Released: September 29, 2009
Genre: R&B • pop
Label: Island
Producer: Mariah Carey • James “Big Jim” Wright • Heatmyzer • Los Da Mystro • Christopher “Tricky” Stewart • Terius “The-Dream” Nash
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By 2009, Mariah Carey was on an amazing high after the release of her eleventh E=MC2, which was a sequel to her blockbuster 2005 release The Emancipation of Mimi. E=MC2 was a success for the songbird supreme, giving her an eighteenth chart topping single (Touch My Body,) & making Mariah the only solo artists with the most number one records in the United States…surpassing the record that was held by Elvis Presley.
After promotion ended for the previous album, Mariah began work on her twelfth studio album, which was titled Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel. Released September 29, 2009, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel was titled the way it was by Mariah because she stated that it was going to be very personal and dedicated to the fans. With elements of hip hop & R&B, Memoirs is definitely everything you’re going to love from a Mariah album: love ballads, breakup anthems/songs about heartbreak, hip hop influenced bops, you name it.
Collaborating with The-Dream & Tricky Stewart on the majority of the album, Memoirs is just one of Mariah’s best albums all around. It’s definitely one of my favorites out of her catalog, because I truly believe Mariah makes albums just for me. She just understands the assignment. The album peaked at number one on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and number three on the Billboard 200 charts respectively, with first week sales of 168,000 copies. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA. It should’ve been certifed more than that, but what’s it to me.
Ladies & Gentlemen, I present to you: Mariah Carey’s Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel.
Betcha Gon’ Know (The Prologue)
Written by Mariah Carey • Terius Nash • Christopher Stewart • James Wright
Whoa, welcome to a day of my life, day of my life..
The memoirs of an imperfect angel..
Mariah Carey, Betcha Gon’ Know (The Prologue), 2009
The album begins with the immaculate and spectacular Betcha Gon’ Know (The Prologue,) which is actually one of my favorite songs on Memoirs. Why? It sets the mood and vibe for the album, Mariah’s low tone, the lyricism and y’all know how I live for production on her records. ugh, her mind.
From a lyrical perspective, the song is about the singer catching her man in an uncompromising position. & was threatening to expose him on television for being a whole embarrassment. Whew, to be continued…
Obsessed
Written by Mariah Carey • Terius Nash • Christopher Stewart
You a mom and pop, I’m a corporation..
I’m the press conference, you a conversation.
Mariah Carey, Obsessed, 2009
We as a collective know that Mariah Carey has her share of “besties” in the music industry (Besties in my group of friends is slang for not caring for them). Eminem is definitely one of them, and Obsessed had our songbird supreme letting the choppa sing Chile. The lead single from the album, the song lyrically is about her frustrations and her sending straight shots at the has been rapper.
Everything about this song just screams iconic. Whew! The song begins with Mariah making a reference to Regina George’s line in Mean Girls “& I was like..why are you so obsessed with me?” The remix to the song featured Gucci Mane, and was a huge hit everywhere in 2009 peaking at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 chart!
H.A.T.E.U.
Written by Mariah Carey • Terius Nash • Christopher Stewart
H.A.T.E.U. (an acronym for Having A Typical Emotional Upset) is a story about the painful aftermath of a relationship that didn’t stand the test of time, and Mariah does an amazing job at letting you feel every lyric and how it can be so hard to let them go even when they have let you go.
H.A.T.E.U. was released as the third single, and while it received positive reviews, the song peaked at number seventy-two on the R&B charts. It truly is one of her most underrated singles because it is the most perfect ballad. She pays homage to one of her favorite singers (Minnie Riperton,) and utilizes her upper whistle register as a part of the melody and the hook..and it’s so amazing. Listen to Minnie’s Lovin’ You to get what where I’m going with this statement.
Candy Bling
Written by Mariah Carey • Terius Nash • Carlos McKinney • Ahmad Lewis • Stefan Gordy • John Klemmer
Candy Bling has the singer reminiscing on the days of young love and when it was so innocent with her former flame. I love to play this song when I think about the simplicity of the good old days and you wish you can go back to that time..no matter how old you get. The song contains a sample of Back in the Day by Ahmad.
Ribbon
Written by Mariah Carey • Terius Nash • Christopher Stewart
Ribbon is definitely one of my favorite songs on the album and is truly one of the songs that should’ve been chosen to be a single. From a lyrical perspective, the song speaks about how smitten she is over her lover and how his love has her “wrapped and packed up” like a ribbon. Her label should’ve done better and released this as the single chile.
Inseparable
Written by Mariah Carey • Terius Nash • Christopher Stewart
Inseparable has the singer speaking about how she thought she and the one she love would be together forever, because the love they had was something real. The song contains an interpolation of Cyndi Lauper’s Time After Time.
Standing O
Written by Mariah Carey • Terius Nash • Christopher Stewart
Standing O is a song okay!!! From a lyrical perspective, the song is about the singer being extremely sarcastic towards how her former man played her and congratulating him for his stellar performance. We know how men can be awesome actors when they want to play in your face. Whew chile.
It’s a Wrap
Written by Mariah Carey • Barry White
It’s going down like a denominator!!!
Mariah Carey, It’s a Wrap
I think It’s a Wrap is one of Mariah Carey’s best written songs ever. From a lyrical perspective, the singer lets a cheating lover know that things are practically over between them. The song contains elements of I Belong to You by The Love Unlimited Orchestra.
Up Out My Face
Written by Mariah Carey • Terius Nash • Christopher Stewart
Up Out My Face is a mf bop okay! From a lyrical perspective, the song was rumored to be about Mariah’s “bestie” Eminem, which was denied. The song has the singer saying that the relationship cannot be fixed after all that has occurred and he can simply get out of her face! The remix to the song featured then up and coming rapper Nicki Minaj, and it was a top 40 hit on the R&B charts, peaking at number thirty-nine.
Up Out My Face (The Reprise)
Written by Mariah Carey • Terius Nash • Christopher Stewart
Break
Up out my face, boy
Up out my face, boy
Up out my face, boy
Up out my face, boy
Up out my face, boy
Up out my face, boy
Up out my face, boy
Up out my face, boy
Up out my face, boy
Up out my face, boy
Up out my face, boy
Up out my face, boy
Up out my face, boy
Break
It was definitely the marching band for me on the reprise!
More Than Just Friends
Written by Mariah Carey • Terius Nash • Christopher Stewart • Sean Combs • Chris Wallace • Rashad Smith • Mark DeBarge • Etterlene Jordan
More Than Just Friends is one of the album’s gems in a nutshell. Mariah’s mind is just..ugh. Lyrically, the song has the singer patiently wanting her friend to say the word so they can take their relationship to the next level. The song contains a sample of The Notorious B.I.G.’s One More Chance / Stay With Me (Remix,) which sampled DeBarge’s Stay With Me.
The Impossible
Written by Mariah Carey • Terius Nash • Christopher Stewart • Albert Brown • Donald DeGrate
The Impossible is a song that speaks about how powerful love is, and how finding a healthy love will make you let your guard down and realize that it is truly possible to do so. The song contains a sample of Jodeci’s Forever My Lady, and ironically the group was supposed to appear on a remix of this song for the remix album Angels Advocate that was going to be released, but it was eventually shelved.
The Impossible (The Reprise)
Written by Mariah Carey • Terius Nash • Christopher Stewart • Albert Brown • Donald DeGrate
Say it
Say it
(Forever your lady)
Forever your lady
I love you, boy
‘Cause this is ecstasy
And now I love ya like sunsets, bubble baths on the jet
Love you like…
Love you like freeze pop
I love you
I love you
I, I, I
(Forever your lady)
(This is ecstasy)
Now I
(Forever your lady)
Forever your lady
(Forever your lady)
I, I
Laying in the bed bumpin’ Jodeci
(Forever your lady)
Laying in the bed bumpin’ Jodeci
I love you like… oh
Baby, yeah, no matter what you do
I will love you
Angel (The Interlude)
Written by Mariah Carey • Christopher Stewart • James Wright
Angels Cry
Written by Mariah Carey •,Christopher Stewart • Crystal Johnson • James Wright
Angels Cry is criminally underrated! it makes zero sense how it is… From a lyrical perspective, the song speaks about being hopeful that a relationship that’s fading can be saved. I always believed that it is always great to believe in true love, because it is really rare. The remix to the song featured legendary artist Ne-Yo, peaked in the top 40 on the UK R&B chart at number twenty-eight and the US Adult Contemporary at twenty-six.
Languishing (The Interlude)
Written by Mariah Carey • James Wright
[Verse 1]
If you could only see
That I was not put here for you
To judge me and dispute my innermost truth
And after all these years of enmity, envy, and tears
It’s a shame you don’t know me at all
[Chorus]
I was wondering
Would you cry for me
If I told you that I couldn’t breathe
If I was drowning, suffocating
If I told you that I couldn’t breathe?
[Verse 2]
Those ancient buried recollections
We transform them and select them
You have yours
I have mine
That’s fine
[Verse 3]
While we’re too torn to heal
Our stitch has never disappeared
I have mine
You have yours
I’m sure
[Verse 4]
I was wondering
Would you reach for me
If you saw that I was languishing
I was wondering would you cry for me
If I told you that I couldn’t breathe
If I was drowning, suffocating
If I told you that I couldn’t breathe…
A WORD!
I Want to Know What Love Is
Written by Mick Jones
Released as the second single from the album, I Want to Know What Love Is is a cover of the soft rock classic that was originally recorded by the iconic group Foreigner. From a lyrical perspective, the power ballad is about aspiring to find love after being hurt throughout life. The song was a huge success on the UK R&B chart, peaking at number seven, number nineteen on the UK Singles chart and number two on the US Dance Club Songs chart.
Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel is one of the most remarkable albums of all time. I am biased as ever when it comes to Mariah’s catalog, but it is extremely important to love and treasure such an album. Mariah has gone on to release more albums since this one, but it’s something so magical and nice about this album that no other can compare. -MW
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