Mariah Carey’s Music Box at 30: Then & Now
Reflecting on the diamond-certified LP and examining its new expanded edition.
There was always something about Mariah Carey’s album Music Box. As I ascended into Mariah fandom (the lambily, as those in the know call it) in the late 1990’s and 2000’s, I slowly but steadily acquired and devoured all of Mariah Carey’s albums. Ultimately, Music Box became the final frontier. For some cosmic, unexplainable reason, I steered clear of it time and time again in record stores. It was as if I was waiting for a special copy. And then, one day in 2015, I simply grabbed a copy, robbing the event of all pomp and circumstance (I barely even remember buying it, unlike many of the other albums on my shelves). I think part of my hesitation was the cover. I have always hated it. The full photo, which is gorgeous, was cropped into oblivion and robs the album of a proper visual, but a few versions feature a zoomed out cover, which I've always wanted. Even Mariah herself recently expressed disdain for the extreme zoom on the cover, hinting that the decision was beyond her control.
Music Box is a transcendent body of work in Mariah Carey’s catalog. It represents her graduation to Diamond-selling superstar, which the album was certified a few years after being released. She’d already proven herself to be a multi-platinum hitmaker, but this body of work helped her outshine even her own previous accomplishments. Now this 30th anniversary edition not only celebrates the original body of work, but also adds two additional discs of bonus content to further cement the importance of this album in Mariah Carey’s extensive repertoire. A few hiccups only momentarily disrupt what’s otherwise a fantastic volume of additional music added to the Music Box era.
By the time I got my copy, I still only knew the hits. The hip hop and R&B edged pop of “Dreamlover,” the adult contemporary grandiosity of “Hero,” the gospel infused affirmation of “Anytime You Need a Friend,” and the power balladry of “Without You.” †The remaining six songs (including one which was technically a single) add complementary components to the album. She dabbles in house on “Now That I Know,” dance on “I’ve Been Thinking About You,” more R&B balladry on “Never Forget You,” and continuing the reliance on big ballads with the melancholic “Just to Hold You Once Again,” longing “All I’ve Ever Wanted,” and inspirational title track “Music Box.” Due to a certain romantic situation blossoming, and then unraveling around the time of my Music Box purchase, I especially latched on to “I’ve Been Thinking About You” and “Just to Hold You Once Again.”
It’s also important to note that Mariah once again worked with a very small circle of collaborators. Aside from the album’s one cover song, Mariah is the sole lyricist on all but 2 of the songs Walter Afanasieff continued to be her main collaborator, and C&C Music Factory’s Robert Clivillés and David Cole returned again, along with Dave Hall. Babyface and Daryl Simmons also worked with Mariah on one cut.
Two additional, haunting songs from the sessions were released as well outside of the standard, 10 track edition. “Do You Think Of Me” (which was co-written and co-produced by Cory Rooney) was the b-side to lead single “Dreamlover,” and ponders the age-old turmoils of unrequited love with an R&B finesse. “Everything Fades Away” served as the b-side to second single “Hero,” but also was included as a bonus track on international pressings of the album. It’s a masterwork of dark, deteriorating love. The song and it’s unique chords and heavily layered vocal parts make it a true gem amongst Mariah’s catalog, and one of my all-time favorites. This new set finally puts them together with the rest of the tracks recorded for and around this time.
Disc 2 of Music Box 30 is full of treasures that even the most dedicated of fans can brim with excitement over. First up is an extended version of “All I Live For,” which was first liberated from Mariah’s vault on 2020’s The Rarities. This extended version adds nearly a minute of additional music to the 2020 version.
This version of “All I Live For” is also a completely different vocal take than the 2020 release. Admittedly though, something about this vocal sounds a little… let’s say off, at moments. It’s possible that a more contemporary Mariah laid some of these down and attempted to use some studio magic (maybe even a dash of AI?) to give them a 1993 polish (the same had to be done with the 2020 version, so it’s not a far-fetched idea to imagine the same is true here). If that’s the case, it’s well done because it’s not prominent for the bulk of the track, and it takes an ear with some aptitude in hearing vocal discrepancies to detect. The average listener likely won’t pick up on it.
Two other unreleased, previously unknown songs also make their debut on this set. “My Prayer,” a cover of The Platters from 1956 feels like a rightful progression between 1991’s “So Blessed” and 1995’s “Forever.” She gets free reign to display the full breadth of her voice during the subdued introduction and show-stopping closer.
A third C&C Music Factory collaboration, “Workin’ Hard,” also makes a debut here. Apparently a demo, the record has the makings of a great 90’s dance record. Mariah gets the chance to flex her vocal agility as she puts in work trying to get a man to love her back.
Her reinterpretation of the Diana Ross/Lionel Richie classic “Endless Love” with Luther Vandross also earns a spot here, though it was likely recorded after the album was released. “Do You Think Of Me” also rightfully appears here. Other treats of disc 2 are two live versions of singles, an acapella of the title track, and an extended version of “Anytime You Need A Friend” which adds some much-welcome additional vocal show-outs. This set also marks the first official release of Carey’s re-recording of “Hero” from 2008 (though this release mistakenly marks it as 2009). This version was re-recorded along with a new music video to promote the 2008 compilation Ballads, but the audio was never made available until now.
Disc 2 also features a batch of remixes that are crucial to the Mariah Carey repertoire, starting with the Def Club Mix of “Dreamlover.” The nearly-11-minute remix, helmed by David Morales, completely reimagines the bubbly pop record into a fantastical house anthem, accentuated by an entirely new set of vocals from Mariah. It marks the beginning of a glorious element of Mariah’s legacy. She continued this trend of rearranging and cutting new vocals for dance remixes all the way into the 2000’s. The similarly crafted C&C Music Factory remix of “Anytime You Need A Friend” also appears here, as does the song’s down-tempo, R&B-driven Soul Convention remix. The latter also features new vocals, hinting at the re-recorded hip hop remixes that were soon to follow on 1995’s Daydream.
Terry Hunter, who most recently notched a Grammy nomination for his stellar remix of Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul,” adds two brand-new remixes to the round out disc 2. First up is a remix of the very underrated penultimate album cut, “I’ve Been Thinking About You.” The true gem though is what he manages to do with “Workin’ Hard.” He seamlessly adds warmth, flavor, and excitement, perfectly infusing the essence of house music into this remix. It’s the most essential piece of bonus content in this collection.
The final disc of this reissue is Mariah’s July 1993 concerts at Proctor’s Theatre (misspelled Theater here) in Schenectady, New York. The concerts were condensed and released as a film in November 1993, known as ‘Here Is Mariah Carey’ or ‘This Is Mariah Carey.’ The show’s audio has never been fully released until now (though select performances have appeared on singles over the years). It was a significant marker for Carey, being her first full-length live concert performance (yes, wild as it may sound, Mariah Carey’s first full-length concert wasn’t until 3 years after she released her debut album). It’s a stellar performance that is a more than fitting way to complete this essential celebration of Music Box’s 30th anniversary.
Stream, download, and pre-order Mariah Carey’s Music Box 30th Anniversary Expanded Edition.