Mary Mary vs. Mariah Carey | Head 2 Head 🗣️

In the 46th edition of Head 🗣️ 2 Head 🗣️ (2023), Mary Mary and Mariah Carey contend for the best rendition of “I Don’t Feel Noways Tired.”

Welcome to Head 2 Head! On Head 🗣️ 2 Head 🗣️, we pit at least two musicians singing the same song together, comparing their performances.  Then, after much deliberation, we deliver a verdict of which performance was the best, or at least, subjectively, which performance moved us more.  In the 46th edition of head 🗣️2 head 🗣️ (2023), 🎙 Mary Mary and 🎙 Mariah Carey contend for the best rendition of 🎵 “Can’t Give Up Now”. So, without further ado, let the Head 2 Head commence!   

1. Mary Mary, “Can’t Give Up Now” 

💿 Thankful • 🏷 Sony BMG Music Entertainment • 📅 2000  

“I just can’t give up now / I come too far from where I started from.” Yes, yes, yes, 🎙 Mary Mary! 🎵 “Can’t Give Up Now” ranks among the best tracks from the 🏆 Grammy-winning gospel duo’s catalog. Appearing as the fifth track on their 2000, double platinum, debut album, 💿 Thankful, “Can’t Give Up Now” features an urban sound, embracing the R&B of the era. Give 🎙 Erica Campbell’s husband, producer Warryn “Baby Dubb” Campbell, credit for marvelous backdrop. So, who wrote this uplifting record? Originally, 🎵 “I Don’t Feel No Ways Tired”, the song that Mary Mary transformed, was written by 🎼 ✍ Curtis Burrell.  This new interpretation adds writing credits by Erica, 🎙 Tina Campbell, and Warryn.  

Among many things that make “Can’t Give Up Now” uplifting are the encouraging lyrics. In the first verse, adversity is acknowledged, but even so, “But victory or defeat, it’s up to me to decide / But how can I expect to win if I never try.” Facts! Similarly, in the second verse, “But when my back is against the wall / And I feel all hope is gone / I’ll just lift my head up to the sky / And say help me to be strong.” It leads to the centerpiece, the chorus, where “Nobody told me the road would be easy / And I don’t believe He’s brought me this far / To leave me 🙌 🙌 🙌.” Some other notes regarding this 2000 gospel classic.  The vocals by both sisters are electrifying ⚡️, from the poised, expressive verses, to the high-flying riffs on the extended chorus 💪.  Also making the extended chorus epic are sublime choral vocals, superbly executed key changes, and, of course, the spirit! The musicianship is lofty, from the gang clapping to the break during the coda (the FINAL chorus). The lift 🏋️ is legit!    

Appears in 🔻: 

• Mary Mary, Can’t Give Up Now: Music Lifts 🎶 🏋 No. 57 (2023)  

2. Mariah Carey, “Heavenly (No Ways Tired / Can’t Give Up Now)” 

💿 Me. I Am Mariah… The Elusive Chanteuse • 🏷 Mariah Carey • 📅 2014  

🏆 Grammy-winning pop/R&B superstar 🎙 Mariah Carey ‘lets loose’ on 🎵 “Heavenly (No Ways Tired / Can’t Give Up Now)”, the 14th track from her 2014 studio album, 💿 Me. I Am Mariah…The Elusive Chanteuse 👏 🙌.  Notably, she covers a gem by contemporary gospel powerhouse, 🎙 Mary Mary: 🎵 “Can’t Give Up Now” from the duo’s 2000 LP, 💿 Thankful.  To reiterate, “No Ways Tired” itself long predates Mary Mary. The original song was composed by 🎼 ✍ Curtis Burrell, while the late, great 🎙 Rev. James Cleveland popularized it with his own arrangement and recording in 1976. Furthermore, legendary gospel collective 🎙 Mighty Clouds of Joy released their own influential version on their 1980 album, 💿 Cloudburst.  Basically, a long, long time before Mimi unleashed “Heavenly,” this song had history.   

Even with the transformations from “I Don’t Feel No Ways Tired” to “Heavenly (No Ways Tired / Can’t Give Up Now),” Mariah Carey brings the heat! This emotional gospel cut is right up Carey’s alley. She’s renowned for concluding albums with an inspirational cut, and “Heavenly” fits the bill.  Mariah is cool, calm, and collected during the verses, spoiling us with her celestial tone. However, she packs more punch in the centerpiece, the chorus:

“I just can’t give up now 

Come too far from where I started from 

Nobody told me the road would be easy 

And I don’t believe He’s brought me this far to leave me.”

Eventually, the emotion and intensity of “Heavenly” expands.  This ascent begins with the bridge, which prefaces the final chorus of the song in the original key. The first modulation (in a variety of key changes) follows, paralleling increased spirit.  Besides those key changes, there are stomping drums, and of course, Mariah pours every ounce of her heart and soul into some rad ad-libs.  She’s further amplified by a choir, who help take us to church! And, in true old-school gospel fashion, what about that breakdown during the outro? “I don’t believe, He’s brought me this far / I don’t believe He’s brought me this far…” 🎵 “Heavenly (No Ways Tired / Can’t Give Up Now)” is a cover, but it’s a cover where a once-in-a-lifetime singer makes it her own, PERIOD!!!  

Appears in 🔻: 

• Mariah Carey, Heavenly (No Ways Tired / Can’t Give Up Now): Covers No. 45 (2023) 
• 11 Songs That are Tired to the nth Degree (2023) 

The Verdict 👨🏿‍⚖️

So, it all comes down to this. Two powerful, spiritually moving performances. Who performed it better? The 🎙 Mary Mary transformation of 🎵 “I Don’t Feel No Ways Tired” into 🎵 “Can’t Give Up Now”, or the 🎙 Mariah Carey of Mary Mary, 🎵 “Heavenly (No Ways Tired / Can’t Give Up Now)”?  This one is incredibly tough, given the musicianship from Mary Mary and Carey – utterly stupendous. With that said, this one ends in a TIE.  

Mary Mary vs. Mariah Carey: Head 2 Head 🗣️ No. 46 (2023) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; Sony BMG Music Entertainment, Mariah Carey; Hernán Toro, Los Muertos Crew, RDNE Stock project, Thomas Ronveaux from Pexels]