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About Randy from USA: MC is my favorite artist of all time and I love her songwriting skills on her introspective songs. My favorite album: Butterfly. My favorite song: Right To Dream.

Butterfly turns 23 - my dissertation (95,571) by Randy from USA
On this day 23 years ago I unwrapped the cellophane off of this CD in my father's basement and popped it in the disc changer. I was floored. I never before heard an album where every song is a single. Every verse reads like poetry. And every vocal is astounding. Rasp, falsetto, belting and whistles are all used here. My biggest issue with R&B music is artists always sing about romantic love or break ups. This Pop/R&B album includes songs about childhood pain and alienation. It is in one word stunning. I would like to wish a happy anniversary to the best album of all time by ranking and commenting on its tracks:
12. Whenever You Call - Last does not mean least on this one. This is a beautiful love song and I could see myself getting married to it. It's on my Love playlist.
11. Babydoll - This was at the beginning of Timbaland's stuttering beat craze so who better to capture that magic than his partner in crime Missy Elliot. A smooth track and I love her adlibs at the end.
10. Fly Away - I'm a closet lover of club remixes. Butterfly is Daydream's gutter twin and the dance interlude on both albums are very necessary. This gives the album a house cut. And one of the things that makes this album genius is it's ability to mix several genres seamlessly.
9. Fourth of July - Underneath the Stars part two. MC definitely has a way of making the familiar brand new. She also knows how to paint a story. This lyric and concept lasts long after the smoke from fireworks dissipate.
8. The Beautiful Ones - I love MC for doing this song justice. Prince screams on his version. Sisqó and MC wail and that makes the song more realistic. Reviewers hated this cut but I think this beats the original. Also MC never lets songs last this long. It's a slow build to a climax to a death and at almost 7 minutes I always want to relive it again.
7. The Roof - I love the story telling here. I love the sample as well. I've replaced the album cut with the longer rap versions available on the My All/Stay Awhile Maxi CD.
6. Breakdown - Mariah's use of rhythm here is ridiculous. I've replaced the album cut with the longer rap version as well. The only problem is the bird tweet after Fourth of July isn't seamless on that version as on the album's. Only die hards will know about that.
5. Honey - The saddest thing about this is that Puffy's versión should've been the original. I just hate that he removed the strings to make it sound more gutter. Mariah's 12th number one and a song she still performs to this day. I don't love that she's still doing the dance from the boat decades later. I love the two samples.
4. Outside - This is the most gospel song that's not gospel ever recorded. She sings her ass off but the lyric here is one of the things that really helped me with my sexuality. By 1997 people knew gay people but in my large family, I was the only gay person. I have 30 first cousins. Not one of them is openly gay. So I always felt different, alone, not good enough. This song put to music exactly what I felt at the time.
3. Close My Eyes - I saw too much as a child. Without going into specifics, when I was born my mother was 15. My father was 21. MC again put what was in my past into song. I will forever be grateful. This is on my Dark playlist.
2. My All - Only spending one week at number one to be dethroned by The Boy Is Mine for thirteen weeks. I love The Boy Is Mine but vocally, lyrically there is no contest. How does a pop diva sing a bare song over a Spanish guitar with words such as solitude, emblazoned, vividly. Sometimes when I'm listening to this I am still amazed this was a commercial success. And the vocal of the last hook is powerful. I think this songs deserves every bit of the accolades and fanfare of I Will Always Love You, Because You Loved Me, Unbreak My Heart, My Heart Will Go On and Someone Like You. I hate the way she sings it now - feel your body feel your body feel your body. It irritates me to my core. I also live and breathe for the classic club mix and My All/Stay Awhile remixes. This is on my Cry playlist.
1. Butterfly - Something to be said about a song that expresses your feelings about breaking up with your husband who is your boss. This is definitely the way to do it. Logically, sensitively, emotionally. Again MC was showing her vocabulary off with succumb, flourish, unbridled. I wish Sony would have released a commercial single but because Tommy was feeling small dicked and insecure he didn't give it its shot. Honestly to me this should be her signature tune. And what can be said about that vocal. The falsetto that's so sharp and crisp it could cut frozen glass. The stretched out high full voice wails are crazy. And there's a whistle over a ton of layers at the end. There are two great performances of this song. David Letterman and SNL. If you haven't seen them, they are some of the last performances by MC unassisted.
(Wednesday 16 September 2020; 22:26)
Re: A list, for Bill (95,559) (95,567) by Randy from USA
The best videos of all time: easily.
1. Honey
2. Heartbreaker
3. Obsessed
4. Someday
5. My All
6. Loverboy
7. Always Be My Baby
8. We Belong Together
9. It's Like That
10. Breakdown
11. Touch My Body
(Wednesday 16 September 2020; 18:58)
Re: Negative Nancy (95,493) (95,502) by Randy from USA
I gotta agree with you Edward. I didn't expect this many unheard songs. I def wish she had finished unfinished tracks and put them in because the three B sides are unnecessary. They are all over YouTube. Also I really wanted Crave. But I'm excited overall. And I gotta agree with you on my first listen of Butterfly. I remember exactly where I was that album was so monumental. This almost makes me rethink leaving the board. Almost.
(Friday 11 September 2020; 17:39)
You probably thought you'd never hear this from me (95,450) by Randy from USA
After seeing the track list today. I'm excited.
(Wednesday 9 September 2020; 17:28)
Re: Mariah en Espanol (95,431) (95,438) by Randy from USA
Edward you know the best Spanish album of all time is Christina Aguilera's Mi Reflejo. Yo soy Genio Atrapado.
(Wednesday 9 September 2020; 02:24)
Re: Sweetheart non Rap (95,385) (95,392) by Randy from USA
Stacey IDK if I agree with you. I like the rap included on the songs. I hate when she does an either or. Like Loverboy. You either get the rap or extended Cameo. On Thank God I Found You, you get more soulful instrumental moments or Nas. On the Bye Bye remix they took MC's whole first verse out to put Jay-Z on it and I would've liked his verse to extend the song. Even Fantasy was split in two. Although on the Bad Boy Mix you get the pop hook and ODB. It's my favorite version. And I hate to admit it but I love Gucci's verses on Obsessed so I wish she had defied us and put him on the song. P.S. I love all the Butterfly songs with the extended raps: The Roof, Breakdown and Honey. I just hate that Puffy took out the strings on the hook of the Bad Boy version. You have to listen closely.
(Friday 4 September 2020; 21:26)
Re: Sweetheart non Rap (95,380) (95,383) by Randy from USA
I'm surprised you haven't heard this before. When I bought #1s in 1998, they gave away the two track Sweetheart single with it for free. I think they had planned to release it as a single but they knew it wouldn't do well.
(Friday 4 September 2020; 17:27)
The Meaning of Mariah's chapters leaked (95,372) by Randy from USA
Omg I just found this in my daydreams. The leaked chapters of the memoir.
Chapter 1: Vision of a White Mother and Afro-Venezuelan Father
Chapter 2: Success Takes Time in Beauty School
Chapter 3: Someday Tommy Will Become My Husband
Chapter 4: I Don't Wanna Cry So I Left Tommy After I Didn't Win Any Grammys in 1996
Chapter 5: Emotions for Derek
Chapter 6: I'll Be There To Introduce Rapping To Pop Hits
Chapter 7: Dreamlover, Nick Cannon
Chapter 8: Hero, Nick Cannon
Chapter 9: Fantasy, A Marriage That Lasts Even After Kids
Chapter 10: One Sweet Day Everyone Will Know I Am A Songwriter
Chapter 11: Always Be A Baby, Eternally 12
Chapter 12: Honey Was Not James Packer
Chapter 13: My All Was Entrusted To Stella
Chapter 14: Heartbreaker. I Can't Trust Russians?
Chapter 15: Thank God I Found NDAs
Chapter 16: When You Lit The Awful Side of Me
Chapter 17: Don't Forget About Nodules
Chapter 18: Bryan Touches My Body
Chapter 19: All I Want For Christmas Is A Man To Hold My Umbrella
(Friday 4 September 2020; 03:18)
Mariah stays in midnight (95,332) by Randy from USA
Stacey, I agree that I don't invest as much time in MC anymore. I know I stick around to see if she does an unplugged one instrument and powerful lyric album a la Jewel or Sarah McLachlan but I think that's gonna happen around the same time Lil Kim starts to melt. I read the article and didn't feel as though she came off any different than she has since TEOM success made her decide to be a caricature of the public's perception. I do want to hear about her family. I do want to hear about the grenade that exploded in her throat in 1997. I do want to hear about being at Sony post divorce and I do want to hear about romance between Tommy and Nick. The sad thing is Bill is right when he says it's not on her brand to write a tell all. And I'm beginning to realize Andrew was right that this memoir is an exercise in vanity. And if you've watched every single US Mariah interview as I have, you already know what's in the book. Which makes me more disinterested in MC as a whole. Guess I'll be sailing off into the sunset after I read the Self-Written Definition of What I Want People To Know And Think About Mariah Carey. And no need to say it We-Are-Lambily, I know you wish me good riddance.
(Tuesday 1 September 2020; 23:44)
Re: Dear Delulons (95,273) (95,283) by Randy from USA
The documentary you posted had me until he spoke about 1997-2001 and didn't mention her lipping for the first time because of vocal stress. She lip synced 90% of Butterfly on Oprah and then was able to sing it wonderfully, though struggling, on SNL and David Letterman. In 1998 everything was live and raspy. In 1999 and 2000 all high belts were lip synced to the record as well as most whistles. In 2001, post breakdown she sounded smurfing amazing at the "A home for the holidays and the Radio City Music Hall show. I think her voice had a lot of rest. But for Charmbracelet she was back to all high belts being lip synced to the record as well as most whistles. That was the first and last time I would see MC in concert because I felt she was like the Wizard of Oz. For TEOM and beyond the strategy has been to lip sync the belts using a recorded raspy track that doesn't sound like the record so she's more inconspicuous. That 2006 Grammy performance is the most masterful cut and paste lip sync I have ever seen. I stand by all of this observation except one curious outlier. Her impromptu for the fans at Jimmy Fallon in 2014. She sounded smurfing amazing. And for the first time I thought it's not just vocal deterioration but maybe nerves playing into awful live performances. Overall though, I hope and wish MC will address the voice in her memoir. But something tells me vanity will overpower her willingness to be truthful about it.
(Sunday 30 August 2020; 13:19)
Re: Dear Delulons (95,236) (95,253) by Randy from USA
One of the best posts on here ever. I love MC and want her to win. That doesn't mean she will never strike out during the game.
(Friday 28 August 2020; 14:07)
Re: Another take on the voice (95,220) (95,227) by Randy from USA
Nikki you are wrong on so many levels. It's not about hits. It's about preserving the God-given gift you were given. I've seen Roberta Flack two years ago at 81 and she sounded better than unassisted MC does. Stevie, Aretha and Patti all sounded wonderful past 60. No they weren't their 1970s self, but they weren't embarrassing either. The Rockefeller foolishness, the GMA Touch My Body, the NYE performance, singing at MJ's funeral are things that never would've happened to them in their 40s. I love MC and I'm only here for more Languishings, Portraits and Right To Dreams. But in my opinion she has had the worst vocal decline ever in popular music. 8 years is all it took to go from the best voice in the world to sounding like she's been smoking Newport's and swallowing glass. Of course I'm talking about live. Never Too Far, Lead The Way and Through The Rain sound fantastic. I know I'm not the only one that is in knots before she steps on stage. Because I guess I live in the real world and my Facebook friends are fans of all divas and I can't defend her. I don't have ya'll rose colored glasses. Andrew and RJ112 think I repeat myself so I'll leave you with this. I'll leave you with this. Look up Patti Labelle's 2004 performance on Divas Live when she sang Love Need Want You and You'll Never Walk Alone. She was 60. What will MC sound like in ten years... unassisted?
(Thursday 27 August 2020; 00:52)
Deniece Williams (Lee and This is GHM) (95,173) by Randy from USA
I was kind of surprised when Eric (webmaster) didn't post that story about Deniece Williams. Here's my thing, MC's voice started a massive decline in 1998 so it trips me out people keep talking about "30 years in the business". My issue isn't the vocal decline, it's the deceit. The singing on records highly engineered that she has no hope of replicating live and then using a backing track when she sings live. Sometimes even recording a raspy backing track so it's not so obvious. I love MC and yes Whitney and Amy had their own struggles but Whitney sang live all the time no matter how bad a shape her voice was. If you are paid to do a job, do it. Teachers are paid to teach. Police officers are paid to police. Singers are paid to sing. And MC is considered one of the all time greats. If you are interested in the Deniece Williams article you can view it here.
(Monday 24 August 2020; 14:41)
Re: Andrew (95,037) (95,104) by Randy from USA
JT. This board is meant for everyone that has love for MC. If Andrew criticizes MC, it's because he knows she's capable of more and he wants her to win. Loving someone is not allowing them to run amok recklessly with their talent. Would you handle a crystal meth addict with kid gloves? It's ok that you're eating out of the garbage as long as you're still eating. That's what matters. To say Andrew has mental issues is making a mockery of the mental issue subject. And yes I'm diagnosed bipolar mixed type. But I am an award winning school teacher, a brother, an uncle and a son. I have three degrees, am a published poet and live in NYC. I'm hardly embarrassed. The way I see it, this board is meant for the entire spectrum of sexuality (gay to straight), the entire spectrum of mental health (normal to schizo), the entire spectrum politically (Trump to Sanders). Terna and We Are Lambily irritate the hell out of me with their "Mariah has never done anything wrong; she's never even stepped on an ant." But this is a place for them as they are on that side of the MC fandom spectrum. Andrew and I are on the frustrated side of the MC fandom spectrum. But we're all a family. And none of us are about to leave. The only one who may need to leave is he who does not understand differing opinions. That's you in case I was too subtle. Hey it's a "Subtle Invitation" for you to leave.
(Saturday 22 August 2020; 04:03)
Re: STD is epic (95,091) (95,103) by Randy from USA
You've got to be kidding me. As an English teacher, I deal with the criticism that we over interpret things. If the heroine has blue curtains in a novel, it doesn't mean she's depressed. If a superhero spills ketchup on his suit while eating a hot dog, it doesn't mean he's about to explode with anger. I love that you hear great moments in the song but to analyze it down to its sections and then relate it to the world's ills today is reaching. Like a rubber band reaching to connect the United States to Great Britain because we miss being under the crown.
(Saturday 22 August 2020; 03:52)
Save The Day (first listen) (95,043) by Randy from USA
Chile this coulda stayed in the vault.
(Friday 21 August 2020; 07:18)
Re: How is everybody? (95,018) (95,020) by Randy from USA
I'm glad you asked. We're suffering in the USA. I feel like everything is exhausting. You can't live carefree. Going to the supermarket is a chore. Trying to meet with friends is a chore. Trying to see family is a chore. I've had two emotional breakdowns. What I've had to do is daily keep reminding myself of all the things I have that others don't and be grateful.
(Thursday 20 August 2020; 18:24)
Mariah on GMA (94,981) by Randy from USA
So I watched MC on YouTube since I slept in this morning. I gotta say she looks and sounds great. Here's my issue. I never feel comfortable giving her credit for a good performance because I'm always thinking she lip synced it. I made peace a long time ago with MC's voice suffering irreparable damage at some point and for whatever reason she still writes and sings with an engineer's help to make it seem like she's still the greatest vocalist of our generation. I've learned to love MC through the rasp and deception. I want her to win. There's just always a small part of me that wants her to be honest with us and with herself. But I'm sure die-hard delusional will say "she sung live" or "she didn't sing live because she was nervous there was no audience, her implants were inhibiting her from breathing, the air conditioning was on, the heat was on, her nodules were inflamed, her nodules were laid off, dem babies were sleeping in the next room and she didn't want to wake them, her voice is social distancing or she was campaigning for Biden and trying to sequence The Rarities so she was distracted".
(Wednesday 19 August 2020; 17:23)
Re: Name game (94,954) (94,966) by Randy from USA
I have a Right To Dream that y'all will love that song someday.
(Wednesday 19 August 2020; 11:07)
Re: Name game (94,924) (94,952) by Randy from USA
Right To Dream
And You Don't Remember
Never Too Far
Did I Do That?
Yours
(Tuesday 18 August 2020; 21:39)
Mariah of 1990 (94,900) by Randy from USA
Mariah seemed to be very dissatisfied with her work in 1990 and dropped hints that she didn't want to be a diva superstar. I wonder what changed so drastically to make her give her freedom personally and musically to Tommy. She was a little spit-fire here.
(Friday 14 August 2020; 06:43)
Re: The Sun and HIV (94,872) (94,879) by Randy from USA
That's what's up. I have a defeatist attitude a lot of times when it comes to any type of activism so I watch from afar or give $20 to the cause. You're a hero Andrew. Edward I'm now living in NYC maybe we can hang out.
(Friday 7 August 2020; 22:35)
Favourite four (94,852) by Randy from USA
So Andrew and I were arguing and he thinks my favorite four MC songs mean I'm depressed. 4. Through The Rain 3. My All 2 Butterfly 1. Right To Dream. What does your favorite four MC songs say about your personality? I put the u in for you Andrew. And oh fun fact about Andrew; he has no musical taste as he is moved by Hero. Vomit emoji.
(Friday 7 August 2020; 00:45)
Re: Triumphant (94,817) (94,820) by Randy from USA
Who are you? Firstly if Triumphant was your introduction to MC you missed out on a colossal amount of quality work. And who listens to an MC song for Meek Mill's verse? And don't get me wrong both raps in the song are stunning but MC was a guest on her own record. And You're Mine Eternal was the most boring song ever. It put Gilbert Godfried on steroirds to sleep. Look I welcome all different opinions and viewpoints on this board but you are living somewhere between Candyland and Oz if you think MC's work around 2012-2014 holds a candle to 1993-1997 output. And we didn't ruin those songs, we want MC to win or else we wouldn't be fans. But you can't put out mediocrity and expect the sheep to do cartwheels.
(Wednesday 5 August 2020; 19:44)
Re: Walter live videos on instagram (94,765) (94,767) by Randy from USA
I didn't listen to the Wally A interview. And I'm not going to. Here's my thing. Did he do her wrong? Possibly yes. But I need everyone to stop acting like he wasn't instrumental to her hits/career and all he did was play piano while she got ideas out of her head. It's ludicrous. He was her writing/producing partner for 6 albums and regardless of their falling out he proved to be a serious part of many of her biggest hits. They had a chemistry. And "All I Want For Christmas" is not a song she just sat at the Casio keyboard and wrote. If MC was that melodically inclined she would've composed wrote arranged all of her own songs like Jewel or Joni Mitchell. Is MC the most talented singer/songwriter ever? IMO yes. But please don't act like Wally A was a hanger-on. He's a musician. Btw he produced My Heart Will Go On for Celine. Not a fluke.
(Saturday 1 August 2020; 06:29)

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