EXPLAINED || Breaking Down Mariah Carey's HARDEST Song

[@BlackMusicArchive]

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[@dionneking8]

can you cover shanice,chante moore, and minnie riperton basically all the glass destruction divas?

[@kevinpaje]

Mariah Carey’s? This is EVERYONE’s hardest song. You haven’t even talked about how she is so resonant that her belts and registers sounds all the same and how buttery it is; and that is WITHOUT much reverb. Listen to others sing this song, or any Mariah Carey songs in particular, and you’ll hear how they sing like a MEOWING CAT.

[@charmriah3607]

Vocal suicide is putting it lightly…… singing this song for the amount of years she did..its a blessing she can still sing at all

[@chopardriah7992]

Even though this song is known to be very difficult, I really think that people don't measure its real difficulty...Thanks for making this video!!

[@emc2era988]

This song and fly like a bird are some of her hardests

[@dariusbrock2351]

@@emc2era988 I'd also add Lead The Way.

[@jamals.8786]

That’s because Mariah’s vocal prowess makes it look easy when it’s far from it.

[@MrBjorn6]

Gabriel Henrique makes it looks easy!!!

[@alluringbliss4165]

@@emc2era988 I think Butterfly also

[@guyarthurorigin]

They need to include Mariah's vocal anatomy in schools and universities.

[@etolerific]

Yes, right up under Whitney’s❤

[@WarrenHolly]

So that's what they call those notes? A whistle registry?

[@guyarthurorigin]

@@etolerific Nope, Whitney was never superior... There was once that she dominated the world in 1994 but all of her achievement was stolen by Mariah including the longest number one and having more number one...

[@etolerific]

@@WarrenHolly 😂

[@TioC-L-S]

​@@etolerificmariah got wider range lol and her songs are harder to sing 😂😛

[@franss7554]

What makes Mariah Carey songs so difficult to sing is that she switches back and forth seamlessly between registers. One second you can be belting powerfully, the next second you’re required to sing super soft and airy, and you do it everywhere throughout the song. And oh not to mention you need to have the range and agility too. It’s a whole Olympics type of singing. That’s why some powerful vocalists admit to struggle nailing it. For example, Jessie J who’s known for her powerful belts and agility still find it difficult to do Mariah’s fast runs in head voice/agility when she recorded a video showing herself practice singing Mariah’s Hero. Vice versa, soft airy singers can’t replicate the powerful resonant belts.❤❤❤

[@renanrpm]

I always think about this situation with Jessie. She is a very talented vocalist and still she repeated like 10 times the “Lord knows” part and couldn’t handle it, while Mariah did it perfectly several times as if it was part of a daily routine. And let’s remember: a talented singer as Jessie had issues with Hero, one of Mariah’s EASIEST songs... It speaks volumes about how gifted Mariah was as a vocalist.

[@raulgrt6301]

Exactly.

[@a32tl]

Vintage Mariah was in a league of her own. She was an extraordinary singer and her range was other worldly. The first time I heard, “Vision of Love”, on the radio, I became an instant fan.

[@markshelton3121]

Mariah was really singing on her capital on Emotions cuz she basically used her entire vocal range on that song.

[@ElkahJones]

the fact is she didn't use her entire range, she can go higher in belts and whistles, also go lower on the lows! it's actual madness.

[@cincereqoutes8844]

@@ElkahJones Perhaps, but this is her entire range in a consistent basis for this song, meaning she probably would not go below C3 and above F#7 in another song. this song is already bonkers. Simply saying there are probably some performances where she did go below C3 and above F#7, but its probably one of those one off performances on a specific night. Consistently, I dont feel she would go outside this range on Emotions unless she was sick, wasnt trying to, or was simply feeling good and said, why not? lol. but this song already pushed her to her wits end in range. i dont feel she would go for any note she didnt have to unless the reasons i listed above. like @BMA said in another video, she gave it her all in the studio. When she sings it live, there's nowhere for her to go because the song is already perfect. The difficulty of this song is a measure of greatness and genius of her and others making it.

[@aranielleb7718]

It’s crazy how she can sing low, middle and high notes so effortless

[@kindell1]

Mariah's catalogue isn't built for untrained singers to tackle. Your technique must be on point. You should've made a Top 5 or Top 10 list of her most difficult songs because honestly there are some other number one spot contenders

[@CASantos]

Agreed - I often say what is most staggering to me is how Mariah has dozens of videos in the 90s singing this song amazingly. Had I recorded it, I don't think I would've even let it see the light of day live 😅 But I'm sure as a new artist, she had a lot of pressure to do so.

[@gimmiemore7476]

@@Sttephy30 You should really watch her 1993 Worcester performance. It's only audio but I think that's her best performance of that song ever.

[@facediva]

And THIS RIGHT HERE is the exact reason why even mariah herself uses alot of backtracking in her live shows because she knows how demanding her songs are and by her being a perfectionist, she's scared to let her audience down knowing she's not capable of doing it 100 % live alone and unfortunately that's where alot of the LAMBS are delusional

[@divatalk9011]

The chorus sounds like the climax of most pop songs

[@frankzito8653]

I think Mariah would make an excellent jazz singer. Her runs and improvs are outstanding.

[@S.E.C-R]

She does have some jazzy things out there just being playful and she sounds amazing!

[@ThePopAttic]

david cole locked that heffa in the booth til she sang her voice out! she laid it all on the line in that studio!

[@alidhere9806]

Yes! She literally lost her voice

[@randombackgroundsingerfrom9956]

@@alidhere9806 She said after recording Emotions, her voice was strained for a very long time 😭

[@montaija222]

@@randombackgroundsingerfrom9956 You could hear it in other performances at the time. She had to completely change the key one time and another time she was sick and had to perform in the morning which she hates because she's always recording at night.

[@dayzour123]

Can you imagine if he lived to continue to work with her Mariah would be singing on top of her range

[@transakira]

@@dayzour123 Not really. He actually pushed her so hard she lost her voice for days, but still had to do live performances lol

[@SKMRify]

And people want to talk crap about this woman today. Try, just try, singing 'Emotions', 'Anytime You Need A Friend', 'Forever', 'My All', 'Fly Like A Bird', 'Don't Forget About Us', 'Angels Cry', 'Heavenly', etc. over and over again, night after night, year after year. . . and see what happens to your voice.

[@tylermills4812]

Talk about it 👏👏👏

[@tylermills4812]

My all time favorite voice. I would say in popular music, nobody has a more vocally difficult and demanding catalog than Mariah. Love all your videos! You know your stuff. You’re doing great!

[@saintjay8058]

Whitney Houston.

[@renanrpm]

@@saintjay8058 Whitney’s catalogue is not so difficult as Mariah. Even her live performances of some songs in which she changed them are more difficult to match than the studio work.

[@tylermills4812]

@@saintjay8058 Whitney's catalog is by no means easy, but Mariah's is definitely more difficult and demanding.

[@kindell1]

@@tylermills4812 Thank you! Finally someone else that knows the truth

[@alonzoclarkston5638]

@@saintjay8058 ma’am NO

[@super2NE1generation]

Often imitated, never duplicated

[@jenpot25]

Maria Carey is a genius and she worked hard

[@n4cholas]

Her whistle tones are unbelievable! How she uses them on demand and so easily…in her voice type, she dominates as a shooting star!

[@SoulKnightKing]

This song is a masterpiece. So many people this songs hardest hurdles. Even though the truth is you can't do the song without the richness of the growls and the extremely brassy and rich beautiful lows that she effortlessly hit during the songs release

[@mrsmjj81]

OMG!!! I JUST SQUEALED OUT LOUD!!! I AM SO EXCITED TO WATCH THISSSSS!!!

[@frofoodie7763]

I heard you, girl.

[@mrsmjj81]

@@frofoodie7763 My bad! 🤣

[@jeremyechols6828]

@@frofoodie7763 🤣🤣

[@alluringbliss4165]

@@frofoodie7763 😄😄

[@krissy9128]

Listen, she lost her voice after recording this and it took a little while to get back to normal. The studio stem of it available on KZbin is insane. She was basically belting the entire time (so, even without whistles it is hard). If I recorded Emotions, it wouldn't see the light of day live lmao. Absolutely not. But she was at a point in her career where she had to prove a point, so I get it.

[@vi0lee]

IMO "The One" is even more difficult. That song needs absolute control.

[@joshuarodriguez9477]

I strongly agree

[@pedromurilo1050]

I never clicked soo fast in my whole life! Thank you for your GREAT job. Cannot wait for a "The voice, the singing, the technique explained: Mariah Carey" I watched the other 2 and loved!

[@juniorvosj8135]

He already done this video, but he deleted 🗣️🗣️🗣️

[@pedromurilo1050]

@@juniorvosj8135 that's what i said! He did TWO video of hers and deleted the 2!

[@alluringbliss4165]

@@juniorvosj8135 OH no 🙁 I never saw them

[@bmwjourdandunngoddess6024]

The way I read that in his voice 😂

[@WarrenHolly]

@@pedromurilo1050 wow! I missed them.

[@r.uwamhenye8282]

Also the stamina needed to sing and not miss a note or phrase too😭

[@DanielFerreira-hz4cc]

Is a blessing Mariah have voice today.

[@novonnasmith1072]

Mariah Carey is one of a kind. I need to learn how to read music😬

[@bmwjourdandunngoddess6024]

It’s ok, Mariah can’t even read it. 😂

[@thecamil10]

I have always known that Mariah’s sings are harder to sing than let’s say WH’s. The covers tend not to do as well singing Mariah’s voice. She said herself her songs are usually very high.

[@lyd2460]

Mariah was superior in the studio . Her catalogue is very hard to sing . In a live setting Whitney was better especially in her prime - that is why most regard Whitney as the superior vocalist.

[@swift-rk1fx]

​@@lyd2460cuz Mariah has nodules... but that doesn't make her the lesser vocalist

[@vicktheengine5304]

This song is not only about technique but tone too! Mariah sounds joyful, happy and non-strained throught the song due to her tone more than her technique (even on raspier performances)

[@fernzlampaz]

I am really convinced a long time ago that this is one of her hardest songs. I mean, Emotions is indeed a song that if you can sing it, then you're one great singer. But then, I discovered recently a song I never heard from her called Heavenly. That song is insane. It has insane whistles, powerful belts, and modulations. I was really blown away by that song. It's like Hero, Fly Like A Bird, Emotions, My All in one song b Still I agree with you. This song is amazingly hard.

[@fernzlampaz]

@@Samsudin-wi5ll Couldn't agree more. This song is really impossible to be sung 😭

[@joncerda351]

This is literally the greatest music channel ever

[@eleeveeayees3425]

Even without the whistles, the chorus itself has the high belting "you got me feeling me feeling emotions" and the low chest "deeper than I've ever dreamed of"

[@r.uwamhenye8282]

And she spices it up live by adding extra whistles like 😭😭

[@deeway5964]

In other words it would have been easier with two women ( a contralto and a lyric soprano and some mezzo soprano backup singers)but being great she pulled it off by herself!

[@vmbutterflybutterfly3914]

This song is everything about the voice. Actually I like remix version more because the intro of remix version is so powerful.

[@fiqqie]

her low notes remind me of aretha's. pretty reminiscent, not comparing just finding similarities in their tones. amazing! aretha was and still it one of mariah's biggest musical influences.

[@AwjayTV]

A VOCAL GYMNAST

[@khairularchi]

Hence the reason why this song rightfully to be tittled as 'Emotions' because emotions in reality were never been existence at in the middle realm but always on both opposite extreme.

[@noahflare6825]

"The arrangement of the average pop song, stays in the middle voice then builds..." - This is what separates her from other singers. This is her mark. She defied the norm. You can say this is unhealthy or not sustainable, but SHE DID THAT. Apparently, she did not need the middle voice to do things on both extremes of the range. Other singers can sing HEALTHY until they die, but Mariah Carey's legend outlives them.

[@jasonhernandez9584]

She is not an average singer, fact.

[@themodeguyshadow1634]

She broke the mold and the rules

[@360WalksPh]

That is the thing with Mariah. She is not afraid to challenge her limits. She may not be able to perform her songs live with consistency due to the difficulty, but her feats were recorded for everyone to enjoy.

[@chitowntoy2033]

This masterpiece was the soundtrack of my high school years. Mariah was clearly in a league of her own, but I had no idea that the whole song was difficult! I was just so enamored by the whistle notes! Thanks for the lesson!

[@justinbraylock757]

this whole song is a climax 😭😭 you need alot of everything to sing this song, great coverage

[@eleeveeayees3425]

Even without the whistles, the chorus itself has the high belting "you got me feeling me feeling emotions" and the low chest "deeper than I've ever dreamed of"

[@champagneslurpee]

Loved this! I don’t know why but I still think My all or Butterfly are way harder for any artist to pull off due to the songs sitting in the upper register for most of the song while still having the transitions to the lower registers and don’t forget the runs.

[@Cheree_Wright]

Whew! Yeah definitely a hard one . The whistle notes alone make it crazy hard

[@maduroholdings]

not only did it help me understand this song but it is giving me.motivation to truly discover my tessitura by exploring more key changes in my writing thank you for your work

[@annamariam1077]

The talent of this girl is almost unprecedented. I’d dare say only Michael Jackson as a total performer and songwriter is (was, sadly) at the level she’s at. We should appreciate her while we have her. Thank you.

[@julievanessa89]

Thank you for doing this! I so enjoyed it! Can you imagine all the amazing vocal outtakes the producers got to hear from her early songs, especially this one? Oh my.

[@attachingconsciousness]

Your video is superb, as usual. This song is vocal suicide. She goes even higher in some performances like Bb7 in the VMAs.

[@Eduvsl]

Legendariah Carey

[@plaguedoctor2k]

If this video was 5 hours long I would've watched it whole. 😍 Your videos never disappoint and as a music nerd, I learn something new in each video.

[@michaelcrisci516]

She's incredible! A legend

[@scheronharley]

First! Emotions is my favorite song of all time! I listen to it everyday 🥳

[@BiancaStorm]

2:00 @Fishriah exposure

[@eltonsouzasantos4875]

The Best, the best, the best 👑

[@lifevisions9338]

Thanks!

[@crnradiata7718]

Absolutely, people often highlighting the difficulty based on the range and those whistle notes. But, that doesnt only it!

[@reikun86]

Wow. It's unreal to hear Emotions a capella.

[@thedanieljeremiah]

Soooo interesting and engaging!!Mariah is just INCREDIBLE ❤❤❤❤

[@ronny9833]

YESSSSS WE LUUUV A MARIAH VIDEO 🙏🏾🙏🏾

[@leesplendor]

The whistle run building up in the bridge of Emotions is so challenging that Mariah has never attempted to sing that part live

[@WarrenHolly]

Really? I don't blame her 😏

[@SKMRify]

Only in a capella.

[@vitaliscarey]

I've waited for your Mariah blog

[@JZidor]

Loving this the breakdown spectacular

[@shdhfbdbdndbdjfnfb1393]

Yesss I’ve been waiting on you to do another Mariah video

[@mariahcareydaydreamera2526]

Amazing video, i love it❤ I would add some little point why is this song difficult☺️ It’s not all about the range, it’s not all about hitting those upper belts. The song is happy and joyful so if you sing it, you cannot struggle with those belts. They must seem effortless and easy☺️ Plus the song is full of very complex vocal runs, your voice must be very agile to hit all those runs and transitions.😊

[@richardolr1770]

I think ‘Outside’ is her hardest song

[@irvinbohac8460]

Your channel is my favorite music channel KZbin! Thank you!

[@ParentalDiscretionIsAdvised]

This channel is a music theory class all on its own!

[@bclislife]

YESSSS her actual hardest song lmao

[@dionneking8]

love her

[@GeorgieSkin]

What an amazing video, I love when Mariah’s songs get analyzed the way it deserves to be. Would you make an analysis on her vocal suicidal songs like My All/Butterfly?

[@charmriah3607]

Fishriah made it on a BMA video

[@Bambam12340]

mariahs songs are so hard becuase of her agility to switch thru registers quickly

[@fuegotierraaireyagua]

BRUTAL IMPRESIONANTE, EMOTIONS WAS MADE TO SHOW HER AWESOME VOICE SKILLS,.. SHE HAS HEAVEN'S INSTRUMENTS VOICE ❤❤❤

[@franjogutierrez2621]

Thanks for sharing 👍

[@maxtheknife]

The "Emotions" album is Mariah's vocal masterpiece! It would be interesting to breakdown "If Its Over".

[@maxtheknife]

@@Sttephy30 Just found it. Thanks!

[@lissandrafreljord7913]

Sonically, it felt like just an extension of her debut album.

[@onewayonly3984]

@@lissandrafreljord7913 I'll even add that vocally and musically, Emotions was better than the debut..it felt..warmer and more connected...

[@eleeveeayees3425]

​@@onewayonly3984For me in her debut she didn't necessarily have the clear concept but to introduce herself hence the album was titled as her name Mariah Carey, though it sounded like the extension of debut album Emotions is where she's more ambitious, more expressive, more driven, she wanted more direction artistically in her sound so it sounded more cohesive as she incorporated more Gospel and Soul elements and influences.

[@talentgroupforchildren2004]

as a vocal coach...I appreciate your video

[@barbaradavis2500]

We belong together is hard too.

[@journeybeyondthesea]

This is so beautiful

[@tupepangan8462]

She is a Genius!

[@phamlam9022]

Thank you for making this informative video!

[@rasseruuu373]

THANK YOU!!! LOVE FROM🇵🇭

[@Plutonia-o6o]

LIVING LEGEND

[@Alliyahh145]

Loooove more Mariah pleeeeese

[@eleeveeayees3425]

Please more groups!

[@lissandrafreljord7913]

I thought Vanishing, You're So Cold, or Outside were her hardest songs.

[@michaelcain9324]

Thank you for the thorough explaination.

[@muzimthembu453]

All Mariah Carey's songs scare me.

[@debutriah2854]

Fr lol

[@reginabellestar]

Please do Minnie riperton analysis please followed by Rachelle ferrell and Betty Wright and Chante Moore

[@younglambdayrock3128]

I Love your work

[@Miumiu0404]

Please do a breakdown video of her song "Forever".

[@rotta_rotta]

Do you plan on re-releasing Explained on Whitney’s or Mariah’s voices? They were so cool!

[@scoobooyt]

I was wondering this! Are they on a Patreon or were they just removed?

[@rotta_rotta]

@@scoobooyt Ikr!

[@rulhalfelven]

Can you make a Mariah’s voice: Explained?.. would be really interesting

[@michaeljarreau3185]

Thanks for doing this video..... I agree with you, this song is very hard ro do especially registered whitle notes and high note but that made Mariah a legend in her own right though........If you want to you can do a video on the late Betty Wright. I'm sure if you heard of her or not. If you haven't go luck her up. You might like her music.

[@johnpaulforteza5574]

Her songs are just for a few people because even Whitney can't do them.

[@ZestoHrd-db7hv]

yes emotions is hard but lead the way is even harder!!

[@eleeveeayees3425]

Emotions is definitely one of her most difficult if not the most.

[@kayc421]

I used to murder this song in my prime! I can still sing it full voice but I shy away from the whistles for vocal health.

[@Heejinstar23]

love this

[@musicmasher3425]

While Emotions has the iconic whistle, I would say Mariah’s Outside and My All are harder in terms of breath control.

[@riyuhimnida14791]

This documentary feels like telling a story about a Legend who dies and talking it's legacy. BTW, i'am a Lamb.

[@bentmch1]

Yes this woman really gave a change to pop music just like whitney and few others. I dont get it when they say Beyonce made changes or gave something new to music to be honest she is a copy of many other singers of her past.

[@jn9907a]

As always, @blackmusicarchive, thank you for this great content. Around the 3:44 mark in the video, you write, "Keeping the middle voice healthy, makes singing at the extremes of range easier". Are there any studies or research to suggest extensive singing at the extremes has an impact on the voice over time? In other words, could it be that her use of the high soprano and low contralto has led to her voice quality in present day?

[@CeliniacForLife]

Unpopular opinion: "Lead the Way" is Mariah's hardest song to sing.