“There are songs that are definitely going to take people back and make them go, ‘Oh, man, this song from the ’80s — I loved it growing up’. Or people who never heard the songs before might be like, ‘This is cool.’ When you see the movie, you’re gonna see the uptempo songs and the songs that are remakes in there as they would have sounded in the ’80s, but the album is the way that I would make the record now, and the ballads can stand on their own as songs from a Mariah Carey album.”

Glitter is the soundtrack to the 2001 film of the same title and the eighth studio album by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released in the United States on September 11, 2001 by Virgin Records. Mixing dance-pop, funk, hip hop and R&B, the album was a departure from Carey’s previous releases, focusing heavily on an ’80s post-disco sound to accompany the film, which was set in 1983. The singer collaborated with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and DJ Clue, who also co-produced the album. The album features several musical acts such as Eric Benét, Ludacris, Da Brat, Busta Rhymes, Fabolous, and Ja Rule.

Several singles were released, including “Loverboy”, which served as the lead single from the album and quickly became Carey’s lowest-charting lead single globally and peaked at number two on the US Billboard Hot 100. Subsequent singles failed to make much of an impact on prominent global charts. Nearly two decades after its release, Glitter began to attract wide praise from mainstream critics and has developed a cult following. On May 22, 2020, Carey announced the album’s release on streaming services.

Musically, Glitter was notably different from Carey’s previous work as she drew influence from the 1980s. Due to the parent film taking place in 1983, the soundtrack harbored on recreating an older sound, while incorporating the usual pop-R&B ballads for which Carey was known.

Tracklisting

1
Written by Mariah Carey, Larry Blackmon, Thomas Jenkins, Da Brat, Ludacris, Twenty II, Shawnna.
Produced by Clark Kent and Mariah Carey.
4:30
2
Written by Mariah Carey, Walter Afanasieff.
Produced by Mariah Carey and Walter Afanasieff. Additional production by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and James “Big Jim” Wright.
3:53
3
Written by Mariah Carey, Damion Young, Jeffrey Atkins, H. Hersh, Nathaniel Hale.
Produced by Damizza and Mariah Carey.
4:11
4
Written by James Harris III, Terry Lewis.
Produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and Mariah Carey.
4:54
5
Written by Mariah Carey, DJ Clue, Duro, Thomas Brown, Toni Smith, M. Tyler.
Produced by Mariah Carey, DJ Clue and Duro.
3:38
6
Written by Rick James.
Produced by Mariah Carey and Rick James.
5:10
7
Written by Mariah Carey, Philippe Pierre.
Produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and Mariah Carey.
3:21
8
Written by Michael Cleveland.
Produced by Mariah Carey, DJ Clue and Duro.
6:43
9
Written by Mariah Carey, James Harris III, Terry Lewis, James Wright.
Produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and Mariah Carey.
4:44
10
Written by Mariah Carey, James Harris III, Terry Lewis.
Produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and Mariah Carey.
4:44
11
Written by Mariah Carey, James Harris III, Terry Lewis.
Produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and Mariah Carey. Co-produced by James “Big Jim” Wright.
2:26
12
Written by Mariah Carey, Larry Blackmon, Thomas Jenkins.
Produced by Clark Kent and Mariah Carey.
3:50
Bonus
Loverboy (MJ Cole Main Remix Radio Edit)
Written by Mariah Carey, Larry Blackmon, Thomas Jenkins, Da Brat.
Produced by MJ Cole.
4:13