if you ask any mariah stan,
they’ll tell you “rainbow” is her worst album.
if you ask me…

It’s in my top 5.

“rainbow” dropped when mariah was breaking free from sony.
it is sort of a throwaway album for her.
she recorded it in like,
3 months.
the album weaves a tale of dating/fallin’ the wrong wolf,
heartbreak,
and the messy journey of finding yourself.
by the end of it…

The protagonist (which is us) thanks the LAWD for finding the rainbow after the storm.

i remember when “heartbreaker” first hit the airwaves.
it had me in a chokehold.
i remember watching this in all my little lamb glory.

’99 was a stellar year for music tbh.
i begged Mum to buy “rainbow” for me when it first dropped.
as a kid,
i didn’t fully grasp where mariah was coming from,
but as an adult…
mmm.
these songs hit entirely different to me right now:

tbf,
i ALWAYS loved this interlude.
i was such a sad little fox.

Fast forward to last week: I was walking to the store,
opened up apple music,
and there it was – Mariah dropped the 25th anniversary of “Rainbow.”

well…
i’ve been listening to it on repeat since.
it feels comforting atm and makes me think of ”99 when Mum was alive.
she even got that muthafucka in dolby atmos for a whole new experience.
this new track is everything:

i love the last part when she goes in.

i’ve come to learn music isn’t a popularity concert.
someone’s worst album can speak to you deeply and personally.

Sometimes,
you need to hear the message within the rainbow.

it can heal you.

lowkey: i saw on genius that mariah remade this song and it was supposed to be on “rainbow”…

but they had j.lo sing it for her album too:

they made mariah take it off hers and it’s currently on j.lo’s debut album.