Back In The Beat: Mariah Carey – ‘Fantasy’

Do you know which song spent the most weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100? Do you know which song was the first to debut at the top spot? That Grape Juice has you covered! ‘Back In The Beat’ is our brand new feature, which each Friday takes a look back at the songs that topped the Billboard Hot 100 at this exact point in time in years of past.

Covered by me, Trent, it provides the opportunity to not only take a ‘trip down memory lane’, but remember some of the monumental songs that molded the present day sound of the music industry. So get out your pen and paper because class is officially in session!

On September 30th 1995, vocal powerhouse Mariah Carey became the first female artist to have a song debut at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the second act overall to achieve such a feat (Michael Jackson was the first) with her 9th #1 single, ‘Fantasy’. Produced by Carey and Dave Hall, the song held the top spot for 8 weeks and was ranked at the 7th most successful track of that year on the Billboard Hot 100. Beyond the US, the track hit #1 in several other countries including Canada, Australia and New Zealand while ranking in the top 5 in several others such as the UK where it peaked at #4. In addition to many commercial breakthroughs, the song earned Carey her 6th consecutive Grammy Award nomination fro ‘Best Female Pop Vocal Performance’.

It is impossible to deny the cultural impact of this song. It heralded a new era in Urban/Pop music; shaping the sound of what music is today. Mariah was one of the first mainstream R&B/Pop acts to collaborate with a Hip-Hop act when she brought in Ol’ Dirty Bastard to feature on the remix and unlike her predecessors, she composed the song herself. No other artist in that decade was able to craft a song that combined Pop sensibility with Hip-Hop beats, effectively introducing gangsta rap into the homes of the conservative listeners. Some would go as far as to say that many of the rappers today owe their successes to Mariah because without her influence, their chances of scoring mainstream success would be a rare possibility. So remember, every time you hear Beyonce, Christina Aguilera or Rihanna on the radio, they are singing within the confines of a genre revolutionised by Mariah Carey.

Thoughts?

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