It was a cold December in Chicago last year in 2018. I don’t remember how I stumbled upon the song Loverboy by Mariah Carey, but I did. To give some backstory to Mariah’s music and I’s relationship; before this I had only been a basic Mariah fan. I had only listened to staple Mariah Carey songs like “Obsessed”, “Touch My Body” or any of her other 18 number one hits (not everyone has that!) No, I hadn’t heard her earlier music because nobody I grew up with listened to Mariah. I grew up in a Mexican household around Mexican music (i.e. Banda, Corridos, etc.) (Sidenote: I recently asked my parents if they knew who Mariah Carey was and my dad responded “Oh, Luis Miguel’s ex.” THE AUDACITY!) Nobody I grew up around had listened to any of her music. I didn’t start listening more to Mariah’s music till I was in high school and really started exploring other genres of music, rather than just listening to what the radio was playing. I had been very uncultured when it came Mariah Carey’s music. But the song Loverboy was really the song that led me down the rabbit hole that is Mariah Carey’s artistry.
When I heard Loverboy I instantly became obsessed with the song. From the catchy hook to the provocative chorus. I had listened to it on YouTube but it was just the track with album cover of Glitter, the album the song is off of. I then saw that there was a music video that accompanied the song.
The video was just like the song, fun and sexy. I instantly wanted that song on my phone ASAP! I know for a fact that I first had listened to the song on YouTube because as soon as I went to search for it on Apple Music it was not available, and neither was the whole Glitter album. It wasn’t available on any streaming platform as a matter of a fact. The only way I could listen to it was either to go to YouTube or buy the actual album off of the iTunes Store. So I did as any sane person would and I bought the album for a steal of $4.99.
To my surprise I was late to the party, per usual. One month before I had listened to Loverboy and bought the Glitter album it had actually topped the charts. The Glitter album in November of 2018 reached the number one spot on American iTunes seventeen years after its original release.
This song was really a gateway for me because it showed Mariah in a new light that I had not seen from her before. It got me more interested in her music and it made me listen to her albums in full rather than just listening to her number one hits, which still are great.
All in all, if you haven’t heard Loverboy I strongly recommend listening to this song as it is a great song. Also listen to the Glitter album as well because it is a great album as well. Oh and it’s the 18th anniversary of Loverboy and the Glitter album. #JusticeForGlitter !
J’s Journal 