The Mariah Carey Discography Rate Pt.1 • FINISHED

GimmeWork

GimmeWork

londonrain said:
What the fuck?

iamdisgusted.gif at these eliminations. I love you, @vague, but I can’t take these results seriously any more when so many of the voters clearly need to go have a word with themselves.
Click to expand...
I completely agree.... but also you gave Long Ago a 5, so....
giphy.gif
 
P'NutButter

P'NutButter

Like I mentioned in the commentary. 'Vanishing' is the finest vocal displayed on a track by a female artist, ever.

The lows and the highs and the runs, are impeccable. The strength beneath every note, the little breaths... no other artist comes close to those vocals.
 
RainOnFire

RainOnFire

Staff member
I... cannot believe I just lost my 11 at fucking #29.

The Roof was the more obvious pick for my 11, but I felt comfortable giving it to Whenever You Call this time around. Not only is it one of my favourite Mariah songs ever, but I was more than willing to give it a boost if needed. I find myself returning to it more than any track on Butterfly nowadays, The Roof included. It's a genuinely perfect ballad to me, with not one single flaw.

No one could've convinced me it would be leaving at #29 though. An entire goddamn mess. (I'm not even gonna touch on Vanishing leaving now too, y'all need saving).
 
RUNAWAY

RUNAWAY

Staff member
he/him
Honestly I’m so sick (stan Apink) of this happening in what now seems like EVERY fucking rate on here. If someone is consistently giving EVERY SINGLE BALLAD a low score and calling it boring or forgettable, why are we still accepting their votes? Especially in rates where the artist, like Mariah, is KNOWN for their ballads and ESPECIALLY in Mariah’s case when ballads are pretty much half of her discography. I just...don’t understand.
 
vague

vague

Our first cut today will, unfortunately, see two more people lose their 11s . . .


































28.png


It seems as though I've always been
Somebody outside looking in
Well, here I am for all of them to bleed
But they can't take my heart from me

lookingin.png


#28
"Looking In"

Score: 8.273
High scores: 11×2 (@pop3blow2, @japanbonustrack), 10×12 (@Music Is Life, @playboy69, @The Hot Rock, @EricG1990, @Imagineitwasus, @Tigerlily, @Sprockrooster, @nikkysan, @londonrain, @mokitsu, @PayMe, @LeBratt), 9.8×1 (@Veeis), 9.6×1 (@Womanizer), 9.5×2 (@godspeed, @Aester)
Low scores: 3×2 (@WhatKindOfKylie?, @Ana Raquel), 4×1 (@Hurricane Drunk), 5×2 (@Cowboystyle, @CasuallyCrazed)
My score: 9

5 ballots: #46, 8.2 avg.
10 ballots: #26, 8.66 avg.
15 ballots: #28, 8.573 avg.
20 ballots: #23, 8.68 avg.
25 ballots: #28, 8.264 avg.
30 ballots: #25, 8.337 avg.
35 ballots: #27, 8.16 avg.
40 ballots: #27, 8.278 avg.
45 ballots: #28, 8.191 avg.
50 ballots: #27, 8.252 avg.
55 ballots: #26, 8.303 avg.
60 ballots: #26 (tied), 8.269 avg.
61 ballots: #28, 8.273 avg.

"Looking In" is the twelfth and final track from Mariah's fifth studio album, "Daydream". Its lyrics were written solely by Mariah and it was composed, arranged, and produced by Mariah and Walter Afanasieff. "Looking In" was written in 15 minutes, and, at the time of its release, contained Mariah's most personal lyrics.

There's an undercurrent of sadness to a lot of Mariah's lyrics - even on songs that aren't strictly sad themselves - but so few of her other tracks can even approach the level of melancholy on display here. Honestly, it feels a little weird to me to even rate stuff like this, because it's clearly such a deeply personal and poignant song for Mariah. Even listening to this feels a bit invasive due to how open she is about her insecurities in the lyrics. But that's also one of the song's greatest strengths; Mariah baring her soul here in a way that so few artists would ever even attempt to do (especially at the time of its release, when the artifice of having an untouchable, almost deified image was so integral to the appeal of celebrities) and thus makes her that much more relatable and, more importantly, humanizes her. "Looking In" gives us a real glimpse past the ~perfect diva~ image she and her handlers had cultivated for herself and lets us see who she truly is: "somebody outside looking in".​

—
​
@pop3blow2 (11) — "This song. Whew. It's a goddamn masterpiece. 'Pull back the curtain' type songs can be tricky for pop stars. So many people think it's sooo great to be 'rich & famous'. Surely there's great parts. There's also a lot of shitty parts, that are completely valid & they should be emotionally allowed to tap into & talk about. Instead, many people are just like 'quit your whining.' Our culture treats celebrities like they are not people & aren't allowed to have messy emotions or opinions. It annoys me.... and always have. This song is among the best I've ever heard in that vein & succeeds at humanizing Mariah probably as well as any song in her discography."

@Music Is Life (10) — "This was a gorgeous closer. Her strong, yet subtle vocals matched perfectly with the quiet production. A perfect ending to an awesome album."

@Imagineitwasus (10) — "This one is deep."

@Tigerlily (10) — "I have no words to describe how this song moves me. Incredible storytelling."

@Sprockrooster (10) — "Stunningly powerful."

@londonrain (10) — "Imagine not giving this a 10. Of all her introspective album closers, this is easily the best. Positively heartbreaking (especially when you think she was in an abusive marriage at the time)."

@Veeis (9.8) — "It's heartbreaking, great closer to the album."

@Womanizer (9.6) — "It's honestly spooky how beautiful and introspective this song is."

@godspeed (9.5) — "Writing a comment about this song doesn't feel right, first of all because it is Mariah at her most vulnerable, but also because 'Looking In' is such a wonderful and devastating song that I don't really know what else I could really say about it. It leaves me speechless every time I listen to it."

@Jimmyandroid (9) — "Devastating, heart wrenching, but finally defiant."

@Seventeen Days (8.5) — "Mariah sure got personal with the lyrics on this one, and it shows. I like that she sounds vulnerable, yet confident."

@Oceandrive (8.5) — "Another example of fantastic songwriting."

@bonnieetclyde (8) — "a strong closing to the album. It's a shame most of the ballads on the record weren't as strong as this. It's retrained, vocally, but showcases a much more raw and vulnerable side, plus how good Mariah is as a lyricist in her own right."

@DominoDancing (7.5) — "Quite a dark and touching finale to the album."

@abael (7) — "Probably the best closer so far, just for the fact it reins in its introduction into a workable song."

@WhatKindOfKylie? (3) — "So, Daydream draws to a close. Must say this is my least favourite excluding that pointless inclusion of the Fantasy Dub Mix. I can barely even hear what's she's singing on it for one thing. A weak finale to an otherwise near perfect album."​

—


​
 
pop3blow2

pop3blow2

I'm just excited that 'Looking In' got two 11's & lasted as long as it did. It's a moody, slow, & introspective song.. that's not a single. Those kinda songs don't always have the longest lives in rates. It just always gives me chills in a way no other Mariah song does. I suppose it's comparable to one of my fave Britney songs, 'Everytime', in that regard. I guess I'm just a sucker for that kind of song.
 
vague

vague

RUNAWAY said:
Honestly I’m so sick (stan Apink) of this happening in what now seems like EVERY fucking rate on here. If someone is consistently giving EVERY SINGLE BALLAD a low score and calling it boring or forgettable, why are we still accepting their votes? Especially in rates where the artist, like Mariah, is KNOWN for their ballads and ESPECIALLY in Mariah’s case when ballads are pretty much half of her discography. I just...don’t understand.
Click to expand...

I completely understand your frustration (and I know this post isn't aimed strictly at me) but, personally, I just don't feel comfortable asking anyone to change their scores or to outright deny a ballot. I actually think the differing opinions is what makes rate so fun to follow tbh, but I also want everyone to have a good time and not get too upset with the results.

I know not everyone is going to love ballads the way that we do, but I guess I just hoped people would at least take the lyrics of these track in consideration when scoring and adjust accordingly - even if they didn't find the songs suited their taste otherwise. That clearly didn't happen. I did put a lil disclaimer in the opening post about the ballads, but I guess most people just skim over the rules (if they read them at all ddd). I think I'm going to have to grow a backbone for the next two parts and try to be a bit more proactive re:ballad-tanking dddd.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top