I'm not a Mariah Carey fan (which is not to say that the woman lacks the pipes), so when I saw the headline that she had just passed Elvis for second-place in the all-time list of No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 (Carey has 18; the Beatles had 20) I was prepared to be annoyed. But here's what she said about it:
"I really can never put myself in the category of people who have not only revolutionized music but also changed the world. That's a completely different era and time... I'm just feeling really happy and grateful."
That's really a perfect statement in the context of the accomplishment. Elvis and the Beatles lived in a time when you could be a mass-market hit AND still drive the culture in innovative ways. No one has ever accused Carey of trying to do that, but there's something refreshing about a pop star who recognizes that she's a pop star and doesn't attempt to be pretentious about it.
To put Carey's accomplishment in context, think of it this way: Her No. 1 hits represent the most successful plurality in a massive, fractured, Long Tail audience. She is not driving the culture or innovating on the fringes: Carey is a talented, attractive vocalist and a reliable brand with broad name recognition.
Is she your favorite singer? Probably not. Do you hate her music? Probably not. Can you name three of her 18 songs? I can't. But you know who she is, she has a nice smile and sports a perfectly maintained (surgically enhanced) body that still drips youthful sexuality. And that's what it takes to get a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 these days.
The obvious question?
Who gives a shit about the Billboard Hot 100 anymore?
Comments