Mariah's back in a big way
Reversing the trajectory of 15 No. 1 pop hits, the back-to-back bombs of 2001's Glitter and 2002's Charmbracelet sent Mariah Carey's meteoric career into a deep crater. The singer has not only climbed out, but she also has climbed up to her '90s peaks.
We Belong Together, Carey's 16th No. 1, reached record-setting radio audiences and is atop Nielsen BDS' national airplay chart for the eighth week. It's driving sales of The Emancipation of Mimi, No. 4 in Billboard after selling 2.3 million copies since April 12.
That's quite a rise from the Glitter gutter. The panned soundtrack sold 605,000 copies, piddling compared with 7.1 million for 1993's Music Box or 7.5 million for 1995's Daydream, according to Nielsen SoundScan. After Glitter tanked, EMI bought out Carey's contract, a lucrative but humiliating episode that further dimmed her star power.
Carey's remarkable rebound "is Houdini-like", says Joe Levy, Rolling Stone deputy managing editor. "It's rare enough to have a career that lasts 10 years in pop music, but once you've reached your peak, it's virtually impossible to get it back... even without such a spectacular failure."
The turnaround mostly is a result of the '70s and '80s soul and disco on Mimi, "a stronger, looser and more musical record than she's made in a very long time," Levy says. Crucial is its adult tone, achieved "by being musically substantial rather than dull or sappy".
Carey's revival also might owe to ducking the spotlight long enough to let flops fade and erase flashbacks of that infamous MTV striptease. "She was smart and went away for just the right period," says Zena Burns, Teen People's music editor. "She went to Capri and got her head together and got some peace. She's made classic songs that are part of the soundtrack of people's lives, so the public really wanted to welcome Mariah back. She did dig a deep hole. But Mariah is a survivor. Besides, the public forgives."
And it forgets. New fans "don't have to forgive Glitter", Levy says. "They didn't live through it." (USA Today)
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