Greatest Hits is the second greatest hits album by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, released by Columbia Records on December 4, 2001. Issued after Carey's departure from Columbia, the album spans her tenure with the label and includes most of her singles released between 1990 and 2000. It features her then fifteen US number-one singles, as well as the UK number-one hits "Without You" and "Against All Odds".
Following criticism from reviewers and Carey herself of her first greatest hits album, #1's (1998), which focused on her US number-one singles, Greatest Hits was developed as a double album with a broader selection of her work, including two number-one songs released after #1's. The album peaked at number 52 on the US Billboard 200 and number seven on the UK Albums Chart. It received platinum certifications in several countries, including double-platinum in the US and triple-platinum in the UK and Australia.
The album was reissued internationally as The Essential Mariah Carey on January 10, 2011, as part of Legacy Recordings' Essential series, with the same track listing. The US edition, released on April 24, 2012, included extended mixes and additional non-single tracks personally selected by Carey.
Background and development
Greatest Hits was part of a four-album deal that completed Mariah Carey's contract with Columbia Records and allowed her to move to Virgin Records in 2001. The deal consisted of two greatest hits albums, #1's (1998) and Greatest Hits; the studio album Rainbow (1999); and the remix album The Remixes (2003). Carey's departure from Columbia followed strained working relationships with the label and her ex-husband, Sony Music CEO Tommy Mottola. Unlike #1's, Carey had little involvement in developing Greatest Hits. The album contains no personal messages in its liner notes, and Columbia conducted no significant promotional campaign for it.
Critics faulted the selection of previously released material on #1's, which was limited to her then thirteen US Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles. Carey was disappointed by the exclusion of several songs that she felt were her "best work", a view she expressed in the liner notes for #1's in an "open letter to [her] fans":
<blockquote>
"First of all – this is not a greatest hits album! It's too soon, I haven't been recording long enough for that! This album is a 'thank you' and an acknowledgment of my gratitude to all of you out there for making these records #1 on the charts.
One day, I will put out a greatest hits with songs that didn't even go on the charts because they were never commercially released (i.e., 'Breakdown', 'Underneath the Stars', 'Butterfly', etc.) or songs that came out that didn't go to #1 that are, in my opinion, better than some that did (i.e., 'Make It Happen', 'Anytime You Need a Friend', 'Endless Love' with Luther, or 'Can't Let Go')."
</blockquote>
By contrast, Carey was more positive about the track selection for Greatest Hits, describing the new inclusions as "songs that needed to be really heard". "Without You" also appears in the album's standard track list, while it was only included as a bonus track in international releases of #1's.
Greatest Hits is the only Carey compilation to include the original version of "Fantasy". Her other compilations, including #1's, feature the Ol' Dirty Bastard remix, Carey's preferred version; she has described the remix as a "turning point" in her career. "Endless Love", a duet with Luther Vandross, was not previously included in a Carey album; the song reached top-ten in several countries, including number two in the US, and number three in the UK. Carey initially covered Phil Collins' "Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now)" for Rainbow, and reworked it in 2000 as a duet with Irish boy band Westlife. The duet version topped both the UK and Irish Singles Charts and was subsequently included on international editions of the album. Released the following week, on December 12, the Japanese edition of the album adds four bonus tracks, including "Never Too Far/Hero Medley" and the original version of "All I Want for Christmas Is You". "Never Too Far/Hero Medley" was released on December 11 in the US as a charity single for the victims of the September 11 attacks, "All I Want for Christmas Is You" is her best-selling physical single in the country, with 1.1 million copies sold.
Greatest Hits was re-released as The Essential Mariah Carey by Legacy Recordings internationally in January 2011, and in the US in April 2012. The US edition includes four additional non-single tracks: "Vanishing" from Mariah Carey (1990), "Close My Eyes" and "The Roof" from Butterfly (1997), and "Bliss" from Rainbow. It also includes extended club remixes of "Emotions" and "Anytime You Need a Friend".
|rev2 = Slant Magazine
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Greatest Hits generally received positive reviews from critics, who noted the timing of its release amid the personal and commercial troubles surrounding Carey's Glitter project, which was released in September 2001. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic commended the "archival" nature of the album, but criticized its long runtime, recommending the "more concentrated" #1's instead. Powers also noted the inclusion of "Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme)", comparing the song's emphasis on resilience to Carey's personal and professional setbacks at the time. In a negative review, Sarah Liss of Now criticized the songs as "bland" and "hard to distinguish from each other".
Commercial performance
Greatest Hits debuted at number 52 on the US Billboard 200, charted for 13 weeks, and remained her lowest-peaking album on the chart until 2020, when Mariah Carey's Magical Christmas Special charted at number 100. but later reached a new peak of number seven on the week ending October 29, 2005, following the success of her tenth studio album The Emancipation of Mimi.
As of November 2018, Greatest Hits had sold 1.23 million copies in the US and had received a double-platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), representing 1 million double-disc units sold.
| extra_column = Original album
| total_length = 58:55
| title1 = Vision of Love
| writer1 =
| extra1 = Mariah Carey (1990)
| length1 = 3:31
| title2 = Love Takes Time
| writer2 =
| extra2 = Mariah Carey
| length2 = 3:48
| title3 = Someday
| writer3 =
| extra3 = Mariah Carey
| length3 = 4:07
| title4 = I Don't Wanna Cry
| writer4 =
| extra4 = Mariah Carey
| length4 = 4:49
| title5 = Emotions
| writer5 =
| extra5 = Emotions (1991)
| length5 = 4:09
| title6 = Can't Let Go
| writer6 =
| extra6 = Emotions
| length6 = 4:27
| title7 = Make It Happen
| writer7 =
| extra7 = Emotions
| length7 = 5:08
| title8 = I'll Be There
| note8 = featuring Trey Lorenz
| writer8 =
| extra8 = MTV Unplugged (1992)
| length8 = 4:24
| title9 = Dreamlover
| writer9 =
| extra9 = Music Box (1993)
| length9 = 3:54
| title10 = Hero
| writer10 =
| extra10 = Music Box
| length10 = 4:18
| title11 = Without You
| writer11 =
| extra11 = Music Box
| length11 = 3:34
| title12 = Anytime You Need a Friend
| writer12 =
| extra12 = Music Box
| length12 = 4:26
| title13 = Endless Love
| note13 = with Luther Vandross
| writer13 = Lionel Richie
| extra13 = Songs (1994)
| length13 = 4:20
| title14 = Fantasy
| writer14 =
| extra14 = Daydream (1995)
| length14 = 4:04
<br />
Notes
- "I'll Be There" is a cover of the song originally performed by The Jackson 5
- "Without You" is a cover of the song originally performed by Badfinger
- "Endless Love" is a cover of the song originally performed by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross
- "Open Arms" is a cover of the song originally performed by Journey
- "Sweetheart" is a cover of the song originally performed by Rainy Davis
- "I Still Believe" is a cover of the song originally performed by Brenda K. Starr
- "Against All Odds" is a cover of the song originally performed by Phil Collins
- "Never Too Far/Hero Medley" is a medley of Carey's "Never Too Far" and "Hero"
Personnel
Adapted from Greatest Hits liner notes.
- Mariah Carey – lead vocals, background vocals, arrangement, vocal arrangement, production, mixing
- Rhett Lawrence – production
- Narada Michael Walden – additional production, additional arrangement, production, arrangement
- Ben Marguiles – arrangement
- Chris Toland – arrangement
- Walter Afanasieff – production, arrangement
- Ric Wake – production
- David Cole – production, arrangement, mixing
- Robert Clivillés – production, arrangement, mixing
- Dave Hall – production, arrangement
- Boyz II Men – lead vocals, background vocals
- Jermaine Dupri – production, arrangement
- Manuel Seal – co-production
- Sean "Puffy" Combs – production
- The Ummah – production
- Stevie J – production
- Babyface – production
- Whitney Houston – lead vocals
- Mike Mason – production
- DJ Clue – production
- Ken "Duro" Ifill – production
- Jay-Z – lead vocals
- Jimmy Jam – production, arrangement
- Terry Lewis – production, arrangement
- Joe – lead vocals
- 98 Degrees – lead vocals
- Steve Mac – production
- Westlife – lead vocals
- Chris Austopchuk – art direction
- Julian Alexander – design
- Ria Shibayama – cover design
- Patrick DeMarchelier – photography
Charts
Weekly charts
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
!scope="col"|Chart (2001–2002)
!scope="col"|Peak<br />position
|-
!scope="row"| Australian Albums (ARIA)
|60
|-
!scope="row"| Australian Urban Albums (ARIA)
|40
|-
!scope="row"|French Compilations (SNEP)
|3
|-
|-
|-
|-
!scope="row"|Japanese Albums (Oricon)
|3
|-
|-
! scope="row"| Portuguese Albums (AFP)
| 7
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|}
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
!scope="col"|Chart (2005–2009)
!scope="col"|Peak<br />position
|-
|-
!scope="row"|European Albums (Top 100)
|32
|-
|-
! scope="row"|Taiwanese Albums (Five Music)
| 17
|-
|-
|}
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
!scope="col"|Chart (2010)
!scope="col"|Peak<br />position
|-
|}
The Essential Mariah Carey
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
!scope="col"|Chart (2011−2022)
!scope="col"|Peak<br />position
|-
!scope="row"|Australian Albums (ARIA)
|86
|-
! scope="row"|Greek Albums (IFPI)
| 64
|-
|-
!scope="row"|UK R&B Albums (OCC)
| 29
|-
! scope="row"| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)
| 42
|}
Year-end charts
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!scope="col"|Chart (2001)
!scope="col"|Position
|-
!scope="row"|Canadian R&B Albums (SoundScan)
|144
|}
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!scope="col"|Chart (2002)
!scope="col"|Position
|-
!scope="row"|Canadian R&B Albums (SoundScan)
| 128
|-
!scope="row"|Japanese Albums (Oricon)
|93
|}
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!scope="col"|Chart (2005)
!scope="col"|Position
|-
!scope="row"|UK Albums (OCC)
|40
|}
The Essential Mariah Carey
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
!scope="col"|Chart (2011)
!scope="col"|Peak<br />position
|-
!scope="row"| South Korean International Albums (Gaon)
| 61
|}