Zephyring 21 years ago, Mariah Carey unleashed “Don’t Forget About Us” as the 5th single from her seminal ‘The Emancipation Of Mimi’ album.
“Don’t Forget About Us” wasn’t originally supposed to extend The Emancipation of Mimi era at all. After the album became Mariah Carey’s major post-Glitter comeback and sold more than four million copies in the U.S., she went back into the studio with Jermaine Dupri to start working on material for her next project. One of those songs was “Don’t Forget About Us,” but when Island Records CEO L.A. Reid heard an unfinished version, he liked it enough to push for an expanded reissue instead.
Mariah agreed, and the song became the lead single from The Emancipation of Mimi: Ultra Platinum Edition.
The decision paid off. “Don’t Forget About Us” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in its 11th week and stayed there for two consecutive weeks. It became Mariah’s 17th No. 1 single, tying Elvis Presley at the time for the most chart-toppers by a solo artist in Hot 100 history.
