Greatest Hits (Mariah Carey album)

Carey had previously released the compilation album #1's (1998), but the release of her Greatest Hits album was a contractual agreement beyond her control, since she had left Columbia Records and had moved on to Virgin Records. The idea of a greatest hits album was part of a four-album agreement between Columbia Records and Carey to terminate her contract with them. The album had little creative input from Carey and there are no personal messages within its liner notes, unlike #1's.

All tracks from the previous album, with the exception of "Whenever You Call" with Brian McKnight, and the #1's non-U.S. bonus track "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To?)" are included on Greatest Hits. Tracks that weren't included on #1's are:

• the U.S. top five hits "Can't Let Go" (1991), "Make It Happen" (1992) and "Without You" (1994), and the top twenty hit "Anytime You Need a Friend" (1994);
• the radio airplay-only tracks "Forever" (1996), "Underneath the Stars" (1996), and "Butterfly" (1997);
• "Heartbreaker" (1999) and "Thank God I Found You" (2000), the two singles from Carey's Rainbow album that went to number 1 following the release of #1's, as well as "Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme)" (2000), another hit from Rainbow;
• "Endless Love" (1994), a top five duet with Luther Vandross, which had not been previously included on any Carey album;
• the So So Def remix of "All I Want for Christmas Is You" (2000) featuring Bow Wow and Jermaine Dupri, which had only been included on the Japanese re-release of the single in 2000.

Most non-U.S. versions of Greatest Hits retain the track listing as listed below with the addition of "Against All Odds" (2000), a duet with Westlife. The Japanese version contains "Against All Odds", "Open Arms" (1996), the non-single album track "Music Box" from the album Music Box (1993), and the Merry Christmas album version of "All I Want for Christmas Is You"; it is also the only album to include the "Never Too Far/Hero Medley" (2001) single. Unlike most non-U.S. versions of the Greatest Hits album, the So So Def Remix of "All I Want for Christmas Is You" was not included on the original U.K. edition but on the album's 2005 re-release.

Notable absences include international singles, "The Roof", "Breakdown" and "Crybaby", the latter two featured on The Remixes in 2003.

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
PopMatters	(Positive)[1]
Slant Magazine	[3]

Upon release, the compilation album received positive reviews. Sal Cinquemani, writer for Slant, gave the album 3.5 out of 5 stars.[3] Cinquemani stated that with this album, Carey's ex-husband and company attempt to "cash in Carey's pre-borderline Columbia Years".[3] He also agreed that "Carey's greatest hits have often fallen short of the Billboard perch".[3] He gave high praise to " Make It Happen", Carey's cover of Harry Nilsson's "Without You" and "Underneath the Stars" stating that they "have certainly earned their spots" next to hits like "Hero" and "One Sweet Day".[3] Devon Powers of Pop Matters also praised the album calling Carey a "pop princess, hammering out fast numbers with a zeal and determination" highlight that the album moves "chronologically through [her] remarkable career".[4]

As of November 2018, Greatest Hits has sold 1,230,000 copies in the United States.[5] Globally, the album has sold an estimated five million copies.[6]

Notes

• "Without You" is a Badfinger cover (1970)
• "I'll Be There" is a cover by The Jackson 5 (1970)
• "Endless Love" is a Lionel Richie and Diana Ross cover (1981)
• "Open Arms" is a Journey cover (1981)
• "Sweetheart" is a Rainy Davis cover (1986)
• "I Still Believe" is a Brenda K. Starr cover (1987)
• "Against All Odds (Take a Look At Me Now)" is a Phil Collins cover (1984)