#1's (seldom referred to as The Ones) is the eighth album by American singer Mariah Carey, released in the United States on November 17 1998 (see 1998 in music) by Columbia Records. It is a compilation album consisting of her thirteen number-one singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, though she has since released four additional number-ones.
Carey said she strongly felt that there should be a clear distinction between the album #1's and a traditional greatest hits album. She has often explained to the media and to fans that she felt she hadn't been in the business long enough to release a true greatest hits album, but that instead she was releasing a collection of her hit singles as a "thank you" of sorts to her fans. Carey explained that someday she would release a true greatest hits album, which contain songs that weren't released as singles as well as singles that did not reach number one. Columbia later released the album Greatest Hits (2001), but it contained very limited input from Carey and was released for contractual reasons.
Carey did not include the album version of "Fantasy" on #1's, but instead the "Bad Boy" remix of the song featuring rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard. #1's also contains four bonus tracks: "When You Believe" is a duet with Whitney Houston recorded for the soundtrack to the film The Prince of Egypt; "Sweetheart" is a duet with Jermaine Dupri from his album Life in 1492 (Carey said she added it to #1's "because I ain't got one!"); "Whenever You Call" was originally recorded for the album Butterfly (1997) and was re-recorded for #1's as a duet with Brian McKnight; and a cover of Brenda K. Starr's "I Still Believe" was added because Starr helped Carey secure a record contract and Carey wanted to pay tribute to her. Most non-U.S. versions of the album omit "I Don't Wanna Cry", and in its place are two different tracks: a cover of Diana Ross' "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)", and Carey's hit cover of Badfinger's "Without You" (1994) as it reached number one in several countries.
#1's debuted on the U.S. Billboard 200 at number four, remained in the top twenty for thirteen weeks and on the chart for sixty-two weeks (making two re-entries). It has been certified five times platinum by the RIAA.
Track listing[]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Sweetheart" (featuring JD) | Rainy Davis, Peter Warner | Mariah Carey, Dupri | 4:25 |
| 2. | "When You Believe" (with Whitney Houston) | Stephen Schwartz, Babyface | Babyface | 4:36 |
| 3. | "Whenever You Call" (with Brian McKnight) | Carey, Walter Afanasieff | Carey, Afanasieff | 4:32 |
| 4. | "My All" | Carey, Afanasieff | Carey, Afanasieff | 3:52 |
| 5. | "Honey" | Carey, Sean Combs, Kamaal Fareed, Steven Jordan, Stephen Hague, Bobby Robinson, Ronald Larkins, Larry Price, Malcolm McLaren | Carey, Puffy, The Ummah, Stevie J | 5:00 |
| 6. | "Always Be My Baby" | Carey, Dupri, Manuel Seal | Carey, Dupri, Seal | 4:20 |
| 7. | "One Sweet Day" (with Boyz II Men) | Carey, Michael McCary, Nathan Morris, Wanya Morris, Shawn Stockman, Afanasieff | Carey, Afanasieff | 4:42 |
| 8. | "Fantasy" (featuring O.D.B.) (Bad Boy Remix) | Carey, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth, Dave Hall, Adrian Belew, Steven Stanley | Carey, Hall, Puffy (remixer) | 4:54 |
| 9. | "Hero" | Carey, Afanasieff | Carey, Afanasieff | 4:20 |
| 10. | "Dreamlover" | Carey, Hall | Carey, Afanasieff, Hall | 3:54 |
| 11. | "I'll Be There" (featuring Trey Lorenz) (Live) | Hal Davis, Berry Gordy, Willie Hutch, Bob West | 4:25 | |
| 12. | "Emotions" | Carey, David Cole, Robert Clivillés | Carey, Cole, Clivillés | 4:10 |
| 13. | "I Don't Wanna Cry" | Carey, Narada Michael Walden | Walden | 4:49 |
| 14. | "Someday" | Carey, Ben Margulies | Ric Wake | 4:08 |
| 15. | "Love Takes Time" | Carey, Margulies | Afanasieff | 3:49 |
| 16. | "Vision of Love" | Carey, Margulies | Rhett Lawrence, Walden | 3:31 |
| 17. | "I Still Believe" | Antonina Armato, Giuseppe Cantarelli | Carey, Stevie J, Mike Mason | 3:56 |
| Total length: | 1:13:14 | |||
| International Edition | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
| 13. | "Someday" | Carey, Margulies | Wake | 4:07 |
| 14. | "Love Takes Time" | Carey, Margulies | Afanasieff | 3:49 |
| 15. | "Vision of Love" | Carey, Margulies | Lawrence, Walden | 3:31 |
| 16. | "I Still Believe" | Armato, Cantarelli | Carey, Stevie J, Mason | 3:56 |
| 17. | "Without You" | William Peter Ham, Tom Evans | Carey, Afanasieff | 3:35 |
| 18. | "Do You Know Where You're Going To (Theme from Mahogany)" | Michael Masser, Gerald Goffin | Carey, Stevie J | 3:47 |
| Total length: | 1:15:46 | |||
| Japanese Edition | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
| 19. | "All I Want for Christmas Is You" | Carey, Afanasieff | Carey, Afanasieff | 4:01 |
| Total length: | 1:19:47 | |||
Sample credits
- "Honey" contains a sample of "The Body Rock" performed by Treacherous 3 and a replay of the composition entitled "Hey DJ" written by Ronald Larkins, Larry Price, Malcolm McLaren and Stephen Hague.
- "Fantasy" contains a sample of "Genius of Love" performed by Tom Tom Club.
- "Dreamlover" contains a sample of the song "Blind Alley" by David Porter.