Mariah Carey is a once-in-a-generation talent whose powerful voice and five-octave range made her one of the most successful '90s artists and a talent whose legend endures today. She is known for her love songs that showcase her unique style, and her greatest hits include everything from R&B to Christmas songs. Carey's musical talent was evident early in life, and by high school, she was receiving music lessons from her mother, who had trained in classical opera. Carey performed as a demo singer in high school and released her debut album at 21 years old. This list of the best Mariah Carey songs includes her greatest hits throughout her decades-long career.
Mariah Carey is a pop artist who has also dabbled in hip hop, soul and dance. After high school, she signed with Columbia Records and Tommy Mottola, whom she later married. Her first album, Mariah Carey, hit No. 1, and she won two Grammys for it.
Carey has released 15 studio albums. She won four more Grammy awards as well as 20 Billboard Music Awards and 19 World Music Awards. With "All I Want for Christmas," she set a record in 2024 for the longest streak at No. 1 for a woman on the Billboard Hot 100. The songs on this list were selected based on commercial success, vocal achievement and critical acclaim.
From Carey's third album, Music Box, "Hero" was one of her most personal early songs, encouraging people to see themselves as their own heroes. Its distinctive hook helped Carey top the Billboard charts for the eighth time, and Spotify says it remains one of its most-requested songs.
Carey's early oeuvre is so impressive that it's difficult to make room for her older hits, and she has a couple good ones, like this song from her 15th album, Caution. "A No No" hit the top 20 on the R&B charts, and the fun beat gives it a snappy style different from many of her early ballads.
This cover of the Brenda K. Starr original appeared on Carey's #1s album, and it hit No. 4 on the Billboard charts. Early in her career, Carey was a backup singer for Starr. In the music video directed by Brett Ratner, Carey dresses up like Marilyn Monroe.
Carey doesn't display her usual vocal range on "Touch My Body," but she does show a playfulness and desire that make the song stand out. A single off the E=MC² album, "Body" was Carey's 18th song to hit No. 1 on Billboard. She won a BET award for the video, again directed by Ratner.
Jay-Z joined Carey for this single from Rainbow, which was her 14th No. 1 hit. The video famously featured Carey in a dual role as a blonde and brunette, appearing with actor Jerry O'Connell. It marked part of Carey's transition to working with more hip hop artists.
Carey's The Emancipation of Mimi album saw her work with top R&B artists and producers like Jermaine Dupri and Bryan-Michael Cox as the singer emerged from a painful divorce and a series of commercial flops. "Shake" hit No. 2 on Billboard, and Carey performed it on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest.
Let it be known that Mariah can clap back. The song from the album Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel was a response to Eminem's frequent verbal jabs over the years. Mimi didn't mention the rapper by name, but she effectively dismissed his one-sided obsession. Critics loved her attitude if not her (unnecessary) use of Auto-Tune.
Mary J. Blige joined Carey on this remix of the latter's 2009 song from Memoirs. The breakup track garnered mixed critical reaction, but the addition of Blige gave it new life, and the latter encouraged Carey to remember her own power. Later the song went viral as part of TikTok dance craze.
Carey enjoyed experimenting as her career blossomed, and this collaboration with Bone Thugs 'N Harmony was an unexpectedly strong hip hop song that played on the group's hugely successful "Crossroads." Carey still did some characteristic belting at the end, helping the song rise to No. 4 on Hot R&B Singles.
The lead single on Carey's Me. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse marked another collab, this one with singer Miguel. The two had great chemistry and earned raves from critics. It reached No. 3 on the Hot R&B Chart, and it earned a Teen Choice Award nomination.
Carey's very first single showed the promise of things to come. The ingenue put it on her demo for Columbia, showing off her impressive whistle register and popularizing the melisma effect. The song earned three Grammy nominations and two Soul Train Music Awards nods. It spent four weeks at No. 1.
Another single from Emancipation and another Dupri collab, "It's Like That" is an R&B/hip hop song celebrating Carey's hard-won independence and earning her a Grammy nomination for best female pop vocal performance. It marked Carey's top-charting song since 2001's Loverboy and peaked at No. 16.
This extremely catchy ode to an ex-lover is often mentioned among Carey's best vocal performances, as it showcases her huge range. When the song hit No. 1, Carey entered a tie with Madonna and Whitney Houston for most top songs by a female singer. She earned a best female R&B performance Grammy nod, too.
Yet another Emancipation hit, "We Belong Together" cemented Carey's comeback after a few down years. Billboard named it "Song of the Decade," spending 14 weeks atop the charts and becoming Carey's 16th No. 1 hit. It earned song and album of the year Grammy nods and won best R&B song and best female R&B performance.
"Honey," a release from the album Butterfly, gave Carey a record three straight debuts atop the Billboard top 100, a mark she held for more than two decades. The video marked her raciest effort yet, and Carey earned Grammy nominations for best R&B song and best R&B female vocal performance.
This effort from Carey and producer Dave Hall continued her move toward hip hop, with the singer performing an ode to her ideal lover. It was her seventh Billboard No. 1, a spot it held for eight weeks. It earned critical praise for being catchy and fun.
One of the most important '90s songs, "One Sweet Day" set a Billboard record by topping the charts for 16 straight weeks. Carey collaborated with Boyz II Men on the song, which paid tribute to a friend who died of AIDS.
The lead single from Carey's fifth album, Daydream, yet again highlights the singer's vocal range and ability. The singer performed the song at the American Music Awards and Britain's Top of the Pops, and it became her second single to debut at No. 1, a spot she claimed for eight straight weeks.
The release from Carey's second album, also called Emotions, sees Carey feeling every which way, prompting her to sing, "You've got me feeling emotions." The song has tinges of gospel and even disco, and Carey enters the whistle register. She earned a best female pop vocal Grammy nod and hit No. 1 on the chart.
Could it have been any other song? The vocals of this standard make it one of the most enduring songs of the last 50 years. It hops back on the Billboard charts every holiday and set a record for consecutive weeks at No. 1 in 2024, despite charting at just No. 4 originally.
Bottom Line
Mariah Carey has performed some of the most iconic songs of her lifetime. Whether you want a heartfelt ballad, a breezy RnB song or a hip hop-infused effort. Carey's delivery is like no one else, and you will revel in her beautiful singing voice when you listen to her greatest hits.