Mariah Carey’s Vault: The Unreleased Hits That We’ve Never Heard

Discover Mariah Carey’s unreleased songs: We went digging into the artist’s hidden gems and lost recordings.

 

 

Mariah’s Rarities

Mariah Carey released The Rarities in October 2020 and we loved it. The Motown vibes of “Here We Go Around Again”, the insane belting of “Can You Hear Me” or the 70s instrumentals of “Mesmerized”. We could just keep enjoying it on repeat, but we also can’t help but wonder: how many more hidden gems does Mariah have?

Still in 2020, Mariah Carey made a significant decision, joining the ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers). In a public statement, Carey mentioned: “ASCAP’s dedication to songwriters and our craft is one of the many reasons I was drawn to this community.”

ASCAP is responsible for licensing, promoting, and collecting compensation for the public performance of works from its members and foreign affiliates. By registering their compositions with ASCAP, artists gain access to a platform that allows them to monetize their music and gain recognition and appreciation for their work.

Before this, Mariah Carey was registered with the SESAC (Society of European Stage Authors and Composers). With this shift and fearful that any more songs get lost in future transitions, the announcement encouraged us to unearth her unreleased music. However, upon further investigation of these repositories, we realized that there were still song titles missing, many leaked or “casually mentioned” in previous interviews. So, to find out all the tracks that we are dying to hear, we scraped the web to create the most expansive list possible. So, let’s give it a go.

Revisiting the 1980s: The Epic Songwriting Duo of Carey and Margulies

In the 1980s, Carey collaborated with Ben Margulies, co-writing a plethora of songs with him and recording her demo tape. Although a few of these tracks were featured on her debut album, many remain unreleased. Carey has also mentioned multiple times that she felt her deal with Margulies was one of the worst she had ever signed, as it entitled him to royalties from her first six albums, five of which he didn’t write or produce. However, despite their dispute, Carey and Margulies co-wrote plenty of unheard material, many of which we hope were recorded and will be seeing the light of day:

• Baby – ISWC T0720191036
• Blind – ISWC T3003470068
• Bee mar suite 82288 – PAu-1-119-135
• Bee mar suite – PAu-1-134-561
• Do You Ever Wonder – ISWC T9039267828
• Don’t Take The World Away – ISWC T9039312657
• Echoes of Love – ISWC T9039380955

• Hypnotized – ISWC T903998039
• Into The Light – ISWC T9040349108
• Let Me Go – ISWC T0711705622
• No Doubt – ISWC T9041175648
• Now You Got My Heart – ISWC T9041225541
• Surrender To Me – ISWC T9042046764
• Unspoken Emotion – ISWC T7000757371

While some of these titles have been seen on rare footage of her demo tape, some are a complete surprise and we don’t know if all these records were recorded at the time. We are also led to believe that “Bee mar” stands for Ben and Mariah, and the track has never been properly titled since. Nevertheless, these Carey / Margulies songs are more than enough to fill another album.

 

The Golden Duo: Mariah Carey and Walter Afanasieff

Despite the fallout between Mariah Carey and Walter Afanasieff’s collaboration after her divorce from Sony’s Tommy Mottola, their music production is undoubtedly responsible for an array of hit songs spanning from “Emotions” to “Butterfly.” Considering the abundant list of hits written by the duo, we expected a greater amount of unreleased gems. However, only one “Far From St. Louis” (WORK ID: 913320848) was discovered, in addition to probable Spanish translations of their original songs such as “El Mejor Regalo Eres Tu” (ISWC: T9162786461) and a possible Portuguese version of “Jesus Born On This Day” known as “Hoje Jesus Nasceu” (ISWC: T9162786392).

The Phantom Writer: Who is Henry Humes?

This one left us scratching our heads. Mariah apparently has a handful of songs registered with Henry Alfred Humes. While he is a songwriter of some sort, it appears that all the songs he co-wrote with Katy Perry and Janet Jackson are also unreleased. When scanning Mariah’s current catalog, this is not a songwriter that appears on any of her released songs. So remains the question: is this a music business code name for “undisclosed writer” to seem more credible than John Doe? Is this a glitch? Or is this person just doomed to keep writing with great artists and not have a single song he co-wrote see the light of day? Whatever he may be, here’s the list of unreleased songs “written” by Carey and the man himself:

• Desperate Love – ISWC T9297279971
• Haven’t You Heard – ISWC T9283282928
• I Never Said Goodbye – ISWC T9255995530
• If Cry Would Laugh – ISWC T9270659422

• If I Can Count The Stars* – ISWC T9330378251
• Let’s Begin – ISWC T9259689162
• Life Is What You Make It – ISWC T9267886099
• Sweet Goodbyes – ISWC T9301204160

*also co-written by Janet Jackson

The Early Years

Many songs were written by Mariah before her record deal. Apart from her collaboration with Ben Margulies for her demo tape which would ultimately lead to her debut album, other songs were registered at the time. Two songs registered in 1985: “Ticket to Heaven“(PAu-723-819) and “How To Begin” (PAu-723-833), both written by Carey and Joel and Paul Kushnick. “How To Begin” might be the song “To Begin” Mariah mentions in her memoir.

Another song that was registered in 1985 is “Discover That You’re Mine” (PAu-734-102). It appears that Carey was the sole songwriter for this song. However, much like her other unreleased tracks written during this time, “Discover That You’re Mine” has yet to emerge, leaving fans to wonder what this lost song could have potentially sounded like.

In 1986, Mariah Carey registered the song “Weakness of the Body“, which she co-wrote with Ken Cedar. Although the song was initially meant for Brenda K. Starr it was later passed on to Judy Torres, who sang it for her album “Love Story“.

 

“Fade Away” (SRu-129-353) is also one of the early original songs written by Carey. It was co-written with Clarissa Dane, her good friend back in the day, who described the song’s style as a rock track and claimed Carey as one of the most versatile singers, saying she can “sing any style, any genre.” The lyric “Just another lonely night” was revealed as one of the opening lines of the song’s intro. According to a December 1988 registration, the song could also be known as “(You Just) Fade Away” (SRu-125-712).

 

“Just Can’t Hold It Back” is a song that Carey mentions in her memoir, but there is no registered account for this song. However, based on the context in her book, it seems to be another song written in her early days as a struggling artist waiting for the big moment we were lucky enough to witness.

“Breaking The Chains” (ISWC T9025622995) is a song that was written by Mariah, Denise Rich and Brenda K. Starr. It’s unclear what happened to this song.

“We’re Not Makin’ Love Anymore“, featuring Michael Bolton, was originally intended to be released on either Mariah Carey’s debut album or Michael Bolton’s “Time, Love & Tenderness” project in 1990. The song made its debut at an untaped showcase for Carey’s debut album where both artists performed it live together. However, due to some scheduling conflicts, Carey was unable to complete the studio version in time for the album, which was now in the recording process for her sophomore album, “Emotions.”

Eventually, the song was released on Bolton’s 1991 album alongside Patti LaBelle. However songwriting credits are attributed to Diane Warren and Michael Bolton.

Someone’s Ugly Daughter

Mariah Carey recently revealed that she had been involved in an alternative rock album back in 1995. While her lead vocals remained unreleased, Carey was determined to dig up the long-lost rock vocals. In a social media update, Carey stated that she “did an alternative album while making Daydream just for laughs,” which got her through some dark days. She even shouted out her friend Clarissa who performed lead vocals on the hidden layer. Carey concluded by saying that she was on a quest to uncover the album with her lead vocals and would not stop until it’s found.

The tracklist of unreleased vocals seems to be: The Crave Song (Demented) / Joe / Love is a Scam / Violent / Malibu / Freak / Agony / Surrender / Hermit / Prom Queen / Stork: Orphan in My Room

 

The Rainbow, Glitter, and Charmbracelet Era

“After Tonight (feat. Luis Miguel)” was intended for the album “Rainbow” but ended up being a Carey solo. The song was originally supposed to be a duet with Carey singing alongside her at-the-time boyfriend, Luis Miguel. However, the couple’s vocal ranges were not musically compatible, which led to multiple recorded takes of the track. This resulted in Miguel tearing the recording of the song (as witnessed in his Netflix documentary “Luis Miguel: The Series“). Mariah’s harmonizing in a lower register on the track does hint however that the second melody was intended for Luis.

“Crystal Ball” was rumored to be a duet with Ms. Lauryn Hill for the album but now that she released “Save The Day” we don’t know what kind of song this actually was or if it was just a sample use as well. Despite the rumours, Mariah was asked about this song in a 2024 Vogue interview: Now, who said that happened?”, she asked clarifying – “I certainly would’ve loved that, though!”

 

The album Glitter, initially to be titled “All That Glitters” seems to have a few cuts that didn’t make it according to various sources. Songs like “Love Will Never End” and “Anything Can Happen” are rumored around the web space, with no registry in sight. A song called “Everytime” was mentioned by Mariah herself in a Rove Radio Interview back in 2001 but no sample has ever surfaced. Two registries seem to be from this era: “Glitter“, written by Carey, Jordan Steven, Mark Mason, and Delvin de Grete (Work ID: 371343814), and “Lillie’s Blues” (T0713282315). The lyrics for this last one seem to be included in little Mariah’s singing (actress Isabel Gomes) in the film.

“The Wedding Song” was written by Carey, Jimmy Jam, and Terry Lewis for Carey’s album “Charmbracelet”. Jam and Lewis mentioned the song by name in interviews, but it was never released.

“Reach for the Sky” was written and produced by Carey and 7 Aurelius for Carey’s album “Charmbracelet.” The song was mentioned in interviews, boasting a live instrumentation and Olympic Theme/Arena sound. However, the heavily promoted song did not make it to the final cut of the album. When asked about the song, Carey replaced it with “My Saving Grace.” The rumor is that it was never fully recorded or finished.

 

“Yours” was released on the album “Charmbracelet” with no featured artists listed, but it was intended to be a duet with Justin Timberlake. The producers for the song, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, thought that Timberlake’s voice would be a good fit for the song, so they had him record some vocals. Carey was also pleased with the results and wanted the duet on the album, but Jive, Timberlake’s label, did not allow for the track to be legally released. The rumor is that after the success of Carey’s album “The Emancipation of Mimi,” Timberlake wanted to collaborate on the song again.

“Alive” was a song originally planned to be released on a scrapped “Live” EP. The song’s lyrics were created by 7 Aurelius and was also co-produced by David Foster. The song was said to mix live vocals with a studio beat while being “transparently honest.” It was unique for Carey, as critics stated that she has the potential to sing folk in a ballad format. The song opens with a guitar, followed by her mid-range vocalization.

Other songs such as “Distant Lover“, “My Life (feat. Damizza)” and “Satisfy Me (feat. Michael Jackson)” are rumoured to exist. Although Mariah admitted in a live fan Q&A that she never recorded a duet with Michael Jackson, apart from her feature in “What More Can I Give“.

 

Angels Advocate

Mariah had an entire duet/remix “Memoirs of An Imperfect Angel” version but was canceled. Originally scheduled for January 2010, the release was later moved to March. Alas, it never came to pass. The reason cited by HMV Japan, Rap-Up Magazine, and her manager for the cancellation was Memoirs’ poor commercial performance.

Two of these songs were later included in “Me. I Am Mariah”, while others were leaked to our delight. However many remain to be heard:

• Betcha Gon’ Know (feat. R. Kelly and Diddy)
• Obsessed (feat. Gucci Mane)
• H.A.T.E.U. (feat. OJ Da Juiceman, Big Boi & Gucci Mane)
• Candy Bling (feat. T-Pain)
• Ribbon (feat. Ludacris and The-Dream)
• Inseparable (feat. Trey Songz)
• Standing O (feat. Kanye West)
• It’s a Wrap (feat. Mary J. Blige)
• Up Out My Face (feat. Nicki Minaj)
• More Than Just Friends (feat. Alicia Keys)
• The Impossible (feat. Jodeci)
• Angels Cry (feat. Ne-Yo)
• Imperfect
• I Want To Know What Love Is (feat. Styles P. & Jadakiss)
• Call Me Now (feat. Westlife)
• That’s a Smash (feat. Busta Rhymes)
• 100%
• Skydiving

The Rarities II, III and Beyond

All the songs we have mentioned in this article would be enough to feed our Mariah starvation for years to come, but there’s more. Plenty more. Let’s take a look at registered titles and stories about songs we never heard of:

• “To Begin” was a song written by Carey while living at her mother’s house. Carey has expressed her longing for this song, claiming that it is one of the many lost tapes that she once owned. The song remains unreleased to this day.
• There are many rumors “I Lose Control” was written at the time of Mariah’s debut album and intended for it initially but was discarded by the label. It is also unknown whether Mariah recorded the song herself at any point. It was registered in 1990 with Carey and Narada Michael Walden in the songwriting credits. However, the song was later “penned” to Penny Ford in 1993. The song is an uptempo dance track and we absolutely love it! We honestly hope there’s a Mariah version recorded somewhere that will resurface at some point.

 

“When I Feel It” was a song written by Carey and Mahogany for “The Emancipation of Mimi”; however, due to sample clearance issues with the original songwriters (The Dynamic Superiors “Here Comes That Feeling”), the song was never released. A rough snippet of the song leaked to the Internet in early 2005, and later leaked on YouTube. Mahogany recently expressed that the song is highly soulful and would have made for an excellent album. However, due to copyright restrictions, the full track has remained “officially” unreleased.

• “Help Me Make It (Through the Night)” is a Sammi Smith cover that Carey recorded for the soundtrack of “Tennessee”, along with “Right to Dream.” Although “Right to Dream” was released as part of the soundtrack, “Help Me Make It (Through the Night)” did not make the cut.
• “Panic the City” is a song written by Carey and Jermaine Dupri in 2009. The pair engaged in a Twitter argument about the song in 2011, which led us to believe that it was intended for a future album but never materialized. As the title suggests, Dupri’s nephew also revealed in 2017 that the song is a dance track. Well, that’s a loss.
• “Roc n’ Roe” is a song recorded by Carey’s children Monroe and Moroccan, with Carey providing the lyrics. The song was first mentioned by Carey in an interview with Jimmy Kimmel in June 2018, where she described the song’s recording process. She stated that it did not have an official title at the time and that she had been calling it “Roc n’ Roe.” Furthermore, Carey indicated in an interview in November that she was reluctant to release the track due to the younger vocal timbre of her children, adding that it might be released at a later time, after the release of “Caution.” We’re still waiting Mariah.

 

“Bring it on Home” was a song written by Carey for Obama in 2012. She first previewed it in an interview with Barbara Walters on “Good Morning America,” but the song was not released officially. Nevertheless, she performed the song at an event for Obama in 2012. Carey has spoken about the song since then, explaining that it is an inspiring track, one that could bring about change.

“Why You Mad? (Infinity Remix)” is a remix of Carey’s song “Infinity” featuring additional artists Justin Bieber, French Montana, and TI. The remix is not currently available on official platforms as it was not released. However, a leaked version of the remix is available on Youtube.

But there’s more, plenty more, that we know nothing about:

• All I Want – Mariah Carey, Dave Hall (ISWC T9149681389)
• Be With You – Mariah Carey, Royal Harbor, Damion Young, Howie Harsh (ISWC T9284262631)
• Black Box – Mariah Carey (ISWC T3055622425)
• Ecstasy – Mariah Carey, Jermaine Dupri
• Flow – Mariah Carey, James Samuel, Harris III, Terry Lewis (Work ID 360517442)
• Headlines – Mariah Carey, Branford Marsalis (Work ID 380354894)
• Hope Street – unknown
• I Like It (with Buccweet) – unknown
• I’ll Never Forget You – Mariah Carey, Babyface (ISWC T0702485855)
• In Motion – Mariah Carey, Robert Clivillés, David Cole, James Rockhill (ISWC T9328653276)
• Mizza – Mariah Carey, Damion Young (ISWC T915228732)
• My Life – Mariah Carey, Royal Harbor, Damion Young, Howie Harsh (ISWC T9221379346)

• Royal Tones – Mariah Carey, Dalvin De Grate, Mike Mason, Steven Jordan (Work ID 481402971)

• Shawty Shawty – Mariah Carey, Jermaine Dupri, Brandon Greene, Manuel Seal (ISWC T9092571001)
• There Goes My Heart – Mariah Carey, Seven Marcus Aurelius, Lloyd Smith, Lorenzo Irving (ISWC T9270870081)
• Thirsty (feat. Rich Homie Quan) – Mariah Carey, Chauncey Hollis, Raymond Martin, Muhammad Rashad, Rich Homie Quan, Mary Ann Tatum
• V.I.P. – Mariah Carey, Niia Bertino, Terius Gesteelde-Diamant, Christopher Stewart (ISWC T9297980417)
• What Would U Do – Mariah Carey, Howie Hersh, Nathaniel Hale, Tramayne Thompson, Damion Young (ISWC T9016219037)
• Where Are You Christmas? – Mariah Carey, James Horner, Will Jennings (ISWC T0711937255)

We hope that we have unearthed every unreleased song in the Mimi Vault. However, if you are aware of any previously unknown tracks that we have not mentioned in this article, please feel free to use our contact form to provide us with this information. We will make sure to update this article promptly.

That was quite a lot of information. Regardless, we believe that Mariah Carey has a vault of songs that we have never heard or even imagined, such as the recently released “My Prayer” and “Workin’ Hard“. Whether she has misplaced some of these songs or simply wants to release new material while saving “The Rarities: a 14 Disc Collection” for the future, we can’t wait to listen to it all – the old and new songs. It’s sure to be an incredible experience. In the meantime, we’ll keep sniffing for snippets and YouTube leaks.