Maps of Music

Emotions (1991)

Where the lyrics of Emotions take you, and where it was really made.

Its lead single made Carey the first artist whose first five singles all reached number one, yet the album itself was received with mixed reviews.

Key places

Recording site: Axis Studios (1991)

Recording site Axis Studios — Listed as a recording location for Emotions in New York City. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording site: Right Track (1991)

Recording site MSR Studios — Listed as a recording location for Emotions in New York City. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording site: Skywalker Ranch (1991)

Recording site Skywalker Ranch — Listed as a recording location for Emotions in Marin County, California. Google Maps · Apple Maps

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Recording site: The Plant, Sausalito (1991)

Recording site Record Plant — Listed as a recording location for Emotions in Sausalito, California. Google Maps · Apple Maps

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Recording site: Skyline (1991)

Recording site Chung King Studios — Listed as a recording location for Emotions in New York City. Google Maps · Apple Maps

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Recording site: Electric Lady (1991)

Recording site Electric Lady Studios — Listed as a recording location for Emotions in New York City. Google Maps · Apple Maps

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Recording site: Battery (1991)

Recording site Battery — Listed as a recording location for Emotions in New York City. Google Maps · Apple Maps

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Album story

Overview

• Emotions: second studio album by Mariah Carey
• Columbia Records released it on September 17, 1991; Japan followed on October 4
• Synthesized R&B and dance-pop album with influences from soul, jazz, gospel, and disco
• Songs range from upbeat dance tracks to slow ballads about love and heartbreak
• Carey wrote the lyrics to every track

Background

• In 1988, Tommy Mottola, then head of Columbia Records, signed her after hearing her demo tape
• Debut album Mariah Carey (1990) topped the US Billboard 200 for eleven consecutive weeks
• By 1991 she was a prominent figure in the industry; fans speculated about a world tour, but she chose to focus on the next album

Recording

• Carey began work on Emotions in 1990, and recording started after she finished the previous album
• Columbia gave her greater control over the creative process than on her debut
• Collaborators included Walter Afanasieff, Robert Clivillés and David Cole of C+C Music Factory, and Carole King
• The Wind is based on a 1950s instrumental by pianist Russ Freeman

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Early life

• Born March 27, 1969 in Huntington, New York, on Long Island.
• Youngest of three children of Patricia Hickey, a former opera singer, and Alfred Roy Carey, an aeronautical engineer.
• Began singing at age three; graduated from Harborfields High School in 1987.
• Worked as a demo singer and backup singer, including for Brenda K. Starr.

Career

• Signed to Columbia Records after Tommy Mottola heard her demo tape in December 1988.
• Debut album Mariah Carey (1990) topped the US Billboard 200 and won Best New Artist at the Grammys.
• Became the first artist whose first five singles reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
• Music Box (1993), Merry Christmas (1994), and Daydream (1995) achieved major global sales.
• Later albums moved toward hip-hop and R&B, including Butterfly (1997) and Rainbow (1999).
• Comeback album The Emancipation of Mimi (2005) was her fifth number-one album in the US.
• Known as the 'Songbird Supreme' and 'Queen of Christmas'; one of the best-selling artists in history with over 220 million records sold.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Critics were divided on release: some praised the production and Carey's vocals, while others found the songwriting dull and felt she overused her whistle register
• Stephen Holden of The New York Times wrote that the tracks were marred by blunt, strung-together pop clichés
• Steve Morse of The Boston Globe thought her lyricism was remarkable
• Jim Farber of the New York Daily News described her vocal ability as undeniably skillful

Reappraisal

• Retrospective reviews have been more positive than the initial reception
• AllMusic's Ashley S. Battell wrote that Emotions refuted any claims of a sophomore slump
• Rolling Stone's Tim Chan wrote in 2025 that although it was not a sophomore slump, it was one of Carey's weaker albums

Records

• In the US it entered the Billboard 200 at number four with 129,000 units in its first week
• It reached number four on the UK albums chart and is certified platinum for 300,000 units
• In Japan it debuted at number three on the Oricon chart and is certified quadruple platinum
• The RIAA certified it quadruple platinum in the US
• At the 34th Annual Grammy Awards it earned nominations for Producer of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
• It has sold over eight million copies worldwide

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Carey did not tour for the album because of stage fright, and promotion relied on television and award-show appearances
• The lead single Emotions made Carey the first artist whose first five singles all reached number one
• Carey declined to record Aretha Franklin's A Natural Woman; the ballad If It's Over came out of her studio time with Carole King instead
• The Wind was inspired by the death of a friend in a drunk-driving accident
• Columbia released the MTV Unplugged performances as a live EP on June 2 after the broadcast

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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