Music Box (Mariah Carey album)
Music Box is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released by Columbia Records on August 31, 1993. The album comprises ballads primarily written by Carey and Walter Afanasieff, with whom she had previously worked on Emotions (1991), and a few urban dance tracks. During the course of the album's development, Carey wanted to broaden her audience, choosing a more pop/R&B oriented sound. During this time frame, she experimented with different musical instruments, leading the album's sound away from her more contemporary previous two efforts.
Music Box
August 31, 1993
October 1992 – May 1993
- Right Track Studios
- (New York City, New York)
- The Record Plant
- (Los Angeles, California)
42:01
In order to successfully take the album in a new direction, Carey and Afanasieff sought out new and innovative producers, as well as some from Carey's previous releases. Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds first began working with Carey on Music Box, where he helped produce "Never Forget You", as well as being part of the songwriting process. Additional writers and producers were Robert Clivillés and David Cole (a pair also known as C+C Music Factory) and Daryl Simmons. While the album featured a range of music producers, the bulk of the songwriting was done by Carey and her writing partner, Walter Afanasieff. In future projects, they would continue writing material for Carey's albums, until her 1999 release Rainbow, where he is absent from the writing credits.
Five singles were released from the album. The first three, "Dreamlover", "Hero" and a cover of Badfinger's "Without You", became worldwide chart-topping singles, the latter becoming Carey's highest charting international single of her career. "Without You" became Carey's first number-one single in most European markets and reached the top three in the United States. To promote Music Box, Carey embarked on the short but successful Music Box Tour which traveled to select cities in North America. Carey was nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Dreamlover" at the 1994 Grammy Awards and received the same nomination for "Hero" at the 1995 Grammy Awards.
After its release, Music Box received generally mixed reviews from music critics. The album faced criticism regarding Carey's more mellow and laid-back tone in comparison to her previous work. Commercially, the album reached number one in 15 countries, including Australia, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified it Diamond, for shipments of ten million copies across the United States. Music Box remains Carey's highest seller with more than 28 million copies sold worldwide[2] and is one of the best-selling albums of all time.
Music and lyrics[edit]
Emotions contained influences from mostly 1950s, 1960s and 1970s balladry and gospel, as well as her continued work of R&B and soul. The album, while praised by some as more mature and raw, failed to reach the critical or commercial heights of her debut effort. Notably, it sold significantly less well and failed to introduce Carey into a different market.[9] Following these developments, Columbia sought to market Carey in a similar fashion to her debut, aiming for a more commercial and radio-friendly album. Their plans were to tone down Carey's vocals, and soften the album's production, leaving a more contemporary pop/R&B record.[10] Agreeing to this approach, Carey and Afanasieff began writing and recording material for her third studio effort, Music Box.
One of the noticeable differences between Music Box and Carey's previous albums is the sound. The album was described by Afanasieff as a softer and more pop-oriented record, "filling the songs with air" and allowing far more space in the overall sound.[3] Another noticeable change is in the album's production.[3] When Mariah Carey was released, critics took notice of its "overly produced" and "studio perfect" quality, whereas Emotions, in comparison, maintains a "raw, live sound."[3] Music Box, however, falls in between the two, a decision made by Carey during the album's production.[3] She would layer each track with live backing vocals, so not to sound too overly produced, but still kept the inclusion of musical synthesizers.[3]
According to Marc Shapiro, Music Box reflects signs of Carey's vocal maturity, as well as representing an album she was truly proud of.[11] The album's first single "Dreamlover" was described as a "slight piece of pop fluff," representing a more commercial side to Carey than the "more ambitious" "Vision of Love". Critics believed the song's chart performance was due to its summer release, as people were still looking for a "not-too-heavy" and more diverse sound.[11] The song's composition was described as "mid tempo and mildly dance-able," with Carey's voice being called "perpetually happy," like a "little-girl voice."[3]
Commercial performance[edit]
North America[edit]
Music Box entered the US Billboard 200 at number two, with 174,000 copies sold, becoming Carey's fourth consecutive top-ten album in the country.[49] In its fifteenth week after release, the album topped the chart and enjoyed its highest sales week in December, selling 295,000 copies in its first week atop, 395,000 the following week and peaking with 505,000 copies sold in year's final week. It stayed at the top for eight non-consecutive weeks.[50] It remained in the top ten for thirty-one weeks and on the Billboard 200 for 128 weeks (more than two years, longer than any other of her albums), re-entering the chart three times.[51] The album also reached number one on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Music Box was the second-best selling album in the United States in 1994, only behind Ace of Base's The Sign.[52] In the United States, Music Box became Carey's best-selling album at the time, being certified Diamond by the RIAA, denoting shipments of ten million copies. The album also became a success in Canada, peaking at number two on the charts and being certified seven-times Platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA).
Other markets[edit]
Music Box became Carey's best-seller in Europe, topping the charts in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Scotland, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. In Germany, it became her highest-charting album, spending eighty weeks on the German Albums Chart, eleven of which were spent at number one. The album was certified double platinum by the BVMI for shipments in excess of million copies in Germany while sales have reached 1.4 million copies sold.[53][54] In the United Kingdom, Music Box remains Carey's highest seller, topping the UK Albums chart for six non-consecutive weeks and being certified quintuple platinum by the British Phonographic Industry. It became a million-selling album in France, receiving a Diamond certification and topping the French Album Charts.[55] Music Box was certified six-times platinum in the Netherlands, where it spent 12 non-consecutive weeks at number one.[56] Music Box ended as the best-selling album of 1994 on the European Top 100 Albums, selling six million copies in Europe,[57] moving another million copies in the region by 1995.[58]
In Australia, the album spent 18 non-consecutive weeks at number one, and was certified 12-times platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), denoting shipments of 840,000 copies.[59] The album finished at number one on the (ARIA) 1994 End of Year Chart.[60]
In Asia, Music Box became one of the best-selling albums of 1994, selling 2.2 million copies in Japan alone.[61] Sony Music's marketing director Andy Yavasis claimed sales of 600,000 in South Korea, 320,000 copies in Taiwan, 110,000 in Singapore and 80,000 copies in Hong Kong by July 1994.[62]
In Latin America, Music Box also enjoyed success, mostly due to the Spanish version of "Hero", titled "Héroe", which allowed the album to sell 500,000 copies in the region.[63]
Worldwide[edit]
As of 2019, Music Box has sold over 28 million copies worldwide,[2] and is one of the best-selling albums of all time.[64]
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes[65]
Notes
Sample credits