Rainbow (Mariah Carey album)
Encyclopedia
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 (1997), in which she began her transition into the R&B
market. Rainbow contains a mix of hip-hop-influenced R&B jams, as well as a variety of slow ballads. On the album, Carey worked with David Foster
and Diane Warren
, who replaced Walter Afanasieff
, the main balladeer Carey worked with throughout the 90s. As a result of her separation from her husband, Tommy Mottola
, Carey had more control over the musical style of this album, so she collaborated with several musicians such as Jay-Z
, Usher
, and Snoop Dogg
.
On Carey's previous album, Butterfly, she began incorporating several other genres, including R&B and hip-hop, into her musical repertoire. In order to further push her musical horizons, Carey featured Jay-Z on the album's lead single, the first time in her career that another artist was featured on one of her lead singles. Carey wrote ballads that were closer to R&B than pop
for this album, and worked with Snoop Dogg and Usher on songs such as "Crybaby" and "How Much", both of which featured strong R&B beats and grooves. Several of the ballads that Carey wrote during this period, including "Thank God I Found You
" (written with Terry Lewis
) and "After Tonight" (written with Diane Warren), mirrored sentiments she experienced in her personal life.
Upon release, Rainbow received mixed to positive reviews from contemporary music critics. While many celebrated Carey's continued musical departure from her adult contemporary past, some felt the album was not as strong or as distinct as Butterfly. The album debuted at number two on the Billboard
200
, with first week sales of over 323,000. It was her first album in years to not reach number one. Rainbow was certified triple-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA), denoting shipments of over three million copies within the United States. Outside the US, the album debuted atop the charts in France, and within the top five in Australia, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Japan, and Switzerland. In Europe, Rainbow was certified platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), denoting shipments of over one million copies throughout the continent.
Five singles were released from the album: two worldwide international releases, two promotional releases, and one European single. The album's lead single, "Heartbreaker
", featured Jay-Z. The song became Carey's fourteenth chart topper on the Billboard Hot 100, and topped the charts in Canada, New Zealand, and Spain. "Thank God I Found You
", featuring Joe
and 98 Degrees
, was the second single released from the album. The song peaked atop the chart in the US, becoming Carey's fifteenth song to do so, and achieved moderate international charting. The next two singles, "Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme)
and "Crybaby
"—featuring Snoop Dogg—were released as a double A-side. The songs were at the center of a public feud in between Carey and Sony due to Sony's alleged weak promotion of the singles. Carey's cover of Phil Collins
"Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)
" was released in Europe, topping the charts in Ireland and becoming Carey's second chart topper in the United Kingdom.
, Tommy Mottola
. For years, Carey's albums had consisted of slow and meaningful ballads, devoid of any guest appearances or hip-hop
. In January 1995, as she recorded Daydream, Carey began taking more control over her musical style and genre influences. She enlisted the production skills and rap
styles of Ol' Dirty Bastard
, who was featured on the remix of her song "Fantasy
". While Mottola was hesitant at first, Carey's influence paid off: the song became an international chart topper, with critics calling their joint performance one of the pioneering songs of pop
and R&B
musical collaborations.
During the recording and production of Carey's Butterfly in 1997, the couple separated, leaving Carey an extended amount of control over the unfinished album. Following their separation, Carey began working with younger hip-hop and R&B producers and songwriters, aside from her usual work with balladeers Walter Afanasieff
and Kenneth Edmonds. While the album incorporated several different genres and components that were not present in Carey's previous releases, Butterfly also included a balance of her classic ballads and newer R&B-infused jams. While Sony accepted Carey's new collaborations with writers and producers such as P. Diddy and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony
, they contiunued to focus their promotion on the ballads. After "Honey
", the debut single from Butterfly, was released in September 1997, Sony halted the release of the succeeding R&B-influenced jams, and released the ballad "My All
" as the second worldwide single. Rainbow followed in its predecessors' footsteps, becoming even more drenched in modern hip-hop and R&B.
, was in the midst of a European tour. In order to spend more time with him, she opted to record the album on the secluded island of Capri
, Italy, figuring the seclusion would also help her complete the album sooner. During this time, Carey's strained relationship with Sony affected her work with writing partner Afanasieff, who had worked extensively with Carey throughout the first half of her career. Aside from their growing creative differences, Mottola had given Afanasieff more opportunities to work with other artists. She felt Mottola was trying to separate her from Afanasieff, in hopes of keeping their relationship permanently strained. Due to the pressure and the awkward relationship Carey had now developed with Sony, she completed the album in a period of three months in the summer of 1999, quicker than any of her other albums. In an interview with Blitz TV, Carey spoke of her decision to record the album in Capri:
Like her previous releases, Carey co-wrote and co-produced the album's material, working with several hip-hop and R&B producers such as Jay-Z
, Terry Lewis
, Usher
, Snoop Dogg
, Missy Elliott
, Jermaine Dupri
, and Brian Michael Cox. For the album's debut single release, Carey collaborated with Jay-Z and DJ Clue. During the spring of 1999, Carey began working with Clue on several hooks
and melodies for the lead single. After a few hours, they decided to include a hip-hop star on the track, which eventually led to Jay-Z. Carey's longtime friend and back-up vocalist Trey Lorenz
, who was featured on her remake of the Jackson 5 song "I'll Be There", added "some soft male [back-up] vocals." Carey worked with Lewis and Jam on the ballad "Thank God I Found You
". She had already been in the studio with the duo several times when she contacted them to meet her at the studio, where she told them that she had come up with the title, hook, and melody. Usually, when Carey was writing the songs for Rainbow, James "Big Jim" Wright would play the organ or piano and assist Carey to find the "right melody." However, since Wright was not present, Lewis played the organ while Carey directed him with her lower registers
, providing the chord progression
. They composed the song and recorded Carey's vocals. Knowing she wanted to introduce a male vocalist on the track, Lewis brought R&B singer Joe
and pop group 98 Degrees
into the studio. After a few hours, the group and Joe had recorded all their vocals and the song was complete. In an interview with Bronson, Lewis discussed the night Carey wrote "Thank God I Found You":
While the album was immersed further into mainstream R&B territory, Carey included some of her classic ballads and tender love songs on the album, working with writers and producers such as David Foster
and Diane Warren
. The idea to work with Warren was suggested by Foster, who thought that the two would be able to "hammer out one hell of a ballad" together. The two wrote and produced the song titled "After Tonight". Carey felt the song was a perfect metaphor for her relationship with Miguel, describing their romance in Capri. While the song was deemed a success by both parties, they described their working relationship with mixed feelings. According to Foster, who was involved in the writing session, Carey and Warren would not always agree on the lyrics and melodious structure of the song. He described it as a "give and take relationship"; Warren would offer lyrics and Carey would not like them; she wanted something more intricate and detailed. Carey would produce a hook or lyrics that Warren did not feel were a perfect fit. In the end, Foster felt that they worked "well together". After recording the song, Carey invited Miguel to record the song with her as a duet. However, after recording his verses several times, Foster and Carey realized that the song would not turn out the way they planned. Foster said the song's key was "too high for him"; the voices did not harmonize well. Carey did not have time to re-record her vocals in a lower key to accommodate Miguel's verses. Miguel, furious over the failed collaboration, later sent a cut-up tape of the demo to Foster. Carey, Warren, and Foster also wrote "Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme)
", one of the other ballads featured on Rainbow.
", Carey's first collaboration with Jay-Z, used a sample from "Attack of the Name Game", recorded by Stacy Lattisaw
, as its hook. The loop originated from "The Name Game" by Shirley Ellis
; Ellis and co-writer Lincoln Chase
are credited as songwriters on the track. Carey incorporated the hook into the song's melody, and added instrumentation. Lyrically, the song chronicles the heartbreak the protagonist feels after learning of her lover's infidelity. "Thank God I Found You
" features vocals from Joe and 98 Degrees, as well as songwriting and production from Carey and Lewis. According to Carey, the song reflects on events in her own life at the time, with the lyrics describing the completion the protagonist feels after "finding" their lover. Joe provides the main male vocal throughout each verse, and 98 Degrees sing the background vocals and the bridge
.
Prior to the album's recording, Carey and her sister Allison had a falling out in their relationship. Allison had contracted AIDS
in 1995, and she blamed Carey for many of her problems and heartbreaks throughout the years. Her children were taken away while she received treatment for AIDS and for mental health issues. Carey wrote a song titled "Petals", which she describes as the most honest lyrics she has ever written. The song tells of Carey's feelings for her sister, while illustrating the pain Allison's betrayal and suffering have caused. In an interview with Bronson, Carey described the meaning of the lyrics of "Petals":
"After Tonight" was a song Carey wrote with David Foster and Diane Warren. Carey had strong feelings about the song, as she wrote it about her relationship with Luis Miguel. The song was compared instrumentally to "My All
" from Butterfly, which features traces of Latin and guitar instrumentation. In the lyrics, the protagonist asks her lover if he will still love her and come back to her "after tonight." Carey's cover of the Phil Collins
song "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)
" was originally intended to be a solo ballad. The song was re-done after the album was released, with music by the Irish band Westlife
replacing the song's instrumental bridge. "Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme)
" was one of the album's most uplifting ballads, lyrically serving as an anthem for fans and listeners. The message, Carey said, was a personal theme of hers growing up, of not letting others "bring her down" and not allowing them to take away the light inside her.
Carey's actions were given mixed reception, with critics and executives commending her bold actions regarding a song she felt needed to be heard, while others criticized her for publicizing the dispute further. Soon after, Sony stripped Carey's webpage of messages and began negotiations. Fearing to lose their label's highest seller and the best-selling artist of the decade, Sony chose to release the song. Carey, initially content with the agreement, soon found out that the song had only been given a very limited and low-promotion release, which meant the song failed to chart on the official US chart, and made international charting extremely difficult and unlikely.
from Allmusic awarded the album three out of five stars, complimenting it as "the first Carey album where she's written personal lyrics, and allusions to her separation from Mottola." He called the lyrics "true" and "deep", but criticized the lack of originality. Erlewine alluded to Rainbow as "ballad-heavy" and "repetitious", writing how the album followed the formula of Carey's previous album too precisely. Erlewine ended his review on a mixed note, writing "Rainbow proves that she can still pull off that difficult balancing act, but it's hard not to be a little disappointed that she'd didn't shake the music up a little bit more – after all, it would have been a more effective album if the heartbreak, sorrow, and joy that bubbles underneath the music were brought to the surface."
Arion Berger, an editor from Rolling Stone
, also gave the album three out of five stars. He felt Rainbow was a genuine R&B and hip-hop album, calling it a "sterling chronicle of the state of accessible hip-hop balladeering at the close of 1999." Aside from calling the some off the ballads "banal", Berger concluded his review with "Rainbow is at its best—and Carey at her most comfortable—when urbane hip-hop stylings and faux R&B coexist in smooth middle-of-the-road harmony." Critic Robert Christgau
of The Village Voice
gave the album a double honorable mention , writing "[It's] Not a 'real' r&b thrush, but good enough to fake it." Amy Linden from Vibe was unimpressed with the album, writing "I don't care about it anymore." While complimenting the album's genre influences and featured musical guests, Linden felt Rainbow was not original. She concluded her review with "'Rainbow' will garner her even more adoration. As for me? I'll be okay." Danyel Smith from Entertainment Weekly
gave Rainbow a B+, and concluded "what began on Butterfly as a departure ends up on Rainbow a progression – perhaps the first compelling proof of Carey's true colors as an artist." Elysa Gardner from the Los Angeles Times
gave Rainbow three and a half out of four stars. She complimented the album's strong blend of breezy R&B cuts, as well as the lyrically, vocally, and melodically strong ballads. "Exhibiting an emotional authority to match her technical prowess, Carey gives us a vision of love that's dynamic without being ostentatious," she wrote. Steve Jones from USA Today
gave Rainbow three out of four stars, calling it "colorful" and "some of her most compelling work."
chart with 323,000 units sold, the highest first-week sales of Carey's career at that time. In its second week, the album stayed at number two, selling an additional 228,000 copies, barred from the top by Faith Hill
's Breathe
. In its eighth week, Rainbow experienced its highest weekly sales—during the Christmas week of 1999—selling 369,000 copies, while placing at number nine. It became Carey's first studio album since Merry Christmas
(1994) to not reach the top position in the United States. In total, Rainbow stayed in the top twenty for ten weeks and on the chart for thirty-five, making one re-entry. It was certified triple-platinum
by the Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA), denoting shipments of over three million copies throughout the continent. According to Nielsen SoundScan
, the album's sales in the US are estimated at over 2,946,000 copies, not including sales from BMG music clubs. In Canada, Rainbow debuted at number two on the Canadian Albums Chart
, and was certified double-platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association
(CRIA). Sales in Canada are estimated at over 300,000 units.
Rainbow debuted at number three on the Australian Albums Chart
, staying within the chart for seven weeks. The album was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association
(ARIA), denoting shipments of over 35,000 copies. In France, the album experienced strong success, debuting atop the albums chart and remaining inside the top forty for thirty-four weeks. The album was certified platinum by the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique
(SNEP), with estimated sales of over 813,000 copies. In Germany, Rainbow peaked at number three, and received a platinum certification from the Bundesverband Musikindustrie
(BVMI), denoting shipments of over 500,000 units. The album's success in the United Kingdom was limited; it debuted at number eight and stayed within the top 100 for four weeks. Rainbow was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry
(BPI), denoting shipments of over 100,000 units. Additionally, Rainbow received a platinum certification in Brazil, New Zealand, and Spain, and a gold certification in Argentina, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. Throughout Europe, Rainbow shipped in excess of two million units, and was certified platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI).
"Crybaby
" and "Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme)" were released simultaneously as a double A-side, with very limited promotion from Sony. These two songs, especially the latter, became the center of a very public controversy between Carey and her label, due to their alleged low promotion of the album. "Crybaby" was chosen as one of the album's top songs by Christgau, who called it the album's best attempt at R&B. Carey and Snoop Dogg were featured in the music video for "Crybaby", with Carey playing an anxious woman who can't sleep at night due to her lover's infidelity. A music video for "Can't Take That Away" was released around the same time, which features Carey on a rooftop garden. Carey sings during a rain storm, and towards the video's conclusion, the sun arises, bring forth a "new day". The final single from Rainbow, "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)", was given a limited release as well. After performing moderately around the world, a new version of the song, featuring Westlife
, was released in Ireland and the United Kingdom. It became successful there, peaking at number one in both territories, and became Carey's second UK chart topper. The song's video features Carey and Westlife on a boat in Capri. Scenes of the group exploring the island are cut with scenes of them in the studio, though Carey never re-recorded her vocals from the original version.
, performing "My All" and "Hero
" alongside Luciano Pavarotti
in a live duet. The concert benefit was filmed live in Modena
, Italy, during the summer of 1999 and was released for sale on September 21, with funds being donated to relief efforts for natural disasters in Guatemala
and Kosovo
. Carey made several live television and award show appearances at this time, and recorded her own Fox Broadcasting Company
special, titled The Mariah Carey Homecoming Special. A mini-concert filmed at Carey's old high school in Huntington, New York, the special aired on Fox on December 21, 1999. Carey performed "Heartbreaker" and its accompanying remix at the MTV European Music Awards, held on November 11, 1999, in Dublin, Ireland. Additionally, the song was performed on The Oprah Winfrey Show
, the British music chart program Top of the Pops
, and The Today Show, which included a performance of "Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme)" and "Hero". "Thank God I Found You was performed live at the 2000 American Music Awards
as well as on several European programs, including Top of the Pops and Friday Night's All Wright
in the United Kingdom, NRJ
and Soulier d'Or in France, Wetten, dass..?
in Germany, and Quelli che... il Calcio
in Italy. The album's final two releases, "Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme)" and "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)", were performed on The View and at the 2000 Blockbuster Entertainment Awards.
In order to promote Rainbow, Carey embarked of her fourth headlining and third worldwide tour. Titled the Rainbow World Tour
, it included nineteen shows: six in Europe, four in Asia, and nine in the United States. For Carey's previous two tours, she had only visited Europe and Asia, due to the mixed reception of her debut stateside tour
in 1993. However, after achieving record-breaking ticket sales throughout Asia and instant sellouts in Europe, Carey felt secure enough to once again tour her native country. The set list
featured songs from most of Carey's previous studio albums, as well as some tracks from Rainbow. Missy Elliott
and Da Brat
served as opening acts for the US leg of the tour. Ticket sales were very strong; the entire US leg sold out in a matter of days. The Asian and European leg mirrored the commercial success of her previous two tours. Reviews for the tour varied from positive to mixed. Some critics and fans reproached her of having a "tired and hoarse voice", while others commented on Carey's choice of wardrobe. Several critics and many concert-goers praised the tour, calling it an intense celebration of Carey's career.
Production
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
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 on November 2, 1999, 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...
. The album followed the same pattern as Carey's previous album, Butterfly (1997), in which she began her transition into the R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
market. Rainbow contains a mix of hip-hop-influenced R&B jams, as well as a variety of slow ballads. On the album, Carey worked with David Foster
David Foster
David Walter Foster, OC, OBC , is a Canadian musician, record producer, composer, singer, songwriter, and arranger, noted for discovering singers such as Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, and Charice Pempengco; and for producing some of the most successful artists in the world, such as Céline Dion, Toni...
and Diane Warren
Diane Warren
Diane Eve Warren , is a US songwriter. Her songs have received six Academy Award nominations, five Golden Globe nominations, including one win and seven Grammy Award nominations, including one win. She was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2001...
, who replaced 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...
, the main balladeer Carey worked with throughout the 90s. As a result of her separation from her husband, Tommy Mottola
Tommy Mottola
Thomas Daniel "Tommy" Mottola is an American music executive, co-owner of Casablanca Records in a joint venture with the Universal Music Group. He is the ex-husband of Mariah Carey and is married to Mexican singer Thalía...
, Carey had more control over the musical style of this album, so she collaborated with several musicians such as Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
, Usher
Usher (entertainer)
Usher Terry Raymond IV , who performs under the mononym Usher, is an American singer-songwriter, and actor. He is considered around the world to be the reigning King of R&B. Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100...
, and Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
.
On Carey's previous album, Butterfly, she began incorporating several other genres, including R&B and hip-hop, into her musical repertoire. In order to further push her musical horizons, Carey featured Jay-Z on the album's lead single, the first time in her career that another artist was featured on one of her lead singles. Carey wrote ballads that were closer to R&B than pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
for this album, and worked with Snoop Dogg and Usher on songs such as "Crybaby" and "How Much", both of which featured strong R&B beats and grooves. Several of the ballads that Carey wrote during this period, including "Thank God I Found You
Thank God I Found You
"Thank God I Found You" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It features guest vocals from R&B singer Joe and American boy band 98 Degrees. Written and produced by Carey along with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the song was released on January 25, 2000, through Columbia...
" (written with Terry Lewis
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III and Terry Steven Lewis are an American R&B and pop-music songwriting and record production team...
) and "After Tonight" (written with Diane Warren), mirrored sentiments she experienced in her personal life.
Upon release, Rainbow received mixed to positive reviews from contemporary music critics. While many celebrated Carey's continued musical departure from her adult contemporary past, some felt the album was not as strong or as distinct as Butterfly. The album debuted at number two 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...
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...
, with first week sales of over 323,000. It was her first album in years to not reach number one. Rainbow was certified triple-platinum 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 three million copies within the United States. Outside the US, the album debuted atop the charts in France, and within the top five in Australia, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Japan, and Switzerland. In Europe, Rainbow was certified platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), denoting shipments of over one million copies throughout the continent.
Five singles were released from the album: two worldwide international releases, two promotional releases, and one European single. The album's lead single, "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...
", featured Jay-Z. The song became Carey's fourteenth chart topper on the Billboard Hot 100, and topped the charts in Canada, New Zealand, and Spain. "Thank God I Found You
Thank God I Found You
"Thank God I Found You" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It features guest vocals from R&B singer Joe and American boy band 98 Degrees. Written and produced by Carey along with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the song was released on January 25, 2000, through Columbia...
", featuring Joe
Joe (singer)
Joseph Lewis Thomas , usually credited simply as Joe, is an American R&B singer and record producer.-Early life:Joe is a native of Cuthbert, Georgia and later moved to Opelika, Alabama. The son of two preachers, Joe spent much time in church singing, playing guitar, and even directing the choir...
and 98 Degrees
98 Degrees
98 Degrees is an American adult contemporary boy band consisting of four vocalists: brothers Nick and Drew Lachey, Justin Jeffre, and Jeff Timmons. The group was formed by Timmons in Los Angeles, California....
, was the second single released from the album. The song peaked atop the chart in the US, becoming Carey's fifteenth song to do so, and achieved moderate international charting. The next two singles, "Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme)
Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme)
"Can't Take That Away " is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released by Columbia Records on June 6, 2000, and was written by Carey and Diane Warren, and produced by Carey and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis for Carey's seventh studio album Rainbow . It was released as the album's...
and "Crybaby
Crybaby (song)
"Crybaby" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released on July 20, 2000 by Columbia Records as a double A-side with "Can't Take That Away ". It was written by Carey and Snoop Dogg, and produced by the former and Damizza for Carey's seventh studio album, Rainbow...
"—featuring Snoop Dogg—were released as a double A-side. The songs were at the center of a public feud in between Carey and Sony due to Sony's alleged weak promotion of the singles. Carey's cover of Phil Collins
Phil Collins
Philip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist....
"Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)
Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)
"Against All Odds " is a song by British singer Phil Collins recorded for soundtrack to the 1984 film of the same name. It is a power ballad in which its protagonist implores an ex-lover to "take a look at me now", knowing that reconciliation is "against all odds" while considering it worth trying...
" was released in Europe, topping the charts in Ireland and becoming Carey's second chart topper in the United Kingdom.
Background
Since her debut in 1990, Carey's career was heavily calculated and controlled by her husband and head of her label Sony Music EntertainmentSony 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....
, Tommy Mottola
Tommy Mottola
Thomas Daniel "Tommy" Mottola is an American music executive, co-owner of Casablanca Records in a joint venture with the Universal Music Group. He is the ex-husband of Mariah Carey and is married to Mexican singer Thalía...
. For years, Carey's albums had consisted of slow and meaningful ballads, devoid of any guest appearances or 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...
. In January 1995, as she recorded Daydream, Carey began taking more control over her musical style and genre influences. She enlisted the production skills and 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”...
styles of 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...
, who was featured on the remix of her song "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...
". While Mottola was hesitant at first, Carey's influence paid off: the song became an international chart topper, with critics calling their joint performance one of the pioneering songs of pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
musical collaborations.
During the recording and production of Carey's Butterfly in 1997, the couple separated, leaving Carey an extended amount of control over the unfinished album. Following their separation, Carey began working with younger hip-hop and R&B producers and songwriters, aside from her usual work with balladeers 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...
and Kenneth Edmonds. While the album incorporated several different genres and components that were not present in Carey's previous releases, Butterfly also included a balance of her classic ballads and newer R&B-infused jams. While Sony accepted Carey's new collaborations with writers and producers such as P. Diddy and Bone Thugs-n-Harmony
Bone Thugs-n-Harmony
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony is an American Hip-Hop/R'n'B band from Cleveland, Ohio formed in 1991. It originally consisted of rappers Layzie Bone, Flesh-n-Bone, Bizzy Bone, Krayzie Bone, and Wish Bone. Rapper Eazy-E of the group N.W.A signed Bone Thugs-N-Harmony to Ruthless Records in 1994, when Bone...
, they contiunued to focus their promotion on the ballads. After "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...
", the debut single from Butterfly, was released in September 1997, Sony halted the release of the succeeding R&B-influenced jams, and released the ballad "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...
" as the second worldwide single. Rainbow followed in its predecessors' footsteps, becoming even more drenched in modern hip-hop and R&B.
Writing and recording
During the spring of 1999, Carey began working on the final album of her record contract with Sony, her ex-husband's label. Carey's lover at the time, Luis MiguelLuis Miguel
Luis Miguel Gallego Basteri is a Mexican singer. He is widely known only by the name Luis Miguel and is often referred to as "El Sol de México"...
, was in the midst of a European tour. In order to spend more time with him, she opted to record the album on the secluded island of Capri
Capri
Capri is an Italian island in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrentine Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples, in the Campania region of Southern Italy...
, Italy, figuring the seclusion would also help her complete the album sooner. During this time, Carey's strained relationship with Sony affected her work with writing partner Afanasieff, who had worked extensively with Carey throughout the first half of her career. Aside from their growing creative differences, Mottola had given Afanasieff more opportunities to work with other artists. She felt Mottola was trying to separate her from Afanasieff, in hopes of keeping their relationship permanently strained. Due to the pressure and the awkward relationship Carey had now developed with Sony, she completed the album in a period of three months in the summer of 1999, quicker than any of her other albums. In an interview with Blitz TV, Carey spoke of her decision to record the album in Capri:
I love New York. But if I'm there, I want to go out, friends come to the studio, the phone rings constantly. But in Capri, I am in a remote place, and there is no one I can run into. I felt that in Capri I would be able to effectively finish the album on a shorter schedule. And I did. I made it in three months, I was like 'Get me off this label'! I couldn't take it. The situation there [Sony] was becoming increasingly difficult.
Like her previous releases, Carey co-wrote and co-produced the album's material, working with several hip-hop and R&B producers such as Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
, Terry Lewis
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III and Terry Steven Lewis are an American R&B and pop-music songwriting and record production team...
, Usher
Usher (entertainer)
Usher Terry Raymond IV , who performs under the mononym Usher, is an American singer-songwriter, and actor. He is considered around the world to be the reigning King of R&B. Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100...
, Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
, Missy Elliott
Missy Elliott
Melissa 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...
, 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 :...
, and Brian Michael Cox. For the album's debut single release, Carey collaborated with Jay-Z and DJ Clue. During the spring of 1999, Carey began working with Clue on several hooks
Hook (music)
A hook is a musical idea, often a short riff, passage, or phrase, that is used in popular music to make a song appealing and to "catch the ear of the listener". The term generally applies to popular music, especially rock music, hip hop, dance music, and pop. In these genres, the hook is often...
and melodies for the lead single. After a few hours, they decided to include a hip-hop star on the track, which eventually led to Jay-Z. Carey's longtime friend and back-up vocalist Trey Lorenz
Trey Lorenz
Trey Lorenz is an African American singer and songwriter. He was born in Florence, South Carolina and is a graduate of Wilson High School.-Biography:...
, who was featured on her remake of the Jackson 5 song "I'll Be There", added "some soft male [back-up] vocals." Carey worked with Lewis and Jam on the ballad "Thank God I Found You
Thank God I Found You
"Thank God I Found You" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It features guest vocals from R&B singer Joe and American boy band 98 Degrees. Written and produced by Carey along with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the song was released on January 25, 2000, through Columbia...
". She had already been in the studio with the duo several times when she contacted them to meet her at the studio, where she told them that she had come up with the title, hook, and melody. Usually, when Carey was writing the songs for Rainbow, James "Big Jim" Wright would play the organ or piano and assist Carey to find the "right melody." However, since Wright was not present, Lewis played the organ while Carey directed him with her lower registers
Vocal range
Vocal range is the measure of the breadth of pitches that a human voice can phonate. Although the study of vocal range has little practical application in terms of speech, it is a topic of study within linguistics, phonetics, and speech and language pathology, particularly in relation to the study...
, providing the chord progression
Chord progression
A chord progression is a series of musical chords, or chord changes that "aims for a definite goal" of establishing a tonality founded on a key, root or tonic chord. In other words, the succession of root relationships...
. They composed the song and recorded Carey's vocals. Knowing she wanted to introduce a male vocalist on the track, Lewis brought R&B singer Joe
Joe (singer)
Joseph Lewis Thomas , usually credited simply as Joe, is an American R&B singer and record producer.-Early life:Joe is a native of Cuthbert, Georgia and later moved to Opelika, Alabama. The son of two preachers, Joe spent much time in church singing, playing guitar, and even directing the choir...
and pop group 98 Degrees
98 Degrees
98 Degrees is an American adult contemporary boy band consisting of four vocalists: brothers Nick and Drew Lachey, Justin Jeffre, and Jeff Timmons. The group was formed by Timmons in Los Angeles, California....
into the studio. After a few hours, the group and Joe had recorded all their vocals and the song was complete. In an interview with Bronson, Lewis discussed the night Carey wrote "Thank God I Found You":
It all happened that night. She told us the title of the song, the concept and sang us the melody. We usually have Big Jim Wright sit in on those kind of sessions to work out the chords. he wasn't there so I had to work on the chord myself. So I was playing and there was a part where I said 'Man, what chord am I supposed to do here?' and Mariah has such a good ear that she sang me the chord.
While the album was immersed further into mainstream R&B territory, Carey included some of her classic ballads and tender love songs on the album, working with writers and producers such as David Foster
David Foster
David Walter Foster, OC, OBC , is a Canadian musician, record producer, composer, singer, songwriter, and arranger, noted for discovering singers such as Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, and Charice Pempengco; and for producing some of the most successful artists in the world, such as Céline Dion, Toni...
and Diane Warren
Diane Warren
Diane Eve Warren , is a US songwriter. Her songs have received six Academy Award nominations, five Golden Globe nominations, including one win and seven Grammy Award nominations, including one win. She was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2001...
. The idea to work with Warren was suggested by Foster, who thought that the two would be able to "hammer out one hell of a ballad" together. The two wrote and produced the song titled "After Tonight". Carey felt the song was a perfect metaphor for her relationship with Miguel, describing their romance in Capri. While the song was deemed a success by both parties, they described their working relationship with mixed feelings. According to Foster, who was involved in the writing session, Carey and Warren would not always agree on the lyrics and melodious structure of the song. He described it as a "give and take relationship"; Warren would offer lyrics and Carey would not like them; she wanted something more intricate and detailed. Carey would produce a hook or lyrics that Warren did not feel were a perfect fit. In the end, Foster felt that they worked "well together". After recording the song, Carey invited Miguel to record the song with her as a duet. However, after recording his verses several times, Foster and Carey realized that the song would not turn out the way they planned. Foster said the song's key was "too high for him"; the voices did not harmonize well. Carey did not have time to re-record her vocals in a lower key to accommodate Miguel's verses. Miguel, furious over the failed collaboration, later sent a cut-up tape of the demo to Foster. Carey, Warren, and Foster also wrote "Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme)
Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme)
"Can't Take That Away " is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released by Columbia Records on June 6, 2000, and was written by Carey and Diane Warren, and produced by Carey and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis for Carey's seventh studio album Rainbow . It was released as the album's...
", one of the other ballads featured on Rainbow.
Music and lyrics
As with Butterfly, songs for Rainbow were chosen to solidify Carey's reputation as a multi-genre artist. Throughout the first phase of her career, Carey's albums predominantly consisted of pop and adult contemporary ballads. Rainbow mixed hip hop and R&B-flavored upbeat songs with softer and lyrically intense ballads resembling those that Carey had previously recorded. "HeartbreakerHeartbreaker (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...
", Carey's first collaboration with Jay-Z, used a sample from "Attack of the Name Game", recorded by Stacy Lattisaw
Stacy Lattisaw
Stacy Lattisaw is an American R&B, dance, and gospel singer. Since the 1990s, she has exclusively sung gospel music, as a callback to her Christian roots.-Career:...
, as its hook. The loop originated from "The Name Game" by Shirley Ellis
Shirley Ellis
Shirley Ellis is an American soul music singer and songwriter of West Indian origin. She is best known for her novelty hits "The Nitty Gritty" , "The Name Game" and "The Clapping Song"...
; Ellis and co-writer Lincoln Chase
Lincoln Chase
Lincoln R. Chase was an African-American songwriter and occasional recording artist. As a writer, his most notable songs were "Such a Night", "Jim Dandy", and several of Shirley Ellis' hits in the early 1960s including "The Name Game" and "The Clapping Song".-Career:He studied at the American...
are credited as songwriters on the track. Carey incorporated the hook into the song's melody, and added instrumentation. Lyrically, the song chronicles the heartbreak the protagonist feels after learning of her lover's infidelity. "Thank God I Found You
Thank God I Found You
"Thank God I Found You" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It features guest vocals from R&B singer Joe and American boy band 98 Degrees. Written and produced by Carey along with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the song was released on January 25, 2000, through Columbia...
" features vocals from Joe and 98 Degrees, as well as songwriting and production from Carey and Lewis. According to Carey, the song reflects on events in her own life at the time, with the lyrics describing the completion the protagonist feels after "finding" their lover. Joe provides the main male vocal throughout each verse, and 98 Degrees sing the background vocals and the bridge
Bridge (music)
In music, especially western popular music, a bridge is a contrasting section which also prepares for the return of the original material section...
.
Prior to the album's recording, Carey and her sister Allison had a falling out in their relationship. Allison had contracted AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
in 1995, and she blamed Carey for many of her problems and heartbreaks throughout the years. Her children were taken away while she received treatment for AIDS and for mental health issues. Carey wrote a song titled "Petals", which she describes as the most honest lyrics she has ever written. The song tells of Carey's feelings for her sister, while illustrating the pain Allison's betrayal and suffering have caused. In an interview with Bronson, Carey described the meaning of the lyrics of "Petals":
It is a great outlet for me to go into the studio and write a song like 'Petals', which is one of my most personal songs and remains on of my favorites. I think [it had the most] honest lyrics I've ever written. The song chronicles a lot of past emotions I've felt to certain people close to me, and the way I feel towards them and how their actions have impacted me personally. For that reason, I sang in my lower registers, trying to add that breathy effect to go hand in hand with the song's composition.
"After Tonight" was a song Carey wrote with David Foster and Diane Warren. Carey had strong feelings about the song, as she wrote it about her relationship with Luis Miguel. The song was compared instrumentally to "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...
" from Butterfly, which features traces of Latin and guitar instrumentation. In the lyrics, the protagonist asks her lover if he will still love her and come back to her "after tonight." Carey's cover of the Phil Collins
Phil Collins
Philip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist....
song "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)
Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)
"Against All Odds " is a song by British singer Phil Collins recorded for soundtrack to the 1984 film of the same name. It is a power ballad in which its protagonist implores an ex-lover to "take a look at me now", knowing that reconciliation is "against all odds" while considering it worth trying...
" was originally intended to be a solo ballad. The song was re-done after the album was released, with music by the Irish band Westlife
Westlife
Westlife are an Irish boy band established on 3 July 1998. They are to disband in 2012. The group's line-up was Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Shane Filan, and Brian McFadden . The group are the only act in British and Irish history to have their first seven singles peak at number one...
replacing the song's instrumental bridge. "Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme)
Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme)
"Can't Take That Away " is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released by Columbia Records on June 6, 2000, and was written by Carey and Diane Warren, and produced by Carey and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis for Carey's seventh studio album Rainbow . It was released as the album's...
" was one of the album's most uplifting ballads, lyrically serving as an anthem for fans and listeners. The message, Carey said, was a personal theme of hers growing up, of not letting others "bring her down" and not allowing them to take away the light inside her.
Conflict with Sony
As with Butterfly two years earlier, Rainbow became the center of conflict between Carey and her label. After her divorce from Sony record official and Columbia CEO Tommy Mottola, Carey's working relationship with the label deteriorated. She intended for "Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme)" to be the third single from Rainbow, as it held very personal lyrical content. However, Sony made it clear that they intended the third single should be a more upbeat and urban track. The difference in opinion led to a very public feud, as Carey began posting messages on her webpage in early and mid-2000, telling fans inside information on the dispute, as well as instructing them to request "Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme)" on radio stations. One of the messages Carey left on her page read:
Basically, a lot of you know the political situation in my professional career is not positive. It's been really, really hard. I don't even know if this message is going to get to you because I don't know if they want you to hear this. I'm getting a lot of negative feedback from certain corporate people. But I am not willing to give up.
Carey's actions were given mixed reception, with critics and executives commending her bold actions regarding a song she felt needed to be heard, while others criticized her for publicizing the dispute further. Soon after, Sony stripped Carey's webpage of messages and began negotiations. Fearing to lose their label's highest seller and the best-selling artist of the decade, Sony chose to release the song. Carey, initially content with the agreement, soon found out that the song had only been given a very limited and low-promotion release, which meant the song failed to chart on the official US chart, and made international charting extremely difficult and unlikely.
Critical reception
Rainbow garnered mixed to positive reviews from contemporary music critics. The album's main criticism was its lack of originality, as it failed to improve upon her previous opus, Butterfly. Stephen Thomas ErlewineStephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...
from Allmusic awarded the album three out of five stars, complimenting it as "the first Carey album where she's written personal lyrics, and allusions to her separation from Mottola." He called the lyrics "true" and "deep", but criticized the lack of originality. Erlewine alluded to Rainbow as "ballad-heavy" and "repetitious", writing how the album followed the formula of Carey's previous album too precisely. Erlewine ended his review on a mixed note, writing "Rainbow proves that she can still pull off that difficult balancing act, but it's hard not to be a little disappointed that she'd didn't shake the music up a little bit more – after all, it would have been a more effective album if the heartbreak, sorrow, and joy that bubbles underneath the music were brought to the surface."
Arion Berger, an editor from Rolling Stone
Rolling 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...
, also gave the album three out of five stars. He felt Rainbow was a genuine R&B and hip-hop album, calling it a "sterling chronicle of the state of accessible hip-hop balladeering at the close of 1999." Aside from calling the some off the ballads "banal", Berger concluded his review with "Rainbow is at its best—and Carey at her most comfortable—when urbane hip-hop stylings and faux R&B coexist in smooth middle-of-the-road harmony." 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...
of 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...
gave the album a double honorable mention , writing "[It's] Not a 'real' r&b thrush, but good enough to fake it." Amy Linden from Vibe was unimpressed with the album, writing "I don't care about it anymore." While complimenting the album's genre influences and featured musical guests, Linden felt Rainbow was not original. She concluded her review with "'Rainbow' will garner her even more adoration. As for me? I'll be okay." Danyel Smith 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 Rainbow a B+, and concluded "what began on Butterfly as a departure ends up on Rainbow a progression – perhaps the first compelling proof of Carey's true colors as an artist." Elysa Gardner from the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
gave Rainbow three and a half out of four stars. She complimented the album's strong blend of breezy R&B cuts, as well as the lyrically, vocally, and melodically strong ballads. "Exhibiting an emotional authority to match her technical prowess, Carey gives us a vision of love that's dynamic without being ostentatious," she wrote. Steve Jones from USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
gave Rainbow three out of four stars, calling it "colorful" and "some of her most compelling work."
Commercial performance
Rainbow debuted at number two on the Billboard 200Billboard 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...
chart with 323,000 units sold, the highest first-week sales of Carey's career at that time. In its second week, the album stayed at number two, selling an additional 228,000 copies, barred from the top by Faith Hill
Faith Hill
Faith Hill is an American country singer. She is known both for her commercial success and her marriage to fellow country star Tim McGraw. Hill has sold more than 40 million records worldwide and accumulated eight number-one singles and three number-one albums on the U.S...
's Breathe
Breathe (Faith Hill album)
-Personnel:*Faith Hill: Vocal*Dennis Wilson, Gene Miller, Stephanie Bentley, Lisa Bevill, Bekka Bramlett, Chris Rodriguez, Kim Parent, Lisa Cochran: Vocal Backing*Jerry McPherson, B...
. In its eighth week, Rainbow experienced its highest weekly sales—during the Christmas week of 1999—selling 369,000 copies, while placing at number nine. It became Carey's first studio album since 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...
(1994) to not reach the top position in the United States. In total, Rainbow stayed in the top twenty for ten weeks and on the chart for thirty-five, making one re-entry. It was certified triple-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 three million copies throughout the continent. 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...
, the album's sales in the US are estimated at over 2,946,000 copies, not including sales from BMG music clubs. In Canada, Rainbow debuted at number two on the Canadian Albums Chart
Canadian Albums Chart
The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS...
, and was certified double-platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association
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...
(CRIA). Sales in Canada are estimated at over 300,000 units.
Rainbow debuted at number three on the Australian Albums Chart
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...
, staying within the chart for seven weeks. The album was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association
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...
(ARIA), denoting shipments of over 35,000 copies. In France, the album experienced strong success, debuting atop the albums chart and remaining inside the top forty for thirty-four weeks. The album was certified platinum by the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique
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...
(SNEP), with estimated sales of over 813,000 copies. In Germany, Rainbow peaked at number three, and received a platinum certification from the Bundesverband Musikindustrie
Bundesverband Musikindustrie
The Bundesverband Musikindustrie or simply BVMI represents the music industry in Germany. The association represents the interests of nearly 350 labels and music industry related enterprises....
(BVMI), denoting shipments of over 500,000 units. The album's success in the United Kingdom was limited; it debuted at number eight and stayed within the top 100 for four weeks. Rainbow was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry
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...
(BPI), denoting shipments of over 100,000 units. Additionally, Rainbow received a platinum certification in Brazil, New Zealand, and Spain, and a gold certification in Argentina, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. Throughout Europe, Rainbow shipped in excess of two million units, and was certified platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI).
Singles
Five singles were released from Rainbow; two were worldwide international releases and three were limited promotional releases. "Heartbreaker", the album's first worldwide release, became Carey's fourteenth chart topper in the United States. Aside from staying atop the US chart for two weeks, the song reached the chart's summit in Canada and New Zealand. Elsewhere, "Heartbreaker" achieved high charting, peaking within the top five in France and the United Kingdom, and within the top ten in Australia, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, and Switzerland. The song received mixed reviews from critics. Arion berger from Rolling Stone called the song Carey's "most insinuating: nasal, silken, declarative, riding the percolating beat." However, while dismissing some of the song's vocals and the incorporation of the hook, he complimented its marriage of pop and hip-hop through Jay-Z's verses. Robert Christgau named the song one of his favorites from Rainbow, calling it "real R&B." The song's music video became one of the most expensive music videos of all time, costing an estimated $2.5 million. The video features Carey visiting a movie theater with her friends, where she finds her lover with another woman. "Thank God I Found You" was released as the second worldwide single from the album. While becoming Carey's fifteenth chart topper in the US, the song achieved moderate chart success in Europe and other territories. Berger called it a "gospel soar" and complimented Carey's vocals, as well as the harmonies by 98 Degrees. The music video features footage from a live concert with Carey and the band performing the song."Crybaby
Crybaby (song)
"Crybaby" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released on July 20, 2000 by Columbia Records as a double A-side with "Can't Take That Away ". It was written by Carey and Snoop Dogg, and produced by the former and Damizza for Carey's seventh studio album, Rainbow...
" and "Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme)" were released simultaneously as a double A-side, with very limited promotion from Sony. These two songs, especially the latter, became the center of a very public controversy between Carey and her label, due to their alleged low promotion of the album. "Crybaby" was chosen as one of the album's top songs by Christgau, who called it the album's best attempt at R&B. Carey and Snoop Dogg were featured in the music video for "Crybaby", with Carey playing an anxious woman who can't sleep at night due to her lover's infidelity. A music video for "Can't Take That Away" was released around the same time, which features Carey on a rooftop garden. Carey sings during a rain storm, and towards the video's conclusion, the sun arises, bring forth a "new day". The final single from Rainbow, "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)", was given a limited release as well. After performing moderately around the world, a new version of the song, featuring Westlife
Westlife
Westlife are an Irish boy band established on 3 July 1998. They are to disband in 2012. The group's line-up was Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Shane Filan, and Brian McFadden . The group are the only act in British and Irish history to have their first seven singles peak at number one...
, was released in Ireland and the United Kingdom. It became successful there, peaking at number one in both territories, and became Carey's second UK chart topper. The song's video features Carey and Westlife on a boat in Capri. Scenes of the group exploring the island are cut with scenes of them in the studio, though Carey never re-recorded her vocals from the original version.
Promotion
Prior to the album's release, Carey made an appearance on Pavarotti & Friends for Guatemala and KosovoPavarotti & Friends for Guatemala and Kosovo
Pavarotti & Friends for Guatemala and Kosovo is a compilation album by Luciano Pavarotti, with each track featuring a different artist. This album was captured live from the Parco Novi Sad, Modena, June 1, 1999 in the presence of 1992 Nobel peace prize winner, Rigoberta Menchu Tum.- Track listing...
, performing "My All" and "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...
" alongside Luciano Pavarotti
Luciano Pavarotti
right|thumb|Luciano Pavarotti performing at the opening of the Constantine Palace in [[Strelna]], 31 May 2003. The concert was part of the celebrations for the 300th anniversary of [[St...
in a live duet. The concert benefit was filmed live in Modena
Modena
Modena is a city and comune on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy....
, Italy, during the summer of 1999 and was released for sale on September 21, with funds being donated to relief efforts for natural disasters in Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
and Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
. Carey made several live television and award show appearances at this time, and recorded her own Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
special, titled The Mariah Carey Homecoming Special. A mini-concert filmed at Carey's old high school in Huntington, New York, the special aired on Fox on December 21, 1999. Carey performed "Heartbreaker" and its accompanying remix at the MTV European Music Awards, held on November 11, 1999, in Dublin, Ireland. Additionally, the song was performed on The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
, the British music chart program Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
, and The Today Show, which included a performance of "Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme)" and "Hero". "Thank God I Found You was performed live at the 2000 American Music Awards
American Music Awards of 2000
The 27th Annual American Music Awards were held on January 17, 2000....
as well as on several European programs, including Top of the Pops and Friday Night's All Wright
Ian Wright
Ian Edward Wright, MBE is a retired English footballer turned television and radio personality.Wright enjoyed success with London clubs Crystal Palace and Arsenal, spending six years with the former and seven years with the latter. With Arsenal he has lifted the Premier League title and both major...
in the United Kingdom, NRJ
NRJ Radio
NRJ French multimedia group based in Paris. Since its foundation in 1981 as a French pop music radio station it has grown and evolved to become the NRJ Group...
and Soulier d'Or in France, Wetten, dass..?
Wetten, dass..?
Wetten, dass..? is a long-running German-language entertainment television show. It is the most successful Saturday television show in Europe...
in Germany, and Quelli che... il Calcio
Quelli che... il Calcio
Quelli che... Il Calcio is the title of an Italian entertainment television show. This sport show is broadcasted by Rai Due on Sunday afternoons during the period of activity of the Italian Football Championship, including comments about the matches and some live footage from the series A.- Source...
in Italy. The album's final two releases, "Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme)" and "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)", were performed on The View and at the 2000 Blockbuster Entertainment Awards.
In order to promote Rainbow, Carey embarked of her fourth headlining and third worldwide tour. Titled the Rainbow World Tour
Rainbow World Tour
The Rainbow World Tour was a worldwide arena concert tour in the year 2000 by American R&B artist Mariah Carey.-History:Carey had released her ninth album Rainbow in November 1999 and decided to go on tour to promote it. Unlike her previous outing, the Butterfly World Tour, marked Carey's first...
, it included nineteen shows: six in Europe, four in Asia, and nine in the United States. For Carey's previous two tours, she had only visited Europe and Asia, due to the mixed reception of her debut stateside tour
Music Box Tour
The Music Box Tour was a 1993 concert tour by American R&B singer Mariah Carey.-History:This was Carey's first tour. She had not done a lot of public singing in her early years in the music industry and she had become a big star with two top-selling albums and five number one singles before she...
in 1993. However, after achieving record-breaking ticket sales throughout Asia and instant sellouts in Europe, Carey felt secure enough to once again tour her native country. The set list
Set list
A set list, or setlist, is a document that lists the songs that a band or musical artist intends to play, or has played, during a specific concert performance...
featured songs from most of Carey's previous studio albums, as well as some tracks from Rainbow. Missy Elliott
Missy Elliott
Melissa 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...
and Da Brat
Da Brat
Shawntae Harris , better known as Da Brat, is an American rapper and actress. Her debut album, Funkdafied, sold one million copies, making her the first female rapper to have a platinum-selling album.-Early life:...
served as opening acts for the US leg of the tour. Ticket sales were very strong; the entire US leg sold out in a matter of days. The Asian and European leg mirrored the commercial success of her previous two tours. Reviews for the tour varied from positive to mixed. Some critics and fans reproached her of having a "tired and hoarse voice", while others commented on Carey's choice of wardrobe. Several critics and many concert-goers praised the tour, calling it an intense celebration of Carey's career.
Track listing
Bonus tracksPersonnel
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, songwriting, background vocals - David FosterDavid FosterDavid Walter Foster, OC, OBC , is a Canadian musician, record producer, composer, singer, songwriter, and arranger, noted for discovering singers such as Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, and Charice Pempengco; and for producing some of the most successful artists in the world, such as Céline Dion, Toni...
– keyboard, songwriting - Diane WarrenDiane WarrenDiane Eve Warren , is a US songwriter. Her songs have received six Academy Award nominations, five Golden Globe nominations, including one win and seven Grammy Award nominations, including one win. She was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2001...
– songwriting - Narada Michael WaldenNarada Michael WaldenNarada Michael Walden is an American producer, drummer, singer, and songwriter. He was given the name Narada by guru Sri Chinmoy in the early 1970s and his musical career spans three decades, in which he was awarded several gold, platinum and multi-platinum awards...
– guitars, programming - Bryan-Michael Cox – bass, keyboards
- Jermaine DupriJermaine DupriJermaine Dupri Mauldin , known as Jermaine Dupri or JD, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper.- Early life and career :...
– programming, percussion - James "Big Jim" Wright – keyboard, bass
- Terry LewisJimmy Jam and Terry LewisJames Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III and Terry Steven Lewis are an American R&B and pop-music songwriting and record production team...
– synthesizers, keyboards, rhythm programming - James Harris III – synthesizers
- Trey LorenzTrey LorenzTrey Lorenz is an African American singer and songwriter. He was born in Florence, South Carolina and is a graduate of Wilson High School.-Biography:...
– background vocals - Cindy Mizelle – 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, producer
- David Foster – arranger, producer
- Diane Warren – arranger
- Jermaine Dupri – arranger, producer
- Narada Michael Walden – producer
- Terry Lewis – arranger, producer
- James Harris – producer
- Bryan-Michael Cox – producer
- Melissa Elliott – producer
- Calvin Broadus – producer
- Shawn Carter – producer
- DJ ClueDJ ClueErnesto Shaw better known as DJ Clue?, is a mixtape DJ.-Biography:For more than 10 years, DJ Clue has proven that he is more than just a beat-thumper. His accomplishments show how a turntable genius precisely puts together different songs to make a concoction of beats and melodies that rule the...
– arranger, producer
Charts
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart 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... |
4 |
| Austrian Albums Chart | 4 |
| Belgian Flandres Albums Chart Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... |
14 |
| Belgian Wallonia Albums Chart Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... |
5 |
| Canadian Albums Chart Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
2 |
| Dutch Albums Chart MegaCharts MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top... |
4 |
| European Albums Chart | 1 |
| Finnish Albums Chart | 2 |
| French Albums Chart 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... |
1 |
| German Albums Chart 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... |
3 |
| Italian Albums Chart Federation of the Italian Music Industry The Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy.... |
10 |
| Japanese Albums Chart Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc... |
2 |
| Malaysian Albums Chart | 3 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart 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... |
11 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
9 |
| Spanish Albums Chart | 7 |
| Swedish Albums Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
15 |
| Swiss Albums Chart 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... |
2 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
8 |
| US 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... |
2 |
| US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
2 |
End of year charts
| End of year chart (1999) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart | 71 |
| Belgian Flandres Albums Chart | 85 |
| Belgian Wallonia Albums Chart | 48 |
| Dutch Albums Chart | 97 |
| French Albums Chart | 5 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 157 |
| End of year chart (2000) | Position |
| Belgian Flandres Albums Chart | 89 |
| Belgian Wallonia Albums Chart | 51 |
| French Albums Chart | 67 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 98 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 31 |
Certifications
| Country (provider) | Certification (sales thresholds) |
|---|---|
| Argentina (CAPIF) | 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... ) |
Gold |
| Belgium (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 :... ) |
Platinum |
| 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... ) |
2× Platinum |
| Europe (IFPI) | 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... ) |
Platinum |
| Germany (BVMI Bundesverband Musikindustrie The Bundesverband Musikindustrie or simply BVMI represents the music industry in Germany. The association represents the interests of nearly 350 labels and music industry related enterprises.... ) |
Platinum |
| 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... ) |
Platinum |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE) | Platinum |
| Switzerland (IFPI) | Gold |
| 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... ) |
Gold |
| 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... ) |
3× Multi-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 | "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... " (featuring Jay-Z Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010... ) |
1 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 7 | 5 |
|
| 2000 | "Thank God I Found You Thank God I Found You "Thank God I Found You" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It features guest vocals from R&B singer Joe and American boy band 98 Degrees. Written and produced by Carey along with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the song was released on January 25, 2000, through Columbia... " (featuring 98 Degrees 98 Degrees 98 Degrees is an American adult contemporary boy band consisting of four vocalists: brothers Nick and Drew Lachey, Justin Jeffre, and Jeff Timmons. The group was formed by Timmons in Los Angeles, California.... ) |
1 | 1 | 27 | 2 | 28 | 28 | 24 | 34 | 17 | 10 |
|
| "Crybaby Crybaby (song) "Crybaby" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released on July 20, 2000 by Columbia Records as a double A-side with "Can't Take That Away ". It was written by Carey and Snoop Dogg, and produced by the former and Damizza for Carey's seventh studio album, Rainbow... " (featuring Snoop Dogg Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school... ) |
28 | 23 | — | 4 | — | — | 27 | — | — | — | ||
| "Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme) Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme) "Can't Take That Away " is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released by Columbia Records on June 6, 2000, and was written by Carey and Diane Warren, and produced by Carey and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis for Carey's seventh studio album Rainbow . It was released as the album's... " |
— | — | — | — | — | 45 | — | — | — | |||
| "Against All Odds" | — | — | — | — | 18 | 29 | 27 | — | 20 | — | ||
| "Against All Odds" (featuring Westlife Westlife Westlife are an Irish boy band established on 3 July 1998. They are to disband in 2012. The group's line-up was Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Shane Filan, and Brian McFadden . The group are the only act in British and Irish history to have their first seven singles peak at number one... ) |
— | — | 52 | — | — | — | 29 | — | — | 1 |
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... : Silver |
|
| "—" denotes a title that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||