“Thank God I Found You” by Mariah Carey (ft. Joe and 98 Degrees)

Approaching Mariah Carey’s “Thank God I Found You” with the foreknowledge that it is in fact a love song, the title pretty much says it all. What we’re dealing with here is another musical case of a vocalist(s) celebrating the fact that after enduring a less than satisfactory life, being “cold inside” and all, now she has finally met that special someone.

You can view the lyrics, alternate interprations and sheet music for Mariah Carey's Thank God I Found You at Lyrics.org.

Anyone who has ever faced a long stint of unwanted singlehood would likely verify that yes, when someone you love finally does materialize, it feels like a blessing from above. And without going into too much detail that’s what the title and thesis sentiment is meant to point us to, the vocalists “thank(ing) God” for ‘saving’ them from depression and loneliness.

Lyrics of "Thank God I Found You"
What Joe said of "Thank God I Found You"

Release Date

“Thank God I Found You” was released in November of 1999 as one of the singles from Carey’s “Rainbow” album.

Did Mariah Carey write “Thank God I Found You”?

Mariah composed this tune alongside two other songwriters. The full songwriting credits for “Thank God I Found You” is as follows:

  • Mariah Carey
  • Terry Lewis
  • James Harris III (“Jimmy Jam”)

Achievements

“Thank God I Found You” was a massive hit in the United States. In addition to being one of the biggest one of the biggest hits of 2000 in the United States. In this country alone, it sold over half a million copies.

This song received a nomination at the 4rd Grammy Awards in 2001. It was nominated in the Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. The winner of this category went to “Is You Is, or Is You Ain’t (My Baby)” by B.B King and Dr. John.

Other nominees were:

  • “The Difficult Kind” by Sheryl Crow and Sarah McLachlan
  • “All the Way” by Celine Dion and Frank Sinatra
  • Turn Your Lights Down Low” by Lauryn Hill and Bob Marley

“Thank God I Found You” also earned a BMI Urban Songwriter Award in 2001

“Thank God I Found You” reaches No. 1 in America

Mariah Carey enjoyed a number 1 hit in the United States with “Thank God I Found You”. In addition to topping the Hot 100, it also topped Billboard’s “Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs” listing).

Furthermore, it was also a top 10 hit in such countries as the following:

  • United Kingdom (#10)
  • Canada (#2)
  • Poland (#10)
  • Spain (#6)

American songwriter Seth Swirsky alongside his counterpart Warren Campbell took Mariah Carey and her team to court over this song in September of 2000. The pair accused Mariah and co of copyright infringement. According to the lawsuit, the songwriting credits were falsely given to Jam and Lewis.

R&B group Xscape had recorded a track titled “One of Those Love Songs” composed by the Seth and Warren that was released in 1998.

In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs claimed that “Thank God I Found You” and “One of Those Love Songs” sounded too similar. At the end of the day, the court said there wasn’t enough evidence to prove both songs were alike, thus it ruled in favor of Carey.

Fast forward four years, the case was restored, and judgement was altered by a higher court, ruling in favor of the plaintiffs. The case was later settled out of court in 2006.

Mariah Carey’s “Rainbow” Album

“Rainbow” was released on November 2 of 1999 as Mariah’s 7th studio album. The album was released by courtesy of Sony Music’s Columbia Records. 4 singles were used to promote this album. They are listed below:

  1. “Heartbreaker”
  2. “Thank God I Found You”
  3. “Can’t Take That Away (Mariah’s Theme)”
  4. “Crybaby”

The choice of song to be released as the third single from “Rainbow” resulted in a public feud between Carey and her record label. Carey wanted the song, “Can’t Take That Away (Mariah’s Theme)” to be put out as the third single from the album but the label disagreed. The issue was soon resolved after some back and forth and Carey’s choice of song eventually released as the third single.

Music critics believe the singer’s divorce with Tommy Mottola, who happens to be the CEO of Columbia Records, was responsible for the sour relationship between Carey and the record label.

“Rainbow” sold over a quarter of a million copies within its first week of release. It got a 3x platinum certification from the RIAA. It also got Gold certifications in the UK, Australia, Belgium, Argentina and Switzerland.  

Aside from topping the charts in France and Greece the album put up impressive performances on top-10s in the following countries:

  • US – 2
  • UK – 2
  • Switzerland – 2
  • Spain – 7
  • Japan – 2
  • Germany – 3
  • Canada – 2
  • Belgium – 5
  • Australia – 4

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