USA: Mariah Carey edges out Elvis Presley in number of hits, is now placed second behind The Beatles

Record ID: 190266

  • Title: USA: Mariah Carey edges out Elvis Presley in number of hits, is now placed second behind The Beatles
  • Date: 9th April 2008
  • Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (APRIL 03, 2008) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF GEOFF MAYFIELD, REPORTER FOR BILLBOARD MAGAZINE (SOUNDBITE) (English) GEOFF MAYFIELD, SAYING: "With 'The Emancipation of Mimi,' she made her most appealing album, it was kind of her return to basics, she had gone very much into a hip-hop direction, which is where artistically she wanted to go, but a lot of hip-hop records don't hang around for a long period of time, and unfortunately for her, her albums were starting to act like a lot of hip-hop albums, short shelf life, and didn't have as broad an appeal as the earlier albums where she had both an R&B feel to her music, but also music that would appeal to other tastes, to pop tastes, to older fan's taste."
  • Embargoed: 24th April 2008 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Usa
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVADY7QZMTAJ1UXBL8GWLIBTQO5I
  • Story Text: Beating out Elvis Presley and just behind The Beatles, singer Mariah Carey is now number two on the list for chart topping singles.
    Pop superstar Mariah Carey has beat Elvis Presley in number of chart topping hits, making her second only to The Beatles in terms of singles sold. Carey's single "Touch My Body" soared 14 places on the Billboard Hot 100 to become the 18th chart-topper of her career, and with her latest album "E=MC2," yet to hit retail, Carey might equal the Beatles' record of 20 No. 1 hits before her set runs its course.
    With hit singles like 1993's "Hero" and 1995's "Fantasy," Mariah Carey was able to maintain her position at the top of the charts and become one of the best selling artists of the 1990s. After a series of less than stellar albums in the earlier half of this decade, her comeback was heralded by 2005s "The Emancipation of Mimi," which contained two number one hits.

    "With 'The Emancipation of Mimi,' she made her most appealing album," says Geoff Mayfield of Billboard Magazine, "it was kind of her return to basics, she had gone very much into a hip-hop direction, which is where artistically she wanted to go, but a lot of hip-hop records don't hang around for a long period of time, and unfortunately for her, her albums were starting to act like a lot of hip-hop albums, short shelf life, and didn't have as broad an appeal as the earlier albums where she had both an R&B feel to her music, but also music that would appeal to other tastes, to pop tastes, to older fan's taste."

    "Touch My Body's" blast to No. 1 is fuelled by a record-setting debut-week digital tally of 286,000 downloads. That sum, good enough for the No. 1 slot on Hot Digital Songs chart, surpasses the 277,000 downloads labelmate Rihanna opened with in the June 9, 2007, Billboard issue with her summer smash "Umbrella."
    So why is 37-year-old Mariah Carey beating out Elvis Presley, who has been dead for over thirty years and is closer yet to The Beatles, who have been defunct for longer? Fan base, according to Mayfield.

    "One of the reasons that she's still able to have number one hits this many years after her career starts is she's got an incredibly loyal fan base. Thanks to the wonders of email, those of us who work at Billboard get to hear from real fans, and I gotta tell you, I can think of some artists who have almost as enthusiastic a fan base or as enthusiastic, but I can't think of anyone who has a more enthusiastic fan base then Mariah," says Mayfield.

    "E=MC2" is scheduled to be released on April 15.
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