Mariah's 'Vision of love' turns 25: most influential vocal perf of all time

[Babel 41,351]

Yesterday, Mariah's career turn 25 years old.

 

This article is very detailed, celebrating Mariah Carey's career and exploring the big impact Mariah's debut song had on the following generation of singers / performers. I bolded the important parts, but feel free to read the whole thing, it's pretty interesting. 

 

 

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May 15, 1990.

In May of 1990 Long Island native Mariah Carey “realized a dream, and visualized the love that came to be“.  “Vision of Love,” her “first single – ever,” was released in advance of her self-titled debut album. “Vision of Love” spent 4 weeks at #1 on the Hot 100 that summer, the longest run of any song that year. Lyrically “Vision of Love” seems to be a love song about finding a soul mate, and in fact the NY Daily News named it one of the 100 greatest love songs.[1] Carey has said, though, that the song was written in reaction to struggling for a while and then landing a record deal. Musically the song opens with some sci-fi-like synths before moving into electric piano chords that Sasha Frere-Jones of The New Yorker describes as “reminiscent of early Billy Joel.”[2] While also noted for doo wop elements and a slow dance shuffle that didn’t quite sound like anything on radio at the time, the song Elysa Gardner of USA Today calls a “lush debut vehicle”[3] was more notable for the incredible vocal display put on by Carey. Julianne Shepherd asked in Vibe, “Who can forget the first time they heard” Mariah’s voice on the song?[4] In talking about the song to VH1, singer Paula Cole noted, “Her voice was spectacular.”[5] Carey would win the Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1991 for “Vision of Love” over famed veteran singers like Bette Midler and Whitney Houston. Cheryl ‘Salt’ James told VH1, Carey “put herself on the map with that song.”[6]

 

More than announcing Carey’s arrival, though, with time “Vision of Love” has revealed itself to be arguably the most influential song of all-time vocally. It forced people to stop what they were doing and listen, and it changed the way many people, particularly female singers, approached music. Devon Powers of Pop Matters writes, “From its first few moments, the song demands to be legendary.”[7] Over the past 25 years countless singers have referred to “Vision of Love” as the song that made them want to sing, a teaching tool for how they learned to sing, a song they performed when they were growing up, and a song that got them through tough times. In fact some of our greatest current vocalists have cited “Vision of Love” as the song that made them want to become singers.

 

 

 

 

 

And HERE are some examples of actual pop/hip hop/ R&B singers being influenced by this masterpiece:

 

BEYONCE

Superstar Beyoncé told MTV after hearing “Vision of Love” for the first time, “I knew it, my mind was made up – I had to be a singer.”[8] 

 

CHRISTINA AGUILERA

Hit maker and The Voice judge Christina Aguilera has said, “[W]hen I discovered Mariah Carey and ‘Vision of Love’, that was a breath of fresh air, and I adored her from that moment on and idolized her.”Entertainment Weekly reports after hearing “Vision of Love” Aguilera also told her mom, “I just found the greatest person in the world!”[9]

 

KELLY CLARKSON

Grammy winner Kelly Clarkson saw Carey sing “Vision of Love” on Arsenio Hall’s talk show and “became, like, literally obsessed.” Clarkson told Nightline, “I was just flipping out, ‘Who is she?'” Clarkson said she later chose to sing “Vision of Love” for her first choir solo.[10] After the performance, Clarkson knew she wanted to be a singer.[11] 

 

RIHANNA

When asked by i-D what song made her want to do music, global icon Rihanna responded “Vision of Love.”[12] Rihanna echoed that statement on The View in saying her love for Carey is what confirmed that she wanted to be a singer.

 

SARA BAREILLES

Grammy nominee and The Sing-Off judge Sara Bareilles told VH1 that she “felt as a vocalist really inspired by ‘Vision of Love.'” Bareilles said her dad bought the cassette of the song and they would listen to it over and over. As a singer, Bareilles was blown away by Carey’s vocal performance.[13]

 

NATASHA BEDINGFIELD

Pop singer Natasha Bedingfield also listened to Carey on repeat to “marvel” at her combination of tone and power.[14]

 

BRANDY

R&B icon Brandy told B96 that Carey is “the reason why I’m singing” and said she sang “Vision of Love” and Whitney Houston’s “Greatest Love of All” to land her record deal with Atlantic.[15] Brandy had previously sung the same two songs in an audition for Star Search.[16] 

GERI HALLIWELL (Spice Girls)

Geri Halliwell said she “pretended to be Mariah Carey” in her audition to become a member of the Spice Girls.[17]

 

MARSHA AMBROSIUS

Soul singer Marsha Ambrosius sang “Vision of Love” at the first talent contest she won.[18] These examples all show how Carey, and “Vision of Love” in particular, has helped produce some of the biggest acts in various music genres and provides the framework for why famed producer Ron Fair calls Carey a “hugely important pop singer.”[19]

 

GRIMES (Claire Boucher)

Claire Boucher, more famously known as Grimes, wrote the first time she heard Carey it “shattered the fabric of my existence” and she started Grimes.[24] Grimes told Canada’s MusiquePlus that she learned to sing by imitating Carey.[25]

As Grimes’ statement reveals, “Vision of Love” not only inspired many females to sing, it also influenced the way they sing. In particular, “Vision of Love” is famous for two vocal parts: a C7 note Carey hits in what is known as a “whistle register,” and then her final reading of “all that you turned out to be” during which Carey decorates single syllables with strings of notes.

 

 

BEYONCE (again)

The latter reading is what Beyoncé referred to when she told the BBC that, “‘Vision of Love’ was one of the first songs I heard when I was a kid where I heard all of these riffs and I was like, ‘How does she do that?’” Beyoncé said she was fascinated by the amount of notes Mariah squeezed into that one little bar, “And that’s kind of when I started trying it and it’s something that I love to do in my music, but she completely inspired me.”[26] The riffs Beyoncé refers to are an example of melisma.

 

NELLY FURTADO

Nelly Furtado told MTV Mariah Carey was the first singer she got into when she was about 12. That was when Carey released her debut album. Furtado says Carey, “kind of taught me how to sing ’cause, you know, couldn’t really afford singing lessons. So, I would just listen to Mariah Carey’s CD over and over again, and learn all her lyrics.” 

 

JORDIN SPARKS

American Idol winner Jordin Sparks has said Mariah influenced the way she sings and said she used to try to copy Mariah’s vocals.[28] She told People magazine that Mariah’s debut is one of the albums that changed her life and that “I try to sing the exact same way.”

 

 

 

ARIANA GRANDE

As recently as 2013 popular singer Ariana Grande drew comparisons to Carey for using whistle notes in her hit “The Way.” Grande tweeted love for “Vision of Love” in 2012[32] andhas called Mariah an “inspiration” and “the greatest female vocalist.”[33]

 

NICKI MINAJ

Nicki Minaj has said she listened to Carey, and “Vision of Love” in particular, when she was young. Minaj would sing Mariah songs in the mirror with her mother.[46] 

 

RIHANNA (again)

Rihanna has talked about frequently singing “Vision of Love” in the shower “with my toothbrush as my microphone.”[47] She told Ellen DeGeneres that Carey is the celebrity she looked up to and identified with the most.[48] Rihanna has said, “’Vision of Love’ is my favorite Mariah Carey song, but they just all seemed so powerful. I remember just watching the videos, and that’s what really sold me.”[49]

 

MARY J BLIGE

R&B legend Mary J Blige told Barnes & Noble, “Mariah Carey’s music saved little ghetto children’s lives. Songs like “Visions of Love” gave us hope and we would sing those songs and try to hit every note like Mariah — which we can’t.” Blige said Mariah has played a big part in her life.

ANASTACIA

Singer Anastacia has said “Vision of Love” is her favorite song from the ‘90s and that she’s affected by every note Mariah sings.[52] 

 

SNOOP DOGG

Snoop Dogg has said he tells Mariah this story: “When I was locked up in jail, that song ‘Vision of Love’ was the hottest song in the world.”[54]

 

JAY Z

Jay-Z also told Mariah he listened to the song while in prison and that other inmates told him the song was special.[55] Jay-Z also heard the song in the “back woods somewhere…so I knew it went all the way.”[56] 

 

TUPAC

 2Pac was helped by the song, too. Digital Underground member Shock G, who produced 2Pac’s song “I Get Around,” wrote in the 2008 book Tupac Remembered that, “Pac had a thing for Mariah Carey’s song ‘Vision of Love.’ You always knew Pac was sad if you walked by his room and he was playing it. He had a tape with it playing over and over again.”

 

 

 

 

 

FULL ARTICLE (and receipts): http://www.est1997.com/music/mariah-careys-vision-of-love-at-25-is-the-most-influential-vocal-performance-of-all-time/

 

#1 to infinity, indeed!

 

 

[HANZ 4,380]

this song is honestly s-x for the ears tbh

ICONIC MASTERPIECE

[Sexxx 5,623]

 what an iconic song

[Dangerous Man 9,245]

Congrats mimi. You're were really a great vocalist.

 

Gaga isn't on the list of the artist mimi had inspired tho, queen.

 

[barcodemonster 3,525]

1990 was such an amazing year for music 

[Sexxx 5,623]

her live vocals are just... wow

 

[Babel 41,351]

Congrats mimi. You're really a great vocalist.

 

Gaga isn't on the list of the artist mimi had inspired tho, queen.

 

Pretty sure she is. There's a big influence on how she sings DWUW.

 

 

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[No Angel 128]

Mariah is indeed a legend, no if and's or buts about it.  The voice, the hits, the songwriting. Brilliant musician. 

[LoveandMagic 1,731]

What a great article. She definitely has cemented her place in music history.