MiMi's "Obsessed" Video

There is always a small part of me that genuinely looks forward to a new Mariah Carey video. Not out of a genuine curiosity concerning her latest musical direction, nor a sincere love of her idiosyncratic voice or even an interest in her unique take on new R'n'B trends; it's more of a grim and twisted fascination. Whilst most popular music artists expertly manipulate music videos to publicise their latest "reinvention" or their radical, new musical dabblings, and in the process attempt to dispell any public feelings of indifference or boredom, Mariah's visual history has been a more sedate affair. There have been no odd, unflattering hairstyles, no dalliances with sitars or tubas, no videos directed by obscure European artists featuring gilded tigers vomiting crows... or something similar.

Instead, she has primarily focused on placing as much distance between her past and her present selves as possible - that nineties Mariah who had a mane of curls, slightly frumpy clothes, cheap shoes and wore lipstick made out of treacle and cocoa powder. They involve a never-ending pursuit of "glamour", each subsequent video attempting to feature more butterflies, more make-up, diamonds, dazzle, flamboyance and short skirts than its predecessor. She's a bit like Joceyln Wildenstein: in a constant state of alteration and transition, endlessly striving for the smoothest vinyl face available. Pretty soon she'll be the colour of mahogany, clad in a cling film mini-dress swishing polyester hair extensions that reach her ankles.

So, here she is, MiMi, the colour of a scotch egg, reclining on a couch showcasing the most aggressive cleavage in pop music today in a New York wind machine factory. Also note her ingenious and subtle impersonation of an obsessed male fan, a role which she tackles with typical aplomb and with a hippy's minge plastered to her face.

(You can watch it here - Ed)