Why Mariah Carey Matters

by Andrew Chan

The first book to critically examine the legacy of pop superstar Mariah Carey.

When it comes to Mariah Carey, star power is never in doubt. She has sold hundreds of millions of albums and cut more chart-topping hits than any other solo artist—ever. And she has that extraordinary five-octave vocal range. But there is more to her legacy than eye-popping numbers. Why Mariah Carey Matters examines the creative evolution and complicated biography of a true diva, making the case that, despite her celebrity, Carey’s musicianship and influence are insufficiently appreciated. A pioneering songwriter and producer, Carey pairs her vocal gifts with intimate lyrics and richly layered sonic details. In the mid-1990s, she perfected a blend of pop, hip-hop, and R&B with songs such as “Fantasy” and “Honey” and drew from her turbulent life to create the introspective masterpiece Butterfly . Andrew Chan looks beyond Carey’s glamorous persona to explore her experience as a mixed-race woman in show business, her adventurous forays into house music and gospel, and her appeal to multiple generations of queer audiences. He also reckons with the transcendent ideal of the voice that Carey represents, showing how this international icon taught artists around the world to sing with soul-shaking intensity and a spirit of innovation.

Genres: Music, Nonfiction

168 pages, Hardcover

Published September 12, 2023

Reviews

[Mai · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't be put off by my 3-star rating, it's mainly just that I know so much about Mariah Carey that a huge chunk of this book is old news to me, that's all. In short, this book is a critical analysis of the legacy of Mariah Carey, presented in chronological order, with elements such as race, gender, sexuality taken into account. Andrew Chan succeeded in highlighting the social context of her rising to fame in the 90s (ie, the state of the music industry in the US), as well as interesting explanations on why and how Mariah has become so linked to gay men's culture. The personal anecdotes relating to Mariah and how her music impacted the author, an Asian gay man growing up in the 90s and 2000s, will definitely resonate with many readers and complement an otherwise too cold and technical piece of writing. I would love to see more in-depth analysis of how Mariah Carey served as a intermediator or popularizer of "black singing" (a subject that Andrew Chan did talk about, just not at length) - which, since the 90s, has gone from being black-coded, marginalized to becoming mainstream, deracialized, appropriated and the default standard for pop singers in the 21st century. But for a book of this length, it's an unreasonable expectation. Ultimately, I think the author has well achieved every goal he set out for this book. All in all a very good read.

[Sharlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

for complete transparency as with my review of mariah’s memoir, i am a 🐑. additionally, i am a friend of the writer-scholar of this book, so fully acknowledge some bias, however this book undoubtedly does a great job uncovering mariah’s place in pop and r&b history. it goes well beyond the well-known hits to celebrate her talents as a songwriter, producer and vocal arranger.

[Jack Reynolds · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mariah Carey was another pop darling I was quasi transfixed by growing up. I liked Chan's analysis on her voice itself and how it has evolved throughout the course of her career. He does a great job interspersing her discography highlights with points from his own experience growing up as queer. It adds a personal touch to this academic book so it doesn't feel stuffy.

Some of the topics Chan discussed weren't incorporated as well. The technical aspects of Carey as a singer flew a little over my head, and some of the musical links to sections of the Lambs lacked a bit of depth. Could I still see someone unfamiliar with scholarly lit taking a chance on this due to its focus on a prominent musician? You bet! Why Mariah Carey Matter is a quick and satisfying read, even if the full text won't stick with me a few months down the line.

[zeynep · Rating 5 out of 5]

A eureka moment in pop, "Vision of Love" begins portentously, with a reverberating synthesizer effect that sounds like the door of a spaceship cracking open, presumably to let out the unearthly vocal specimen inside.

Like that one Junji Ito story -- this book was made for me! Two pages into the book, we already had ekphrastic descriptions of listening to a diva's voice (I might feel as if I've been caressed by a breeze, or wrapped in velvet, or sliced open by a surgeon's blade), and going down the Youtube Mariah Carey vocal range rabbit hole -- and I couldn't control the ridiculous smile on my face.

Nothing in this book is really new to me, because I was fighting in the Twitter trenches in 2017, seeing batshit lambs cheer on terrorist attacks at Ariana Grande concerts for the sake of an imagined beef, and yet I remained there because who else was going to appreciate my florid tweets attempting to come up with metaphors to describe the way Mariah's voice and music made me feel? Where else could I go feral about some low quality concert video from 2000? ("My All" Rainbow Tour in Chicago my BELOVED)

This is the book I would have written then, if I could have; and a book I loved to read today. I actually spotted it randomly on the library bookshelves, and soon after I began reading it, I had the thought that I really ought to buy a a copy for myself...my lambily bible.

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve always wanted to know more about why Mariah Carey is considered a legend or icon.
Before this book, I saw her as a legend.
After this book, I understand her iconic status. And it’s not to take away from her being a legend at all. I just think this book made me see her as an icon instead of a legend now…

This book told me what I wanted to know about Mariah, but I also feel like it could have dug deeper?
Idk how you can dig deeper when this book is clearly by a Superfan who knows everything MC. And that’s no shade!! It’s a compliment for sure. But somehow, this still felt surface level…

I’m going to read Mariah’s memoir now. Maybe it’ll reignite why I first believed she was a legend.

This book definitely makes me want to listen to her entire discography and really learn more now.

[Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this in one sitting on a plane and it filled my heart. I am a lifelong lamb and I loved this thorough, intelligent and deserved analysis of Mariah's artistry and legacy. A great read for fans and really anyone interested in music on a critical level. MIMI FOREVER.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Q: “What happens when a rarified, Olympian style of singing that once existed at the outer limits of human capability becomes so integrated into the fabric of pop culture that it ceases to be exceptional?”

A: Mariah Carey

“A high note flawlessly nailed, a tricky rhythm precisely rendered, a complex and surprising melisma executed with razor-sharp accuracy: these vocal victories can bring a feeling of clarity–of rightness–to the havoc of human emotion…Voices can seduce us, haunt us, heal us regardless of the text they’re delivering or even the culture that surrounds them…it’s the text that brings the voice to the masses, and it’s the culture that teaches the voice its steps.”

“How and when we’re introduced to an artist’s body of work shapes our expectations of it, and long careers offer an array of entry points.” The early aughts introduced “the ascendance of ‘poptimism’–an ideology that has sought to undermine…preference for white male-led rock and direct attention to musicians working in less vaunted genres…As R&B became a musical mainstay across the globe, it redefined ideas about vocal beauty.”

While some may interpret Mariah Carey as the “Petals” of pop-princess propriety in favor of the frothy, her music “has made her a conduit through which [R&B] could become a global lingua franca…Mariah’s samples create a map of the music that was totemic for her in childhood, her best-loved hits…form a palimpsest” of life between continents.

Mariah acts as an “emotional anchor…both vivacious and aloof” and represents “one of our preeminent chroniclers of amour fou, reflecting the tangle of our…emotions back to us…Her voice embodies…an ethos: she’s one of pop’s reigning transcendentalists…serious in her belief that a voice–her voice–can put us in communication with the sublime…If a voice were a place, I’d call hers home.” Andrew Chan’s Why Mariah Carey Matters is a call to worship.

[mariam · Rating 4 out of 5]

beautiful!! for lambs, diva lovers, and all who have been moved to tears by a live performance of a 90s power ballad

—

“‘Fantasy’ was a gust of euphoria, as strong as any high I’d ever felt. ‘One Sweet Day’ had me fighting back tears. And ‘Always Be My Baby’ was something in between; it’s one of the first times Mariah had constructed a song that unspools like a string of distinct but equally catchy hooks, and yet all that jubilant melody-making hides an undercurrent of sourness (“when your days and your nights get a little bit colder,” Mariah sings, wagging a finger at a departing lover). That these three experiences emanated from the mysterious woman on that poster in the record store taught me something about how close happiness was to sadness, and how interchangeable these emotions often are in the language of music, since both can lead to the same ecstasy.”

[Wade · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was just fabulous. It took a unique approach of analyzing Mariah’s voice as an instrument along with her, her voice, and her songwriting’s contributions to music. It touched on her legacy and cultural impacts as well. Putting our Songbird Supreme under critical examination in 140 pages is an incredible feat, well done.

[Carla Martinez · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read Why Sinead O'Connor Matters a couple of months ago and was expecting something similar with Mariah's book. Even though I respect Mariah's career and talent, the book never really convinced me of why she matters. Of course, this is not to say that she is irrelevant but my claim is that the author fails at delivering the message.

[JoeVincentt · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was a really riveting read! it was a fun ride to hear Mariah talked about in such a educational way. The author is clearly a big fan but also has taken the time to really dissect all of her work. Fun for a fan and interesting for someone looking in from the outside would not mind reading again.

[Robyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. I feel guilty rating this so low. I love Mariah and I loved her book. This was perhaps just a little over my head musically.

[Petty Lisbon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good exploration of Mariah Carey's catalog and the author's relationship with her music.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a huge fan of Mariah Carey but I grew up with her music and remember the Glitter debacle and the star turn in Precious and of course she is now the official Christmas ambassador! 

I love how Chan goes through her whole career and how he talks about the impact Carey and her music made on him. This is a good companion to I Sing to Use the Waiting: A Collection of Essays About the Women Singers Who've Made Me Who I Am.