Mariah Carey's debut single, "Vision of Love," entered the Billboard Hot 100, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Adult Contemporary charts 20 years ago this week, in the June 2, 1990, issue. The song would become the first of her 18 Hot 100 No. 1s, the most among solo artists in the chart's 52-year history. (Among all acts, only the Beatles, with 20, have more.) Carey has tallied 15 toppers on Hot Dance Club Songs, 10 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and six on Adult Contemporary.

Carey's total U.S. album sales stand at 64.5 million, according to Nielsen SoundScan, which began tracking album sales a year after her arrival. In that span, only Garth Brooks (68.4 million) and the Beatles (60.9 million) rank higher. Carey has six No. 1 Billboard 200 titles, including her best selling album, 1995's "Daydream" (7.6 million). "Daydream" also yielded the 16-week Hot 100 No. 1 "One Sweet Day," with Boyz II Men, marking the chart's longest reign. The ballad subsequently earned the honor of Billboard's top song of the '90s. Carey's 2005 14-week Hot 100 No. 1 "We Belong Together" likewise became the chart's top title of the 2000s.

Taken from Billboard Magazine, June 5, 2010 issue.