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Radio / over 40 (45,475) by John from USA Guys, I didn't say that radio never plays songs from women over 40. I just meant that it becomes much more of an uphill battle at that point. Cher managed to get a hit with "Believe" because, in my opinion, she got very lucky (right song at the right time). All subsequent songs from her have flopped at radio. Madonna's last radio hit was "4 Minutes" in 2008, but I believe that was mainly because of Justin Timberlake. "Gimme all your lovin" was a top 10 hit, but only due to strong downloads (I never heard that song on the radio). Again, not saying any of these women or Mariah can't have more hits after 40, but I think we can all agree that women over 40 have to work much harder. Doesn't make it right (because it's not), it just makes it so. (Monday 21 July 2014; 20:42)

Mariah (45,474) by RockyRoc from England What is with all this negativity, despite the album sales and media attention, we all know her third coming is on it's way, just sit back and relax, before you know it she's snatched all your wigs. I'll be damned if I'm wrong. (Monday 21 July 2014; 20:11)

Regarding heartbeat at end of One More Try (45,473) by Michele from USA If the album is sequenced like Mariah has said it is, then the miscarriage wouldn't fit in. My guess about the song is that it is Mariah's relationship with the music/record industry. Even though the song was written by George Michael, it could easily be something that Mariah would say to the record label. "I wrote the song, I know it's wrong, just let me go." The heartbeat could be reflective of back in February (which would fit in more with the sequencing) when Mariah had that contest where she said "I'm giving you my heart", and she gave away the necklace that Tommy gave to her when Vision Of Love went to Number One. It's like she was giving away a part of her that had been with her almost since day one, and by a very influential person in the music industry. And it's like, okay, let's give this one more try in the music industry with a different approach. (Monday 21 July 2014; 20:04)

The Truth from USA / really? (45,472) by Edward from USA The Truth from USA, I completely agree with you about Mariah getting a mentor who knows what he/she is doing and following that mentor with humility, but must I remind you that Madonna's album MDNA was bundled up with ticket sales for her concert that year, and that's why it debuted at #1? The week after its debut, MDNA experienced the biggest drop in sales since SoundScan began tracking sales. Madonna's last two top 10 hits were featuring the popular acts of the moment, Justin Timberlake and Nicki Minaj respectively. Madonna herself has complained that people always have to mention of her age. She has some of the best grossing tours, yet she cannot translate that into album sales. At least she still has her tours. Age is definitely against women in the music industry regardless of the quality of the music they produce. Every once in a blue moon an artist of age crack in Billboard Hot 100 top 20, like Cher did with "Believe". In the 80's females in their 40's were popping hits left and right. I'm not making excuses for Mariah lack of promotion and effort, but ageism is definitely a factor, that adding up to a very messy era, is not helping her at all. (Monday 21 July 2014; 18:01)

MIAM legacy (45,470) by Jono from USA So the sales of this album and the impact of its singles are very disappointing, but I'd rather have this than a Mariah that could have easily sold out and created songs that would have taken off at radio, but sacrifice her signature sound to appease the masses. As Kanye West said, "radio is not a place where I want to be right now". Missy hasn't made a record in years because she is so uninspired by what's "in". Mariah has openly criticized how everyone has hopped on the "techno" trend. The quality of pop is at its low point. These artists are not going to sell out just to sell. Of course we'd all like to see Mariah ruling the charts, but the fact that 24 years in to the game she releases one of her best records in a sprawling catalog is a true testament to this woman's genius. This is an artist's album for the fans. Not for the record company or the sales. Every legendary artist has had an album or two that wasn't commercially successful, but was a true representation of their artistic vision. That's hard to accomplish when you have record labels that only care about making money. As for YDKWTD, I truly thought it had potential to be a huge hit, because it has a such a throwback sound to the point where it actually sounds fresh. But as lambily's personal little gem, it's nice as well. Ever time I've played the song to new ears, my friends have loved it. I'm happy as long as I continue hearing music from Mariah. I no longer care about her sales. She has nothing left to prove. (Monday 21 July 2014; 17:36)

The Truth (45,469) by RadChad from United States Your post about Madonna is true, but that seems to be more of the exception than the rule. I can't speak for other regions, but I know I hardly ever hear Mariah's new music on radio and that's a huge problem as far as garnering the general public's attention. She needs radio and that's what has been the major issue since Obsessed and #Beautiful from my observation. (Monday 21 July 2014; 17:29)

Over 40 radio won't play (45,468) by Kyle from USA I disagree with the "over 40 is too old for a woman musician to be played on Top 40 radio". It makes me sick. Let's not forget Cher was 55 when "Believe" hit number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. And Madonna's MDNA album generated a top 10 single on the Hot 100 last year with "Give Me All Your Lovin' ". And she is 53. So, it is possible. Now, I also agree that marketing for these 40 plus women is key to success. There is a new generation they need to capture and they are "competing" with the likes of Katy Perry, Rhianna, etc, though I don't feel Mariah, Madonna and Cher are really "competing" against today's music "artists". These women are in a class all their own. I strongly believe we haven't seen the best from Mariah Carey. She is so creative and constantly writing. We haven't by far seen her last number one song. (Monday 21 July 2014; 17:04)

Over 40 taboo for women at radio? (45,467) by THE TRUTH from USA Hey John. Have we all forgotten that in 2012, Madonna at age 53 released MDNA which debuted at #1 on Billboard. "Give me your Lovin" off the aforementioned album garnered her 38th top ten single (at radio) and the associated tour was the largest grossing tour of the year, and the 10th highest grossing tour of all time. Let's stop making excuses for post 2001, celebrate her prior accomplishments which are legendary and unprecedented in scope, and accept that without a strong mentor and the humility to follow that mentor's direction there is not likely to be a bright future for MC at radio. (Monday 21 July 2014; 16:22)

E=MC2 (45,466) by John from USA I'm really enjoying all the love that E=MC2 is getting. E=MC2 and Slaydream are actually my two favorite Mariah albums of all time (MIAMETC and Music Box/Butterfly follow closely), and I have always felt that E=MC2 is one of her most commercial and polished records. I'm saddened to say that I truly think that E=MC2 was Mariah's last chance for an epic era. She had the TEOM afterglow, the general public was on her side, radio was playing her, and she looked absolutely amazing (probably the best she ever had). Not to mention that she hadn't yet crossed the line that is to enter into her 40s, which we know is taboo for radio airplay (for women, anyway). That era, in my opinion, was put in its grave too quickly due to lousy single choices and her getting married and falling off the face of the Earth. I love Mariah, and always will, but I still haven't gotten over that era. I'm not sure her career will ever recover from TEOM/early E=MC2 status. E=MC2 had everything going for it, and the hits were there. Such a damn missed opportunity. Just like MIAMTEC., but at least E=MC2 had a nice start, and was fun for us while it lasted. (Monday 21 July 2014; 15:27)

(45,465) by alec brown from united kingdom Hi, I am new to the message board but I have been coming on here for a long time to read everyone's views and some well most are true but does anyone else think Mariah Carey and George Michael should do a duet with Wale and re-release [...]? [Webmaster: Because you're new, I posted this message. Otherwise I would have deleted it, because you didn't follow my rules. Try to write understandable English, with the proper use of dots and capitals.] (Monday 21 July 2014; 6:04)

Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel (45,464) by TR from USA Continuing. When all those ballads came out of E=MC2 and failed to garner the attention WBT had, it pushed her back to where she was during the Charmbracelet era. Nobody was playing her. She came back solid with Obsessed, which could have led to a duplication of the TEOM era had she thrown herself behind H.A.T.E.U like she should have (instead of doing half a video and 2 performances, looked like she (or they, whoever you choose to blame) aborted that single too, and it's a shame because it was MOAIA's best vocal/chance at a #1). The rest of MOAIA to me sounds like a middle schooler's soundtrack (Obsessed, MTJF, UOMF, CB, Inseparable, lyrically The Impossible). It was nowhere near as "adult" as TEOM, as much as I hate to keep comparing, but we all do that. By contrast to E=MC2, I think her ballads on MOAIA were far, far superior to the uptempos, which makes it interesting to consider what would have happened if she took the best of both albums and just gave us one during 2008-10. I believe we'd have 22 #1s by now, and MIAM would have been released in 2012 while #Beautiful was making a run for the record of being her 23rd. Triumphant might have never happened, and Almost Home would have made a much bigger splash. And I feel either Thirsty or YDKWTD would have been the second official single with video. And maybe TAOLG would have made the final tracklist. No deluxe edition necessary, or at least it'd have 3 fresh tracks. Perhaps one being With You I'm Born Again. (Monday 21 July 2014; 5:31)

E=MC2 (45,463) by TR from USA I agree that ballads on E=MC2 all sounded the same, and tried to be WBT sequels (even DFAU was WBT part 2). She got caught up trying to reproduce that moment, when I think the success of WBT was primarily timing. Yes, the vocals, production, and interpolations were remarkable, but there was nothing else really like that on radio during that time. Plus it had a moderately successful lead in single with ILT, which only got as much airplay because of the success of IKWYW. But back to E=MC2. The ballads in my opinion were weak. ISIL, LS, and LK are some of my least favorite tracks in MCs entire catalogue (minus the ending of ISIL, which is crazy epic). Bye Bye was trying to be another OSD. However Thanx 4 Nothin was, in my opinion, amazing, and sounded like a true outtake from TEOM. IWYW was another gem. But the uptempos on E=MC2 is what made this album. Namely Cruise Control, TMB, Migrate, ITC, IBLYLT. You could tell she had fun. The problem after TMB was that she ran off and got married on the sly in the middle of promoting the album, and it all went dead from there. Bye Bye didn't stand a chance in her 2-month unexplained absence. Migrate should have been the lead, gone to #1, and followed up with TMB. Somehow I feel with the strength of those two singles back to back, it would have broken the "drop the next WBT" movement she thought people expected. Thus we ended up with a string of similar ballads from an album whose sweet spot was its mid and uptempos. (Monday 21 July 2014; 5:02)

Thoughts (45,462) by B from USA E=MC2: Migrate, TMB, Cruise Control, Side Effects, Thanks 4 Nothin', For The Record, and I'm That Chick are my favorites. She sounds so confident on this album. She's at the top of her game. Bone Thugs: Breakdown is one of my favorite songs. I also love the I Still Believe remix. Me I Am Mariah: This album is hardly experimental. It's Mariah doing what she does best, singing R&B songs. Memoirs is hardly a commercial record. In my opinion it's her least commercial album. It's more experimental than MIAM. Triumphant: Mariah learned her lesson. None of the songs on MIAM sound like Triumphant. She's not stupid. Record deal: I'm not sure she needs a record company. I don't think she needs someone to tell her what to do. She needs someone like LA Reid who will encourage her. Someone that knows the industry but also understands artist. With the right team behind her she could go the independent route. JD: He's not management material. He's an enabler. I think his relationship with Mariah is strained. He's making comments that suggest she's to blame for the albums poor sales . She's not, he is. He's not capable of promoting a star of her caliber. He's past his prime and he's using her and his position to maintain some semblance of relevance. (Monday 21 July 2014; 3:15)

The heartbeat (Ken) (45,461) by TS from United States I was thinking this too. I never really took the song as a love song, rather a view on her pregnancy and hesitance to try again. (Monday 21 July 2014; 1:36)

Heartbeat at the end of One More Try (45,460) by Ken from USA I don't know if it has been said on here, but One More Try has to be about the miscarriage. (Sunday 20 July 2014; 20:55)

Bone Thugs? (45,459) by Dani from USA I really do hope a collaboration does happen between Mariah and Bone Thugs. I absolutely love when they make music together. Breakdown and the I Still Believe remix are the type of songs I'd like Mariah to make more of. Krayzie's spit is soulful and I think it complements Mariah's voice well. And on another note, I'm not sure what the webmaster's policy is on including links, but there's a website called WhoSampled.com. I looked into Mariah's samples, specifically for the MIAMTEC album, and am now beginning to understand Mariah's connection to the album. Things make a lot more sense to me. I wonder if anyone has any thoughts on why MC decided to sample certain tracks. I for one, not knowing before, can now truly appreciate the "Carry like Mariah" line in Dedicated. It speaks a lot about Mariah's connection to the hip-hop community even before people realized, if they ever did, that hip-hop was a huge part of MC's life. And people probably didn't notice that some of the greats really did dig Mariah. It just goes to show. I know, for example, that Tupac loved Mariah's music and respected her as an artist. I still fantasize that MC wrote "Underneath The Stars" thinking about Tupac. That's a collaboration I would definitely pay a million to hear. (Sunday 20 July 2014; 14:59)

Brad Catoe (45,458) by Chicago Lamb from USA Bravo Brad. I, like many, have been an intense fan since VOL, and MIAM is one of my favs for sure. Thank you for your post, you are a true lamb. (Sunday 20 July 2014; 8:25)

E=MC2 (45,457) by Randy from USA I agree with whoever said this is her most commercially polished album since Music Box. I love Last Kiss and I never thought Bye Bye was a bad single choice. I live for her final adlibs. But no one is going to agree with me. I thought MOAIA was commercial as well. I do not think MIAMTEC is. Everyone knows that my favorite MC cuts are the introspective cuts like Right To Dream, Petals, Outside, Close My Eyes, Languishing and Looking In. But I do like when she takes those cuts and weaves them in with commercial MC. I feel like MIAMTEC is too experimental/newage/soul but I know she is going to ultimately make the music she likes regardless of segments of her die-hards. Thank God her catalogue is so extensive. (Sunday 20 July 2014; 5:59)

Shelly (45,456) by Mimi L. from Empower Your Highlighter That is such a sweet message. Thank you so much. I am glad we all get to interact here and talk about a common interest/love which is the lovely Mariah Carey. This is the first and only message board I bother writing in. I am really glad you like my posts. I got a big fat smile on my face as I read it. Lol. *big hug* (Sunday 20 July 2014; 4:34)

Dissing and politeness (45,454) by Dove from USA I was thinking about politeness, and how I've said I want Mariah to be polite and not diss her contemporaries. Well I was thinking about it more, and for some reason I don't mind when Lorde does it, and she's dissed everyone. I think it's because when she does it, she states facts and she's right most of the time. And she doesnt try to be perfect and sparkly all the time. But for example, when I read Katy Perry was planning to mock Mariah by hiring a drag queen, that really bothered me. Because Katy Perry wishes she had the talent and longevity that Mariah's had. She's always showing off her body and trying to be perfect too, so how is she different? Mariah has given us her freaking life for the last 24 years and deserves respect. If she wants to get her freak on and wear a white gown to the park that's her prerogative. She's earned that right. I think it's different when we as fans say something on a discussion board because we're not publicly ridiculing her to our followers while being just as "ridiculous". Of course I wish Mariah was a fashion icon and I'll always wish that. But at the same time I respect that she doesn't care what we want and stays true to herself. I think ridiculing her or making fun of her crosses the line and is disrespectful. But I don't think aanyone here does that. Not that anyone has to "earn" the right to go to the park in a fancy gown, I just meant she has the right to not be made fun of by celebrities and the media for her eccentricities. (Sunday 20 July 2014; 4:10)

Mimi L (45,453) by Dove from USA I just want to say I love reading your posts. Most of the time you write what I'm thinking. When you write opinions, they make sense to me, even if I don't agree 100%. I just wanted to let you know I appreciate your posts, they make me: smile, think, feel nostalgic. And you're always so polite. (Sunday 20 July 2014; 2:34)

Re: post 45443 (45,452) by Dove from USA What she wears doesn't bother me, I just like seeing her in flattering clothes appropriate to the occasion. At this point I've already accepted she's going to wear whatever she wants whenever she wants so I'm letting it go. Just because we make comments doesn't mean we don't like her or we're going to stop buying her music. It's just something to talk about. (Sunday 20 July 2014; 1:47)

(45,451) by Bill from the UK Look at what you're going through, I can't help myself because you make it look good. (Saturday 19 July 2014; 23:59)

Miami Dolphin cheerleaders mash up MC / Spice Girls / Beach Boys April 2014 (45,450) by Paul from Usa Maybe everyone heard about this already. Thought it was a fun video although the songs don't mesh well. Enjoy. (Saturday 19 July 2014; 21:33)

My Saving Grace (45,449) by Lee from UK It's been a while since I listened to anything from the Charmbracelet era but I came across this again and I can't help but fall in love with Mariah's vocals again. (Saturday 19 July 2014; 17:07)

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