Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel

Released on September 28, 2009, Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 after selling 168,000 copies, and was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America on September 26, 2022. “Each song is like an intimate conversation or entry in a private diary,” Mariah said about the album. “A lot of the songs reflect specific, different times in my life. Others were inspired by movies, actual events that happened to me, or the stories of friends who told me about experiences that they've gone through.”

The album was co-produced with C. “Tricky” Stewart and Terius “The-Dream” Nash, who previously worked with Mariah on her eighteenth number-one single, “Touch My Body.” “I really enjoyed working with them because I felt like they, in a way, just by collaborating with me, allowed me the freedom to express myself in a way that I may not have felt empowered enough to do in the past,” Mariah told MTV. “My main goal was to work with people I could collaborate with without it seeming redundant or stale. In my opinion, Tricky is one of the most underrated major producers out there right now. I really enjoyed collaborating with him. And I especially liked writing with The-Dream, basically because we both love having fun with lyrics and melodies, and we're also capable of getting more serious on deeper songs. There is a particular sense of freedom I feel when we write together — even though I make him stay in the studio all night until he is ready to kill me!”

“Obsessed,” the album's first single, was released on June 16, 2009. “I'm very glad I wrote ‘Obsessed’ because it's one of my favorite songs,” Mariah said in 2009. “I won't say exactly what made me write it, but I guess if you think about it, I remember when I was growing up and a guy, a little boy, maybe like in sixth grade or in fifth grade, and they're constantly tripping you or pulling your hair or doing things like that and you just wonder, ‘What is wrong with them? What is their problem? Why do they keep talking about me? I don't understand this person. What is the problem?’ ” “Obsessed” entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number eleven during the week of July 25, 2009, her highest debut on the chart since “My All” entered at number two in 1998. The song peaked at number seven on the Hot 100, becoming Mariah's twenty-seventh Top 10 single, and was certified 3x Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America on November 19, 2020.

A cover of Foreigner's “I Want To Know What Love Is” made its premiere on European radio on August 28, 2009. In the United States, the song impacted radio on September 14 and was digitally released as the album's second single a day later. “I wanted to respect the original version. I didn't want to make it something unrecognizable, but I did incorporate my own vision,” Mariah said about her cover. “I wanted more drums, and Randy [Jackson] got a drummer who works predominantly in church, which took it to a different level.” The song peaked at number sixty on the Billboard Hot 100 and became Mariah's biggest hit in Brazil, where it stayed atop the charts for twenty-seven weeks — the longest chart-topper in the history of the Crowley Broadcast Analysis.

“H.A.T.E.U.” was released as the album's third single on November 1, 2009. It debuted at number seventy-six on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, making Mariah one of only five female artists to reach fifty career entries in the history of the chart. “‘H.A.T.E.U.’ is the first song I wrote for the album, and it stands for Having A Typical Emotional Upset,” Mariah said in 2009. “I sing a recurring melody in the upper register of my voice — it's not an ad-lib, but an integral part of the song's hook. That's not something I've done before, and when listening back to it, it reminded me of how Minnie Riperton used her upper register on her hit song ‘Lovin' You.’ I thought how ironic that her song was called ‘Lovin' You’ and my song is called, ‘H.A.T.E.U.’ — and both use that upper whistle register as a major part of the melody. So it's sort of an homage to Minnie Riperton, a tribute to her since she has been so influential in my singing style.”

In January 2010, Island Records announced the release of Angels Advocate, which would include newly remixed duets with some of Mariah's favorite artists performing songs from Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel. The album — which would feature Mary J. Blige, Ne-Yo, Nicki Minaj, Fabolous, R. Kelly, The-Dream & Ludacris, T-Pain & Snoop Dogg, Akon, Trey Songz, K-Ci & Jo Jo, and OJ Da Juiceman & OutKast's Big Boi — was to be released on March 30, 2010, exclusively at Target stores nationwide, iTunes.com/target and Target.com.

Two new singles were released in advance of the Angels Advocate album: “Angels Cry,” featuring Ne-Yo, was sent to Urban A/C radio, while “Up Out My Face,” featuring Nicki Minaj, was sent to Urban and Rhythm radio. The project was eventually shelved, but Mariah would later include two additional Angels Advocate songs as bonus tracks on the Deluxe Edition of her 2014 album Me. I Am Mariah… The Elusive Chanteuse: “Betcha Got' Know,” featuring R. Kelly, and “It's A Wrap,” featuring Mary J. Blige.

Mariah Carey - Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel - Cover Art
Cover Art
Mariah Carey - Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel - Publicity Photos
Publicity Photos
Mariah Carey - Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel - Publicity Material
Publicity Material
Mariah Carey - Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel Promotional Material
Booklet
Elle Magazine Edition
Mariah Carey - Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel Promotional Material
Booklet
Europe Standard Edition
Mariah Carey - Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel In Her Own Words
In Her Own Words

Tracklist

Original Release

Track # Song Run time
1
Betcha Gon' Know (The Prologue)
Written by: Mariah Carey, Terius Nash, Christopher Stewart, James Wright.
Produced by: Mariah Carey, C. “Tricky” Stewart, Terius “The-Dream” Nash and James “Big Jim” Wright.
4:00
2
Obsessed
Written by: Mariah Carey, Terius Nash, Christopher Stewart.
Produced by: Mariah Carey, C. “Tricky” Stewart and Terius “The-Dream” Nash.
4:02
3
H.A.T.E.U.
Written by: Mariah Carey, Terius Nash, Christopher Stewart.
Produced by: Mariah Carey, C. “Tricky” Stewart and Terius “The-Dream” Nash.
4:27
4
Candy Bling
Written by: Mariah Carey, Terius Nash, Carlos McKinney, Ahmad Lewis, Stefan Gordy, John Klemmer.
Produced by: Mariah Carey, Terius “The-Dream” Nash and Los Da Mystro.
4:03
5
Ribbon
Written by: Mariah Carey, Terius Nash, Christopher Stewart.
Produced by: Mariah Carey, C. “Tricky” Stewart and Terius “The-Dream” Nash.
4:21
6
Inseparable
Written by: Mariah Carey, Terius Nash, Christopher Stewart, Robert Hyman, Cyndi Lauper.
Produced by: Mariah Carey, C. “Tricky” Stewart and Terius “The-Dream” Nash.
3:33
7
Standing O
Written by: Mariah Carey, Terius Nash, Christopher Stewart.
Produced by: Mariah Carey, C. “Tricky” Stewart and Terius “The-Dream” Nash.
4:00
8
It's A Wrap
Written by: Mariah Carey, Barry White.
Produced by: Mariah Carey, Heatmyzer, C. “Tricky” Stewart and James “Big Jim” Wright.
4:00
9
Up Out My Face
Written by: Mariah Carey, Terius Nash, Christopher Stewart.
Produced by: Mariah Carey, C. “Tricky” Stewart and Terius “The-Dream” Nash.
3:41
10
Up Out My Face (The Reprise)
Written by: Mariah Carey, Terius Nash, Christopher Stewart.
Produced by: Mariah Carey, C. “Tricky” Stewart and Terius “The-Dream” Nash.
0:51
11
More Than Just Friends
Written by: Mariah Carey, Terius Nash, Christopher Stewart, Sean Combs, Chris Wallace, Rashad Smith, Mark Debarge, Etterlene Jordan.
Produced by: Mariah Carey, C. “Tricky” Stewart and Terius “The-Dream” Nash.
3:37
12
The Impossible
Written by: Mariah Carey, Terius Nash, Christopher Stewart, Albert Brown, Donald Degrate.
Produced by: Mariah Carey, C. “Tricky” Stewart and Terius “The-Dream” Nash.
4:00
13
The Impossible (The Reprise)
Written by: Mariah Carey, Terius Nash, Christopher Stewart, Albert Brown, Donald Degrate.
Produced by: Mariah Carey, C. “Tricky” Stewart and Terius “The-Dream” Nash.
2:25
14
Angel (The Prelude)
Written by: Mariah Carey, Christopher Stewart, Crystal Johnson, James Wright.
Produced by: Mariah Carey, C. “Tricky” Stewart and James “Big Jim” Wright.
1:04
15
Angels Cry
Written by: Mariah Carey, Christopher Stewart, Crystal Johnson, James Wright.
Produced by: Mariah Carey, C. “Tricky” Stewart and James “Big Jim” Wright.
4:01
16
Languishing (The Interlude)
Written by: Mariah Carey, James Wright.
Produced by: Mariah Carey and James “Big Jim” Wright.
2:33
17
I Want To Know What Love Is
Written by: Mick Jones.
Produced by: Mariah Carey, C. “Tricky” Stewart and James “Big Jim” Wright. Additional production by Randy Jackson.
3:27

Bonus Tracks

The CD version of Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel includes four “Obsessed” remixes as bonus tracks.

Track # Song Run time
Bonus
Obsessed (Cahill Radio Mix)
Written by: Mariah Carey, Terius Nash, Christopher Stewart.
Produced by: Cahill (J. Barlow, T. Condran, A. Powers, S. Rosser).
3:20
Bonus
Obsessed (Seamus Haji & Paul Emanuel Radio Edit)
Written by: Mariah Carey, Terius Nash, Christopher Stewart.
Produced by: Seamus Haji and Paul Emanuel.
3:12
Bonus
Obsessed (Jump Smokers Radio Edit)
Written by: Mariah Carey, Terius Nash, Christopher Stewart.
Produced by: Jump Smokers.
3:19
Bonus
Obsessed (Friscia and Lamboy Radio Mix)
Written by: Mariah Carey, Terius Nash, Christopher Stewart.
Produced by: Friscia and Lamboy.
4:11

Releases

Original Release

In the United States, the standard edition of Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel was packaged in a 3 panel softpack including a 36-page Elle mini-magazine and a second Enhanced CD which includes four “Obsessed” remixes as well as the song's two music videos. Internationally, Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel was released in two variants: the standard edition, housed in a jewel case; and the Deluxe Edition, housed in a 3 panel softpack, which also includes the 36-page Elle booklet. Both versions include the four additional remixes of “Obsessed” as bonus tracks on a single enhanced CD.

2X CD
USA Edition
Standard Edition CD
Europe Edition
Deluxe Edition CD
Europe Edition
Deluxe Edition CD
Japan Edition

Special Editions

A Deluxe Collector's Edition Box Set became available on October 27, 2009, featuring the album on limited-edition white vinyl, 6 exclusive lithographs and the CD version of the album, all banded together with a signature butterfly band and housed in a beautiful box.

Deluxe Collector's Edition Box Set

Vinyl Editions

Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel was re-released on vinyl on January 22, 2021, in two variants: black vinyl and a limited edition white vinyl. In 2024, Amazon Music released an exclusive new variant in baby pink vinyl.

Black Vinyl
2021
White Vinyl
2021
Baby Pink Vinyl
2024

Singles

Obsessed
Obsessed
I Want To Know What Love Is
I Want To Know What Love Is
H.A.T.E.U.
H.A.T.E.U.
Up Out My Face
Up Out My Face
Angels Cry
Angels Cry
It's A Wrap
It's A Wrap

Lyrics

Betcha Gon' Know

Obsessed

H.A.T.E.U.

Candy Bling

Ribbon

Inseparable

Standing O

It's A Wrap

Up Out My Face

More Than Just Friends

The Impossible

Angels Cry

Languishing (The Interlude)

I Want To Know What Love Is