Mariah Still on Fire
After the reaction to my comments about Alicia Keys, the question comes up of who actually I do consider a good singer and songwriter who is of the pop/R&B stratosphere. My answer then and now is Mariah Carey.
And the reaction to that is an equal and opposite “Huh?” Yes, she has been trashed in the media over the last decade, but it doesn’t change the fact that when you seriously look at what she’s done, she’s the real deal. She has an impressive range, which sounds just as good live as evidenced by her Unplugged album. She’s had more number one singles than even Elvis. And yes, she even gets songwriting credits on most of her songs.
Now, if the songwriting credits were just her name on paper, that would be one thing. But Mariah Carey songs sound like Mariah Carey songs. I wouldn’t call it especially poetic prose as a Leonard Cohen per se, but the slightly off-kiltered way she presents her cliches is endearing and singular. Let’s be clear, I don’t want to overstate her lyrical prowess, but she’s definitely won me over.
Take some lyrics from “Someday” off her first album:
Maybe now you just can’t conceive
That there’ll ever come a time
When you’re cold and lonely
Baby how could you ever believe
That another could replace me
The one and only
Or “Always Be My Baby”:
I’m part of you indefinitely.
Notice her use of the words “conceive” and “indefinitely.” Yes, they rhyme with “believe” and “me” respectively, but they’re also just a little more verbally aware than the average pop song. And the delivery of these lines are so fast as to be giving the feeling of impassioned argument. The combination of careful word choice and a convincing flow keeps cropping up. She also sometimes emphasizes adverbs (”indefinitely”), which feels unusual and even awkward.
“Emotions”:
When you touch me tenderly
“Vanishing”:
You’re fading out of my sight
Swiftly
“Vision of Love”:
Would find me eventually
But the awkwardness is hardly detrimental. They reinforce the sincerity of the message and act almost like a comment on the typical lyrics of pop songs.
How about the chorus from “Hero”:
And then a hero comes along
with the strength to carry on
and you cast your fears aside
and you know you can survive.
So, when you feel like hope is gone
look inside you and be strong
and you’ll finally see the truth
that a hero lies in you.
Here we get a very clear articulate statement. The words are all pretty simple, but I dare you to read it and not feel a slight chill of goodness, no matter how cynical you are. One could argue that she got lots of inspiration from songs that used to compose themselves similarly. Her beloved cover of “I’ll Be There” shows that Michael Jackson had that thing too, which perhaps led her to choose the song. It was a last minute addition to her set after being told to do one cover.
Where there is love, I’ll be there
Her more recent songs are no less littered with her personality and style. “We Belong Together” combines her sense of word choice as well as her meta-pop commentary.
I couldn’t have fathomed that I would ever
Be without your love
Who else uses “fathomed” in pop lyrics? Easily could have used “known.”
I can’t sleep at night
When you are on my mind
Bobby Womack’s on the radio
Singing to me
‘If you think you’re lonely now’
Wait a minute
This is too deep, too deep
I gotta change the station
That stretch from the second verse captures the feeling of trying to console yourself with pop songs. She quotes Bobby Womack and Babyface, calling out their names and then realizing her own sentimentality (”this is too deep”).
The pain reflected in this song
Ain’t even half of what
I’m feeling inside
She’s commenting on her own songwriting. The song itself isn’t even “half” of what she’s feeling. Again, tweaking around with the typical sentimentality of pop songs. Love it.
All of this discussion actually was my way of culminating on the song which I believe to be one of the best songs this year will ever see. I mean “I Wish You Well” off her most recent album, EMC2. Go buy it from iTunes now! The lyrics are absolutely brilliant and virtuosic.
If my shows of gratitude are miniscule
Inside your mind, sorry
But you can’t manipulate me like before
Examine first John chapter 4 verse 4
On top of her signature lyrics, she weaves a wonderful sense of counterpoint in the backup singing which accent off-beats and carry their own melody. All of this is done without the benefit of drums or synths. It’s just a classic piano accompaniment, like Vanishing from her debut album. Above all, it is moving in its climax as the flow of words just wash over and the melody takes on the form of a mantra, “I wish you well.” For the lyrics, click here. For a collection of her lyrics, click here.
May 14th, 2008 at 5:01 am
Hey Howard, it was great meeting you and working with you on CAS. I enjoyed reading some of your old posts, especially the ones about classical music.
I personally haven’t been impressed by Mariah in recent years, but agree she has an amazing range and am still impressed with her talent, despite all the trash talk in the tabloids of late.
I’m adding you to my RSS reader…