PopWatch reader Jason in Greenville, S.C., sent me an e-mail over the weekend directing me to check out a piano-only version of Mariah Carey’s latest single, ”Touch My Body.” And while the rendition doesn’t leave me quite as rapturous as one YouTube commenter ("love it am crying!" is the listener’s four-word review), I have to admit I’ve had it on repeat loop all morning long in my office. So this means either a) I’m officially ancient and months away from filling my iPod with elevator music; or b) Jason is right in his observation that Mariah is underrated for her ability to write a terrific, complex melody. Listen for yourselves, PopWatchers, then make the call.
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Comments (1-30) of 47 Add your comment
I find it hilarious that people actually post videos of their muzak covers… yet I must admit, I’m a bit jealous of their skills!
I’d be more convinced of Mariah’s writing chops if she didn’t have several other co-writers who are established songwriters on their own.
Hell, I’m just glad this isn’t another Slezack American Idol post… Is it EW or AI-EW?
Sorry but even a middling melody can be rendered into something beautiful on a piano. The melody is still nothing special, it’s what surrounds it that makes it pleasant.
Sorry, Slezak, but I’d have to go with (a). This sounds about like any New Agey piano song when you leave out the production and melisma.
i didn’t realize the song had that much to it. good stuff!
so a pop song makes a good piano piece. well hello, elevator music has been doing this forever! i’m not impressed. and i wont be impressed when i hear it while i’m on line at the bank… dont give mariah too much credit there slezak, i’m sure many people in her team helped her out with this one… typical mariah trash.
This version just makes me sad that the lyrics are so vapid and overly sexualized… imagine the possibilities if the lyricist had been as talented as the composer… oh, and enjoying elevator music does not make you ancient, Slezak, it makes you amazing… but I knew that anyway : )
Mariah: Sooo overrated. And trying to be sexy too? Oh, God!
I agree with everything else written, but I have to add that Mariah really is a great songwriter. Almost every song she ever recorded was written or co-written by her. Need I remind you that 17 of those songs hit #1 on the charts. Only half of Madonna’s songs were written by Madonna & none of Whitney’s or Diana Ross’ songs. Whether or not you like Mariah’s songs you have to give her credit for that.
Nice
I’m seriously hooked on this, I think i’ve played it 100 times already, this would make a fantastic ballad with Mariahs vocals sung live – and yea, after listening to this, i’d have to agree that Mariah is seriously underrated as a musical artist
i agree, she is underrated as a musician.
Mariah is a great songwriter. This fact should have been common knowledge 10 years ago.
i think mariah is underrated as an a***ole
I think this song is absolutely beautiful. Mariah used to be my fav when she first came out. I bough all the albums up until Music Box. Nowadays she sucks. Hate her songs and she doesn’t really sing her a$$ off like she used to. She sort of just sing-talks, especially in this song. I miss my old, “Vision of Love” Mariah.
I think Mariah has co-written and co-produced every one of her songs which many people do not know. And she has an incredible voice.
When Mariah made her self-titled first album, as well as ‘Emotions’, ‘Music Box’ and ‘Daydream’, I think that everyone could agree that she was at the top of her game. I think that she’s struggled to find that critical and mega-success ever since. But I must say ‘The Emanicpation of Mimi’ was a good album, and so far, this single ‘Touch My Body’ is pretty good. I’m looking forward to her album soon.
But to answer the question…. I like the song better the way it is.
Oh, Dave… dem’s fightin’ words. Madonna has written nearly everything she has performed, and even by herself — without help from producers or sampling… (not that she doesn’t collaborate, too, or sample). While Madonna may have less numebr 1s on the chart, that has less to do with the quality of her songwriting and more to do with a) he being frozen out of radio because she doesn’t pander to the street cred format, b) because she does her own thing instead of the same thing over and over (a la Mariah), and c) because she doesn’t price her singles at 49 cents to make them so cheap they’ll become number 1. I enjoy some of Mariah’s work, even her hoochie stuff, but she’s not the best songwriter. She just has popular producers and HAD a decent voice.
I like it I like it….it will be an instrumental — TRUST ME!
I am a huge Mariah and have to admit that I was worried at first how it was going to be. I loved it. As for the comment about Madonna. I am also a Madonna fan but find it out that other fans out there say that she doesn’t write with co-writers. If you actual own any of her other cd’s you would notice that she has worked with some big name co-writers i.e. Babyface and on her new album Timberland and Timberlake. Those are “current” producers and co-writers. I just want to be clear that everyone that was huge and the 80’s and 90’s are trying to stay current and in the game along with the new artists that are coming out. I find it hypcritical to downplay Mariah’s talents against Madonna’s. Let’s be honest Mariah actually has an amazing voice and many respected artists have criticized Madonna for not having that great of a voice and more of an entertainer than singer.
This is a very nice piano song. For all of you trying to compare Madonna and Mariah, you can’t. It’s apples and oranges. It’s like comparing McDonalds and Olive Graden. They’re both great in their own ways. They’re both rewarded and celebrated. They’re both legends, leave it at that.
Mariah is great. I’ll leave it at that. But who gives a crap what I or any of you think?? If you don’t have anything nice to say, then why are you contributing to negativity in the world? I won’t point any fingers here but these comment things online are driving me crazy.
this artist is so talented!!!
Madonna is a great shocker and from time to time crafts a good song like “Live to Tell” or “Take a Bow” but Mariah Carey as far as songwriting and Vocal talent is in another league.Sorry but Mariah is the real deal as far as music is concerned, Madonna is more worried about shocking and making money and the good thing is that she is honest about it.
It grew on me. At first I was thinking of directing Slezak to The Swell Season – Marketa Irglova plays a mean piano! But by the end I was really enjoying it.
Mariah has some of the best melodies out there – “Always Be My Baby,” “Someday,” “Breakdown.” I didn’t realize she wasn’t given credit for that. People love to hate on popular people.
Listen to this beautiful piano version of “Fly Like A Bird”
A lot of Mariah’s songs have great melodies and chords.
It would pain me if this devolved into a Mariah vs. Madonna shouting match, but there is absolutely no way that Madonna has better songwriting chops than Mariah. No way. They both have a serious ear for melody, but Mariah has got Madonna trumped in the overall songwriting department. Has anybody really listened to the “Confessions on a Dancefloor” lyrics? They’re obvious and underwritten (songs like “Sorry”) and just plain awkward (“Let It Will Be”).
Yes, Mariah can sing. But it would be nice if she could do so fully clothed.