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Caution reflections (114,376) by MusicfanJ from Germany

GTFO is the worst first single ever from a Mariah album for my opinion. "Caution" the song would have been much better. "With you" was indeed also not a good choice. With the third single the people almost had already forgotten the new album.

I also like the album cover. The album had a fresh, modern vibe (it still has) and was way better than MIAMTEC which had good songs but felt so "unnatural" at some parts. Mariah's team is not so clever anymore with the instinct for possibly radio hits or good single choices.
(Sunday 9 August 2026; 12:23)


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Caution reflections (114,375) by Bobby A from United States

I started the Caution topic because MC does not talk much about Caution. I think it is because Epic ruined the album's rollout despite MC delivering her best album since E=MC2. Could a return to Island Def Jam be what MC needs to return to her former glory and label support of the 2000s?

(Sunday 9 August 2026; 12:22)


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Caution reflections (114,374) by Zachariah from Croatia

I actually think Caution was a much better album than its commercial performance suggested, and the single campaign is one of the biggest reasons it didn't reach a larger audience.

The interesting thing is that the problem wasn't simply "they chose the wrong songs". It was the sequencing, timing, number of pre-release tracks, radio strategy, and lack of a sustained era. What actually happened? The campaign essentially went:
"GTFO" - September 13, 2018, promotional single
"With You" - October 4, official lead single
"The Distance" feat. Ty Dolla $ign - October 18, promotional/pre-order track
"A No No" - October 31, another pre-release track, later made the second official single
Caution - November 16

So four of the album's ten songs were already available before the album came out. Mariah herself later said she disliked how the label handled those "instant gratification" releases. That's a huge problem for an album that was only 10 tracks and about 38 minutes long. By release day, roughly 40% of the album wasn't new anymore.

And critically, Caution was actually very well regarded. Contemporary reviews praised its cohesive R&B/hip-hop sound, with songs such as "The Distance" and "Portrait" singled out as highlights.

My alternate single campaign. If I were running the Caution era, I'd do something quite different.

1. "GTFO" - September 2018
Keep it exactly where it was, but treat it as a buzz single. "GTFO" was actually a smart way to announce the era. It immediately communicated: Mariah is back, she's having fun, she's not trying to make another generic adult-contemporary album. It also had a great title/concept for social media. But I wouldn't count it as one of the album's major singles. The first mistake was following it with "With You."

2. "A No No" - October 2018
This should have been the lead commercial single. I think this is the biggest missed opportunity. "A No No" has several things that "With You" doesn't:
instantly recognizable sample
attitude
personality
a memorable hook
hip-hop/R&B crossover potential
a fun visual concept
potential for a major rapper/remix
something distinctive enough to cut through 2018 radio
It also plays directly into Mariah's persona. The Lil' Kim connection was particularly valuable because the song samples the remix of "Crush on You". And this is where I think they missed an enormous opportunity: Lil' Kim. Imagine: "A No No" - Mariah Carey feat. Lil' Kim. With Lil' Kim actually appearing on the remix/video. That could have generated significantly more cultural conversation than the Stefflon Don and Shawni remixes that ultimately came out. "A No No" was eventually serviced to radio in March 2019, but by then the album had been out for almost four months.

3. "The Distance" - November/December 2018
This would be my second single. And I would absolutely push the Ty Dolla $ign collaboration. "The Distance" has something really important for Mariah in 2018. It sounds contemporary without sounding like she's desperately chasing contemporary music. That's the sweet spot. It has:
Ty Dolla $ign
modern production
a great chorus
an emotional theme
enough melody for Mariah
enough hip-hop/R&B credibility for younger listeners

4. "Caution" -January 2019
This is my wildcard. The actual title track. I think the title track should have become the centerpiece of the era. Not necessarily the biggest radio hit, but the song that defines the album visually. I'd give it a big-budget cinematic video and build the album's entire visual identity around: Caution: Black, gold, luxury, danger, nighttime, Mariah in gowns, paparazzi, relationships, power. Instead, the actual campaign never really developed a strong visual world for the album. And that's particularly unfortunate because Caution is an album with a very clear aesthetic.

5. "8th Grade" - February/March 2019
This would be the urban/R&B single. "8th Grade" has a completely different purpose from "A No No". "A No No" is fun, attitude, nostalgia. "8th Grade" is vulnerability, relatability, Mariah's songwriting. It would give the campaign another dimension. And I think the story behind the song could have been marketed extremely well: insecurity, rejection, adolescence, feeling like you're not enough. That's an extremely relatable concept.

And then "Portrait". Final single: "Portrait" This is the prestige single. I'd release it toward the end of the campaign, perhaps around May/June 2019. Not because I think it would necessarily become a huge Hot 100 hit, but because it would remind people: Mariah Carey is one of the greatest vocalists/songwriters alive. It would be the Grammy/award-season type of single. And the video could have been gorgeous.

So my campaign would look like this:
Date Single Purpose
Sept. 2018 GTFO Buzz/announcement
Oct. 2018 A No No Main commercial lead
Nov. 16 Caution album Album release
Dec. 2018 The Distance R&B/pop crossover
Jan. 2019 Caution Title-track/visual centerpiece
Mar. 2019 8th Grade R&B/streaming audience
May 2019 Portrait Prestige/vocal showcase

And none of the album's other songs would be released before the album. That's the really important part.
(Sunday 9 August 2026; 09:54)


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Caution reflections (114,373) by Lainsky from Philippines

Aside from wrong choices of commercially released singles, making GTFO an introduction to a cohesively and nicely crafted album is a wrong move. It should've remained as filler. "Giving Me Life" sounds different. I agree that it is innovative, which could have been a wonderful carrier single. It will make non-fans curious. A second single could have been "A No No", followed by the remix and the familiar yet still impactful song "Caution". "Stay Long Love You" will remind the listeners of "A No No" for a third release, or another schmaltzy song, or "Runway". But then again, her age and marketing are big factors, which makes the industry unfairly sucks.
(Sunday 9 August 2026; 05:10)


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Caution reflections (114,372) by nancy from Switzerland

GTFO and [With you] were a bit boring using it for a single in my opinion. She uses that strengthless and weak sounding whispery tone almost through the whole song. With her natural voice the songs would have been better maybe. Caution would have been a great song. It needs a stronger beat or more bass or whaterver. No No No [sic] was a good single. [Giving me life] would have been innovative with that guitar outro. (But MC and her management don't like to take risks at all. My fave is [8th grade]. The album is still good. She had self confidence and was in a better place at that time. Also the album cover was fresh and new. Runway which is in the Japanese edition would have been a great single. I like the beat and the voice there and the message. Somehow her staff can't take good decisions.

(Saturday 8 August 2026; 22:52)

Caution reflections (114,371) by T from USA

Caution, the exact same album plus #B as the lead single in 2013 would've would've been huge in my opinion. Have the dance and hip-hop remix ready at the beginning. Throw in Faded and Dedicated and you'd have 13 solid tracks that would've been pure quality. As it happened it felt like Mariah herself gave up on the album the minute it was released, maybe she didn't like the singles strategy. Maybe she wasn't happy it didn't debut in the top two album positions. Maybe she just wishes she can forget it ever existed.
(Saturday 8 August 2026; 18:38)


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Caution reflections (114,370) by Jamie from UK

100%. I Don't with a more tasteful video. I love Unforgettable.

(Saturday 8 August 2026; 11:39)


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Caution reflections (114,369) by Bill from the UK

Caution's great but I would have substituted GTFO for either I Don't or Unforgettable. She killed every hope of any radio airplay but releasing that song first. Honestly what the hell was she thinking.
(Saturday 8 August 2026; 10:40)


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Caution reflections (114,368) by Lighty from China

The marketing plan was a mess. I remember the "Goodbye to a World" sample on GTFO was only cleared one week or so before release. Everything was in a rush. In between there were the Asia concert tours, and after the release of Caution quickly came the Christmas season. They probably should've just waited and release it in early 2019.
(Saturday 8 August 2026; 05:48)


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Caution reflections (114,367) by Lainsky from Philippines

Caution was better than MIAM. True, way so much better. Caution should have been just as big as E=MC2. True, or even better. So what went wrong before Caution was released? IMHO, people need to hear something innovative and different from her previous works. Caution is an album that mostly die-hard fans can only appreciate.
(Saturday 8 August 2026; 03:21)


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Caution reflections (114,366) by Bobby A from United States

Caution was Mariah Carey at her best. Caution was better than MIAM. True or false? Caution should have been just as big as E=MC2. So what went wrong before Caution was released?

(Saturday 8 August 2026; 01:29)

Hero (114,365) by Bobby A from United States

Le'Andria can sing any song and make it her own. Listen to her songs Better Days and Deliver Me and you will see why she won the singing competition Sunday Best.

(Friday 7 August 2026; 00:50)


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Insane vocals on CTTA (114,364) by Philipp from Switzerland

You should check out this live performance of Can't Take That Away during the Charmbracelet tour. The vocals from the bridge on are simply outstanding and even beat the studio version.

(Thursday 6 August 2026; 18:30)

Hero (114,363) by Terna from Nigeria

It hits different when you hear it from such a singer. This particular song of Mariah's gets me emotional every single time and reminds me of how far I have come and what I have survived. As the saying goes, "I don't look like what I have been through, neither has my spirit been broken." I am reminded of this every single time I listen to "Hero". Thank you Mariah.

(Thursday 6 August 2026; 16:16)

Can't waut to see who scoffs and mocks this (114,362) by Steven Berning from USA

That's the currency of this board. It's what makes the cool kids "cool".
(Thursday 6 August 2026; 04:23)


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Article: Mariah's debut single became her first No. 1 hit 36 years ago (114,361) by nancy from Switzerland

I was 13 when that happened. I was in the shower. From the bathroom I heard this song. I immediately had to step out of the shower, ran to the tv with my towel on. Astonished I said to myself: Who is this woman?, What a voice, what song is this? Back then you didn't have the possibility to replay it again like today. I wrote down the name, went to the store immediately and bought her first album. Without even listening to it before. I somehow knew it was something special. And still is.

(Wednesday 5 August 2026; 20:02)

Mariah at Rotterdam (ABMB) (114,360) by MusicfanJ from Germany

When I watch the video, I just feel good. Seeing Mariah in that high video quality. She was so sweet, singing with the teddy bear and walking on stage with the energy and charisma. I prefer this over every show with dancers, effects or whatever other big entertainers often have. Pure Mariah was enough for me. I also enjoy watching the audience without handies and smartphones. Good old days. Of course not everything was better but the vibe from the people was so real, just living the moment. I hope to see the whole concert one day. I can say the lines along with the Tokyo concert.

(Wednesday 5 August 2026; 19:53)

Article: Mariah's debut single became her first No. 1 hit 36 years ago (114,359) by Lainsky from Philippines

Longevity queen. "Vision of Love" was never popular in the Philippines at that time because I had not heard of it. Radio was my life back then, from sunrise until I fell asleep, and we didn't have cable either. It was "Love Takes Time" that introduced me to Mariah Carey, and I fell in love with her from that moment on. I only heard "Vision of Love" when I bought the cassette album, which was already in 1993. "Music Box" was the very first album I bought, and I quickly collected "Mariah Carey" and "Emotions" shortly after. That was the beginning of my rush to the record store whenever she released a new album. Suddenly, I feel so old. Lol.
(Wednesday 5 August 2026; 11:22)

Can't waut to see who scoffs and mocks this (114,358) by Stacey from USA

Yes, they are just words, funny words. People need to laugh a little more and not take things so dang seriously.

(Wednesday 5 August 2026; 05:07)


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Can't waut to see who scoffs and mocks this (114,357) by Zachariah from Croatia

Me too if my name was next to that reason on the list. Otherwise, it is just bunch of words.
(Tuesday 4 August 2026; 07:48)


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IWTKWLI live performances (114,356) by Lainsky from Philippines

For "I Want To Know What Love Is", I prefer Mariah's live performance versions. She's no longer at her prime in this video. However, the voice and the command on stage remain, not to mention Simon Cowell in the audience. She looks so gorgeous here as well. If only she could still perform like this today, I might spend to get a front ticket. Lately, I've just been binge-watching her live performances on YT in my free time.
(Tuesday 4 August 2026; 05:34)

Vocal knowledge (114,355) by Terna from Nigeria

This was spot-on on Mariah Carey's voice, and where it's at today and why she has seemingly hit a brick wall in her voice as we hear on her latest recording HFIA. I always said the whistle register was parasitic to the main voice and if you have it (I do) and play too much in there, it feeds off your main voice stripping it of fluidity, warmth and ease of singing, amidst other qualities. This is the main culprit as to what and why her voice kept changing, especially as singing professionally took off. It was quite alarming how little the Mariah Carey knows about voice, proper warming up and proper techniques when I watched her masterclass (the clip she speaks on her voice which he reacts to), in comparison to for instance someone like Christina Aguilera knows about voice in general first of all, has a vocal warmup routine and then having an awareness of what works for her and what does not. While Aguilera carries the voice as a whole, Mariah seems to think Whistle register is the be all, end all.

If she indeed had a coach, she would've found this out sooner. Over time now, we can see how Mariah has suffered from this lack of knowledge and discipline and how Christina's voice has held up also after, almost 30 years in the business.
(Tuesday 4 August 2026; 00:18)

Can't waut to see who scoffs and mocks this (114,354) by Stacey from USA

I'd be honored if I contributed to one of Bill's lists. Just saying.

(Monday 3 August 2026; 18:26)


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Can't waut to see who scoffs and mocks this (114,353) by Bill from the UK

Lol, you're responsible for about a third of the list, so thanks.

(Sunday 2 August 2026; 09:56)


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Dreamlover vs Fantasy (114,352) by Lainsky from Philippines

I agree. I hope Mariah does the same album if she ever records a new one. I miss her pop sound more like Dreamlover, the Music Box album. I must admit, though, that the first time I heard "Dreamlover", I was not into it. It grew on me when I bought the cassette tape and played it more than once a day, every day.
(Sunday 2 August 2026; 06:06)


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