MTV Unplugged (Mariah Carey EP)

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MTV Unplugged
MTV Unplugged cover
EP by Mariah Carey
Released June 2, 1992 (U.S.)
Recorded Kaufman Astoria Studios, New York City; March 16, 1992
Genre Pop, R&B
Length 28:49
Label Columbia
CK-52758
Producer Mariah Carey, Walter Afanasieff
Professional reviews
Mariah Carey chronology
Emotions
(1991)
MTV Unplugged
(1992)
Music Box
(1993)
Singles from MTV Unplugged
  1. "I'll Be There"
    Released: May 26, 1992

MTV Unplugged is the third album and first live album by American singer Mariah Carey, released in the United States on June 2, 1992 (see 1992 in music) by Columbia Records. Like Carey's previous album Emotions (1991), it only produced one U.S. number-one single, which was the only new song on the album. To date, it's her only live album, selling three million copies in her native country and over six million copies worldwide.

Contents

[edit] History

Finally having conquered her stage fright and tired of critics suggesting she could not actually sing and that her high notes were synthesizer creations in the studio, Carey booked an appearance on the television show MTV Unplugged. The arrangements of the songs were different from the versions created in the studio, because MTV Unplugged involved the use of acoustic instruments only. Carey's whistle register workout on the opening number, "Emotions", brought cheers from the audience and convinced any skeptics that her vocal abilities were real. After the program aired, Carey's cover version of The Jackson 5's "I'll Be There" (1970), performed as a duet with backing singer Trey Lorenz, was released as a single due to high demand and topped the U.S. charts. It is her only #1 out of the 18 she has that isn't written by herself, because it is a cover. The EP yielded a second single, "If It's Over", which was not released in the U.S. and failed in most markets. Carey's appearance on the show gained her respect from many critics, who had previously dismissed her as a studio artist incapable or unwilling to play live. The popularity of her performance also led to promotional activities for the album Emotions being cut down.

The entire set list, brief as it was, was subsequently released as an album, which incorporated Carey talking before each song to introduce it. The MTV Unplugged EP peaked at number three on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and remained in the top twenty for fourteen weeks, and on the chart for fifty-seven (making one re-entry).

The RIAA certified MTV Unplugged three times platinum in December 1994. As of 2005 it had sold 2.73 million copies in the U.S. according to Nielsen SoundScan[1]. By 2005 MTV Unplugged had sold approximately six million copies worldwide[2].

The video release MTV Unplugged Plus 3 also captures this performance. Columbia Legacy re-packaged the EP along with the DVD MTV Unplugged Plus 3 and released it on September 18, 2007.

[edit] Track listing

  1. "Emotions" – 4:00
  2. "If It's Over" – 3:47
  3. "Someday" – 3:56
  4. "Vision of Love" – 3:36
  5. "Make It Happen" – 4:09
  6. "I'll Be There" duet with Trey Lorenz – 4:42
  7. "Can't Let Go" – 4:35

[edit] Charts

 Audio samples:
Country Peak
position
Netherlands 1 (6 weeks)
New Zealand 1 (3 weeks)
U.S. 3
UK 3
Australia 7
Canada 11
Japan 13
Switzerland 19
Austria 21
France 22
Germany 30
Sweden 36

As of March 2007, the album sold over 12 million units worldwide, and was certified 3x Platinum by the RIAA.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ U.S. Nielsen SoundScan sales from 1991 to December 2005
  2. ^ MariahJournal.com | Infozone