Around the World (Mariah Carey DVD)

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DVD by Mariah Carey
''Around the World''

Released	April 24, 1999 (U.S.)
Recorded	1998
Length	60 minutes
Label	Columbia Records
Producer(s)	Mariah Carey Tom Case Jack Gulick
Professional reviews
Amazon link Imdb link
Mariah Carey video chronology
Fantasy: Mariah Carey at Madison Square Garden (1996)	Around the World (1999)	#1's (2000)

Around the World was Mariah Carey's fifth DVD/home video release. The DVD showcases Carey traveling around the world as she explores and performs in various locations such as New York, and on her Butterfly World Tour, Hawaii, Japan, and Australia. The DVD was released in April 1999.

Carey in a scene from the "My All" music video.

Originally shown as a television special in late 1998 on UPN, the DVD has garnered controversy for its use of editing performances down to half their length (by discarding the second verse and choruses) of most of the songs. The program was originally presented in this form on UPN to fit with time constraints, but as this is a home DVD release, it was felt that the original lengths of the song should be restored too. The songs so abbreviated include "Emotions", "Dreamlover", "My All", "I'll Be There", and "Whenever You Call". Other songs are not edited, as "Fantasy", "I Still Believe", and "Hero" are more or less kept to their original length. Many of the performances were labelled with having apparent lip-synching and dubbing. It is even noted outright that the performance of "Hero" on this program is derived from five separate performances.

The DVD is also criticized for its lengthy behind-the-scenes footage in lieu of more live performances, including scenes showing Carey exploring Japan, Hawaii, and Australia, though it could be argued that the reason for including clips of Carey's global visits may be to keep true to the DVD's title. Footage is also shown in New York as Carey goes to attend a party thrown for her #1's album, and as she shares deep conversations with her mentor Brenda K. Starr. A cover of the hit song "Hopelessly Devoted to You" from the movie Grease is also performed with the song's original singer, Olivia Newton-John. As an added bonus of sorts, the music videos for the single's "Butterfly", "Breakdown", "The Roof (Back in Time)", and "My All" are included on the DVD.