Nineteen Fifty-Six Vol. 2 No. 5

Track 1- Impalas & Air Force 1s
The opening track on the album kicks off with the
line, “Take me to your leader”, making the listener
aware that Mariah’s mind is elsewhere, possibly not on
Earth at the moment. Being the shortest track on the
album at only 1:39, it serves its purpose of introducing
the main topics of the album, the universe, love and
Atlanta. She transports us elsewhere, but still brings
her world along. She goes on to say, “Nothing I’ve seen
on the East Side. I wonder what they’ll think of Impalas
& Air Force 1s?” This is a nod to where she’s from,
East Atlanta, where the culture involves the love of
old cars, such as Chevy Impalas, and the most popular
shoes are Air Force 1s, white to be specific. Both are
mentioned frequently in other artists’ songs who are
also from the city. She ends the song with “Who’s your
favorite girl, I wish I could be her” hinting at the fact
the relationship she is referring to in this album is no
longer.
Track 2- Aura
A second single of the album, and rightfully so, starts
with a fairy-like intro and the pre-hook of this song
is, “I can be what you need, maybe more, everything”
as if she’s trying to prove to her previous lover that
they are made for each other, a central theme we’ll see
throughout the album. There is a sample here from
the Isley Brothers, “Make Me Say It Again Girl” which
shows up most prominently as the chorus,
Oh, I believe you are a rainbow,
All the heaven I need to see
You’re the promise everlasting
Where you are, I hope to be
These sample lyrics, “Heaven” and “Rainbow” fit in
perfectly with the theme of the album, and especially
the instrumental here. The lyrics tie perfectly with
the ideas of the universe, the planets, and the ethereal
feelings provoked by the album. The visual for this song
is only 1:57 minutes while the song is 3:13 minutes. In
an interview, Mariah mentioned how there wasn’t any
need for a video. In the whole song, she got her point
across in that short period of time. The visual for this
song is her running from arrows shooting from the
sky. She is wearing all red, the color of passion and love,
running through a field of deep snow. She is eventually
struck from behind by an arrow, implying that she has
been struck by Cupid. Before she can fall, colorful rays
cover the sky, this is where the correlation between “2
You” comes in, because at the beginning of that video,
it looks like you’re traveling through space in the same
sky that is in “Aura.”
Track 4- RIP
The starting lines of this song are, “If we can’t live
forever, baby it is now or never. And if nothing I guess
I’ll see you in Heaven.” Again, the mentioning of
Heaven, and the ideas of time in space are continued
through the songs. The reason this song would be
another key song, is because this is where she narrates
why the relationship ended, with the title of the song
“RIP”. In the verse of the song she mentions how she
could give everything she has and more to this person,
and it still won’t be enough to satisfy them. Mariah
says, “Well I dream to be a fool” so this way she doesn’t
know what her partner is really doing, and she is able
to overlook all the wrongs he is doing. She would
rather focus on the good, but she just can’t, and that’s
why the relationship ended.
Track 7- Maybe
This whole song is a narration of what could have
been. What she thinks could have come from the
relationship. She lists multiple things they could
have done to possibly save the relationship like
praying, being more brave, escaping together and so
many other things. It seems as if it’s an in-real-time
reflection as to how she feels now that the relationship
has ended, and hindsight has started. Based on the
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