In May of 1990, the world was introduced to Mariah Carey when her debut single, ‘Vision of Love,’ was released. The single debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 73 and on August 4, 1990, it went to number one and stayed there for four weeks. To this day, the song is considered to be one of Carey’s best songs. Billboard’s Trevor Anderson, in an article from 2015, shared his thoughts on ‘Vision of Love’:
“Call it fate, destiny or marketing genius, but one of the strongest creations in Carey’s entire catalog is the first song on her debut album. From a sci-fi opening, the song morphs into a slow pop/R&B ballad as Carey starts with a near-humming ‘treated me kind.’ The songbird then mounts an ascent in both intensity and octaves until 2:45 in, where she unleashes what has become her calling card: an effortless ride through the whistle register. But that isn’t all — a few bars later, Carey displays the melisma technique that will, for better or worse, form the backbone of the American Idol school of singing.”
Released on June 12, 1990, Carey’s self-titled debut album was regarded by Entertainment Weekly:
“At her best, her singing burns with an innocent flame. But the content of her songs is often thin.”
Mariah Carey would end up climbing to number one on the Billboard Hot 200 chart after 36 weeks and stayed there for 11 weeks. The album would go on to produce three more number one hits on the Billboard Hot 100: ‘Love Takes Time’, ‘Someday’, and ‘I Don’t Wanna Cry’. Carey went on to win the Best New Artist Grammy in 1991.
On Tuesday, July 14, Carey, after postponing in support of the nationwide #BlackLivesMatter protests, teased a video alluding to the celebration of the 30th anniversary of her debut album on Instagram. The video shows live performances, music videos, album covers, and more from Carey’s 30-year music career and ends with the graphic ‘#MC 30 Every Friday.’
Last week, Carey also shared the introduction and front cover of her upcoming memoir, The Meaning of Mariah Carey, to be released on September 29th. The book was previously announced in November 2019 as part of the Andy Cohen Books imprint.
Are you a fan of Mariah’s debut album? Tell us about it in the comments or on our social media accounts.
Sources: Billboard, Entertainment Weekly, CBS News, ABC News Radio, Mariah Carey Official Instagram Page
