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Re:#Butterfly25 (100,870) (100,877) by BFF from United States I'm definitely against any re-recordings of tracks from the "Butterfly" album. No need to mess with perfection. Before the MC#30 campaign, I would have advocated for a "Deluxe Version" release of the album with remixes and alternate versions like Fly Away (Butterfly Reprise) (Def B' Fly Mix) or The Roof (Morales Funky Club Mix) or even including the extended "remix" versions of Honey (Bad Boy), Breakdown (Mo Thugs), and The Roof (Mobb Deep). The guest features worked well on those songs and probably should have been the "album" versions. But releasing a "Deluxe" version would be kind of pointless now with all of the EPs available on Apple Music. I wouldn't mind a full-length concert release of one of the tour stops from the "Butterfly" Tour. But I'm not sure there's much of anything from this era that would be a big surprise if released. (Monday 1 August 2022; 22:37)

Re: MC hurry up (100,867) (100,868) by BFF from United States Beyonce's best solo album was the "B'Day" album, but she always worked better in the context of Destiny's Child. She's always felt pretty mediocre to me and likes to repurpose ideas from other artists and present them as if they are her own or as if she was the first person to think of them. Her albums and the accompanying visuals always come off way too carefully curated to the point where appears to be a blank canvas for producers/writers/musicians to paint their ideas onto. And everything has to be this overwrought political statement. It's like... lighten up. You're not some political revolutionary. You're a rich pop singer insulated from the problems of the vast majority of people. And yet the mainstream media outlets literally write about her as if she's Nelson Mandela or Martin Luther King, Jr. (Sunday 31 July 2022; 15:21)

Re: MC hurry up (100,856) (100,857) by BFF from United States I am doubtful about the amount of "effort" that Beyonce puts into her albums considering most of her songs have closer to ten writers credited. Her production company clearly hires committees of tastemakers to write the lyrics and melodies and then they take the finished product to Beyonce, she changes a word or phrase here and there, and then takes a writing credit for something she had little to no involvement with. Ne-Yo confirmed this back in the mid 2000s when he questioned why Beyonce was credited as a writer on "Irreplaceable" from the "B'Day" album. She was even sued by Des'ree's publishing company for her shameless rip off of "Kissing You" for the "B'Day" album. You can't simply retitle the song "Still In Love" and expect "Des'ree" to be too stupid to notice this. As far as I'm concerned, Kelis has every right to go after Beyonce for not even bothering to ask permission. Beyonce is a serial and repeat offender when it comes to plagiarism and is enabled by people like Pharrell, who swindled Kelis out of revenue for her most popular songs. And the way she's being praised for incorporating gay ball culture into her visuals as if that hasn't been done over and over by other artists is pretty rich. But I'm sure her production company paid every mainstream media outlet handsomely to praise her album no matter how mediocre the product is. (Saturday 30 July 2022; 22:37)

Re: What sank Charmbracelet? (100,807) (100,824) by BFF from United States The vocals on the album were very poor quality in my opinion; I find most of the album unlistenable due to this. The only song on the album where she sounds vocally strong is "Bringing on the Heartbreak". I liked a lot of the lyrical content and some of the production choices on the album, but the vocals were just not cutting it. The songs and the album itself were too long, she probably should've cut it to 12 songs. I could've lived without "Boy (I Need You)" and "You Got Me". She also just didn't take enough time off between "Glitter" and this album. I don't think fans would have blamed her. The bright spots of this period were the tour and the fact that she looked really healthy, fit, and confident - especially in 2003 during the tour. She seemed to be taking much better care of herself than during the 1997-2001 period. She was really energetic during the tour performances, moved around a lot, and sounded pretty good vocally. (Monday 25 July 2022; 19:01)

Re: Thoughts: which album do you think MC dislikes (100,804) (100,806) by BFF from United States I totally agree. And the "Rainbow" era, despite not being her best album output, was really a lot of fun. She seemed pretty carefree and happy. The tour was a lot of fun. And I liked that her style was super casual. (Sunday 24 July 2022; 15:41)

Re: Thoughts: which album do you think MC dislikes (100,754) (100,801) by BFF from United States If I were Mariah, I'd probably say "Rainbow" for her Sony period. That record had some good songs on it, but it just did not work as an album. Plus she even admitted that it was her "get me off of this record label" album. Aside from "Heartbreaker", "Thank God I Found You", "Crybaby", "Petals", and "Can't Take That Away", most of the songs are pretty forgettable. I could also see her not liking the debut either. The production was just all over the place and rendered her pretty anonymous on most of the songs. There was such a vast improvement from that record to "Emotions". I still cannot fathom how "Emotions" did not sell better and how it didn't get rave reviews. Easily my second favorite album after "Butterfly". In terms of post-"Glitter" records, I would bet "E=MC2". That is definitely my least favorite Mariah album. It seemed pretty evident that the only goal for that it was to recreate the success of the previous one. (Sunday 24 July 2022; 02:04)

Re: Walter (100,779) (100,787) by BFF from United States Walter A is an evil man who ruined Mariah's life by helping her write great songs. How dare he! Mariah needs someone to buy her a chaise lounge to faint on from the burden of having to share writing credits with someone so terrible. (Thursday 21 July 2022; 21:50)

Re: What's on your MC rotation these days? (100,564) (100,570) by BFF from United States The "Emotions" album has been in heavy rotation for me recently. There's something very unique about it in the context of Mariah's catalogue. She took full creative control for the first time, but it was before the marriage to Tommy left her jaded and cynical. She was pursuing her vision, but that pursuit was not necessarily about "rebelling" in the way that it was in the late 1990s. I love the blending of gospel ("Make it Happen"), disco ("Emotions"), old school soul ("If It's Over"), house ("You're So Cold"), and jazz ("The Wind"). There isn't a weak track on the entire album, and it's borderline tied for first place with "Butterfly" as my favorite Mariah album. (Saturday 25 June 2022; 00:51)

Re: Songwriters speech (100,475) (100,476) by BFF from United States It's absurd that a 53-year-old adult behaves like this but then in the next breath complains about "not being taken seriously as a songwriter". (Friday 17 June 2022; 17:47)

Re: Collaborations (100,427) (100,441) by BFF from United States We unfortunately have to accept that we will never see the quality we grew accustomed to during Mariah's 1990s heyday. We've seen glimmers of it, but she's just not disciplined enough to pull off anything like did she with albums like "Butterfly" or "Emotions". She hasn't taken very good care of her voice since the late 90s/early 00s, and the lengthy recording processes for the post-Glitter albums has often not been in proportion to the quality of the finished product. (Monday 13 June 2022; 17:24)

Re: AIWFCIY (100,387) (100,397) by BFF from United States Unfortunately, there is a chance that she may have to pay something to this writer. There are enough similarities between the two songs. Sam Smith had to give Tom Petty a writing credit on "Stay with Me" for similarities between that song and "I Won't Back Down". Just for the record, I don't think Mariah should have to give the writer anything because thematically it's very hard to not see similarities between Christmas songs (and, really, popular songs in general). I'm just coming from the perspective of thinking how a judge will interpret the situation. (Sunday 5 June 2022; 23:00)

More Rarities (vol. 2) (100,336) by BFF from United States Songs that should be considered for inclusion if she does another set of unreleased material. For a few, I'm speculating that she cut her own version of songs she gave to (or wrote with) other artists. 1. I Lose Control 2. Help Me Find a Way to Your Heart 3. Someone to Hold 4. Always in Love 5. Dreamlover (Dave Hall Original Mix) 6. Just Be Good to Me 7. Make You Happy 8. Head Over Heels 9. Last Chance 10. After 11. Don't Go Looking for Love 12. Do You Know Where You're Going To? 13. Where Are You Christmas 14. There for Me 15. Turn You Loose (Lillie's Blues) 16. There Goes My Heart 17. Reach for the Sky 18. I Feel It 19. Right to Dream 20. Help Me Make it Through the Night 21. Don't Explain 22. Runway (Friday 27 May 2022; 23:20)

Re: Wish/Could've beens list #1s (98,684) (98,693) by BFF from United States That's a good point, but "Butterfly" had more crossover appeal than "Candle in the Wind" due to the "Fly Away (Butterfly Reprise)" house mixes and received more airplay than the Elton John song. "Candle in the Wind '97" sold a lot, but I don't remember it being particularly popular on the radio. It only peaked at #32 on the Mainstream Top 40 chart. "Butterfly" went to #14 on that chart based on airplay alone, and peaked at #16 on the Hot 100 Airplay Chart. I think Mariah could have had a shot at #1 even against "Candle in the Wind 97". To this day, I find it very frustrating that "Butterfly" never got an official release. It's one of her signature ballads and really deserved the recognition. (Sunday 3 October 2021; 16:31)

Re: Wish/Could've beens list #1s (98,686) (98,692) by BFF from United States I respectfully disagree, sir. How can you deny the splendor of the "Emotions" album? It has so much more of Mariah's personality in it than the debut! The debut album just had too many cooks in the kitchen and not enough creative control from Mariah herself. I love "Vision of Love", "Vanishing", "Love Takes Time", "Someday", and even "I Don't Wanna Cry" but almost everything else feels like filler to me. There's not a single song on "Emotions" I dislike. The only other album I can say that about is "Butterfly". (Sunday 3 October 2021; 16:24)

Re: Wish/Could've beens list #1s (98,677) (98,679) by BFF from United States Don't forget about "Can't Let Go". It barely missed the #1 spot because the record label didn't want sales of the single to impede sales of the album. In general, I do not understand why the "Emotions" album is so underrated. It's definitely her second best album behind "Butterfly" and light years better than the debut album. And I agree on "Butterfly". If Sony had commercially released it, the song would have gone to #1. I think it went to #16 on the Hot 100 airplay chart. Ditto for "Forever", which went to #9 on the Hot 100 airplay chart and could have been a #1 single with a commercial release. "Can't Take That Away" or "Crybaby" probably could have gone to #1 with proper promotion as well. "Endless Love" with Luther narrowly missed #1. And let's not forget that "Loverboy", as messy as the released version was, could have been a #1 single if Destiny's Child's "Bootylicious" hadn't been released as a commercial single the same week. (Friday 1 October 2021; 15:32)

Glitter 20th anniversary (98,541) by BFF from United States I'm thinking back to how Mariah skipped the "Glitter" album during the MC30 roll out. I wonder if she's planning something for the 20th anniversary of the album release (9/11). It would be nice to have the "Loverboy" club remixes available for streaming. I know there were remixes for "Never too Far/Hero" Medley as well. I'd personally love to hear a Mariah-only recording of that song "Turn You Loose", which is featured in the opening scene with Billie and her mother. (Sunday 22 August 2021; 14:52)

Re: Remixes that surpass the original (98,539) (98,540) by BFF from United States "Fly Away" (Butterfly Reprise) (Def B' Fly Club Mix), "Always Be My Baby" (Always Club Mix), "One Sweet Day" (Sweet A Capella), "My All/Stay Awhile" (So So Def Remix), and "Any Time You Need a Friend" (Boriqua Tribe Mix) & (Soul Convention Mix), and "Do You Know Where You're Going To" (Mariah Bonita Club) are just a few of my favorites. I'm with you on Fantasy. Although I like the ODB version, I think I prefer the original mix. There were a few popular songs around that time that utilized the Tom Tom Club sample, but I think Mariah utilized it the best. Unfortunately, remix quality (and general quality of output) went downhill after "Glitter". Happy that Mariah had the major comeback with "The Emancipation of Mimi", but I find that album to be overrated. The songs outside of the singles were hit-or-miss for me. "Me I Am Mariah" is my favorite post-Sony album of hers but still don't think it provided much of anything in the way of remixes. (Sunday 22 August 2021; 14:41)

Re: Defamation (97,617) (97,622) by BFF from United States The implied meaning of George's statement remains the same even if I misquoted him slightly. "White girl who can sing" has the same implied meaning as "white girl who sings black". If you deny this, you're being willfully obtuse. And if I recall correctly, Joe Biden and Donald Trump were not the only two choices on the ballot. Other choices were available. People just chose to see it as a binary choice. (Friday 19 March 2021; 11:55)

Re: Defamation (97,608) (97,616) by BFF from United States I don't think Mariah is "anti-white", but I do think she's desperate to be seen as "down" and is constantly pandering to a kind of black cultural nationalism that was popular in the 1960s/70s and is now seeing a resurgence in the United States. I really didn't care for the way she looked down on her father for being a member of the Unitarian Universalist Church and didn't like the derogatory statements she made in her book about how his funeral service was "too white" until she intervened. It made her come off as quite conservative and close-minded. What I don't get is how she can position herself as some kind of "racial justice" advocate and vocally support Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, both of whom have made policy decisions that have had disastrous impacts on working class and poor black Americans (i.e. the 1994 Crime Bill and Mass Incarceration)vand poor/working class people of all backgrounds. But I'm sure Mariah's political analysis probably goes about as deep as "vote Democrat no matter who", so I guess I shouldn't be surprised. No one really talks about this, but black music critic Nelson George was the one who originally referred to Mariah as a "white girl who sings black", which was arguably the genesis of her desire to prove herself as "down". Statements like that emanate from the absurd notion that all black people sing a certain way and all white people sing a certain way or that somehow someone's skin color automatically determines their singing ability. I don't ever remember George apologizing for that statement either. (Thursday 18 March 2021; 23:31)

Re: Tommy Mottola, a monster? (97,554) (97,559) by BFF from United States It's interesting to reflect on the fact that Mariah and Mottola both now agree that they should have never gotten married. Mariah even wrote in her memoir that she did not want to marry him. When she married Tommy, I believe that Mariah was looking for stability after years of dealing with an unstable environment in her family. I don't think she was really in love with him. I think Mariah's perspective on the marriage in interviews in 1997/1998 was much healthier than it is now. Back then, she considered the marriage stifling and controlling but was also willing to acknowledge that she made the choice to be in the marriage. I believe that Tommy was controlling and that the marriage was very negative for Mariah, but I also believe he was instrumental in helping her achieve the professional success she achieved in the 1990s. He believed in her music and invested time, money, and energy into her vision. Another positive aspect of her time with Tommy was that she was not really in the tabloids in the way she was in the post-1997 period. In the early and mid 1990s, the focus was mostly on her music - not on being famous, not on her personal life, not on her image. We've had some great music since the late 1990s, but most of the output just hasn't measured up. (Tuesday 9 March 2021; 14:48)

My 10 essential Mariah house remixes (97,514) by BFF from United States 1. Fly Away (Butterfly Reprise) (Def B Fly Mix) 2. Always Be My Baby (Always Club Mix) 3. Fantasy (The Boss Remix) 4. Anytime You Need a Friend (Boriqua Tribe Mix) 5. Honey (Def Rascal Anthem) 6. The Roof (Morales Funky Club Mix) 7. Butterfly (Meme Club Mix) 8. I Still Believe (Morales Classic Mix) 9. Say Somethin' (Stereo Experience) 10. Do You Know Where You're Going To? (Mariah Bonita Club) (Sunday 28 February 2021; 16:38)

Justice for "Emotions" (97,496) by BFF from United States After "Butterfly," I would argue that "Emotions" is her second best album. And it's definitely her best album vocally. I particularly love everything she worked on with David Cole and C+C Music Factory and wonder how much more great work she could have produced with David Cole had he not tragically died during the height of the AIDS epidemic in the 1990s. The ballads and the uptempo songs on this album are all on point. From "Can't Let Go" to "You're So Cold", the writing and production on "Emotions" eclipsed her debut on multiple fronts. (Saturday 27 February 2021; 01:00)

Re: Album rankings (97,486) (97,492) by BFF from United States To me, "Daydream" felt too carefully crafted for commercial success and not enough of an artistic statement. I don't get the sense that Mariah enjoyed herself while recording that album as much as she did recording "Butterfly". I like the album but just do not think it's as good as "Butterfly". And as much as I love Mariah, I'm okay with Seal winning Record of the Year for "Kiss From a Rose". Alanis' "Jagged Little Pill" over "Daydream" I'm not sure so sure about. I disagree with many of Mariah's takes on her own work (i.e. disowning songs like "I Don't Wanna Cry" and "Love Takes Time" but not "Obsessed" or "Touch My Body"), but I agree with her assessment that "Butterfly" is her best. The ballads are great - "Close My Eyes", "Butterfly", "Whenever You Call". The hip-hop oriented tracks like "The Roof", "Breakdown" and "Honey" worked really well without veering off into the pandering direction she took in the post-"Butterfly" years. And I just love those house versions of "Butterfly" - I would have loved to see the full length "Fly Away" on the album. I also just have a very personal connection to "Butterfly" in the way that you said you connected to "Music Box". I listened to the CD version of "Butterfly" a ton on my Walkman. (Friday 26 February 2021; 01:25)

My ranking of Mariah's albums (97,421) by BFF from United States I've been thinking this over for a while before posting but here it goes. Studio albums only and leaving out the two holiday records. 1. Butterfly (1997) 2. Emotions (1991) 3. Daydream (1995) 4. Me I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse (2014) 5. Music Box (1993) 6. Rainbow (1999) 7. The Emancipation of Mimi (2005) 8. Glitter (2001) 9. Memoirs of An Imperfect Angel (2009) 10. Mariah Carey (1990) 11. Caution (2018) 12. Charmbracelet (2002) 13. E=MC2 (2008) I find "The Emancipation of Mimi" quite overrated and pretty hit-or-miss outside of the singles. I agree with Mariah's assessment of her debut that it's too overproduced. I love "Vision of Love" and "Vanishing" but that's about it. "Emotions" is 1000x better than her debut; that was one solid follow-up record. I think "Music Box" and "Rainbow" are under-appreciated albums in her catalogue; they deserve better receptions for songs like "Anytime You Need A Friend" and "Can't Take That Away", which are among Mariah's best. "Me I Am Mariah" showcases Mariah doing everything she does well, and I think it would have been much more successful if she had not been divorcing Nick during the rollout. "#Beautiful" is one of her most unique lead singles, and duetting with Miguel was a savvy move. I find "E=MC2" and "Charmbracelet" almost unlistenable. "Charmbracelet" would have been better if she hadn't recorded it in her whisper voice. "Caution" was a snooze fest for the most part and felt very rushed. "Butterfly" is her magnum opus., practically flawless from start to finish. (Saturday 20 February 2021; 23:04)

Re: E=MC2 EPs (97,315) by BFF from United States I wonder why she left off "Bye Bye" or if something happened. Seems like there were multiple versions that could have been included on an EP. "E = MC2" is one of my least favorite Mariah albums. Although I would have loved to see a few more of the singles go to #1, it really just felt like she was recycling ideas already explored on "The Emancipation of Mimi," which I like but think is slightly overrated. I thought the "Memoirs" album was much stronger than "E = MC2." Everything in Mariah's post-2001 period is pretty hit or miss with me with the exception of "Me I Am Mariah", which is a great album with a silly title. (Saturday 6 February 2021; 21:18)

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