Here's something everyone should know about Mariah Carey: She's very proud of writing her own lyrics. You might think, “Please. Diane Warren comes in, writes a verse, and picks up that check before noon,” but no. No one but Mariah could write her own lyrics, and after reviewing the lyrical content of her breezy, R&B-heavy new album “Me. I Am Mariah… The Elusive Chanteuse,” you will agree she is basically the Ira Gershwin of her generation.
I was barely able to confine the best lyrics to a top ten, but I think I've succeeded. Here are 10 pearls of wisdom from the not-that-elusive-if-you-really-think-about-it chanteuse.
10. “The Art of Letting Go”
“Letting go ain't easy… It's just exceedingly hurtful.”
9. “The Art of Letting Go” again.
“I'm making a statement / of my own opinion / Just a brief little reminder / to help myself remember / I no longer live in your dominion.”
8. “It's a Wrap” (with Mary J. Blige)
“I should clock you right in your forehead.”
7. “The Art of Letting Go” one last time, I swear.
“Go to Mimi on your contacts / Press delete.”
6. “#Beautiful”
“You're beautiful / And your mind is… f*cking beautiful.”
5. “Money”
“Money, this, that, the other / Don”t mean nothing other than jets on holidays/ And chefs with hollandaise.”
4. “Betcha Gon' Know” (feat. R Kelly)
“I'm going about 100 miles per hour / Laughing out of anger / But it don't strike me as funny.”
3. “Betcha Gon' Know”
R. Kelly: “I'm standing there butt naked / With nothing but a sheet on / Then she come down with nothing but a robe on / And that's when I put my damn clothes on / And got the f*ck up outta there.”
2. “Dedicated” (feat. Nas)
Nas: “We don”t wish today”s game was old again / we just wish it wasn”t filled with draconian, babylonian phony-men.”
1. “Supernatural,” featuring vocals by Mariah's daughter Monroe.
Monroe: “I'm a chanteuse!”
Mariah: “I know you are, dahhhhling.”
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