Mariah Carey’s debut album reached #1

First posted 2/25/2008; updated 12/2/2020.

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey

Released: June 12, 1990 Charted: June 30, 1990 Peak: 111 US, 3 RB, 6 UK, 11 CN, 6 AU Sales (in millions): 9.0 US, 0.3 UK, 17.0 world (includes US and UK) Genre: pop

Tracks: Song Title (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. Vision of Love (6/2/90, 1 US, 9 UK, 1 AC, 1 RB, gold single) There’s Got to Be a Way (6/1/91, 54 UK) I Don’t Wanna Cry (4/6/91, 1 US, 1 AC, 2 RB) Someday (1/19/91, 1 US, 38 UK, 5 AC, 3 RB, gold single) Vanishing All in Your Mind Alone in Love You Need Me Sent from Up Above Prisoner Love Takes Time (9/15/90, 1 US, 37 UK, 1 AC, 1 RB, gold single) Total Running Time: 46:44

Rating: 3.948 out of 5.00 (average of 27 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: In 1988, eighteen-year-old Mariah Carey launched her efforts at a music career. She started as a backup singer for Brenda K. Starr, who noticed her “gifted voice” WK and took her to a record industry gala to try to convince a label executive to listen to her demo. Tommy Mottola signed her to Columbia, who were looking for “a young and very talented female vocalist to rival Whitney Houston…or a pop star to match Madonna.” WK Columbia got its wish. Powered by four Billboard Hot 100 #1 songs, Mariah Carey’s “extremely impressive debut” AMG was one of the most successful first-album outtings in music history. She became the first artist since the Jackson 5 to have the first four singles top the U.S. charts. The album “is replete with smooth-sounding ballads and uplifting dance/R&B cuts. Carey convincingly seizes many opportunities to display her incredible vocal range…With this collection of songs acting as a springboard for future successes, Carey establishes a strong standard of comparison for other breakthrough artists of this genre.” AMG Vision of Love, the lead single, was “regarded as one of the strongest debut singles by a female artist.” WK It was “featured during her television debut on The Arsenio Hall Show, an appearance noted by many as her formal introduction to stardom.” AMG The song was followed by the ballad Love Takes Time, a late edition to the album. She was told it was a “career-maker” WK and needed to be added to the first album even though the album was already completed and being mastered. It did make it on the original cassette and compact disc, but the title got left off the first copies printed. Ben Marguiles, who helped her write the song, said the song “was strong enough to stop the pressing;” WK he speculated that they “had to throw away a few hundred copies.” WK The third single, “the energetic Someday,” AMG was one of the four songs featured on the demo tape Carey gave to Mottola. Ric Wake, one of the producers assigned to the album, said, “I loved that song right from the beginning.” WK It was helped to #1 by a performance at the 1991 American Music Awards. A week before the song hit #1, Carey hit the top spot on the Billboard album chart. The fourth single, and fourth #1 from the album, was I Don’t Wanna Cry. When working with her on the song, producer Narada Michael Walden described Carey as “very shy” WK but also noted how professional she was for someone her age WK and that she had an astonishing voice. WK

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Mariah Carey AMG All Music Guide review by Ashley S. Battel WK Wikipedia