Mariah Carey‘s 2008 album, ‘E=MC²,’ is seeing a resurgence on the iTunes charts following its 12-year anniversary thanks to her loyal lambs online.
Lambs, the name given to Carey‘s loyal fans, started trending the hashtag, #JusticeForEMC2, on Monday, April 27th following the albums 12th anniversary earlier this month. The hashtag quickly gained momentum online as ‘E=MC²’ shot up the iTunes albums chart to #1.
Mariah Carey’s 2008 album, ‘E=MC²,’ has reached #1 on US iTunes.
Congratulations, @MariahCarey! ? pic.twitter.com/LNWRFZ9eHy
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) April 27, 2020
Upon its release, ‘E=MC²’ marked one of Carey‘s most anticipated releases thanks to her 2005 project, ‘The Emanicipation of Mimi,’ which many hail as one of the greatest comebacks in music history. ‘Mimi’ spawned the smash #1 hit, “We Belong Together,” earned Carey three Grammys, and was named the best-selling album of 2005.
‘E=MC²,’ by comparison, was not as big of a hit, which is why many fans felt the need to shine light on the project for its 12th anniversary. Still, the album was a huge success in its own right thanks to its lead single, “Touch My Body,” strong sales and a comprehensive rollout campaign from Carey‘s team. With that in mind, Pop Crave is looking back at five records Carey broke with ‘E=MC²’ that shows why it deserves to shoot up the charts again.
Biggest opening sales week of Carey’s career
‘E=MC²’ blasted onto the Billboard 200 at #1 with 463k equivalent units, beating out the debut of ‘Mimi’ (404k) and marking Carey‘s biggest opening sales week of her career. It was the third biggest debut among all albums by female artists in 2008 behind Taylor Swift‘s ‘Fearless’ (592k) and Britney Spears‘ ‘Circus’ (505k).
Sixth No. 1 Album
‘E=MC²’ marked Carey‘s sixth no. 1 album on the Billboard 200. At the time, Carey was tied with Madonna and Janet Jackson for the second-most #1 albums among female artists behind Barbra Streisand with eight. ‘E=MC²’ spent its first two weeks at #1, becoming Carey‘s first album to do so since ‘Daydream’ in 1995. Today, the album is certified 1x PLATINUM by the RIAA.
12 years ago, @MariahCarey lit up the Empire State Building with lavendar, pink and white lights in honor of her new album, ‘E=MC².’
The album is seeing a resurgence on the charts thanks to the fan campaign, #JusticeForEMC2. pic.twitter.com/wNFT0kkiWZ
— Pop Crave (@PopCraveMusic) April 27, 2020
18th No. 1 Song
The album’s lead single, “Touch My Body,” debuted at #57 on the Hot 100 before climbing to #1 in its seventh week. It marked her 18th #1 single on the Hot 100 and helped Carey surpass Elvis Presley as the solo artist with the most #1 songs in US history. Carey later beat her own record again when “All I Want For Christmas Is You” topped the Hot 100 in historic fashion for three weeks this past Christmas season.
Of all acts, Carey is only behind The Beatles (20) in terms of #1 songs on the Hot 100.
Extended Record For Most Weeks At #1 On Hot 100
“Touch My Body” only spent two weeks at #1 on the Hot 100, but it was enough to extend Carey‘s record for most weeks at the summit among all artists. The singer recently extended her record to 82 weeks when “AIWFCIY” topped the chart for three weeks.
It doesn’t look like anyone is going to beat Carey‘s anytime soon. Her closest competitors at the moment are Rihanna (60), The Beatles (59), Boyz II Men (50) and Drake (50).
Digital Sales Record for “Touch My Body”
“Touch My Body” sold 286k units in just one week, surpassing “Umbrella” by Rihanna (277k) for the most amount of digital records sold in a single week. The record has since been beat several times, with Adele‘s “Hello” currently boasting the most digital sales in a single week with 1.112 MILLION copies.
“Touch My Body” was later certified 2x PLATINUM by the RIAA and earned a nomination for “Best Female Video” at the 2008 MTV VMAs.
What’s your favorite song from Carey’s ‘E=MC²’? Share your thoughts with us on Twitter at @PopCrave!
