award-winning song by American recording artists Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston. The song was written and composed by Stephen Schwartz for the 1998 DreamWorks animated feature The Prince of Egypt. A version of "When You Believe" was produced as a single with...
", a duet with Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
, charted well throughout the world. In the US, the song performed moderately, peaking at number fifteen. In Europe however, the song reached the top-two in Norway, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland and the top-five in Belgium, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. "When You Believe" was featured in the The Prince of Egypt
The Prince of Egypt
The Prince of Egypt is a 1998 American animated musical drama film and the first traditionally animated film produced and released by DreamWorks Animation. The film is an adaptation of the Book of Exodus and follows the life of Moses from being a prince of Egypt to his ultimate destiny to lead the...
soundtrack, and received the Academy Award for Best Original Song
Academy Award for Best Original Song
The Academy Award for Best Original Song is one of the awards given annually to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences . It is presented to the songwriters who have composed the best original song written specifically for a film...
. Sales of #1's were much higher than expected. Due to the album's success and achievements, it was credited with influencing the release of later greatest hits albums by other acts.
Background and album title
During mid-1998, after the release of her seventh studio album, Butterfly (1997), the previous September, Carey was in the midst of developing a film and soundtrack project titled All That GlittersGlitter (film)
Glitter is a 2001 film starring R&B singer, songwriter Mariah Carey. It was produced by 20th Century Fox and Columbia Pictures and directed by Vondie Curtis-Hall. It centers on the life and times of a struggling singer from the early club music scene in the 1980s.-Production:Carey has said about...
. Midway through the project, All That Glitters fell into developmental hell
Development hell
In the jargon of the media-industry, "development hell" is a period during which a film or other project is trapped in development...
, causing Carey to pause the entire production. During this period, Carey considered embarking on a US tour to support Butterfly, which was continuing to sell strongly. However, executives at Sony Music
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
, the parent company of Carey's label Columbia
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, wanted her to prepare a greatest hits collection in time for the commercially favorable holiday season. Carey, not having time to record a studio album, agreed. However, they disagreed as to what content and singles should constitute the album. Sony wanted to release an album that featured her US number one singles, void of any new material. Carey on the other hand, felt that a greatest hits album should reflect on her most personal and favorite songs, not her most commercial. To accompany her thirteen number ones, Carey recorded four new songs. She felt that not including any new material would result in cheating her fans, therefore including some new material as well. While compromised, Carey often expressed distaste towards the album's song selection, expressing her disappointment in the omission of her "favorite songs."
For this reason, Sony titled the album #1's, as Carey felt the need to express the album's true content, a collection of her number one hits. Carey has frequently cited "Underneath the Stars" (1996) and "Breakdown" (1998) as examples of songs she was unsuccessful in releasing. In the album's liner notes
Liner notes
Liner notes are the writings found in booklets which come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for vinyl records and cassettes.-Origin:...
, Carey wrote that she was releasing a collection of her number one singles as a "thank you" and a tribute to her fans, and explained that someday she would release a true greatest hits album containing songs that were not released as singles, as well as singles that did not reach number one. In December 2001, Columbia released the album Greatest Hits
Greatest Hits (Mariah Carey album)
Greatest Hits is the eleventh album by American singer Mariah Carey, released in the United States on December 4, 2001 by Columbia Records. It is a greatest hits double album: CD 1 is primarily a collection of Carey's hits from 1990 to 1995, while CD 2 is primarily a collection of hits from 1996 to...
, which featured Carey's number one singles alongside songs she said "needed to be really heard", such as "Underneath the Stars" and "Forever
Forever (Mariah Carey song)
"Forever" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey from her fifth studio album, Daydream. It was released by Columbia Records on March 10, 1996, as an airplay-only single from the album. The song was written and produced by Carey and Walter Afanasieff, and was composed throughout 1995...
." In an interview with MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, Carey made the following statement regarding the album. "There's a lot of songs that I'm happy are gonna see the light of day. I think people are going to like this Greatest Hits because there are songs on it that were not necessarily singles."
Writing and composition
The first of Carey's number ones to be featured on the album was "Vision of LoveVision of Love
"Vision of Love" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It served as Carey's debut single, the first from her self-titled debut album. Written by Carey and Ben Margulies, "Vision of Love" was released on May 15, 1990 by Columbia Records. After being featured on Carey's demo tape for...
". It was Carey's first single and was the song that propelled her into the music scene. The song received acclaim, and was credited with influencing and popularizing the use of melisma
Melisma
Melisma, in music, is the singing of a single syllable of text while moving between several different notes in succession. Music sung in this style is referred to as melismatic, as opposed to syllabic, where each syllable of text is matched to a single note.-History:Music of ancient cultures used...
throughout the 1990s. Three other songs were included from her self-titled debut album
Mariah Carey (album)
Mariah Carey is the self-titled debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released on June 12, 1990 by Columbia Records. The album contains a range of contemporary genres, and the songs are a mix of slow ballads and dance tracks. Originally, Carey wrote four songs with...
, of them were "Love Takes Time
Love Takes Time
"Love Takes Time" is a song written by Mariah Carey and Ben Margulies, and produced by Walter Afanasieff for Carey's debut album, Mariah Carey . It was released as the album's second single in the third quarter of 1990...
", "Someday
Someday (Mariah Carey song)
"Someday" is a song written by Mariah Carey and Ben Margulies, and produced by Ric Wake for Carey's debut album, Mariah Carey . It was released as the album's third single in 1990 and is a jackswing-influenced track. Though it topped the U.S. charts, it was not a huge success elsewhere...
" and "I Don't Wanna Cry
I Don't Wanna Cry
"I Don't Wanna Cry" is a song written by Mariah Carey and Narada Michael Walden, and produced by Walden for Carey's debut album, Mariah Carey . The ballad was released as the album's fourth single in the second quarter of 1991. It became another U.S. number 1 single for Carey...
". The fifth single featured on the album was "Emotions", the lead single from the album of the same name. Because of the album's strict array of chart topping singles, none of the other singles on Emotions made the track listing. Another song that was featured on #1's was Carey's version of the Jackson 5
The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5 , later known as The Jacksons, were an American popular music family group from Gary, Indiana...
classic, "I'll Be There", which was the lead single off her live album, MTV Unplugged. The singles from Carey's 1993 release Music Box, made an appearance on the album as well. "Dreamlover", the seventh number one from the album, was the lead single off Music Box. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks and was described as a "slight piece of pop fluff", representing a more commercial side to Carey than the "more ambitious", "Vision of Love". The song was the start of a vocal maturity for Carey, and was considered a notable song in her career. The second single from Music Box, "Hero
Hero (Mariah Carey song)
"Hero" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released on October 19, 1993 by Columbia Records as the second single from Carey's third studio album, Music Box . Originally intended for Gloria Estefan, the song was written and produced by Carey and Walter Afanasieff...
", also made the album's final cut. According to author Chris Nickson, Hero was one of Carey's "most inspirational ballads." The album's third single, Carey's cover of Harry Nielsen
Harry Nilsson
Harry Edward Nilsson III was an American singer-songwriter who achieved the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. On all but his earliest recordings he is credited as Nilsson...
's "Without You" failed to make the US album version, however, due to the song's popularity in Europe, it was included in the album's international edition.
"All I Want for Christmas Is You", the lead single from Carey's holiday album Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas (Mariah Carey album)
Merry Christmas is a holiday album and fourth studio album by American singer Mariah Carey. Released by Columbia Records on November 1, 1994, the album features both cover versions of popular Christmas tunes, including some original material...
also made the international track listing. The song became one of the best-selling singles by a non–Asian female, and the best-selling Japanese single of 1994, selling over 1.1 million copies. Additionally, "All I Want for Christmas Is You", was called "one of the essential musical hallmarks of the holiday season", and is the only holiday song and ringtone to reach multi-platinum status in the US. Occupying three of the thirteen number ones on the album were the singles from Carey's 1995 release, Daydream. The album's lead single "Fantasy
Fantasy (Mariah Carey song)
"Fantasy" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released on September 12, 1995 by Columbia Records as the lead single for her fifth studio album, Daydream . The song was written by Carey and Dave Hall, both serving as primary producers alongside Sean Combs...
", was featured on #1's. However, it was the song's official remix, which featured rap
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
verses from Ol' Dirty Bastard
Ol' Dirty Bastard
Russell Tyrone Jones was an American rapper and occasional producer, who went by the stage name Ol' Dirty Bastard or simply ODB...
, which made the album cut. This was a personal decision made by Carey, as it was of her preference. The second song from Daydream to be featured on the album was "One Sweet Day
One Sweet Day
"One Sweet Day" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey and R&B group Boyz II Men. The song was written by Carey, Walter Afanasieff and the members of Boyz II Men: Wanya Morris, Shawn Stockman, Nathan Morris, and Michael McCary. "One Sweet Day" was produced by Carey and Afanasieff for...
", Carey's duet with Boyz II Men
Boyz II Men
Boyz II Men is an American R&B vocal group best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are the most successful R&B group of all time, having sold more than albums worldwide. In the 1990s, Boyz II Men found fame on Motown Records as a quartet, but original member Michael McCary...
. The song topped the Hot 100 for an unprecedented sixteen weeks, and holds the record for longest running number one song in Hot 100 history. The third and final song from the album, "Always Be My Baby
Always Be My Baby
"Always Be My Baby" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey from her fifth studio album, Daydream. It was released by Columbia Records on March 9, 1996 as the third US single and fourth overall. The song was written by Carey, Jermaine Dupri and Manuel Seal, who also produced the song...
", spent two weeks atop the charts in the US, therefore earning a place on the album as well.
Carey's most recent studio effort at the time, Butterfly, also yielded two number one songs. The album's lead single, "Honey
Honey (Mariah Carey song)
"Honey" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey from her sixth studio album, Butterfly. It was released as the lead single from the album on August 26, 1997 by Columbia Records. The song was written by Carey, Puff Daddy, Q-Tip and Stevie J, all of whom served as the song's producers...
", was a career-transitional song for Carey, which introduced her as an hip hop soul
Hip hop soul
Hip hop soul is sub-genre of contemporary R&B which fuses R&B, neo soul and dance elements with hip hop. The term did not originate until the promotion for Mary J. Blige's debut album What's the 411? in 1992 when Uptown Records proclaimed her to be the "Queen of Hip Hop Soul" and generally...
artist, as well as featured extended rap verses throughout the song. While very different than anything Carey had ever recorded, the track was described as "street Hip-Hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
music, with a booming bass." The second song from Butterfly, "My All
My All
"My All" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey from her sixth studio album, Butterfly . It was released as the album's fourth and second commercial single on April 21, 1998 by Columbia Records. The song was written and produced by Carey and Walter Afanasieff...
", spent one week atop the charts. Carey described the song as "[having] a lush sound and intense styling." Solely written by Carey and Walter Afanasieff
Walter Afanasieff
Walter Afanasieff is a multiple Grammy-award-winning record producer and songwriter. He is best known for his long association with Mariah Carey, for whom he was producer and co-writer for several years, beginning in 1990...
, "My All" featured guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
arpeggio
Arpeggio
An arpeggio is a musical technique where notes in a chord are played or sung in sequence, one after the other, rather than ringing out simultaneously...
s, which were synthetically created with the clever use of sampling and playing keyboard notes. As a result, the song was well-received, being called a "slinky, slow jam R&B sound, that fit Mariah like a glove."
New material
Since Carey intended #1's to serve as a sign of gratitude to her fans, the album contained four new songs not previously included on her albums. The first was a cover of Rainy DavisRainy Davis
Denise Lorraine Davis , better known by her stage name Rainy Davis, is an American R&B songwriter, singer, and record producer. Out of four Billboard charted singles, Davis is known best for her song "Sweetheart". A generation of fans adopted the song as their anthem to romantic love, giving it a...
' "Sweetheart
Sweetheart (song)
"Sweetheart" is a song written by Rainy Davis and Pete Warner and originally recorded by Davis, which appeared on her eponymous debut album. The song reached number 24 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs in 1986...
" (1987) performed as a duet with co-producer and rapper Jermaine Dupri
Jermaine Dupri
Jermaine Dupri Mauldin , known as Jermaine Dupri or JD, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper.- Early life and career :...
. Dupri had worked with Carey in the past, contributing to her album Daydream, and co-produced several hip-hop remixes of her songs. Carey said of the inspiration for its recording, "I was thinking of the old songs I used to listen to when I was in school. It's a really cute record. Young girls'll like it the way I liked it when I was growing up." Another new song featured on #1's was "When You Believe
When You Believe
"When You Believe" is an Academy Award-winning song by American recording artists Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston. The song was written and composed by Stephen Schwartz for the 1998 DreamWorks animated feature The Prince of Egypt. A version of "When You Believe" was produced as a single with...
", which Carey said was included because she felt it was "a miracle" that she and Houston collaborated on a record. During the development of All That Glitters, Carey had been introduced to DreamWorks
DreamWorks
DreamWorks Pictures, also known as DreamWorks, LLC, DreamWorks SKG, DreamWorks II Distribution Co., LLC, DreamWorks Studios or DW Studios, LLC, is an American film studio which develops, produces, and distributes films, video games and television programming...
producer Jeffrey Katzenberg
Jeffrey Katzenberg
Jeffrey Katzenberg is an American film producer and CEO of DreamWorks Animation. He is perhaps most famous for his period as chairman of The Walt Disney Company's film division, and for producing DreamWorks animated films such as Shrek, Antz, The Prince of Egypt, The Road to El Dorado, Chicken...
, who asked her if she would record the song "When You Believe" for the soundtrack to the animated film The Prince of Egypt. Carey and Houston were shown the film separately, and both became very enthusiastic about participating in the project. In an interview with MTV, Carey made the following statement regarding "When You Believe" and working with Whitney Houston.
"It's sort of a message song. It's what 'Prince of Egypt' is about, MosesMosesMoses was, according to the Hebrew Bible and Qur'an, a religious leader, lawgiver and prophet, to whom the authorship of the Torah is traditionally attributed...
. If we were ever going to come together on any kind of record, this is definitely the right one, and really the coolest thing to me is that after all of the drama and everybody making it like we had a rivalry, she was just really cool and we had a really good time in the studio. We had fun. And so, if nothing else, it was a good experience... and divaDivaA diva is a celebrated female singer. The term is used to describe a woman of outstanding talent in the world of opera, and, by extension, in theatre, cinema and popular music. The meaning of diva is closely related to that of "prima donna"....
-ism, whatever."
The song was co-written by Stephen Schwartz
Stephen Schwartz (composer)
Stephen Lawrence Schwartz is an American musical theatre lyricist and composer. In a career spanning over four decades, Schwartz has written such hit musicals as Godspell , Pippin and Wicked...
and Babyface, who also produced the song. Carey had previously collaborated with Babyface on her albums, Music Box (1993) and Daydream. Babyface expressed how he went through more than one version of the song and described its production as a beautiful movie ballad, something different than he, Carey or Houston ever recorded. In an interview with Vibe, Carey said that she "liked [the song] the way it was". She had characterised it as "a very big ballad but in an inspirational way" and denied speculation that there had been past rivalry or animosity between her and Houston prior to its recording: "I never even really talked to her until this. We never had any issues between us. The media and everybody made it an issue."
Carey co-wrote and co-produced the song "Whenever You Call" with longtime collaborator Walter Afanasieff for her album, Butterfly. However, in order to change the song's tempo and format, Carey decided to re-do the song as a duet with Brian McKnight
Brian McKnight
Brian McKnight is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, producer, and R&B/Pop musician. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays nine instruments: piano, guitar, bass guitar, drums, percussions, trombone, tuba, flugelhorn and trumpet....
, because she felt it was one of the best songs on Butterfly. Carey had also expressed how McKnight's vocals added a great deal to the song, describing the project as "perfecting the song." McKnight shared similar sentiments, saying, "It was amazing to go into the studio with someone who's so successful, and has that kind of track record. Mariah is someone who could ask anyone in the world to sing with her, and they called me. The album contains a duet with Whitney Houston ... it's just been great company to be in."
One of the songs Carey recorded specifically for #1's was a cover of Brenda K. Starr
Brenda K. Starr
Brenda K. Starr is an American singer-songwriter. She is well known originally in dance-pop, but now mostly in salsa-based music...
's "I Still Believe" (1988) co-produced by Stevie J
Stevie J
--MSGOLDBERG1 23:09, 23 November 2011 Stevie J. is an American musician, singer, record producer and songwriter. This upstate New Yorker is the leader of the Bad Boy Entertainment Hitmen roster of in-house producers and writers during the 90s and thus worked often with the label's owner Sean...
and Mike Mason. During the late 1980s Starr helped Carey secure a record contract while she worked as Starr's backup singer. In the album's liner notes, Carey wrote that the purpose of the song was solely paying tribute to her. According to Carey, the song "reminds me of the fact that not long ago I was a teenage girl with nothing to my name but a demo tape, my voice, and my ability to write songs. Brenda K. Starr treated me like a 'star' and gave me a shot." Another song Carey and Stevie J co-produced was a cover of, "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)
Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)
"Theme from Mahogany " is a song written by Michael Masser and Gerald Goffin, and recorded by American singer Diana Ross as the theme to the 1975 Motown/Paramount film Mahogany...
" (1975) by Diana Ross
Diana Ross
Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
. The latter song was the third non-original song on the album, and experienced a limited release throughout few countries in Europe. During a press release for the album, it was reported that an exclusive live version of "Hero" would be included. However, the idea fell through and was never released.
Critical reception
The album received generally mixed reviews from music critics. #1's was awarded four and a half out of five stars from Heather Phares of Allmusic. Phares complimented the album's content, feeling the song selection was too commercial, but very strong. Additionally, Phares wrote "Her career has been an extraordinary succession of number ones and record-breaking firsts in the music world, her entire album catalog has achieved RIAA multi-platinum status." Phares also commented on the accompanying DVD, writing, "Interviews and interactive menus make #1's a better-than-average DVD video collection and one that will doubtlessly please Carey's legions of fans."Mark Bautz, an editor from Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
gave the album a B-. Bautz felt that Carey's primary limitation was "wan, homogeneous songs" and that "hearing them months apart on the radio makes them passable, but strung together on #1's they're like a mile-long elevator ride." While criticizing the album for its song selection and content, he complimented the songs "My All" and the remix for "Fantasy", writing, "that said, though, Fantasy (with O.D.B.) and My All stand up as two of the best pop tunes of the '90s." The album received a scathing review from Britain's NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
magazine, with its critic writing:
"I fear Mariah Carey. Superficially, she might seem like a purveyor of saccharine bilge like 'Hero' ... But that's bullshit. You don't sell 90 million records unless you reserve that fluffybunny stuff for your sucker fans ... you gotta be cold-eyed, hard-boiled and have balls of steel ... She'll do whatever it takes. And her most fiendish weapon is the duet. If the MOR market needs servicing, she'll duet with LutherLuther VandrossLuther Ronzoni Vandross was an American singer-songwriter and record producer. During his career, Vandross sold over twenty-five million albums and won eight Grammy Awards including Best Male R&B Vocal Performance four times...
or Whitney ... If her contemporaryUrban contemporaryUrban contemporary is a music radio format. The term was coined by the late New York DJ Frankie Crocker in the mid 1970s. Urban contemporary radio stations feature a playlist made up entirely of hip hop/rap, contemporary R&B, pop, electronica such as dubstep and drum and bass and Caribbean music...
edge needs sharpening, she'll hang with the Wu-Tang ClanWu-Tang ClanThe Wu-Tang Clan is a hip-hop group from Staten Island that consists of RZA, GZA, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Masta Killa, and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. They are frequently joined by fellow childhood friend Cappadonna, a quasi member of the group...
... If you're big in the R&B charts, like Brian McKnight, she'll be in there ... like a heat-seeking parasite. She don't give a fuck. She destroys competition by sucking them dry and spitting them out."
In a review for Carey's 2001 album, Greatest Hits
Greatest Hits (Mariah Carey album)
Greatest Hits is the eleventh album by American singer Mariah Carey, released in the United States on December 4, 2001 by Columbia Records. It is a greatest hits double album: CD 1 is primarily a collection of Carey's hits from 1990 to 1995, while CD 2 is primarily a collection of hits from 1996 to...
, Sal Cinquemani of Slant
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
felt the album was solely a string of Carey's most commercial and popular hits, however, not her best. Cinquemani complimented Greatest Hits and wrote, "It seems like only yesterday that we were served with the self-congratulatory #1's, a collection of Carey's record-breaking string of chart-toppers, but the 27-track Greatest Hits is the singer's first proper hits compilation." In his consumer guide for The Village Voice
The Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
, critic Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
gave the album a "choice cut" rating, indicating "a good song on an album that isn't worth your time or money; Some (choice cut)s are arbitrarily personal, others inescapably social."
Chart performance
As executives at Columbia had done during the album's development, Eric Boehlert of Rolling StoneRolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
noted the importance of the release date of #1's and other albums on sale during the same period: "Artists who make a habit of hitting it big during the holiday shopping season are wise indeed, as sales traditionally skyrocket. This year is no exception." Journalist and author Marc Shapiro, in his biography of Carey, attributed the album's high sales to the presence of new songs, writing:
"The consensus among the music press was that Mariah's insistence on including the new material made all the difference in increasing sales figures more than expected. Including some new with the old in a greatest-hits package had been tried from time to time by other artists with varying degrees of success, but with the triumph of #1's, it would become a regular element in nearly all future greatest-hits albums. As such packages go, #1's was a solid retrospective of Mariah's chart hits, but because these songs were oversaturating the radio, including a favorite nonhit album track or two might have made a nice change. The new songs were a definite bones even though none ever really rose to the spectacular level of her best ... they added up to a nice touch but little more."
- 1's was released in the same week as several other albums by high-profile musicians such as Garth BrooksGarth BrooksTroyal Garth Brooks , best known as Garth Brooks, is an American country music artist who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon. His eponymous first album was released in 1989 and peaked at number 2 in the US country album chart while climbing to number 13 on the Billboard 200 album chart...
, JewelJewel (singer)Jewel Kilcher , professionally known as Jewel, is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, actress and poet...
, Method ManMethod ManClifford Smith , better known by his stage name Method Man is an American hip hop artist, record producer, actor and member of the hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan. He took his stage name from the 1979 film The Fearless Young Boxer, also known as Method Man. He is one half of the rap duo Method Man...
, Ice CubeIce CubeO'Shea Jackson , better known by his stage name Ice Cube, is an American rapper and actor. He began his career as a member of the hip-hop group C.I.A. and later joined the rap group N.W.A. After leaving N.W.A in December 1989, he built a successful solo career in music, and also as a writer,...
and Whitney Houston. MTV NewsMTV NewsMTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...
called November 17 "what is shaping up to be the music industry's Super Tuesday ... most onlookers know that first week sales aren't everything, but they will also tell you that they are pretty darn important." - 1's entered the U.S. Billboard 200 at number four, with 221,000 copies sold in its first week. In its sixth week of release (ending January 2) the album's weekly sales peaked at 360,000 copies. It remained in the top twenty for thirteen weeks and on the chart for sixty-two weeks (making two re-entries). In Canada, #1's was certified triple-platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry AssociationCanadian Recording Industry AssociationMusic Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada...
(CRIA), denoting shipments of over 300,000 copies.
In Europe, the album experienced success, peaking within the top-ten in almost every major music market. By 2003, the album received a double-platinum certification by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), denoting shipments of well over two million copies throughout Europe. In France, #1's was certified double-platinum, with estimated sales of 732,400 copies. The album received a platinum certification in Belgium, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, where it shipped over 300,000 copies. #1's received a gold certification in Germany, the Netherlands and Norway. Aside from its success in Europe, the album experienced its highest sales in Japan (after the US), where it sold 3,250,000 copies in the first three months after its release. In Japan, #1's remains the best-selling album in Japan by a non-Asian artist and is certified the triple-Million award. The album was certified five-times platinum
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
(RIAA), denoting shipments of over five million copies throughout the United States. According to Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan is an information and sales tracking system created by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett. Soundscan is the official method of tracking sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada...
, #1's has sold 3,703,000 copies in the US. To date, #1's has sold over 17 million copies worldwide.
Singles
"Sweetheart" was released as the album's lead single. In the US, due to the song's low radio airplay, "Sweetheart" only reached number twenty-five on Billboards Bubbling Under Hot 100 SinglesBubbling Under Hot 100 Singles
The Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It lists the top 25 singles below number 100 that have not yet charted on the Billboard Hot 100. Sometimes, however, singles halt their progress on this chart, and never appear on the Hot 100...
. Internationally, the song performed better, peaking within the top twenty in Germany and Switzerland. "When You Believe", the album's second single, was promoted as the first single from both The Prince of Egypt: Original Soundtrack and Houston's My Love Is Your Love
My Love Is Your Love
My Love Is Your Love is the fourth studio album by American singer Whitney Houston, released worldwide on November 17, 1998. The album, her first studio album in eight years since I'm Your Baby Tonight, was composed of mid-tempo R&B, hip hop, ballads, urban-dance, reggae, and torch songs, produced...
. It was given a wider release than "Sweetheart" and achieved worldwide success. The song peaked within the top two in Norway, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland, and in the top five in Belgium, the Netherlands, France and the United Kingdom. In the UK, "When You Believe" became one of Carey's biggest successes, selling over 260,000 units. Despite reaching high positions around the globe, "When You Believe" performed moderately in the US, where it peaked at number fifteen. Serving as the album's third single, "I Still Believe" performed stronger in the US than the album's previous singles, peaking at number four. The song was certified platinum in the United States, however performing weakly in other territories. "I Still Believe" performed well in Spain, where it peaked at number seven, and in Canada, where the song reached the top-ten.
"Whenever You Call" was considered for release as a single in mid-1999, but its promotion was cancelled due to the impending release of "Heartbreaker
Heartbreaker (Mariah Carey song)
"Heartbreaker" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released on September 21, 1999 by Columbia Records as the lead single from Carey's seventh studio album, Rainbow . The song was written by Carey and Jay-Z and produced by the former and DJ Clue...
", the lead single from Carey's following album Rainbow
Rainbow (Mariah Carey album)
Rainbow is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, released on November 2, 1999, by Columbia Records. The album followed the same pattern as Carey's previous album, Butterfly , in which she began her transition into the R&B market. Rainbow contains a mix of...
. "Do You Know Where You're Going To" was issued as a promotional single in Brazil and some parts of Europe during June. The song performed weakly around the world, not charting in any major music market. In December 1999, Columbia released the video/DVD #1's, which contained music videos and recordings of live performances for the number one singles featured on #1's, as well as "Heartbreaker", which had gone to number one during that time.
Awards and accolades
1998 and 1999 proved to be good years for Carey, as she won many prestigious awards in the music industry. In 1998, Carey received the World Music AwardsWorld Music Awards
The World Music Awards is an international awards show founded in 1989 that annually honors recording artists based on worldwide sales figures provided by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry . John Martinotti is an executive producer and co-founder of the show...
for becoming the "World's Best Selling Recording Artist of the 1990s" as well as the award for "World's Best Selling R&B Artist". Carey received the 1998 Billboard Music Award
Billboard Music Award
The Billboard Music Award is an honor given by Billboard magazine, the preeminent publication covering the music business. The Billboard Music Awards show had been held annually in December until it went dormant in 2007, but it returned in May 2011...
for "Female Artist of the Decade". At the 1999 BMI Music Awards
Broadcast Music Incorporated
Broadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...
, Carey took home the coveted "Songwriter of the Year" award. "When You Believe" was nominated at the 2000 Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
s for "Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals
Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals
The Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality pop songs on which singers collaborate...
" and won an NAACP Image Award
NAACP Image Award
An NAACP Image Award is an accolade presented by the American National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to honor outstanding people of color in film, television, music, and literature....
for "Outstanding Duo or Group
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Duo or Group
The NAACP Image Award winners for Outstanding Duo or Group:...
". Additionally, the song won the award for "Best Original Song" at the 71st annual Academy Awards
71st Academy Awards
The 71st Academy Awards ceremony, Sunday, March 21, 1999, was the last to take place at Los Angeles County Music Center, and was Whoopi Goldberg's third time hosting the Awards. It was the first time the ceremony took place on a Sunday....
. After the album's release, Carey won a Blockbuster Entertainment Award in the category of "Favorite Female Artist", and "Entertainer of the Year" at the Soul Train Music Awards
Soul Train Music Awards
The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual award show which previously aired in national television syndication, and honors the best in Black music and entertainment...
. #1's won a 1999 Japan Gold Disc Award
Japan Gold Disc Award
The Japan Gold Disc Awards for Music sales in the Recording Industry Association of Japan, is major music awards held annually in Japan also released as a CD.- List of the Artists of the Year :************...
for International Pop Album of the Year.
Track listing
U.S. editionInternational edition
Album credits
Personnel- Mariah CareyMariah CareyMariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
– lead vocals, background vocals - Walter AfanasieffWalter AfanasieffWalter Afanasieff is a multiple Grammy-award-winning record producer and songwriter. He is best known for his long association with Mariah Carey, for whom he was producer and co-writer for several years, beginning in 1990...
– keyboards, additional keyboards, synthesizers, - Dave Hall – synthesizers, keyboards, rhythm programming
- Ben MarguliesBen MarguliesBen Margulies is a songwriter and record producer. Together, he and Mariah Carey lobbied record companies with their 5 song demo tape with songs they had co-written and co-produced until Mariah got signed to Sony in 1988....
– drumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, programming - Babyface – arranger
- Narada Michael Walden – drums
- Dan SheaDan Shea (record producer)Dan Shea is an American record producer and composer who has worked with numerous artists including Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Jennifer Lopez, Janet Jackson, Santana, Barbra Streisand, Jessica Simpson. Sara Evans, Rob Thomas, Marc Anthony, Boys II Men, Martina McBride, Kenny G., Ricky Martin, Bono,...
– drums, percussion - Ric WakeRic WakeRic Wake is a record producer who has won an Academy Award and two Grammy Awards. During his tenure as staff producer with Sony Music Entertainment he has worked with vocalists such as Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez, Jessica Simpson, Barry Manilow, and Marc Anthony...
– drum programming - Rhett LawrenceRhett LawrenceRhett Lawrence is a record producer and songwriter. He is originally famous for producing the Grammy Award–winning, Billboard #1 Hot 100 and #1 R&B single "Vision of Love" for Mariah Carey. He produced and co-wrote the Kelly Clarkson pop rock hit "Miss Independent” which was #1 for 6 weeks at Top...
– keyboards - Robert ClivillésRobert ClivillésRobert Clivillés is a record producer, songwriter, arranger, music video director most noted for his work with C+C Music Factory, a group he founded with musical partner David Cole...
– drums, percussion - Loris HollandLoris HollandLoris Holland is an American composer, record producer, synthesizer and songwriter.-Biography:Holland grew up in the British Guyana, to a family which forbade any music other than hymns and classical music, due to the deaths of his maternal grandfather and uncle on separate occasions, whilst...
– synthesizers, keyboards, rhythm programming - David ColeDavid Cole (producer)David Cole was a songwriter and record producer, and was one half of the dance-music duo C+C Music Factory, which he founded with musical partner Robert Clivillés....
– keyboards - Sean "Puffy" CombsSean CombsSean John Combs , also known by his stage names Diddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He has won three Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards, and his clothing line earned a Council of Fashion Designers of America award. He was originally...
– background vocals, keyboards, synthesizers - Cory RooneyCory RooneyCory Rooney is an American songwriter, record producer, and C.E.O. of Cory Rooney Group. He has written, produced, and developed many hits and careers for artists such as Mariah Carey, Mary J...
– drum programming, keyboards - Kamall FareedQ-Tip (rapper)Kamaal Ibn John Fareed , better known by his stage name Q-Tip, is an American hip hop artist, producer, singer, and actor from St. Albans, Queens, New York, part of the critically acclaimed group A Tribe Called Quest...
– programming, drums - James T. Alfano – programming, guitars
- Anthony HendersonKrayzie BoneAnthony Henderson better known as Krayzie Bone, is an American rapper and is a former member of the rap group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony.-Solo career:Krayzie Bone recorded his solo debut, Thug Mentality 1999, in 1998...
– guitars, background vocals, keyboards - Charles ScruggsWish BoneCharles C. Scruggs, better known by his stage name Wish Bone, is an American rapper and former member of the Grammy-Award winning Cleveland rap group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony.-Early life:...
– bass, background vocals, keyboards - Steven JordanStevie J--MSGOLDBERG1 23:09, 23 November 2011 Stevie J. is an American musician, singer, record producer and songwriter. This upstate New Yorker is the leader of the Bad Boy Entertainment Hitmen roster of in-house producers and writers during the 90s and thus worked often with the label's owner Sean...
– programming - Cindy Mizelle – background vocals
- Mark C. Rooney – background vocals
- Melonie Daniels – background vocals
- Kelly PriceKelly PriceKelly Price is an American R&B and soul singer, formerly on the Def Soul label.-Life and music career:Kelly Cherelle Price was born in Queens, New York. She was first discovered by Mariah Carey in February 1992 and subsequently introduced to Sony Columbia's then CEO Tommy Mottola...
– background vocals - Shanrae Price – background vocals
Production
- Mariah Carey – arranger
- Walter Afanasieff – arranger
- Dave Hall – arranger
- Babyface – arranger
- Narada Michael Walden – arranger, additional production, rhythm arrangement
- Ric Wake – additional arrangement
- Rich Tancredi – additional arrangement
- Patrick Dillett – engineer, recording, mixing
- Bob Cadway – engineer, recording, mixing
- Rhett Lawrence – recording, mixing, arranger
- Dana Jon Chappelle – engineer, mixing, additional engineering
- Missy ElliottMissy ElliottMelissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott , is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actressA five-time Grammy Award winner, Elliott, with record sales of over seven million in the United States, is the only female rapper to have five albums certified platinum by the RIAA, including one...
– arranger - Albert JohnsonProdigy (rapper)Lance Albert Johnson Banks, better known as Prodigy, is an American rapper and one half of the hip-hop and rap duo Mobb Deep....
– vocal engineering, bass, drums - David MoralesDavid MoralesDavid Morales is an internationally acclaimed Grammy-winning house music DJ and producer. In addition to his production and DJ work, Morales is one of the most prolific remixers of all time, transforming many pop music songs into club-friendly dance tracks...
– synthesizers, drum percussion, bass - Bobby RobinsonBobby Robinson (record producer)Bobby Robinson was an African-American independent record producer and songwriter in New York, most active from the 1950s through the mid 1980s. He produced hits by Wilbert Harrison, The Shirelles, Dave "Baby" Cortez, Elmore James, Lee Dorsey, Gladys Knight & The Pips, King Curtis, Spoonie Gee,...
– engineer, track mixer - Bob Rosa – engineer, mix engineer
- David Gleeson – engineer
- Dana Jon Chappelle – engineer, vocal engineering
- Acar Key – engineer
- Frank Filipetti – engineer
- Mark Krieg – 2nd engineer
- Kirk Yano – additional tracking engineer
- Mick Guzauski – mixing
- Bob LudwigBob LudwigBob Ludwig is an American mastering engineer.He is a well known and respected figure within the music industry. His name is credited on the covers of albums released across the world, and he has won numerous awards....
– mastering, Gateway Master Studios
Charts
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart | 6 |
| Austrian Albums Chart | 6 |
| Belgian Flandres Albums Chart | 11 |
| Belgian Wallonia Albums Chart | 6 |
| Canadian Albums Chart | 6 |
| Dutch Albums Chart | 15 |
| European Albums Chart | 5 |
| Finnish Albums Chart | 9 |
| French Albums Chart | 2 |
| German Albums Chart | 10 |
| Italian Albums Chart | 5 |
| Japanese Albums Chart | 1 |
| Malaysian Albums Chart | 1 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart | 13 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart | 6 |
| Spanish Albums Chart | 7 |
| Swedish Albums Chart | 8 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 3 |
| UK Albums Chart | 10 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 4 |
End of year charts
| End of year chart (1999) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart | 43 |
| Belgian Flandres Albums Chart | 62 |
| Belgian Wallonia Albums Chart | 55 |
| End of year chart (1999) | Position |
| Belgian Wallonia Albums Chart | 25 |
| Dutch Albums Chart | 62 |
Certifications
| Country (Provider) | Certification (sales thresholds) |
|---|---|
| Argentina (CAPIF Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers The Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers is an Argentine organization member of the IFPI, which represents the music industry in the country. It is a nonprofit organization integrated by multinational and independent record labels.... ) |
Gold |
| Australia (ARIA Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... ) |
Platinum |
| Belgium (Flanders) (IFPI) | Platinum |
| Brazil (ABPD Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos The Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos is an official representative body of the record labels in the Brazilian phonographic market.- About :... ) |
Gold |
| Canada (CRIA Canadian Recording Industry Association Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada... ) |
3× Platinum |
| Europe (IFPI) | 2× Platinum |
| France (SNEP Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... ) |
2× Platinum |
| Germany (IFPI) | Gold |
| Japan (RIAJ Recording Industry Association of Japan The Recording Industry Association of Japan is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved the music industry... ) |
3× Million |
| Netherlands (NVPI NVPI The NVPI is the Dutch tradeassociation of the entertainment industry... ) |
Gold |
| New Zealand (RIANZ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... ) |
2× Platinum |
| Norway (IFPI) | Gold |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE) | Platinum |
| Sweden (IFPI) | Platinum |
| Switzerland (IFPI) | Platinum |
| United Kingdom (BPI British Phonographic Industry The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies... ) |
Platinum |
| United States (RIAA Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States... ) |
5× Platinum |
Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US R&B Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
AUS ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
CAN Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... |
FRA Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
GER Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
NL Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
NZ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
SWI Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
|||
| 1999 | "Sweetheart Sweetheart (song) "Sweetheart" is a song written by Rainy Davis and Pete Warner and originally recorded by Davis, which appeared on her eponymous debut album. The song reached number 24 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs in 1986... " (with Jermaine Dupri Jermaine Dupri Jermaine Dupri Mauldin , known as Jermaine Dupri or JD, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper.- Early life and career :... ) |
125 | — | — | — | — | 14 | 22 | — | 18 | — | |
| "When You Believe When You Believe "When You Believe" is an Academy Award-winning song by American recording artists Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston. The song was written and composed by Stephen Schwartz for the 1998 DreamWorks animated feature The Prince of Egypt. A version of "When You Believe" was produced as a single with... " (with Whitney Houston Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among... ) |
15 | 33 | 13 | 20 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 4 |
|
|
| 1999 | "I Still Believe" | 4 | 3 | 54 | 9 | 33 | 58 | 42 | 24 | 31 | 16 |
|
| "—" denotes a title that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||