Was Mariah Carey’s 2005 the Greatest Comeback Year for a Pop Star This Century?
At the outset of 2005, Mariah Carey was still digging herself out of the hole she’d sunk into commercially and personally over the decade’s first half — a tough run that included a flop movie and soundtrack, a split with her new record label and a short hospitalization due to emotional and physical exhaustion. But in ’05, Carey would dramatically reclaim the superstar status she’d held throughout the 1990s, with an album that debuted atop the Billboard 200, spawned multiple smash hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and reestablished her as a singular voice in pop music: The Emancipation of Mimi.
On this week’s extended Vintage Pop Stardom episode of the Greatest Pop Stars podcast, host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard senior charts and data analyst Trevor Anderson to remember a legendary year in MC’s story. We follow Mimi throughout her year of major hits, as she reminded everyone that when Mariah Carey was at the peak of her powers as a singer and songwriter — and especially when she was extricated from the drama that had long overwhelmed her career — there was still no substitute for her throughout all popular music.
Along the way, we ask all the most important questions about how Mariah flew like a bird back to the peak of pop stardom: How unfair was the media treatment and overall narrative behind her early-’00s fall? What about the strategy behind Mimi helped put the album in the best position to succeed? Why did “We Belong Together” become such a massive smash in such a new era for top 40? Why didn’t any of the songs with big new guests or producers get released as 2005 singles? Should Wentworth Miller have been wearing a Yankees jersey in the “Together” video? And most importantly: Is this the greatest comeback year we’ve seen a pop star have this century?
Check it out above — along with a YouTube playlist of some of the most important moments from Mariah Carey’s 2005, all of which are discussed in the podcast — and subscribe to the Greatest Pop Stars podcast on Apple Music or Spotify (or wherever you get your podcasts) for weekly discussions every Thursday about all things related to pop stardom!
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