You Got Me Feeling.... Mariah Carey:Emotions At 30

If you mean the 3 Emotions singles, than the title track made it to #1, Can't Let Go to #2 and #5 for Make It Happen. Amazingly, not quite good enough for the label too.

Thanks! Yes, just the Emotions era singles. I didn't know if they went for different songs, or more than 3. Billboard switched to a different style of chart compiling, too, which only helped to muddy the picture.
 
Thanks! Yes, just the Emotions era singles. I didn't know if they went for different songs, or more than 3. Billboard switched to a different style of chart compiling, too, which only helped to muddy the picture.
Yes, only those 3. If It's Over was almost single #4 until the campaign was ended early I believe. Still had a single release in the end though via it's live version from MTV Unplugged. Which unlike I'll Be There, didn't do much.
 
I recall the Emotions era not being that long, and the MTV release coming hot on the heels of Make It Happen. But that did tend to be the case in 92/93....same for Rod Stewart...Warners abandoned the Lead Vocalist project and put his Unplugged out within weeks, and it was more successful. I think the only act it didn't work out so well for was Springsteen!
 
It's such a lovely album and I love playing it every now and then - it's a great weekend morning listen in particular!

I didn't realise until well after my years as a lamb (which commenced around the Butterfly era) that it had underperformed at the time. Looking back, it was such a critical point in her career, and things could really have gone significantly differently if she didn't have the huge blockbuster of Music Box lined up afterwards.

I can see why Emotions wasn't as accessible as the debut for mainstream pop audiences; it's not as packed with catchy hooks and radio hits. But it's still a very strong body of work. I love that soulful gospel feel that runs throughout and she really showcases her artistry on this record. And the fact that even such an "uncommercial" album has huge enduring classics like Make It Happen, Can't Let Go and the title track just says it all about Mariah's ability to deliver on all fronts.
 
Yes, Emotions does work much better as an whole listen as I opposed to a track by track basis. The Wind for instance, as brilliant as it is, is not the sort of thing I would seek out to listen to on a regular basis. But, when taken as an altogether package I think, Emotions is certainly up there as one of her very strongest.
 
In retrospect, the Emotions campaign was very short but I agree that MTV Unplugged did seem like an extension of that campaign. I have a CD/DVD of MTV Unplugged and the Emotions 12" video is a bonus feature which kind of reaffirms that notion.

I really like both Can't Let Go and Make it Happen but they don't seem to get as much play as her other singles, especially when a lot of her comps have been based on the #1 criteria.
 
Emotions was actually the first Mariah album I owned (on cassette). I was 100% there for the bops (the title track, Make It Happen, To Be Around You and You’re So Cold) but after a few listens I “got” her absolute genius with a ballad. And to this day Can’t Let Go and If It’s Over are still highlights in her impecable discography.

Luckily a few short weeks later I’ll Be There and MTV Unplugged smashed (and I retrospectively got her debut on CD - one of my first ever purchased). I was SOLD to the point Ms Carey threatened to become my fave singer as Ms K Minogue disappeared for a while once leaving PWL.
 
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Can't Let Go is the definition of lush. That classic 90s R&B melody with Mariah's songwriting is a masterclass. The feelings of yearning and deep love, the hazy dreamlike production..it's just such a stunning song that deserves more recognition amongst her classics.
 
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