Is Mariah Carey the Greatest American Songwriter?
The Sam Sanders Show
KCRW & Sam Sanders
4.9 • 707 Ratings
🗓️ 5 May 2026
⏱️ 28 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Mariah Carey has more No. 1 hits than any other American artist to date.
“Fantasy,” “Vision of Love,” and “We Belong Together” have all landed at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Part of the magic is in her voice, but it’s also in her songwriting — a skill that has too often been overlooked.
Music journalist Danyel Smith interviewed the artist for The New York Times’ list of “The 30 Greatest Living American Songwriters.” Sam caught up with Danyel to talk about Mariah Carey’s songwriting and sampling prowess, the systemic disrespect for Black women in music, and how Mariah cemented her place in music history.
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The Sam Sanders Show is a production of KCRW and Sam Sanders Productions.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hey y'all, Sam Sanders here. |
| 0:07.2 | Thanks so much for checking out my show with the KCRW. |
| 0:10.4 | So last week, I saw a headline. |
| 0:14.0 | The New York Times was out with a new list, |
| 0:16.5 | a list of what they're calling the 30 Greatest Living American Songwriters. |
| 0:21.5 | Just seeing that headline made me roll my eyes a little bit. |
| 0:25.8 | How can anyone get that kind of list right? |
| 0:28.8 | And by nature of the institution, would the New York Times just be a little bit too |
| 0:33.3 | stodgy with it, too elite? |
| 0:35.3 | Would their list have too many men? Y'all, I was pleasantly surprised |
| 0:41.1 | when I actually looked at this list. Artist I love made the cut, and journalists I admire helped |
| 0:47.3 | put the whole thing together. So New York Times, I guess I'm sorry for doubting you. I want to talk |
| 0:53.5 | this episode about one of my favorite songwriters |
| 0:55.7 | who made that New York Times songwriters list. |
| 0:58.8 | Her name is Mariah Carey. |
| 1:00.9 | Cue music. |
| 1:01.5 | I give my own to have. |
| 1:07.3 | Just one more night with you. |
| 1:10.5 | I'd risk my love to be on. |
| 1:16.6 | Mariah Carey has written more number one hits than any other American in recorded history. |
| 1:23.4 | Yeah, I know. |
| 1:24.9 | And yet, Mariah Carey rarely gets her due as a songwriter. |
... |
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