There are many versions of Mariah Carey that exist in our minds. Perhaps you know her as the voice behind “We Belong Together;” your idea of her a cacophony of dramatic belts and runs pouring from your speakers and filling your car. Maybe you’ve been around since the beginning, and your image of Mariah is that of a young, ambitious singer, with bouncing curls, a big voice, and a reserved demeanor. Maybe in your mind you see her riding a jet ski, honey blonde hair blowing in the wind as “Honey” plays in the background. Or, maybe, you’ve fallen in love with the “Christmas” version of Mariah Carey after hearing “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” playing throughout every department store everywhere during the holiday season. Whether you think about her often or not very much at all, there is a picture that comes to your mind, a sound that comes to your ears, when you hear the name: Mariah Carey.
Now, the “songbird supreme” is presenting a new version of herself, the story behind the various eras, looks, and songs of her life, in her latest memoir. The book, entitled, “The Meaning of Mariah Carey” is written by herself and her cowriter, Michela Angela Davis, and details the major events of her life. Divided into four major sections, each part of Mariah’s memoir contains profound insights into the ups and downs of her career and personal life, providing not only explanations, but thoughtful reflection on the confusion around her identity, the speculations on her tumultuous marriage, and the misperception surrounding her highly publicized “breakdown” of 2001.
As a whole, Mariah’s memoir is well written, fast paced, and intriguing. It reads like a true hero’s journey, with detailed description and insightful reflection throughout. Being a Mariah fan myself, I can attest that there are many revealing moments in Mariah’s story that will surprise even the “Lambily,” especially stories pertaining to her childhood. From dysfunctional family dynamics and stories of abuse, to neglect and disheartening battles with racism, these stories fill in a piece of the puzzle that has always been missing when it comes to the singer. The things that Marah would not say in interviews, the inexplicable melancholy in her eyes, and the despondent lyrics of her songs, suddenly have new meaning, a new weight, and throughout the memoir we only learn more. There’s a story behind every era, a meaning behind every red-carpet photo, from Daydream to Butterfly and to, of course, Glitter.
Perhaps this is what will be the most fulfilling for fans: reading sections like “Sing Sing” and discovering the inspiration behind some of her biggest hits, and the double life she lived throughout so many of her eras. Chapters like “Fantasy,” “The Man from Kalamazoo” “Shook Ones” and “Just Like Honey” stand out for this reason, as they not only give more insight into the difficulty of her marriage, but they give explanations for her evolution visually and musically during the 90s. Surprising stories about the alternative rock album she made in secret or her love affair with baseball star Derek Jeter, give us another look into the complex layers that make up who she is. These chapters, for me, also emphasize a recurring theme of her story: that of durability, as time and time again she proves to have the personal strength to create her own joy, freedom, and independence through the tough seasons of her life.
If the beginning of Mariah’s memoir is a riveting and succinct account of her life story, the end is, essentially, career highlights. As a whole, sections like “Wayward Child,” “Sing Sing,” and “All that Glitters,” move more fluidly and paint a picture of who Mariah is as a person and an artist, as well as what she has overcome. Emancipation, on the other hand, felt somewhat cut off from the rest of the book. This section jumped around in the timeline and seemed to tell many stories that seemingly didn’t fit anywhere else in the memoir. However, even with all this excess in the closing section, there’s still much in her story that she simply leaves unsaid, not mentioning, for example, the making of other albums that us “Lambs” have come to enjoy, nor Mariah’s World or the publicized drama between her and Stella in 2016. Nevertheless, the ending of her book takes on a lighter tone, focusing on many fun moments of her career that clearly bring her a deep sense of pride, and perhaps serve as examples of how far she has come. Emancipation ties all the loose ends together, making for a nice conclusion with a clear, defining message of her life: that of picking herself up and embracing the positive.
Essentially, Mariah’s memoir takes us through each era, each season, of her life, and tells us the real story behind all the chaos: the story behind the lyrics of Outside and Looking In and The Roof, the story of the life she has lived in secret: her story. Indeed, there are many versions of Mariah Carey, some made up by her, some made up by others, each version with its own stories of pain, music, and joy. But there is only one version that ties all of them together, one that remains with astounding consistency, and it’s that of the talented, resilient, artist; the version she has always been. That is the meaning of Mariah Carey.
Great review thanks for sharing I would love to hear your story