For more than 30 years, Mariah Carey’s awe inspiring and jaw dropping vocals have hit heights again and again.

I remember when Mariah Carey first came onto the scene. I thought she was so beautiful, with her curly, bouncy hair, sparkly eyes, and big voice. When she hit those whistle notes, I was in awe because I had never heard a singer that could do that. The public was also quite taken with her, just as awed as I was with her vocal talent.

I didn’t realize it until I started writing this piece, but she’s been in our pop culture world for a little more than 30 years! She has released countless songs, some forgettable, some unmistakable, and has managed to stay mostly relevant.

Over the years, she’s had major highs and major lows in her career and personal life. She has become synonymous with the holiday season thanks to her hit “All I Want for Christmas Is You”. For some, that’s their favorite Carey song, but here’s my short list of favorites from the songstress.

“Vision of Love”

Album: Mariah Carey
Year: 1990

Released in 1990, “Vision of Love” is the song that introduced the world to Carey on her debut album. I think that releasing this song as her debut single was an excellent marketing tool. It shows the range and power of her vocals, along with her song writing skills. Not only that, but the sound was different from the other pop starlets at that time.

The song has a soulful feeling to it and is slightly reminisent of 50s doo-wop tunes, making it both nostalgic and modern (for the time). The song won at the ’91 Grammys for Best Female Pop Performance. Carey used this single to launch her career and made the world turn their heads in her direction.

“Dreamlover”

Album: Music Box
Year: 1993

“Dreamlover” is definitely one of Carey’s most well-known pop hits from the early 90s. In comparison to her debut album, which was more R&B, this song has a bouncy and upbeat style to it. For the most part, Carey was known for producing work that was soulful, so this song was pretty different.

The video was the biggest draw for me. It had a fun, carefree vibe to it. Carey frolicking in a field wearing the coolest 90s duds, looking so happy and gorgeous was everything to my little pre-teen heart. I so longed to be as cool as Mariah Carey, and to have as powerful of a voice.

“Anytime You Need a Friend”

Album: Music Box
Year: 1994

This song comes off the previous album, Music Box, but was released almost an entire year after “Dreamlover”. I love this song because of the gospel choir backing up Carey’s vocals, not like she needs backup. The lyrics, as well, tug at my heartstrings. Although this song was hailed as being awesome because it, again, shows the range of her voice, it didn’t do well on the charts. I imagine this is because it’s not pop, it’s definitely a gospel song, which kind of makes it the odd man out in her catalog.

This isn’t to say that “Anytime You Need a Friend” didn’t do well on the charts, it just didn’t perform in the same way that her other hits had. Carey was four years into her musical career at this point, and was months away from releasing “All I Want for Christmas Is You”, so it was a slight departure from what she had been putting out there.

“We Belong Together”

Album: The Emancipation of Mimi
Year: 2005

I know I took a big leap in years from the previous songs to this one, and that’s not to say that Carey didn’t have any good music during those years, but “We Belong Together” came at a time when people had started to dismiss Carey and her talent. It’s no lie that she had gone through some issues in the years before this hit, as well as starring in the movie Glitter, which was heavily dissed by critics and audiences.

“We Belong Together” brought Carey back to her R&B roots, and also proved that she could still sing, which had come into question. It’s a slow jam, the kind of song that’s played when someone’s heart is broken, and they’re trying to plead their case to their lost love. It’s a perfect combination of beats, lyrics, and Carey’s dramatic vocals. It also helped that the video starred then it-boy Wentworth Miller.

Fun Fact: My cat, Forrest, was my recent audience while attempting to sing this one. He wasn’t impressed, but he’s not impressed by much.

Honorable Mention

“Obsessed”

Who doesn’t love a good diss track? This song is about Carey’s tryst with Eminem, and thanks to that encounter, listeners got a true bop! My favorite lyrics from this one are:

But we never were
So why you trippin’?
You a mom and pop
I’m a corporation
I’m the press conference
You a conversation

Damn, lol.

“Hero”

I cringe to say this, but I performed this song at a talent show when I was in 7th grade; I did pretty well. This song is decently easy for a novice to sing, and at the time, there were some family troubles going on, so I was feeling the vibes with this one. It’s still good, if not embarrassing for me to listen to.

“One Sweet Day”

Carey collabed with Boyz II Men on this one. Still to this day, I can’t listen to it without crying. Who hasn’t lost a loved one and yearned for the day when we can be reunited with them? It gets me every time!

The Everlasting Mariah Carey