Here We Go Around Again

"Here We Go Around Again" (listed as "Here We Go Round Again" on Carey's demo tape) is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released in Japan on December 11, 2020, as the third single from her eighth compilation album, The Rarities (2020) by Columbia and Legacy Records as a cassette single with "Loverboy (Firecracker – Original Version)".[1][2] The song was written and produced by Carey and Ben Margulies. According to Carey, the song was the first track on her demo tape.[3]

"Here We Go Around Again"
Single by Mariah Carey
from the album The Rarities
B-side"Loverboy" (Firecracker – original version)
ReleasedDecember 11, 2020 (2020-12-11)
Recorded1989
StudioSanctuary Studios, Albany, NY
GenreR&B
Length3:55
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Mariah Carey
  • Ben Margulies
Mariah Carey singles chronology
"Oh Santa!"
(2020)
"Here We Go Around Again"
(2020)
"Where I Belong"
(2021)

Background and release

edit

"Here We Go Around Again" was recorded by Dana Jon Chappelle and mixed by Brian Garten. According to the album's liner notes, Carey "[had] always liked it and did want it to be included on my first album. I don't remember why it wasn't, except we felt that we never quite captured the magic of that first demo. This recording is as close as we got."[3] In an interview with Fred Bronson, Margulies revealed that their first collaboration, “Here We Go Around Again,” was recorded in the back of his father's cabinetry factory in Chelsea, New York City: "It was this real Motown thing. She wrote all the verses out. We were very excited because she sounded incredible. That was the beginning of the collaborating."[4]

"Here We Go Around Again" was first teased on August 21, 2020, on a Zoom chat with reporters, influencers and fans to promote "Save the Day".[5] On November 19, 2020, it was announced that the song would be paired with "Loverboy (Firecracker – Original Version)" and released as a limited edition cassette single in Japan, set to be officially released on December 11, 2020.[2] The next day, however, the cassette was made available worldwide on Carey's official online store, included in bundles with clothing items and accessories.[2]

Critical reception

edit

Billboard writer Joe Lynch described the first teaser of "Here We Go Around Again" which was premiered on Carey's Zoom chat for "Save the Day" as "a snippet of a Jackson 5-esque song that dates back to her 1990 debut".[5] Idolator writer Mike Wass stated was "hard to understand how something this effortlessly charming and catchy didn’t make the tracklist of Mariah’s debut album."[6] Carey channeled The Jackson 5 on this "buoyant bop from 1990, sounding so innocent that she can barely contain the sheer joy of relishing in her own melismatic powers."[6][7] Los Angeles Times pop-music critic Mikael Wood praised the song stating that her vocals were "precise as always" and praised her writing style saying that it was "already in a tune whose darting melody evokes the comings and goings of a guy who can’t make up his mind about her."[8]

Track listings and formats

edit
  • Japanese limited edition cassette single[1][2]
  1. "Here We Go Around Again" – 3:55
  2. "Loverboy" (Firecracker – original version) – 3:17

Charts

edit
Chart (2020) Peak
position
Japan (Oricon)[9] 56

References

edit
  1. ^ a b "Mariah Carey/ヒア・ウィ・ゴー・アラウンド・アゲイン/ラヴァーボーイ (Firecracker Original Version)<完全生産限定盤>". tower.jp. Archived from the original on November 21, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d "Mariah Carey Is Releasing "Here We Go Around Again" On Cassette Single". Idolator. November 20, 2020. Archived from the original on June 24, 2022. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
  3. ^ a b "The Rarities booklet". Archived from the original on December 28, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  4. ^ "Here We Go Around Again". For The Record. Retrieved November 20, 2020.[permanent dead link]
  5. ^ a b "Mariah Carey's Ms. Lauryn Hill Collab 'Save the Day' Is Here: Stream It Now". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 12, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Album Review: Mariah Carey's 'The Rarities'". idolator. October 4, 2020. Archived from the original on June 24, 2022. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  7. ^ Arnold, Chuck (October 1, 2020). "The best tracks from Mariah Carey's 'The Rarities' album". New York Post. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  8. ^ "The 7 must-hear tracks from Mariah Carey's 'The Rarities' album: Listen". Los Angeles Times. October 2, 2020. Archived from the original on October 2, 2020. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  9. ^ "ヒア・ウィ・ゴー・アラウンド・アゲイン/ラヴァーボーイ(Firecracker Original Version)- マライアキャリー - オリコン" (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on June 24, 2022. Retrieved December 19, 2020.