Glamorous songstress Mariah Carey finally begins her long-awaited Vegas resident show, “Mariah Carey’s #1’s” on May 6 at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. The splashy spectacular will be highlighted by performances of all 18 of her record-breaking No. 1 hit songs, from the original “Vision of Love” to “Fantasy” and “Hero.”
The singer/songwriter/actress has been in the spotlight for 25 years, her illustrious career dotted with plenty of high notes (31 Billboard Music Awards!), eight headlining tours and our favorite part: some killer music videos. Whether she’s slaying it with her body-baring wardrobe, throwing in campy acting bits or playfully exaggerating her diva reputation, the best Mariah Carey videos–many of which are number one hits–are always fun to watch. Here are eight we love:
HONEY
MC really gives us the most in the “Honey” video. As an awkward young tweener when it first came out in 1997, I was awestruck at my idol’s new look. All I knew was that I wanted to be her when I grew up (and have that body and those Gucci stilettos.) Carey was truly a butterfly flying high at this peak in her career. “Butterfly” was her first album after her split from husband and Columbia Records’ Tommy Mattola. She could finally dress sexy! She could frolic on the beach with a young stud! She could outrun the bad guys on a jetski! She was radiant, glowing and happy. All in all, Carey never looked better and the song—an instant No. 1—was a certified iconic hit.
UP OUT MY FACE
Back in 2010 when no one had ever heard of Nicki Minaj, she guested on one of Carey’s best revenge tracks—a hip hop heavy “Up Out My Face.” (“Not even a nail technician with a whole lot of gel and acrylic can fix this,” she sings.) It’s a definite favorite because Carey and Minaj play real life Barbie doll versions of themselves in outrageous outfits. Going from sexy nurses to draped in diamonds and fur, they purposely layer on the cheesy—and it’s a blast to watch.
WE BELONG TOGETHER
The “We Belong Together” masterpiece is one of Carey’s best videos with a storyline, and ended up as Yahoo’s most watched video of 2005 with 7.5 million streams. The song was the second single off “The Emancipation of Mimi,” and followed “It’s Like That.” The two music videos were shot back to back, with “It’s Like That” being a sort of part one to the story, and “We Belong Together” concluding the tale. This one follows our somber, angsty heroine about to marry an older guy whom she’s clearly just not that into while her younger, true love hottie stands by.At the 11th hour she pulls a runaway bride, ditches her guy at the altar and storms off with Young Hottie in a sleek black convertible.
Fun fact: Remember when Carey wed Tommy Mottola in an over-the-top 1993 affair modeled after Princess Diana’s wedding? Carey pulled that wedding dress out of storage and wore it in this video.
HEARTBREAKER
Who can forget “Heartbreaker” featuring Jay-Z? This 1999 Brett Ratner-directed video, the first from her “Rainbow” album, was talked about for so many reasons. She plays an evil alter-ego brunette version of herself? She acts? Jerry O’Connell makes an appearance? Yes to all of the above. It was also one of the most expensive music videos ever made, at $2.5 million. Oh, and it was also back when she forged the trend of jeans with the waistband cut off—which I admittedly did, because of this video.
HEARTBREAKER REMIX
After the pink and red color theme of the original “Heartbreaker” video, Carey stripped everything down for the song’s very different-sounding remix. Gold metallic bikini and rollerskates? Check. Washing Snoop Dogg’s car in cut off jean shorts and heels? Check. Missy Elliott and Da Brat? Check. The video—shot all in black and white—correlates perfectly with the remixed song’s sexy rap edge. The alter-ego factor shows up again, with the girls wrestling in a ring.
BREAKDOWN
While never released as a full single, 1998’s “Breakdown” is a fan favorite song. The sultry vibe and collaboration with Bone Thugs-N-Harmony perfectly gelled with the R&B/hip hop slant of “Butterfly.” It’s also one of the two the most “Vegas” videos in her repertoire, the other being “I Stay In Love.” It has a distinctly cabaret feel, with MC playing a showgirl, laying on a bed of poker chips and sitting on a casino floor table. The fashion and beauty looks are as killer as the song.
OBSESSED
This 2009 song from “Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel” was reportedly written about a brief encounter gone wrong with Eminem—and Carey makes her feelings about the rapper quite clear in the video. She never publicly confirmed what went down with him, but alludes to his freakish obsession with her. Like “secret lair with every inch covered in Mariah” obsessed. In another Ratner-directed masterpiece, she acts as both an exaggerated version of herself and the Eminem-esque stalker character.
And bonus facts: the opening line “And I was like, why are you so obsessed with me?” is a cheeky nod to Carey’s love for the film “Mean Girls,” which features the same line said by queen bee Regina George. The video also portrays Carey posing for photography Patrick Demarchelier, a reference to another of her favorite films, “The Devil Wears Prada.”
LOVERBOY
In 2001, MC showed off her playful side in this party of a video. With blonde locks, a golden tan and tiny outfits showing off her hot bod, she skipped around the racetrack setting singing the breathy, ‘80s inspired pop tune. The color and camp (think muscle cars and candy coated visuals) is undoubtedly influenced by the video’s director, the famed David LaChappelle. He helped Carey push the envelope while remaining dazzling as always. Appearances by Ludacris, Cameo and Da Brat add to the video’s flirtatious fun.
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