Side Effects (song)
Encyclopedia
"Side Effects" is a song by American singer-songwriter
Mariah Carey
, included as a track on her eleventh studio album
, E=MC²
(2008). Written by Carey, Scott Storch
, Jay Jenkins
and Crystal Johnson
, and produced by the former two, the song draws influence from pop
, hip-hop
and R&B
music genres. "Side Effects" features American rapper
Young Jeezy
, and is based on an electronic thumping beat and many studio-crafted synthesizers. A strong club-beat driven track, its lyrics chronicle Carey's abusive marriage to Tommy Mottola
, and the 'side effects' which she lives with due to the nature of the relationship. During the first verse, Carey describes the duo's background, and how she was young and naive, and believed everything he preached to her.
At the time of the album's release, "Side Effects" was met with generally acclaim from music critics, and was considered one of the album's highlights. Several reviewers complimented the song's strong club-beat driven melody and synthesizers, while others concentrated on Carey's personalized lyrics. The song charted due to strong digital downloads in the United States during the debut week of E=MC², and as a result, peaked at number 93 on the Billboard
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
chart. As the only live performance of the song, Carey sang "Side Effects" on July 31, 2008, at a free concert at the Hollywood and Highland Center shopping mall in Los Angeles, California. The five-song concert was filmed and presented on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, as part of Samsung AT&T Summer Krush concert series.
In 1988, Carey moved to Manhattan, New York to pursue a career in music. After working as a background singer for rising pop
singer, Brenda K. Starr
, Carey was introduced to Tommy Mottola
, head of Columbia Records
, at a record executives gala. Accompanied by Starr, Carey handed Mottola her demo tape, featuring four of the eleven songs that would eventually comprise her debut studio album
. In what has been largely described as a "Cinderella
-like story", Mottola heard the tape in his Limousine ride home, and quickly returned to the event to find the girl with the "elusive voice". When he arrived, Carey had already left early, disappointed in the events of the evening. In what became a search, Mottola began to track Carey down through Star's management and eventually signed her to Columbia's roster of artists. After the release of her self-titled
debut album, Carey rose to fame, with the album selling over 15 million units globally. During the recording of Carey's third album, Music Box (1993), the pair became romantically involved, and wed by August 1993, only one month short of the album's release. The couple moved into a large 12-bedroom mansion in upstate New York, a home Carey would later come to described as a "private prison" and "golden cage". Referring to Columbia, Carey said in an interview "That company, made a billion dollars from the raggedy girl he met at that party." Throughout the marriage, Mottola, both Carey's husband and boss, carefully manipulated and controlled her career, crafting her into the adult contemporary/pop singer he sought her to be. With each passing album, Carey's genre influences and production styles evolved, leading her farther into R&B
and hip-hop
territory. By 1994, Carey was already the best-selling artist of the 1990s, and the best-selling act under the label. Due to her continued success, Carey was able to take more creative control over subsequent projects. During the recording sessions for Daydream (1995), the pair had already began "fighting at the drop of a feather", due to his controlling nature on her and career. By 1997, the pair had already separated, and had divorced only the following year. Carey described her album Butterfly (1997) as her magnum opus
, and her greatest and most personal work, due to its personal and emotional background. On the album's title
track, which Carey wrote for Mottola, Carey reached out to him, asking to allow her to be free like a 'butterfly', and if the two were 'meant to be', then the butterfly 'would return'. In an interview with Interview
magazine, Carey described the importance the song held for her, as well as its meaning:
"Butterfly" became what Carey described as her "favorite and most heartfelt ballad." Its lyrics were very personal, linking to her personal life and relationship with Mottola. Carey wrote "Butterfly" for Mottola, hoping he would say its contents to her, and choose to do what was best for her. She described it as "the best ballad she had ever written" and credited it as the epitome of her opus, Butterfly.
and pop
music genres. The "electro-tinged" and "sweaty synth hazed" song is built on a strong bass, and incorporates "buzzing synths and taut beats". The song was written by Carey, Scott Storch
, Jay Jenkins
and Crystal Johnson
, and produced by the former two. Additionally, "Side Effects" features American rapper
Young Jeezy
, who provides ad-libs
at the song's start, and has a verse prior to the track's bridge
. According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by W.B.M. Music Corporation, "Migrate" is set in common time
with a tempo of 98 beats per minute. It is composed in the key of A Minor
, with Carey's vocal range spanning from the low-note of A3 to the high-note of E5. The song follows in the chord progression
of Bm7–Am7–Gmaj7 Lyrically, the song relates Carey's abusive marriage to Tommy Mottola
, and the 'side effects' which she lives with due to the nature of the relationship. During the first verse, Carey describes the duo's background, and how she was young and naive, and believed everything he preached to her. The lyrics read "Keepin' me there, under your thumb / Cause you were scared that I'd become much / More than you could handle," she confesses, and refers to herself as "Shining like a chandelier / That decorated every room inside / The private hell we built / And I dealt with it / Like a kid I wished / I could fly away." According to Freedom De Luc of The Washington Post
, on the song Carey uploads on Mottola, "'sleeping with the enemy, aware that he was smothering every last part of me.' She finally walked away, she sings, 'but I still live with the side effects.' Sarah Rodman from The Boston Globe
described it as "another look at her fractious marriage to Mottola", and wrote "Although the union ended in 1998, Carey is still suffering, including dreams of the 'violent times"'and 'sleeping with the enemy'. Interestingly, her vocal approach here is almost emo, as she hits her rock-solid middle register and refuses to be held captive by the demons of her past." MTV News
writer Jennifer Vineyard described the song's lyrics in detail:
In an interview with MTV News, Carey opened up about her sentiments regarding the song. Vineyard related the interview, and elaborated on several of Carey's comments: "I wrote it because it was necessary for me to write it," Mariah said of her most personal, and angriest, song to date. Fans might be surprised at her references to "the hell that we built" and the "violent times," but Mariah thinks this song is for "anyone who's been in an abusive relationship." "You know what? I've been through too much at this point," she said. "I want happiness and I want pure and real love, but the side effects of what other relationships have put me through cause me to be kind of on the defensive a lot of the time. And if somebody isn't mature or caring and loving and open-hearted enough to understand that, then it's tough, but this is a song for people who need that." Mariah hopes that this song helps people feel "a little bit stronger."
picked it as a "standout" track from E=MC², and felt the addition of Young Jeezy gave the song "a menacing mood". Allmusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine
chose "Side Effectss" as a "top pick" in his review of the album, and complimented Carey's incorporation of her past relationship. Aside from recommending it as one of the top three best songs from E=MC², The Washington Post
s Freedom De Luc compared some of the song's vocal effects to Rihanna
's "Umbrella
" (2007). Nick Levine from Digital Spy
described it as "[Carey's] rawest, most personal track in years" and wrote "[It] is as coruscating as it is catchy". Writing in for Fox News
, Roger Friedman wrote "You will be in love with 'Side Effects'", and described it as a "gorgeous vocal, a cool rap by Young Jeezy and lyrics that should make Mariah’s ex, Tommy Mottola, do a spit-take." An anonymous writer from the Boston Herald
called the song "chilling", and chose it as a "top choice" from the album.The Guardian
s Alex Macpherson heavily complimented the song, writing "the magnificent Side Effects finds Carey at the height of her powers. Over synths as slow as molasses, she intones some of the darkest lyrics of her career, a meditation on the long-term effects of an abusive relationship. Verbose to the point of opulence, she crams syllables into the verses, races against her own emotions and perfectly conveys the song's claustrophobic intensity." Due to the strong chart success of "Touch My Body", E=MC² opened with over 463,000 copies sold in its opening week, a career high for Carey. During its opening week, "Side Effects" charted at number 93 on the Billboard
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
chart.
" and a mash-up with "Touch My Body
", and her previous songs, "Shake It Off
" and "We Belong Together
" from The Emancipation of Mimi
(2005). As the last song on the short set-list, Carey was joined on stage by Jeezy for a live rendition of "Side Effects".
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
, included as a track on her eleventh studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
, E=MC²
E=MC² (Mariah Carey album)
E=MC² is the eleventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, first released in the United States on April 15, 2008, by Island Records. Carey began recording the album in late-2007 in Anguilla, after writing and composing most of its material during and after her 2006 Adventures...
(2008). Written by Carey, Scott Storch
Scott Storch
Scott Storch is an American record producer. He produces a variety of music, particularly hip hop, reggaeton, and R&B. His label, Storch Music Company responsible for signing Brooke Hogan and Nox...
, Jay Jenkins
Young Jeezy
Jay Wayne Jenkins , better known by his stage name Young Jeezy, is an American rapper. He is the member of the hip hop group United Streets Dopeboyz of America and a former member of BMF...
and Crystal Johnson
Cristyle
Crystal Nicole Johnson, better known by her stage name Cristyle or sometimes credited as Cri$tyle is an American Grammy Award winning songwriter signed with So So Def/EMI Music.-Career:...
, and produced by the former two, the song draws influence from pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, hip-hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
and R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
music genres. "Side Effects" features American rapper
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
Young Jeezy
Young Jeezy
Jay Wayne Jenkins , better known by his stage name Young Jeezy, is an American rapper. He is the member of the hip hop group United Streets Dopeboyz of America and a former member of BMF...
, and is based on an electronic thumping beat and many studio-crafted synthesizers. A strong club-beat driven track, its lyrics chronicle Carey's abusive marriage to Tommy Mottola
Tommy Mottola
Thomas Daniel "Tommy" Mottola is an American music executive, co-owner of Casablanca Records in a joint venture with the Universal Music Group. He is the ex-husband of Mariah Carey and is married to Mexican singer Thalía...
, and the 'side effects' which she lives with due to the nature of the relationship. During the first verse, Carey describes the duo's background, and how she was young and naive, and believed everything he preached to her.
At the time of the album's release, "Side Effects" was met with generally acclaim from music critics, and was considered one of the album's highlights. Several reviewers complimented the song's strong club-beat driven melody and synthesizers, while others concentrated on Carey's personalized lyrics. The song charted due to strong digital downloads in the United States during the debut week of E=MC², and as a result, peaked at number 93 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart. As the only live performance of the song, Carey sang "Side Effects" on July 31, 2008, at a free concert at the Hollywood and Highland Center shopping mall in Los Angeles, California. The five-song concert was filmed and presented on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, as part of Samsung AT&T Summer Krush concert series.
Background
 |
Tommy was a deeply controlling husband who left Carey feeling confined to the house (where she obsessively over-decorated). He aggressively dictated every aspect of her career, from the music to her sexless clothes to her holographic public persona, taught as she was 'to say as little as possible, don't be yourself'." | |
In 1988, Carey moved to Manhattan, New York to pursue a career in music. After working as a background singer for rising pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
singer, Brenda K. Starr
Brenda K. Starr
Brenda K. Starr is an American singer-songwriter. She is well known originally in dance-pop, but now mostly in salsa-based music...
, Carey was introduced to Tommy Mottola
Tommy Mottola
Thomas Daniel "Tommy" Mottola is an American music executive, co-owner of Casablanca Records in a joint venture with the Universal Music Group. He is the ex-husband of Mariah Carey and is married to Mexican singer Thalía...
, head of Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, at a record executives gala. Accompanied by Starr, Carey handed Mottola her demo tape, featuring four of the eleven songs that would eventually comprise her debut studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
. In what has been largely described as a "Cinderella
Cinderella
"Cinderella; or, The Little Glass Slipper" is a folk tale embodying a myth-element of unjust oppression/triumphant reward. Thousands of variants are known throughout the world. The title character is a young woman living in unfortunate circumstances that are suddenly changed to remarkable fortune...
-like story", Mottola heard the tape in his Limousine ride home, and quickly returned to the event to find the girl with the "elusive voice". When he arrived, Carey had already left early, disappointed in the events of the evening. In what became a search, Mottola began to track Carey down through Star's management and eventually signed her to Columbia's roster of artists. After the release of her self-titled
Mariah Carey (album)
Mariah Carey is the self-titled debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released on June 12, 1990 by Columbia Records. The album contains a range of contemporary genres, and the songs are a mix of slow ballads and dance tracks. Originally, Carey wrote four songs with...
debut album, Carey rose to fame, with the album selling over 15 million units globally. During the recording of Carey's third album, Music Box (1993), the pair became romantically involved, and wed by August 1993, only one month short of the album's release. The couple moved into a large 12-bedroom mansion in upstate New York, a home Carey would later come to described as a "private prison" and "golden cage". Referring to Columbia, Carey said in an interview "That company, made a billion dollars from the raggedy girl he met at that party." Throughout the marriage, Mottola, both Carey's husband and boss, carefully manipulated and controlled her career, crafting her into the adult contemporary/pop singer he sought her to be. With each passing album, Carey's genre influences and production styles evolved, leading her farther into R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
and hip-hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
territory. By 1994, Carey was already the best-selling artist of the 1990s, and the best-selling act under the label. Due to her continued success, Carey was able to take more creative control over subsequent projects. During the recording sessions for Daydream (1995), the pair had already began "fighting at the drop of a feather", due to his controlling nature on her and career. By 1997, the pair had already separated, and had divorced only the following year. Carey described her album Butterfly (1997) as her magnum opus
Magnum opus
Magnum opus , from the Latin meaning "great work", refers to the largest, and perhaps the best, greatest, most popular, or most renowned achievement of a writer, artist, or composer.-Related terms:Sometimes the term magnum opus is used to refer to simply "a great work" rather than "the...
, and her greatest and most personal work, due to its personal and emotional background. On the album's title
Butterfly (Mariah Carey song)
"Butterfly" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey from her sixth studio album, Butterfly. It was released as the second single from the album on December 1, 1997 by Columbia Records. The song was written by Carey and Walter Afanasieff; both of them producing and arranging the song as...
track, which Carey wrote for Mottola, Carey reached out to him, asking to allow her to be free like a 'butterfly', and if the two were 'meant to be', then the butterfly 'would return'. In an interview with Interview
Interview (magazine)
Interview is an American magazine which has the nickname The Crystal Ball Of Pop. It was founded in late 1969 by artist Andy Warhol. The magazine features intimate conversations between some of the world's biggest celebrities, artists, musicians, and creative thinkers...
magazine, Carey described the importance the song held for her, as well as its meaning:
"It was '97 and I was leaving my marriage [to Tommy Mottola]. which encompassed my life. I was writing the song 'Butterfly' wishing that that's what he would say to me. There's a part that goes, 'I have learned that beauty/has to flourish in the light/wild horses run unbridled/or their spirit dies/you have given me the courage/to be all that I can/and I truly feel ...[sings] and I truly feel your heart will lead you back to me when you're ready to land.' At that point I really believed that I was going to go back to the marriage – I didn't think I was going to leave forever. But then the things that happened to me during that time caused me to not go back. Had it been, 'Go be yourself, you've been with me since you were a kid, let's separate for a while,' I probably would've."
"Butterfly" became what Carey described as her "favorite and most heartfelt ballad." Its lyrics were very personal, linking to her personal life and relationship with Mottola. Carey wrote "Butterfly" for Mottola, hoping he would say its contents to her, and choose to do what was best for her. She described it as "the best ballad she had ever written" and credited it as the epitome of her opus, Butterfly.
Composition
"Side Effects" is a fast-paced tempo song, which features a "hip-hop oriented beat", and draws influence from R&BContemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
and pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
music genres. The "electro-tinged" and "sweaty synth hazed" song is built on a strong bass, and incorporates "buzzing synths and taut beats". The song was written by Carey, Scott Storch
Scott Storch
Scott Storch is an American record producer. He produces a variety of music, particularly hip hop, reggaeton, and R&B. His label, Storch Music Company responsible for signing Brooke Hogan and Nox...
, Jay Jenkins
Young Jeezy
Jay Wayne Jenkins , better known by his stage name Young Jeezy, is an American rapper. He is the member of the hip hop group United Streets Dopeboyz of America and a former member of BMF...
and Crystal Johnson
Cristyle
Crystal Nicole Johnson, better known by her stage name Cristyle or sometimes credited as Cri$tyle is an American Grammy Award winning songwriter signed with So So Def/EMI Music.-Career:...
, and produced by the former two. Additionally, "Side Effects" features American rapper
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
Young Jeezy
Young Jeezy
Jay Wayne Jenkins , better known by his stage name Young Jeezy, is an American rapper. He is the member of the hip hop group United Streets Dopeboyz of America and a former member of BMF...
, who provides ad-libs
Ad libitum
Ad libitum is Latin for "at one's pleasure"; it is often shortened to "ad lib" or "ad-lib"...
at the song's start, and has a verse prior to the track's bridge
Bridge (music)
In music, especially western popular music, a bridge is a contrasting section which also prepares for the return of the original material section...
. According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by W.B.M. Music Corporation, "Migrate" is set in common time
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
with a tempo of 98 beats per minute. It is composed in the key of A Minor
A minor
A minor is a minor scale based on A, consisting of the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. The harmonic minor scale raises the G to G...
, with Carey's vocal range spanning from the low-note of A3 to the high-note of E5. The song follows in the chord progression
Chord progression
A chord progression is a series of musical chords, or chord changes that "aims for a definite goal" of establishing a tonality founded on a key, root or tonic chord. In other words, the succession of root relationships...
of Bm7–Am7–Gmaj7 Lyrically, the song relates Carey's abusive marriage to Tommy Mottola
Tommy Mottola
Thomas Daniel "Tommy" Mottola is an American music executive, co-owner of Casablanca Records in a joint venture with the Universal Music Group. He is the ex-husband of Mariah Carey and is married to Mexican singer Thalía...
, and the 'side effects' which she lives with due to the nature of the relationship. During the first verse, Carey describes the duo's background, and how she was young and naive, and believed everything he preached to her. The lyrics read "Keepin' me there, under your thumb / Cause you were scared that I'd become much / More than you could handle," she confesses, and refers to herself as "Shining like a chandelier / That decorated every room inside / The private hell we built / And I dealt with it / Like a kid I wished / I could fly away." According to Freedom De Luc of The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
, on the song Carey uploads on Mottola, "'sleeping with the enemy, aware that he was smothering every last part of me.' She finally walked away, she sings, 'but I still live with the side effects.' Sarah Rodman from The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
described it as "another look at her fractious marriage to Mottola", and wrote "Although the union ended in 1998, Carey is still suffering, including dreams of the 'violent times"'and 'sleeping with the enemy'. Interestingly, her vocal approach here is almost emo, as she hits her rock-solid middle register and refuses to be held captive by the demons of her past." MTV News
MTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...
writer Jennifer Vineyard described the song's lyrics in detail:
'Side Effects' finally reveals a side of Mariah we don't see that often — her true self. The Mariah we usually see and hear is a glossy one. Psychologists might say her affect is 'off' — meaning her gestures and facial expressions don't match her mood. There's a reason for that, as she explains on 'Side Effects', which is the emotional abuse she says she suffered during her marriage to music mogul Tommy Mottola. Mariah, who is usually quite guarded, has alluded to the subject in songs like 'Petals', but never has she gone into such detail as she does on 'Side Effects', in which she refers to the marriage as a 'private hell that we built'. Even though it's been 11 years since they split up, she sings in a lower register that she's still 'wakin' up scared some nights ... dreaming about the violent times'. Her emotional scars left her 'a little protective ... a little defensive ... a little depressed', which makes her 'fake a smile' as she 'deal[s] with the side effects'. Even though "Side Effects" features Young Jeezy, it sounds like a rock power ballad.
In an interview with MTV News, Carey opened up about her sentiments regarding the song. Vineyard related the interview, and elaborated on several of Carey's comments: "I wrote it because it was necessary for me to write it," Mariah said of her most personal, and angriest, song to date. Fans might be surprised at her references to "the hell that we built" and the "violent times," but Mariah thinks this song is for "anyone who's been in an abusive relationship." "You know what? I've been through too much at this point," she said. "I want happiness and I want pure and real love, but the side effects of what other relationships have put me through cause me to be kind of on the defensive a lot of the time. And if somebody isn't mature or caring and loving and open-hearted enough to understand that, then it's tough, but this is a song for people who need that." Mariah hopes that this song helps people feel "a little bit stronger."
Reception
"Side Effects" received universal acclaim from music critics, who praised it for its strong electronically synthesized production, as well as Carey's personal lyrics regarding her marriage to Mottola, which they described as its highlight. Joey Guerra from the Houston ChronicleHouston Chronicle
The Houston Chronicle is the largest daily newspaper in Texas, USA, headquartered in the Houston Chronicle Building in Downtown Houston. , it is the ninth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States...
picked it as a "standout" track from E=MC², and felt the addition of Young Jeezy gave the song "a menacing mood". Allmusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...
chose "Side Effectss" as a "top pick" in his review of the album, and complimented Carey's incorporation of her past relationship. Aside from recommending it as one of the top three best songs from E=MC², The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
s Freedom De Luc compared some of the song's vocal effects to Rihanna
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
's "Umbrella
Umbrella (song)
"Umbrella" is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna, featuring a rap verse by Jay-Z. The song was written by The-Dream, Christopher Stewart, Kuk Harrell and Jay-Z, and was produced by Stewart and The-Dream for Rihanna's third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad...
" (2007). Nick Levine from Digital Spy
Digital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
described it as "[Carey's] rawest, most personal track in years" and wrote "[It] is as coruscating as it is catchy". Writing in for Fox News
Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
, Roger Friedman wrote "You will be in love with 'Side Effects'", and described it as a "gorgeous vocal, a cool rap by Young Jeezy and lyrics that should make Mariah’s ex, Tommy Mottola, do a spit-take." An anonymous writer from the Boston Herald
Boston Herald
The Boston Herald is a daily newspaper that serves Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and its surrounding area. It was started in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States...
called the song "chilling", and chose it as a "top choice" from the album.The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
s Alex Macpherson heavily complimented the song, writing "the magnificent Side Effects finds Carey at the height of her powers. Over synths as slow as molasses, she intones some of the darkest lyrics of her career, a meditation on the long-term effects of an abusive relationship. Verbose to the point of opulence, she crams syllables into the verses, races against her own emotions and perfectly conveys the song's claustrophobic intensity." Due to the strong chart success of "Touch My Body", E=MC² opened with over 463,000 copies sold in its opening week, a career high for Carey. During its opening week, "Side Effects" charted at number 93 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart.
Live performances
On July 31, 2008, Carey performed a free concert at the Hollywood and Highland Center shopping mall in Los Angeles, California in front of over 5,000 fans. The concert was filmed and presented on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, as part of Samsung AT&T Summer Krush concert series. She performed five songs, beginning with "I'll Be Lovin' U Long TimeI'll Be Lovin' U Long Time
"I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, taken from her eleventh studio album, E=MC² . It was written by Carey, Aldrin Davis, Crystal Johnson and Clifford Harris, and produced by the former two...
" and a mash-up with "Touch My Body
Touch My Body
"Touch My Body" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, taken from her eleventh studio album, E=MC² . It was written and produced by Carey, along with Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, Crystal "Cri$tyle" Johnson and Terius "The Dream" Nash, and was released as the album's lead single on...
", and her previous songs, "Shake It Off
Shake It Off
"Shake It Off" is a song performed by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, taken from her tenth studio album, The Emancipation of Mimi . It was written and produced by Carey along with Jermaine Dupri, Bryan-Michael Cox, and Johntá Austin...
" and "We Belong Together
We Belong Together
"We Belong Together" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey from her tenth studio album, The Emancipation of Mimi . The song was released on March 29, 2005, through Island Records as the second single from the album. "We Belong Together" was written by Carey, Jermaine Dupri, Manuel...
" from The Emancipation of Mimi
The Emancipation of Mimi
The Emancipation of Mimi is the tenth studio album by American recording artist Mariah Carey, released in the United States on April 12, 2005, by Island Records. Following the relatively poor critical and commercial responses to her albums, Glitter and Charmbracelet , The Emancipation of Mimi...
(2005). As the last song on the short set-list, Carey was joined on stage by Jeezy for a live rendition of "Side Effects".
Credits and personnel
Credits for E=MC² adapted from the album's liner notes.- Mariah CareyMariah CareyMariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
- songwriting, producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, background vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists... - Scott StorchScott StorchScott Storch is an American record producer. He produces a variety of music, particularly hip hop, reggaeton, and R&B. His label, Storch Music Company responsible for signing Brooke Hogan and Nox...
- songwriting, producer - Jay JenkinsYoung JeezyJay Wayne Jenkins , better known by his stage name Young Jeezy, is an American rapper. He is the member of the hip hop group United Streets Dopeboyz of America and a former member of BMF...
- songwriting, vocals - Crystal JohnsonCristyleCrystal Nicole Johnson, better known by her stage name Cristyle or sometimes credited as Cri$tyle is an American Grammy Award winning songwriter signed with So So Def/EMI Music.-Career:...
- songwriting, background vocals - Fabian Marasciullo - audio mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
- Bernie Grundman – masteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
Charts
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
93 |