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Charmbracelet

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For the item of jewelry, see Charm bracelet.
Untitled

Charmbracelet is the twelfth album and ninth studio album by American singer Mariah Carey, released in the United States on December 3 2002 (see 2002 in music) by Island Records. It was her first album on the label and was also her first following the release of her film Glitter (2001) and its accompanying soundtrack album Glitter, both of which were critical and commercial disappointments. Sales of Charmbracelet were an improvement over those of Glitter but the album was still unable to garner any US hits, as none of its singles made the Top 40 of the Hot 100. She once again collaborated with many artists on this album such as rappers Cam'ron, Jay-Z, Freeway, Westside Connection and R&B artists Kelly Price and Joe.[1]

Background and production

Following the sales failure of both her previous album and film Glitter, and the public breakdown that soon followed, Virgin Records dropped Carey from the label and withdrew the $80 million deal they had offered her. She was left without a record deal for several months before signing a much more modest contract with Island Records. Executive Lyor Cohen immediately made her new album a priority.

Cohen, who wanted the album to be almost "back to basics", oversaw Carey writing an "I Will Survive"-esque anthem of overcoming adversity. With her pianist Lionel Cole, Carey wrote "Through the Rain", which reflected on her personal struggles during the past year. (The music video, however, put the focus on an interracial relationship, using Carey's real-life parents as inspiration.) She co-produced the track with her writing partners Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and a remix of the song was created by Just Blaze and Randy Jackson. The remix contains vocals from Joe and Kelly Price. Carey also worked with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis on the album track, "Yours". This was at one point supposed to feature vocals from Justin Timberlake, but his record label chose not to pair him up with Carey at this time so the song was released with only Carey's vocals.

Having scaled back greatly on her work with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Carey began to work with American Idol judge Randy Jackson for the first time. Together they co-produced "My Saving Grace", "Sunflowers for Alfred Roy", and "I Only Wanted". Jackson also suggested that Carey cover the Def Leppard song "Bringin' on the Heartbreak", and the two co-produced it.

Carey enlisted Just Blaze to help her create some uptempo tracks for the album. She had been impressed with the Cam'ron song "Oh Boy" and soon pursued Cam'ron himself and Just Blaze to help her use the song in a sample-led "reply song". The pair eventually helped Carey re-create "Oh Boy" as "Boy (I Need You)". Impressed with the "chipmunk-style vocals" of "Boy (I Need You)", Carey and Just Blaze also created "You Got Me" with another sped-up vocal. "Boy (I Need You)" would be released as a single but fail on the charts.

As Cohen had set out for Carey, the album was her response to the public following her struggles the previous year. Although Carey has said she does not like making "diss" tracks, she decided to address rumors and publicly respond to claims made by the rapper Eminem. He and Carey had previously enjoyed a friendship that was rumoured to be more than just platonic. However, Eminem stated he found a "phoniness" to Carey and dissed her in his song "Superman". As a response, Carey created the track "Clown", in which she criticizes his conflicts with his mother. Also with Dre and Vidal, Carey created the downbeat "Lullaby", which was rumoured to be about Carey's ex-boyfriend Derek Jeter, whom had previous ended the relationship with Carey, and related its lyrics to her past single "The Roof (Back in Time)" (1997).

Also following Cohen's "back to basics" plan, Carey decided to write and produce some songs with an old friend and frequent collaborator, Jermaine Dupri. The two created "You Had Your Chance" and the aborted single "The One". Carey also worked with another frequent collaborator, Damizza, on "Irresistible (Westside Connection)" which contains raps from the Westside Connection.

Contrary to Cohen's plan, Carey wanted to try out some new things in addition to the rock feel of "Bringin' on the Heartbreak", and soon decided to work with the urban producer, 7. Following years of studio work, Carey wanted to create a more organic sound with the use of live instruments. The pair created several tracks including "Subtle Invitation", "There Goes My Heart", and "Reach for the Sky". Only "Subtle Invitation" only made the final cut, although "There Goes My Heart" was later released as a non-U.S. bonus track. Carey also wrote and produced several tracks with DJ Quik, but they too were not used.

As the album neared completion, Carey felt that she needed a theme to represent it. During the recording of the album, Carey's father, Alfred Roy Carey, died. She had been estranged from him for years, but the two had reconciled shortly before his death. She and Randy Jackson wrote the memorial "Sunflowers for Alfred Roy" to celebrate the life of her father. Carey decided to name the album Charmbracelet because, to her, the charmbracelet represented a part of a person or thing, that helps her stay in touch with who she was and also to celebrate those she loved and cherished.

Promotion and chart performance

To help promote the album, Carey made guest appearances on television shows such as The Oprah Winfrey Show, The View, and The Late Show with David Letterman. As with the creation of the album, Lyor Cohen's plan was for Carey to quickly erase her image and public stigma with a "back to basics" approach. As a result, she wore her hair very curly (something she had not done in years) to make the public think of her debut album, Mariah Carey (1990). Carey was the subject of an MTV special, Shining Through the Rain. In all her public appearances, she spoke about her breakdown, and the failure of her film "Glitter" and its soundtrack. Cohen hoped that the public would relate with her anthem of overcoming struggle, "Through the Rain", to help her regain credit with the public. "Through the Rain", however, only peaked at number #81 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, but it was more successful in Canada and the UK where it reached the top ten.

The album debuted at number three on the U.S. Billboard 200 with 241,200 copies sold in its first week, but remained in the top twenty for just three weeks and on the chart for twenty-three. Island Def Jam quickly tried to release a second single to recover from the subpar performance of "Through The Rain", and "The One" was eventually chosen. "The One" had not picked up substantial radio airplay from promotional efforts, so it was decided that "Boy (I Need You)" should be the next single. Despite numerous television appearances to promote the song, "Boy (I Need You)" received limited airplay, and it became Carey's first single to miss the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard's Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles Chart altogether. Another track from the album "Irresistible (Westside Connection)" only peaked at number eighty-one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks and failed to make the Hot 100.

File:CharmbracletWorldTour.jpg
Promotional poster of Charmbracelet World Tour.

Following the mediocre sales of the album and both of its singles, Carey decided to stage a concert tour to promote the album and spark sales. The Charmbracelet World Tour: An Intimate Evening with Mariah Carey was the biggest tour of Carey's career, lasting over eight months with more than sixty shows across many countries (Carey's previous two tours had been restricted to a few European countries and the U.S., usually consisting of only around fifteen shows). While on tour, Carey's public relations department suggested that "Bringin' on the Heartbreak" may appeal to her pop rock/Adult Top 40 audience, but it failed to pick up much radio airplay when it too was released as a single. Despite the tour, sales of the album declined. The album was re-released in Asia and Europe to support the concert tour under the title Charmbracelet: Limited Edition with four bonus, unreleased tracks and videos for "Through the Rain" and "Boy (I Need You)".

Charmbracelet was certified platinum by the RIAA and sold a million copies in the US and another 500,000 worldwide at its time of release. As of 2005, it has sold over 1.1 million copies in the U.S. (according to soundscan) and over 5 million copies worldwide [2]. On May 18 2005 "My Saving Grace" was solicited as a promotional single to gospel radio stations across the U.S. with "Fly like a Bird", a song from Carey's fourteenth album The Emancipation of Mimi (2005). Neither song received substantial airplay and only the latter was eventually released to other formats.

Track listing

  • U.S. edition
  1. "Through the Rain" – 4:48
  2. "Boy (I Need You)" – 5:14
  3. "The One" – 4:08
  4. "Yours" – 5:06
  5. "You Got Me" – 4:22
  6. "I Only Wanted" – 3:38
  7. "Clown" – 3:17
  8. "My Saving Grace" - 4:09
  9. "You Had Your Chance" – 4:22
  10. "Lullaby" – 4:56
  11. "Irresistible (Westside Connection)" – 5:04
  12. "Subtle Invitation" – 4:27
  13. "Bringin' on the Heartbreak" – 4:34
  14. "Sunflowers for Alfred Roy" – 2:59
  15. "Through the Rain" (remix) – 3:34
  • Japanese edition
16. "Miss You" featuring Jadakiss – 5:09
  • Special UK edition
16. "Miss You" featuring Jadakiss – 5:09
17. "I Know What You Want" with Busta Rhymes featuring the Flipmode Squad – 4:44
1. "There Goes My Heart" – 4:11
2. "I Know What You Want" with Busta Rhymes featuring the Flipmode Squad – 4:44
3. "Got a Thing 4 You" with Da Brat featuring Mariah Carey and Elephant Man – 5:02
4. "The One" (So So Def remix) featuring Jermaine Dupri and Bone Crusher – 4:38
5. "Through the Rain" (video)
6. "Boy (I Need You)" (video)

Charts

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