Wicked Dreamer
Well-Known Member
Welcome to the June 2024 Vinyl Challenge, Dahlings! Today's theme will be centred around vocal powerhouse & the Queen of Christmas herself, Mariah Carey! or more specifically, every top 10 hit she's achieved on Billboard's Hot 100 chart (because she & I are both obsessive chart nerds). You can play a record either inspired by the prompt I've laid out or inspired by the song itself. Whichever way you decide to go, I hope you have fun!
Day 1: Vision of Love
Mariah’s debut single, and a hit right out of the park! play a debut record
Day 2: Love Takes Time
A last-minute addition to the album. So last minute that it wasn’t listed on some early pressings. play an album with a hidden or bonus track
Day 3: Someday
a song Mariah has since somewhat disavowed because she feels it was overproduced. play a record you feel is overproduced
Day 4: I Don’t Wanna Cry
another #1 from that first album Mariah isn't too fond of, this time because of conflicts with the song's producer Narada Michael Walden during recording. play a record beset by production troubles.
Day 5: Emotions
the titular first single from Mariah’s 2nd album and her 5th #1 hit in a row, making her the only artist to chart her first 5 hits at #1! play a record that avoided the “sophomore slump”
Day 6: Can’t Let Go
the 2nd single from her 2nd album & her first to not reach #1, peaking at #2. now play an actual “sophomore slump”
Day 7: Make It Happen
a great gospel-influenced house-R&B banger. play something holy or uplifting.
Day 8: I’ll Be There
a cover of the Jackson 5 hit, performed on her MTV Unplugged special. play a live record.
Day 9: Dreamlover
the first single where Mariah had creative control over remixing her songs. Play a remixed record (or a remix album)
Day 10: Hero
one of Mariah's most performed songs live, due to the personal connection many of her fans have to the lyrics. play a record of great sentimental value to you
Day 11: Without You
a cover of the Badfinger song that Nilsson hit #1 with in 1972. play a cover song (or a covers album)
Day 12: Never Forget You
a double-sided hit with “Without You” thanks to substantial-enough radio play. Play a b-side or a deep cut
Day 13: Endless Love
a duet with fellow legend Luther Vandross. play a duet or collab record
Day 14: Fantasy
her first foray into hip-hop sounds, collaborating with P. Rison & the
ODB on the superior remix. Play a hip-hop or hip-hop inspired recordDay 15: One Sweet Day
a smash ballad dedicated to Mariah’s former collaborator David Cole, Boyz II Men’s road manager Khalil & the victims of the AIDS epidemic. play a record dedicated to a loved one (whether by the artist or by yourself)
Day 16: Always Be My Baby
a song that's often been acclaimed as one of her best but doesn't really do anything for me. on the flip side, play a record you love that not many other people seem to like (from your pov)
Day 17: Forever
this song made #9 on Billboard’s airplay chart, but didn’t chart on the Hot 100 thanks to Billboard’s idiotic rules on radio-only hits then. play a record or artist you first heard through the radio
Day 18: Honey
the first song/video to present a sexier image of Mariah as she would soon be free from the constraints she faced under her label boss/ex-husband Tommy Mottola. play a record that accompanied an image change.
Day 19: My All
a song inspired by her affair with Derek Jeter, specifically a rendezvous they had in Puerto Rico. play something romantic.
Day 20: I Still Believe
from her first… “greatest hits” album, this song was originally a top 20 hit in 1988 for Brenda K. Starr who Mariah sang backing vocals for around that time and was added onto that comp as a homage. play a greatest hits record (or some great hits if you’re anti-greatest hits)
Day 21: Heartbreaker
the most expensive music video Mariah's ever made (and imagine how much more expensive it would've been had Jay-Z been allowed to appear). play a record that either broke the bank for you or could break someone else's bank if you decided to sell it (something expensive, basically)
Day 22: Thank God I Found You
the original version of this song is unremarkable, but I like how they turn the remix into almost a cover of Keith Sweat's "Make It Last Forever". play a record that samples/borrows/steals from another piece of work (the more obvious, the better!)
Day 23: Loverboy
from the soundtrack of her cinematic masterpiece "Glitter"! ...I can't believe I was able to type that with a straight face.
play a soundtrack album (or a record featuring a song from a movie)Day 24: I Know What You Want
this Busta Rhymes/Flipmode Squad collab marked Mariah's first appearance in the Hot 100 top 10, top 40 and top 80 for the first time in almost two years and her first top 5 pop radio hit since *looks up on wiki...* 1996?! ...anyway, play a record released after a long hiatus
Day 25: We Belong Together
her big comeback hit & the biggest (non-holiday) hit of her career on the Hot 100! play a record considered a comeback or return to form for the artist
Day 26: Shake It Off
the Calgon commercial reference is the lyric that stands out the most to me on this song. play a record you heard in a commercial or something that sounds like it could be in a commercial
Day 27: Don’t Forget About Us
the Mariah hit I’d once considered the most forgettable until about a few months ago when it finally clicked for me. play a record you consider ‘unforgettable’ (for better or worse, or both!)
Day 28: Touch My Body
20 years into her career and still putting out #1 hits, not something many other artists achieve. play a great late-career record.
Day 29: Obsessed
a diss track against Eminem who repeatedly claimed that he & Mariah had a brief relationship sometime in the early 00s. play a diss record or just a record about another person.
Day 30: All I Want For Christmas Is You
a recurring holiday favourite (or recurring holiday annoyance, depending on your mood during the holiday season). play something festive or winter-y
(still working on the prompts since procrastination is my favourite sport; they'll be done soon)
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