During my childhood, Mariah Carey's very first album from 1990 was one of my very first CDs (remember those?) and it was one I couldn't stop listening to. I loved all the hits — like "Someday," "Vision of Love," and "Love Takes Time" — and even the B-sides. Looking back on Carey's self-titled album 25 years later, the songs of Mariah Carey have outdated lyrics that are so '90s.
Carey's self-titled debut was released in 1990 and immediately launched her to super stardom at the age of 20. Things were so back different then for Carey — and for all of us. In the '90s, she wasn't Mimi yet, but simply Mariah, who spent some time as a backup singer before finally breaking out on her own. She entered a relationship, then marriage with Sony head hancho Tommy Mattola, which would end in divorce by the end of the decade (and inspire the music video for her song "Honey").
As for all of us, it was a world that hadn't tasted the full effect of the internet — albeit plenty of AOL.com e-mail addresses and AIM screen names. And cell phones, what on earth were those?
So come back with me to 1990 and let's explore all the outdated lyrics from Mariah's first album.
"Prisoner"
You see me and then say "Mariah I miss you"Expect me to hug and kiss youDon't mean to diss youBut I guess I'm not the kind of girl you thought i was
Wait, could that be Mariah freestyling? Yup, get it, Mimi. This is a total girl power, "See ya later dude!" anthem, but the lyrics feature one of the '90s favorite words ("diss"). These days, that ex doesn't have to see you in order to come crawling back — believe me, they try via Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and text.
"There's Got To Be A Way"
There's got to be a wayTo connect this world today
I'm going to make the obvious joke here: The internet does this now! Yup, I'll be here all week. But on a more serious note:
And maybe then the future will be a timeWithout war, destitution, and sorrow
Unfortunately, the future still has all three of those things. But thank you for the hope, Mariah.
"Vanishing"
If I could recaptureAll of the memoriesAnd bring them to lifeSurely I would
One word: Instagram. Man, if 1990s Mimi could see all the selfies on Instagram now. We as a society recapture almost too much.
"All In Your Mind"
Your silenceWhispering misunderstandingsThere's so much you need to realize
Pretty sure the equivalent here is not receiving a text back from the person you're seeing and wondering if they're mad, not interested, or OMG, is this his way of dumping me?
"Someday"
You'll change your mind and call my nameSoon as you find they're all the same
These days, it's more like he'll change his mind and send you a random text, like "sup?" at a random hour and expect you to come rushing back and respond right away. Dude, when the ship has sailed, it has sailed.
"I Don't Wanna Cry"
All the magic's goneThere's just a shadow of a memory
In 2015, the shadow is now known as digital footprint of photos, a Facebook relationship status, and endless tweets to each other. Luckily, there's a delete button. Trust me, it's pretty cathartic to be able to erase social media traces of an entire broken relationship — and then it's like it never existed.
