The First Vision is the debut video album by American singer Mariah Carey, released by Sony Music Video on January 22, 1991. It is a collection of music videos, live performances, and film footage detailing the development and promotion of Carey's first studio album Mariah Carey (1990). Music videos of three Mariah Carey singles – "Vision of Love", "Love Takes Time", and "Someday" – are featured, as are snippets of the future singles "I Don't Wanna Cry" and "There's Got to Be a Way". The collection presents Carey performing at New York City's Club Tatou and behind-the-scenes footage of her rehearsing for appearances on Saturday Night Live and It's Showtime at the Apollo. During an interview segment, Carey answers questions about her life and music.
Critics focused on Carey's depiction in The First Vision. Some considered it insightful, while others opined that it sexually projected her. They praised Carey's live performances as an effective vocal showcase. The video peaked at numbers 2 and 24 on US and UK music video charts published by Billboard and the Official Charts Company, respectively. The Canadian Recording Industry Association certified it gold for shipments of 5,000 copies, and the Recording Industry Association of America certified it platinum for 100,000 units in the United States.
Background and release
Columbia Records released Mariah Carey's first studio album, Mariah Carey, on June 12, 1990. To support the record, Carey performed live at New York City's Club Tatou, Studio 8H, and Apollo Theater. Columbia commissioned music videos for the three songs, and all were released commercially as part of The First Vision. A LaserDisc edition followed on August 25, 1992, and a DVD was eventually released in Japan on November 17, 2004. Sony Pictures Entertainment made it available for digital download and rental in the United States on December 7, 2021. Club Tatou performances of "Don't Play That Song" and "Vanishing" are included on disc two of a 1991 Australian edition of Mariah Carey, and all were released for digital download and streaming as part of the 2020 extended play The Live Debut – 1990.
Summary
The First Vision contains Carey's first three music videos, live performances, film footage, and her responses to interview questions. It opens with the "Vision of Love" music video. Carey explains that she began singing as a young girl and credits her mother as a musical inspiration. She describes how gospel music significantly influences her and is expressed in the lyrics and musical arrangements of her songs. She is accompanied by a piano player and three background singers, Patrique, Billy, and Trey Lorenz.
| rev3 = Los Angeles Times
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| rev4 = Select
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| rev5 = Yorkshire Evening Press
| rev5score = 4/4
The video's overall effectiveness received reviews. According to AllMusic writer Ashley S. Battel, The First Vision was a compelling prelude to Carey's stardom. Forrest Spencer of AllMovie believed it provided insights into her early career that fans would appreciate. Martin Aston called it "as good a compilation as you could hope for" in Music Week.
Critics commented on the video's depiction of Carey. Los Angeles Times critic Dennis Hunt found the interview segment the weakest portion because Carey "offers no in-depth answers to basic questions". Hunt remarked the camera's focus on her resembled production choices typically seen in a Playboy video. Hunt felt they provided Carey ample opportunity to showcase her vocal abilities. Peoples Ralph Novak complimented the cover of "Don't Play That Song" as he felt its lyrics allowed Carey's voice to come across more powerfully than in her self-written material. Lynn Voedisch of the Chicago Sun-Times said she exuded emotion when singing it.
Commercial performance
The First Vision debuted at number six on the US Billboard Top Music Videos chart in the March 2, 1991, issue. It peaked at number two a month later and remained on the chart for the next 44 weeks. When the CRIA retired video certifications in 2021, it remained Carey's only certified video in that country. Three years later amid Carey's simultaneous number ones on the albums (Music Box), singles ("Without You"), and music video charts (Here Is Mariah Carey), The First Vision entered at number 37 on the Official Charts Company's music videos chart dated April 2, 1994. It peaked at number 24 for the week ending June 11, 1994, and appeared on the chart as late as July 1995.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Mariah Carey and Ben Margulies, except where noted. Although track listings vary between releases, the only video difference is the addition of "Love Takes Time" (live) and "Vision of Love" (live) in non-VHS editions.
VHS edition 1 (42 minutes)
| 1
| —
|-
! scope="row"| US Top Music Videos (Billboard)
| 2
| 5
|-
! scope="row"| US Top Video Sales (Billboard)
| 20
| 69
|}
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+ 1994 chart performance
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (Publisher)
! scope="col"| Weekly peak<br />position
|-
! scope="row"| UK Music Videos (OCC)
| 5,000 (Gold)
|-
! scope="row"| United States (RIAA)
| 100,000 (Platinum)