20 Classic Mariah Carey Songs Over The Years

Mariah Carey is a once-in-a-generation expertise whose highly effective voice and five-octave vary made her some of the profitable ‘90s artists and a expertise whose legend endures in the present day. She is thought for her love songs that showcase her distinctive model, and her best hits embody all the things from R&B to Christmas songs. Carey’s musical expertise was evident early in life, and by highschool, she was receiving music classes from her mom, who had skilled in classical opera. Carey carried out as a demo singer in highschool and launched her debut album at 21 years outdated. This listing of the most effective Mariah Carey songs consists of her best hits all through her decades-long profession.

Prime Mariah Carey Songs

Mariah Carey is a pop artist who has additionally dabbled in hip hop, soul and dance. After highschool, she signed with Columbia Data and Tommy Mottola, whom she later married. Her first album, Mariah Carey, hit No. 1, and she or he received two Grammys for it.

Carey has launched 15 studio albums. She received 4 extra Grammy awards in addition to 20 Billboard Music Awards and 19 World Music Awards. With “All I Need for Christmas,” she set a document in 2024 for the longest streak at No. 1 for a girl on the Billboard Sizzling 100. The songs on this listing have been chosen primarily based on industrial success, vocal achievement and important acclaim.

20. “Hero” (1993)

From Carey’s third album, Music Field, “Hero” was one in every of her most private early songs, encouraging individuals to see themselves as their very own heroes. Its distinctive hook helped Carey prime the Billboard charts for the eighth time, and Spotify says it stays one in every of its most-requested songs.

19. “A No No” (2018)

Carey’s early oeuvre is so spectacular that it’s troublesome to make room for her older hits, and she or he has a pair good ones, like this tune from her fifteenth album, Warning. “A No No” hit the highest 20 on the R&B charts, and the enjoyable beat offers it a handy guide a rough model completely different from lots of her early ballads.

18. “I Nonetheless Consider” (1999)

This cowl of the Brenda Ok. Starr unique appeared on Carey’s #1s album, and it hit No. 4 on the Billboard charts. Early in her profession, Carey was a backup singer for Starr. Within the music video directed by Brett Ratner, Carey attire up like Marilyn Monroe.

17. “Contact My Physique” (2008)

Carey doesn’t show her typical vocal vary on “Contact My Physique,” however she does present a playfulness and want that make the tune stand out. A single off the E=MC² album, “Physique” was Carey’s 18th tune to hit No. 1 on Billboard. She received a BET award for the video, once more directed by Ratner.

16. “Heartbreaker” (1999)

Jay-Z joined Carey for this single from Rainbow, which was her 14th No. 1 hit. The video famously featured Carey in a twin function as a blonde and brunette, showing with actor Jerry O’Connell. It marked a part of Carey’s transition to working with extra hip hop artists.

15. “Shake It Off” (2005)

Carey’s The Emancipation of Mimi album noticed her work with prime R&B artists and producers like Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox because the singer emerged from a painful divorce and a sequence of business flops. “Shake” hit No. 2 on Billboard, and Carey carried out it on Dick Clark’s New Yr’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest.

14. “Obsessed” (2009)

Let or not it’s identified that Mariah can clap again. The tune from the album Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel was a response to Eminem’s frequent verbal jabs over time. Mimi didn’t point out the rapper by identify, however she successfully dismissed his one-sided obsession. Critics liked her perspective if not her (pointless) use of Auto-Tune.

13. “It is a Wrap (Remix)” 2014

Mary J. Blige joined Carey on this remix of the latter’s 2009 tune from Memoirs. The breakup monitor garnered blended vital response, however the addition of Blige gave it new life, and the latter inspired Carey to recollect her personal energy. Later the tune went viral as a part of TikTok dance craze.

12. “Breakdown” (1997)

Carey loved experimenting as her profession blossomed, and this collaboration with Bone Thugs ‘N Concord was an unexpectedly robust hip hop tune that performed on the group’s massively profitable “Crossroads.” Carey nonetheless did some attribute belting on the finish, serving to the tune rise to No. 4 on Sizzling R&B Singles.

11. “#Stunning” (2013)

The lead single on Carey’s Me. I Am Mariah… The Elusive Chanteuse marked one other collab, this one with singer Miguel. The 2 had nice chemistry and earned raves from critics. It reached No. 3 on the Sizzling R&B Chart, and it earned a Teen Alternative Award nomination.

10. “Imaginative and prescient of Love” (1990)

Carey’s very first single confirmed the promise of issues to come back. The ingenue put it on her demo for Columbia, displaying off her spectacular whistle register and popularizing the melisma impact. The tune earned three Grammy nominations and two Soul Prepare Music Awards nods. It spent 4 weeks at No. 1.

9. “It is Like That” (2005)

One other single from Emancipation and one other Dupri collab, “It’s Like That” is an R&B/hip hop tune celebrating Carey’s hard-won independence and incomes her a Grammy nomination for finest feminine pop vocal efficiency. It marked Carey’s top-charting tune since 2001’s Loverboy and peaked at No. 16.

8. “At all times Be My Child” (1995)

This extraordinarily catchy ode to an ex-lover is usually talked about amongst Carey’s finest vocal performances, because it showcases her big vary. When the tune hit No. 1, Carey entered a tie with Madonna and Whitney Houston for many prime songs by a feminine singer. She earned a finest feminine R&B efficiency Grammy nod, too.

7. “We Belong Collectively” (2005)

One more Emancipation hit, “We Belong Collectively” cemented Carey’s comeback after a couple of down years. Billboard named it “Music of the Decade,” spending 14 weeks atop the charts and turning into Carey’s sixteenth No. 1 hit. It earned tune and album of the yr Grammy nods and received finest R&B tune and finest feminine R&B efficiency.

6. “Honey” (1997)

“Honey,” a launch from the album Butterfly, gave Carey a document three straight debuts atop the Billboard prime 100, a mark she held for greater than twenty years. The video marked her raciest effort but, and Carey earned Grammy nominations for finest R&B tune and finest R&B feminine vocal efficiency.

5. “Dreamlover” (1995)

This effort from Carey and producer Dave Corridor continued her transfer towards hip hop, with the singer performing an ode to her best lover. It was her seventh Billboard No. 1, a spot it held for eight weeks. It earned vital reward for being catchy and enjoyable.

4. “One Candy Day” (1995)

Some of the necessary ’90s songs, “One Candy Day” set a Billboard document by topping the charts for 16 straight weeks. Carey collaborated with Boyz II Males on the tune, which paid tribute to a pal who died of AIDS.

3. “Fantasy” (1995)

The lead single from Carey’s fifth album, Daydream, but once more highlights the singer’s vocal vary and skill. The singer carried out the tune on the American Music Awards and Britain’s Prime of the Pops, and it turned her second single to debut at No. 1, a spot she claimed for eight straight weeks.

2. “Feelings” (1991)

The discharge from Carey’s second album, additionally known as Feelings, sees Carey feeling each which means, prompting her to sing, “You’ve bought me feeling feelings.” The tune has tinges of gospel and even disco, and Carey enters the whistle register. She earned a finest feminine pop vocal Grammy nod and hit No. 1 on the chart.

1. “All I Need for Christmas” (1994)

May it have been another tune? The vocals of this commonplace make it some of the enduring songs of the final 50 years. It hops again on the Billboard charts each vacation and set a document for consecutive weeks at No. 1 in 2024, regardless of charting at simply No. 4 initially.

Backside Line

Mariah Carey has carried out a few of the most iconic songs of her lifetime. Whether or not you desire a heartfelt ballad, a breezy RnB tune or a hip hop-infused effort. Carey’s supply is like nobody else, and you’ll experience her lovely singing voice once you hearken to her best hits.