Happy anniversary, dahhlings! As all members of the Lambily know, March 27 is the annual anniversary of Mariah Carey‘s birth.
And while the Songbird Supreme may classify herself as “eternally 12” — and refuses to use the term “birthday” or, you know, recognize the concept of time in general — we couldn’t let the day go by without honoring her legacy as one of the most iconic chart-toppers in Billboard history.
To date, the Elusive Chanteuse has racked up a record-setting nineteen No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 — making her the solo artist with the most number ones and only one behind The Beatles’ high water mark of 20.
Of course, Carey’s latest, and some would argue greatest, No. 1 is “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” which reached the top of the tally for the first time in 2019 — a full 25 years after its initial release — and has since made its annual return to No. 1 every holiday season since.
However, ask any Lamb and they’ll tell you there’s so much more to Mariah’s songbook than Christmas music. Starting out at the dawn of the ’90s, the singer became instantly known for her iconic voice and notched adult-contemporary hits like “Vision of Love” and “Love Takes Time” as well as certified pop smashes like “Dreamlover,” “Fantasy” and “Always Be My Baby.”
Eventually, she spread her wings and found her artistic freedom with the release of 1997’s Butterfly, which became a blueprint for successfully melding R&B, hip-hop and pop with singles like “Honey” and “My All.” High-profile collabs with Jay-Z and Joe and 98 Degrees soon followed in the form of “Heartbreaker” and “Thank God I Found You,” but Mariah hit another level of artistic achievement and string of No. 1s with 2005’s The Emancipation of Mimi and its 2008 successor E=MC2.
Throughout the 2000s, the songwriter crafted the sound of the decade thanks to hits like “We Belong Together,” “Don’t Forget About Us” and “Touch My Body,” with the worldwide success of the former even barring its equally infectious follow-up “Shake It Off” from reaching the top of the chart.
To celebrate Mariah’s “anniversary,” vote for your favorite of her nineteen No. 1 hits below.
