“It’s too divided, too deep to understand / But if we don’t do it, tell me, who will?”
For an Elusive Chanteuse, Mariah Carey sure has made herself incredibly visible in 2020, just making the most of life (it’s like that, y’all) amid the pandemic. She’s also making the most of the Lambily’s lives, ensuring they’re staying fed and staying triumphant (get ’em, get ’em) all year long: from supplying the forthcoming replacement to the Old and New Testament, The Meaning of Mariah Carey, to The Rarities this fall, to…calling some us up in our living rooms for an intimate Zoom moment.
I’m not entirely sure how much I’m allowed to disclose from the Zoom meeting, which was a virtual “Save the Day” listening party. She graciously discussed her new single, and shared some of the thought process behind choosing songs for The Rarities (as well as opening up a bit about The Meaning of Mariah Carey) from the comfort of her home, alongside her cute boyfriend Bryan Tanaka, who was a sweetie to the attendees and a total Mariah hype-man throughout, even during the (inevitable) Zoom technical difficulties – none of which were Mariah’s fault, by the way.
“I’m not in charge of the technical aspects of this!” Mariah amusingly made it known several times.
Some got to ask questions, and Mariah was extremely gracious and kind while answering each one, and sweetly blew kisses to everyone. At a time when things feel – to use the Queen’s vocabulary, bleak – she surely saved the day.
Speaking of! Mimi’s emancipated the lead single from The Rarities, out as of midnight (August 20), and it’s called “Save the Day.”
Mariah said during the call that she revisited the song while digging through the archives, which was started about a decade ago with Jermaine Dupri, who hopped into the call as well to talk about the process of the collaboration. She found that the lyrics were an unintentionally perfect fit for the current cultural climate, and so, they opted to finish up the song. And here we are.
“I wonder, where is the love? It’s curious, the fear still holding us down / One day, will we look up?”
Following a heartfelt, dramatic string-and-piano-led opening, the track relaxes across a midtempo beat and introduces an instantly recognizable melody: The Fugees‘ version of “Killing Me Softly with His Song” featuring, of course, the vocal stylings of Ms. Lauryn Hill.
“If he won’t, and she won’t, and they won’t, then we won’t / We won’t ever learn to save the day…” Mariah rightfully warns across the tripping beat.
The song’s full of pure facts. Speaking of, remember facts? They’re the things that an increasing amount of people seem to overlook and disregard in forming their opinion, to a frightening degree, these days!
“(We all) Tend to forget that / (We all) Ceasе to exist if / (We all) Live for oursеlves / If nobody bothers to find a solution…”
Not only is the sincere plea for some much-needed selflessness a fitting anthem for the times, but it’s truly special – comforting, even – to hear Mariah Carey and Ms. Lauryn Hill singing along on those iconic, nostalgic “la, la, la-a-a” runs, especially in the bridge – and all those glorious high notes thereafter.
“We’re all in this together. You’re my only hope…”
You get it? Wear a mask. Care about other people. It’s up to us to save the day. Mariah is meeting the moment. Will you?
Read the lyrics on the next page…
The Rarities will be released on October 2.
This song is featured on the MuuTunes Spotify playlist.
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