The Meaning of Mariah Carey by Mariah Carey with Angela Davis
Last line in in the Epilogue, "In the end, and in the beginning, it's all about faith for me. I can't define it, but it has defined me."
Mariah Carey holds the record for having 19 number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart by a solo artist. She also holds several Guinness Book of World Records. I remember when her song, "A Vision of Love," played in rotation on the radio. From a distance, I followed her career with admiration. At a recent dinner with a family member, I shared a story about a situation in my life. A person tried on several occasions to bait me to gossip about a person I barely knew. I had enough and finally said, "I don't know her!" My family member laughed and said, "Oh, you are like Mariah Carey!" Oh, really, I thought. I try to avoid gossip because it doesn't make sense. "When people show you who they are, believe them." said Dr. Maya Angelou, is my mantra. I had no idea about Mariah's story and had to look it up on Google. Well, I understand Mariah's point of view. Out of the blue, all of a sudden, I started seeing a lot of Mariah Carey stories on YouTube. As my life is very busy, I didn't know she wrote a book. Due to us sharing a similar situations (wink), I decided to read her autobiography, The Meaning of Mariah Carey. My goal was to read a few pages at a time, but I could not put it down. Let's discuss...
In The Meaning of Mariah Carey, Ms. Carey shares her life story steeped in resilience and faith. She didn't have an easy life growing up. As a multiracial young girl, her Father was Irish and her Father was Black and Venezuelan, she dealt with racism and discrimination. Her jealous sister poured hot water on her back. Her brother made her feel unsafe. She was also estranged from her father for a period of time. She had a complicated relationship with her Mother, who was also an opera singer. She taught Mariah not to say "when" and not "if" when speaking of her vision of being a successful singer.
However, along the way with her struggles, Carey also had assistance. Brenda K. Starr, a singer, really supported Mariah early in her career. Ms. Starr invited Mariah to a special party. At this party, Tommy Mottola took Mariah's demo tape from Starr's hand. She landed a record deal at Sony. As they say, the rest is history.
Carey's life has been no crystal stair. She has experienced her share of broken windows and glass. Having a new album be released on September 11, 2001 is not exactly perfect timing. Her fairy tale marriage to Mottola, the chairman and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment, ended in divorce and other unfortunate events. Her Mother called the police on her. She experienced exhaustion and was committed to a treatment facility. She suffered a miscarriage and an eventual divorce from her husband. However, after all of this, Ms. Carey continues to sing, entertain and live life.
The Meaning of Mariah Carey is book about an artist who continues to prove critics wrong and entertain loving fans. The book provides insights into the inspiration for several of her popular heartfelt songs.
Even if you are not a fan of her music, The Meaning of Mariah Carey is an inspirational memoir to read.
What is my favorite Mariah Carey song?
"Breakdown" helped me process a sad time in my life when I wanted a friend but got an enemy instead. I listened to the song so many times until the disappointment disappeared.
Shake It Off, is a reminder to say no and not to let people stay too long when they need to move on.
"Fly Like a Bird" is a reminder that a higher power exists who is always present:
Nothing is Impossible:
Reference:
The Meaning of Mariah Carey, by Mariah Carey with Angela Davis.
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