The Emancipation of Mimi
Encyclopedia
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 (2001) and Charmbracelet
(2002), The Emancipation of Mimi became Carey's highest-selling release in nearly a decade. Critics called The Emancipation of Mimi as Carey's "comeback" album. A number of artists are attributed with writing and production credits, including Jermaine Dupri
, Snoop Dogg
, Twista
, Nelly
, Pharrell Williams
and James "Big Jim" Wright. Most of these artists also appear as featured guests on various tracks.
The album revealed a more intimate side of the singer, as seen in its declarative theme of emancipation from her personal and commercial setbacks. Although it shared similar vocal production with her previous works and an inclination towards her signature ballads, the album encompassed a variety of dance-oriented and uptempo styles that were in keeping with its celebratory aesthetics. Critics noted the album's pervading theme of independence and lack of restraint, and dubbed it a "party record". In contrast to the pop
and adult contemporary music styles that framed her previous releases, the album showcased a wider range of genres, exploring hip-hop
and a variety of R&B
-related styles such as 1970s retro gospel
and soul
.
The Emancipation of Mimi received generally positive reception, as many critics called it Carey's best vocal performance in years. Several reviewers had questioned Carey's vocal abilities in Charmbracelet, in which they found her voice to be airy, thin, and damaged. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200
with opening week sales of 404,000 copies, the highest first-week sales of Carey's career at the time. It opened in the top five on the albums chart in Argentina, Canada, Denmark, France, and Japan, as well as on the European chart. The Emancipation of Mimi finished as the best-selling album of 2005 in the United States, and the second-best seller around the world. As of April 2008, it had sold over 12 million copies worldwide.
Carey had international success with the first two singles commissioned from the album. "It's like That
" became one of Carey's highest-charting songs in years, reaching the top twenty in several countries. "We Belong Together
", the album's second single, topped the singles chart in the United States, where it accumulated 14 total weeks at number one, and was later named "song of the decade" by Billboard
. Additionally, it reached number one in Australia and New Zealand, and achieved top-five places in several European countries. To promote the album, Carey performed at the 48th annual Grammy Award
s, where she received the only standing ovation of the evening, and the 33rd
American Music Awards. Throughout 2006, Carey embarked on her sixth concert tour, The Adventures of Mimi
.
, Carey had experienced a year of critical, commercial, and personal troubles, following the poor reception of her debut film Glitter
(2001) and her subsequent hospitalization. Glitter was panned by critics and earned less than eight million dollars at the box office. The soundtrack for the film fared slightly better, spawning a top-two single in the United States, and has sold over two million units worldwide. Carey made a controversial appearance on Total Request Live
, in which she gave out ice cream to fans and demonstrated "erratic" behavior. After posting a troubling letter on her official site, Carey checked into a hospital in Connecticut, citing an "emotional and physical breakdown". Following the film and soundtrack's poor performance, Virgin Records
bought out Carey's unprecedented $100-million recording contract. They paid her $50 million to part ways. Carey flew to Capri
, Italy, after her two-week hospitalization. During her five-month stay, she began writing and producing material for a new studio album
, using some of the experiences she had gone through in recent months as themes for the albums material. After being signed by Island Records
and starting her own imprint, MonarC Entertainment, Carey geared up for her intended "comeback" release, Charmbracelet. Critics deemed the album a strong improvement over Glitter, but not something that would re-capture audiences around the world and re-establish her popularity throughout the 1990s. Many took notice of Carey's more airy and light vocals, and claimed she was no longer capable of the same degree of vocal prowess she had exhibited earlier in her career. Three years later, with the release of The Emancipation of Mimi, Carey's critical and commercial popularity surged again; critics called it her true comeback, as well as an emancipation from her two previous albums.
Jennifer Vineyard of MTV
noted that The Emancipation of Mimi was intended to do what Charmbracelet did not: it would be her "post-breakdown, post-Glitter, comeback." After initial reports that "Say Somethin'
", featuring rapper Snoop Dogg
, would be the album's lead single, television personality and radio host DJ Envy
commented, "I think she's gonna do the same thing she did last year and go more hip-hop and less mainstream. She should keep it mainstream and just do a remix or something or this won't work." According to Envy, while Carey has a solid core audience, "her relevance to the general public hinges on whether she makes music that has to be heard." Critic Andre Meyer of CBS News
thought the material was "stronger", and called the album a move in Carey's long-term plan for pop domination, while giving off the "jittery R&B vibe that made Destiny’s Child so potent." He went on to say that "Mariah has returned to singing – while still pushing the limits of good taste with her barely there outfits."
" and "Get Your Number
", which were released as the album's third and fourth singles. (Following this recording session, "Shake It Off" was briefly selected as the album's lead single, replacing the originally-planned "Say Somethin'".) Carey later returned to Atlanta for a second meeting with Dupri; during this trip, Carey and Dupri penned the last two songs to be included on the album, "We Belong Together
" and "It's like That
". In an interview with Billboard
, Carey described her sentiments regarding "It's Like That" during the production stage:
Carey and her management then decided to release "It's like That", which Carey called "the right fire-starter", as the album's lead single. "I am so grateful I went to Atlanta," Carey later reminisced about her experience with Dupri. "And I have to say, we wrote some of my favorite songs on the album. I'm so proud of Jermaine – he's so focused, and he knew what had to be done." In an interview with MTV, Carey said, "The album is not about making the older executives happy by making a bring-down-the-house, tearjerker ballad, or [something] steeped in the media dramas of my life. What I tried to do was keep the sessions very sparse, underproduced, like in '70s soul music ... "
1980s melodies. While featuring a selection of ballads similar to those on Charmbracelet, they drew influence from R&B and hip-hop, and were composed at an elevated tempo. According to Dimitri Ehrlich, an editor from Vibe, the album includes multiple musical facets:
The Emancipation of Mimi included a variety of tempos and genres not found on her previous release; Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune
felt the album effectively combined "elements of hip-hop and rhythm and blues into pop songs that appeal to a broad cross-section of listeners." The Houston Chronicle
s Joey Guerra noted the album's pervading formula; a mixture of "flirty club jams and sing-along ballads. A dash of kitsch. A sprinkling of guest rappers." Aside from the album's ballads and uptempo numbers, The Emancipation of Mimi incorporated elements of soul
and 1970s inspired genres, evident on the gospel
-tinged closing track. While most tracks deduce their instrumentation from live bands and musical instruments, some of the uptempo songs featured computerized arrangements and synthesizers. Stylistically, critics considered the album Carey's most diverse record in years, one that highlighted a range of different production choices and techniques.
by Carey and Jermaine Dupri. The song features hand claps
, whistle
s, ad-libs
and verses from Dupri and Fat Man Scoop. A strong bassline
and chord progression
are aligned with piano and string notes. Its lyrics chronicle Carey's celebration of her emancipation: "I came to have a party / Open off that Bacardi ... Purple taking me higher / I'm lifted and I like it." Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine praised the song's lyrics and strong beat
, saying the song prepares listeners for the album's "party theme". "We Belong Together", the album's second track and second single, was also composed by Carey and Dupri. The song, a "broken-hearted lament for love", features finger-snaps
, kick drums
, and a strong piano-driven melody.
Carey composed the jazz-influenced gospel
ballad "Fly Like a Bird" with James Wright. The lyrics are in the form of a prayer that conveys a message of unconditional love from God. The song features a recording of Carey's deceased pastor, Clarence Keaton, reading two Bible verses, along with a full range of gospel background vocalists during the song's climax. Throughout the song's gospel-influenced crescendo, Carey's vocals enters the whistle register
. Carey also wrote the song "Say Somethin'", which features rap verses from Snoop Dogg and production by The Neptunes
. Ehrlich described the song as "a musical oddity" featuring "strange instrumentation, weird melodic shifts, hectic drum patterns and a bed of synths." In the song, the protagonist comes on to a love interest with the line "If it's worth your while, do something good to me." In Snoop Dogg's verse, the man invites his love interest to "get buckwild" in a restroom. According to Jozen Cummings of PopMatters
, the song's lyrics describe "a shy woman who doesn't need to say anything at all to get a man's attention."
Carey wrote "Mine Again" alongside producer James Poyser
. The ballad features electronic keyboard
notes and a rhythmic vinyl sound while incorporating melodies from gospel and R&B genres. "Stay the Night" features production from Carey and Kanye West
, and samples a piano loop from Ramsey Lewis
's "Betcha by Golly, Wow" (1971). Lyrically, it features the protagonist facing the dilemma of spending the night with an ex-flame who now belongs to someone else. "Get Your Number
" was written and produced by Carey and Dupri, and features the latter as a musical guest on the track. The song samples the hook from British band Imagination
's "Just an Illusion
" (1982), and derives its production from "'80s-esque synthesizers" and several computerized musical instruments. Lawrence Ferber from the Windy City Times
described "Shake It Off" as a "playful approach to bitterness—and, more specifically, a cheatin' bad apple", with lyrics like 'I gotta shake you off / Just like a Calgon commercial'. In an interview with Ferber, Carey described the song as her favorite from The Emancipation of Mimi: "Shake it off can apply to anything. Whatever personal dramas we go through, put that song on and you lose the anxiety or intensity of the moment. I'll listen to that song when I've just come out of an annoying meeting. I gotta shake this off." Editor Jon Pareles
from The New York Times
felt that the album followed a formula that was obvious on "Shake It Off": "On this album, the verses stay in a narrow range, the choruses glide higher, and at the ends of some songs, Ms. Carey gives herself a few of her old sky-high notes as a background flourish."
and physical CD format, it was shipped through The Island Def Jam Music Group
. On April 4, 2005, the album was released to the public in Australia and New Zealand and throughout most European countries. In the United Kingdom, The Emancipation of Mimi was released through Mercury Records
. The following day, thew album was transported to record vendors in Canada through the Universal Music Group
. On April 12, 2005, it became available in France, Japan and the United States, and was released on May 11, 2005 in China. On British and Japanese versions of the album, "Sprung" and "Secretlove" were included as "bonus tracks", not available in any other country.
and Jadakiss
; and a new version of the 2006 single "So Lonely" by American rapper Twista
(which originally featured Carey), in which Carey sings an additional verse. The second version of the album was a limited-edition set of the CD plus a DVD of music videos. The DVD included the videos from The Emancipation of Mimi that had so far been released ("It's Like That", "We Belong Together", "Shake It Off", and "Get Your Number"), along with the then-recently shot video for "Don't Forget About Us". The album marked the first domestic release of the video for "Get Your Number", which had previously been released only in Europe.
" was released as the album's lead single on January 7, 2005. The song received mostly positive reviews from music critics; Ehrlich described it as "catchy and infectious"—a song that would re-ignite Carey's popularity among MTV viewers. It became her highest-charting song in years, peaking at number sixteen on the US Billboard Hot 100
. "It's Like That" debuted and peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart
, and reached the top ten in Australia, Italy, and Switzerland, and the top twenty in France, the Netherlands, Norway, and Denmark. "We Belong Together
", the album's second single, became one of the biggest hits of Carey's career. Critics acclaimed the song's strong vocals towards the climax; Cinquemani wrote "The Voice has indeed returned." It became Carey's sixteenth chart topper in the United States, spending fourteen weeks atop the Hot 100, the longest stay of the 2000s and her second longest after "One Sweet Day
" (1996), which spent a record sixteen weeks atop the chart. As well as breaking various Nielsen BDS
records, the song was name the "most successful song of the 2000s decade" by Billboard. "We Belong Together" topped the chart in Australia and the Netherlands, and attained a top five peak in Denmark, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
"Shake It Off
" was the third single released from The Emancipation of Mimi. The song peaked at number two on the Hot 100, being barred from the top spot by Carey's previous single, "We Belong Together". It became the first time in Billboard history that a female artist occupied the top two spots on the Hot 100. It was released as a double A-side
with "Get Your Number
" in the UK and Australia, where it reached the top ten. "Don't Forget About Us
" was the album's fourth official release, the first from the album's re-release, the Ultra Platinum Edition. The song became Carey's seventeenth chart topper in the United States, tying her with Elvis Presley
for the most number one singles by a solo artist (a record she surpassed in 2008 with "Touch My Body
"). "Say Somethin'
" was released as the album's fifth single in the US, at the same time as "Fly Like a Bird
" was released as a promotional single. It peaked outside the top forty on the Hot 100 and reached the top forty in Australia and the United Kingdom. "Fly Like a Bird" was released as the album's sixth and final single. It was released to US urban and urban adult contemporary radio stations, while "Say Somethin'" was released to pop and rhythmic radio stations. "Fly Like a Bird" did not chart on the main Billboard chart, but it reached number four on Billboards Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles
chart, which represents the twenty-five songs above the Hot 100's number 100 position. It peaked at number nineteen on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
chart and topped the Hot Adult R&B Airplay.
Other charting songs
"Mine Again" was not released as a single in the US in 2005, but peaked at number 73 on Billboards Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart due to high sales and limited airplay. Similarly, "So Lonely" was never officially released, but reached number 65 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart due to limited airplay on certain R&B stations.
. In the United Kingdom, Carey filmed a two-part appearance on the British music program Top of the Pops
, performing "It's like That", "We Belong Together", and "Shake It Off". Additional European and Asia appearances included an interview on the French talk show Le Grand Journal
, and a performance of "We Belong Together" on Music Station
in Japan. Carey launched the stateside release of the album on Good Morning America
with an interview and a five-piece outdoor concert. The concert, taking place in Times Square
and attracting the largest crowd to the plaza since the 2004 New Year's Eve celebration, featured the first three singles from the album in addition to "Fly Like a Bird" and "Make It Happen" (1991). The following week, she performed "We Belong Together" at the 2005 BET Awards
, with an additional appearance at the annual VH1
Save the Music
special, filmed live on April 17 at the Beacon Theatre. In front of a live audience of over 3,000, she began a three-piece set with a performance of "It's Like That", featuring special guests Jermaine Dupri and Fat Man Scoop. Next, Carey and R&B singer John Legend
sang the 1979 duet "With You I'm Born Again
", before she closed the live broadcast with a cover of The Jackson 5
classic, "I'll Be There" with Trey Lorenz
. Throughout the month of May, Carey performed "We Belong Together" on the Late Show with David Letterman
(May 5), The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
(May 11), and The Ellen DeGeneres Show
(May 13), which also included a performance of "It's Like That". Carey made an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show
(May 24) which featured a live rendition of "We Belong Together". On June 4 she performed at the annual Macy's Fourth of July Parade
, singing "America the Beautiful
" and the albums first two singles. The following week, Carey made a live appearance at the 2005 annual MTV Movie Awards
. The recital aired on television in black and white format, with Carey—appearing in color—as she performed "We Belong Together" on a white runway
-styled stage.
On July 2, 2005, Carey took part of the Live 8
benefit concert held in Hyde Park, London
. The televised event was watched by over 9.6 million British citizens, as well as a live audience of over 200,000. Carey performed a three song set-list, opening with "We Belong Together" and "Make It Happen", and followed by "Hero
", which featured a live choir of African children. On August 3, USA Today announced that Carey would be added to the roster of performers at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards
. The ceremony was held at the American Airlines Arena on August 28 in downtown Miami Beach, Florida, with Carey's performance taking place at the National Hotel in South Beach
. Carey, accompanied by Dupri, performed "Shake It Off" and the official remix version of "We Belong Together". Carey was featured as a headlining performer at the 2005 Fashion Rocks
, held in Monaco
. Following her introduction by Donatella Versace
, Carey performed the Peter Rauhofer Remix for "We Belong Together". On November 15, 2005, Carey performed "Shake It Off", as well as her newly-released single from the album's re-release, "Don't Forget About Us" during half-time
of the Thanksgiving game between the Detroit Lions
and the Atlanta Falcons
. On November 22, 2005, Carey opened the 33rd annual
American Music Awards, held at the Shrine Auditorium
in Los Angeles, with a performance of "Don't Forget About Us". Dave West from Digital Spy
described it as a "blistering performance", and claimed Carey "wowed" the crowd with her live rendition of the song. Two months later, she celebrated the new year on television, placing as the featured performer at the Times Square Ball drop
on New Year's Eve in New York. The special, titled Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest, aired on ABC
at 10 pm on December 31; Carey performed a selection of the album's singles. Carey was nominated for eight Grammys in 2006—the most nominations she had ever received in one year. At the 48th Grammy Awards, held on February 8, 2006, Carey returned to the Grammy stage for the first time since 1996. Her performance opened with a pre-taped video in which she discussed the importance of God and religion in her life. Carey then came to the stage, and sang a shortened version of "We Belong Together". Next, Carey's pastor, Clarence Keaton, read a passage from the Bible to open Carey's performance of "Fly Like a Bird", as he did in the studio recording of the song. Midway through the song, a large choir joined Carey for the song's gospel climax. The performance earned the night's only standing ovation, and earned praise from critics.
. The tour featured Carey's long-time friend Randy Jackson
as musical director. Carey's performances consisted of songs from her catalog and her newest singles. In an interview with the Associated Press
, Carey described the tour's direction, as well as the music she would perform:
The tour received a warm critical reaction from music critics and concert goers, many of whom celebrated the quality of Carey's live vocals, as well as the show as a whole. However, critics felt the show's excesses, such as Carey's frequent costume changes and pre-filmed clips, were unnecessary distractions. The tours largest audiences were in Tunis, where Carey played to over 60,000 fans during the span of two shows.
Midway through the tour, Carey booked a two-night concert engagement in Hong Kong, which was scheduled to take place following her Japanese shows. The shows were cancelled, however, after tickets went on sale. According to Carey's then-manager Benny Medina
, the cancellation was due to the concert promoter's refusal to pay Carey her agreed-upon compensation. The promoter blamed poor ticket sales (allegedly, only 4,000 tickets had sold) and "Carey's outrageous demands". Medina later disputed the promoter's ticket sales figure, saying that 8,000 tickets had sold. He said Carey would have performed as long as she was compensated, regardless of attendance. Carey ultimately sued the promoter, claiming $1 million in damages for the concert's abrupt cancellation.
, which averages professional reviews into a numerical score. Stephen Thomas Erlewine
, senior editor of Allmusic, called the album a "highly crafted piece of dance-pop" and a "relative comeback" for Carey, despite its not being as smooth as it should be. Aside from the praise, Erlewine voiced a common criticism of the album: Carey's voice seems "damaged" in comparison with her "glory years" in the 1990s. He commented that in the strong and belted songs such as "Fly Like a Bird" and "I Wish You Knew", Carey's voice sounded "as airy, thin, and damaged as it did on Charmbracelet". Michael Paoletta from Billboard was less critical of her vocals, writing "while her voice has lost some of the power through the years, Mim deftly showcases her still-considerable pipes with strong lyrics and slick production." Paoletta called The Emancipation of Mimi Carey's best album since Butterfly (1997). Michael Dougall Bell
from the Calgary Sun
complimented Carey's voice, calling it "very impressive". Bell concluded the review, writing "While Emancipation may not send Carey's stock or star back up to where it once was and where that voice deserves to be, at least she's not plummeting – she's merely levelled off." Tom Sinclair, editor of Entertainment Weekly
, praised her vocals, pointing out how nearly every song "showcases Carey's undeniable vocal strengths". After reviewing "Fly Like a Bird", Sinclair concluded the review with "It's so moving that we'll resist the temptation to be crass and interpret the song as a plea for heightened record sales. Help from above is always welcome, but Emancipation sounds like it just might do fine all on its own."
According to Jenson Macey from BBC News
, The Emancipation of Mimi was Carey's strongest effort from the 2000s; he maintained that the album "took her straight back to the top of the A-List." Caroline Sullivan from The Guardian
gave the album four out of five stars, calling it "cool, focused and urban." Editor of The New York Times
, Jon Pareles
, gave The Emancipation of Mimi a favorable review, complimenting the fact that Carey wrote all of the album's material. He felt the record's new sound was fresh and innovative. He continued, "on The Emancipation of Mimi, she disciplines herself into coherence, using fewer tricks and sounding more believable. She also finds what lesser singers can take for granted: a certain lightness that eases her constant sense of control." Jozen Cummings from PopMatters
gave the album seven out of ten stars, claiming it to be Carey's redemption from the manacles of her previous two releases. He complimented the album's singles, but called some of its production "corny" and "unnecessarily overproduced". Todd Burns from Stylus Magazine gave the album a B-, complimenting its assortment of beats and tempos. Burns, however, was very critical of some of The Neptunes and Dupri's production, calling it "ill-advised". He also criticized some of Carey's vocals, calling them "strained, thin and airy". While claiming it an obvious improvement over her previous releases of the decade, he finished with "It’s easily the strongest album that she’s made in this millennium, but suffers from the fact that her vocals have deteriorated—a simple fact of the ravages that her voice has undergone in the past fifteen years." Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine gave The Emancipation of Mimi three and a half out of five stars, calling it "redemption". He complimented its array of beats and its production. While giving the album a positive review, Cinquemani was critical of Carey's voice, calling it scratchy. "Where once Mariah's trademark high notes used to serve some purpose, they now seem random, existing just to convince us that The Voice is still there—and it is ... kind of. As gratifying as that is on the surface, there's still the nagging feeling that Mariah has damaged her voice beyond repair."
Apart from its critical and commercial success, The Emancipation of Mimi received a number of awards and award nominations. The album earned ten Grammy Award
nominations in 2006–07: eight in 2006 for the original release (the most received by Carey in a single year), and two in 2007 for the Ultra Platinum Edition. In 2006 Carey won "Best Contemporary R&B Album"
for The Emancipation of Mimi, as well as "Best Female R&B Vocal Performance"
and "Best R&B Song"
for "We Belong Together". Carey was nominated for, but did not win, "Album of the Year"
(The Emancipation of Mimi), "Record of the Year"
("We Belong Together"), "Song of the Year"
("We Belong Together"), "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance"
("It's Like That"), and Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance
("Mine Again"). In 2007 "Don't Forget About Us" was nominated for "Best Female R&B Vocal Performance" and "Best R&B Song", winning neither.
The Emancipation of Mimi won the 2005 Soul Train Awards for "Best R&B/Soul Album" and "Best Female R&B/Soul Album", and the 2005 Vibe Award for "Album of the Year". Rolling Stone
ranked the album number 43 on its 2005 list of the year's best albums, and Entertainment Weekly ranked it 21 on their list of the "Top 100 Best Albums of the past 25 years". The song "We Belong Together" won a Teen Choice Award, a World Music Award, two Billboard Music Awards, two Radio Music Awards, and three Bambi Awards
. "Shake It Off" and "Don't Forget About Us" won two additional Bambis. After Carey received the Bambi in recognition of over 100,000 units of The Emancipation of Mimi in Germany, there was heavy media attention when the award was stolen from Carey's dressing room.
's The Massacre
, which had been released over six weeks earlier. It was the first album by a solo female artist to become the year's best-selling album since Alanis Morissette
's Jagged Little Pill
in 1996. It became Carey's highest-selling album in the United States since Daydream (1995), which shipped ten million copies and received a diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA). Ten months after its release, the album was certified six-times platinum by the RIAA, denoting shipments of over six million copies. As of August 2010, stateside sales of the album are estimated at over 5,941,000.
The Emancipation of Mimi entered the Australian Albums Chart
on April 17, 2005, at number thirteen. The following week, it peaked at number six, where it spent one week. The album spent a total of forty-six weeks on the chart. It was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association
(ARIA), and finished number twenty-seven on the End of Year Chart. In Canada The Emancipation of Mimi debuted and peaked at number two on the Canadian Albums Chart
, with first-week sales of 11,000 units. The album was certified triple platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association
(CRIA), denoting shipments of over 300,000 units. The Emancipation of Mimi debuted at number seven on the UK Albums Chart
dated April 6, 2005. On July 23, fourteen weeks after its debut, the album once again reached its peak position of number seven. After one re-entry, the album spent a combined forty-three weeks in the albums chart, being certified double-platinum by the British Phonographic Industry
(BPI). The album has sales of over 621,352 copies as of early 2008. In France the album debuted at its peak position of number four on April 9, 2005. The record spent a total of fifty-one weeks in the chart, and was certified gold by the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique
(SNEP). Eight months after its release in Europe, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) certified The Emancipation of Mimi platinum, denoting shipments of over one million units throughout the continent. In Hong Kong it was awarded a Gold Disc Award, which is issued to the top ten best-selling foreign albums each year. It debuted at number two on the Japanese Albums Chart
, and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan
(RIAJ). At the end of 2005, the IFPI reported that The Emancipation of Mimi had sold more than 7.7 million copies globally, and was the second best-selling album of the year, after Coldplay
's X&Y
. It was the best-selling album worldwide by a solo and female artist. As of April 2008, The Emancipation of Mimi has sold over 12 million copies worldwide.
Album charts (end of year)
Album charts (end-of-decade)
Album certifications
Singles charts
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...
by American recording artist 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...
, released in the United States on April 12, 2005, by Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
. Following the relatively poor critical and commercial responses to her albums, Glitter (2001) and Charmbracelet
Charmbracelet
Charmbracelet is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, released on December 3, 2002 through Island Records and MonarC Entertainment. The album was her first release since facing a breakdown following the release of her film Glitter and its accompanying...
(2002), The Emancipation of Mimi became Carey's highest-selling release in nearly a decade. Critics called The Emancipation of Mimi as Carey's "comeback" album. A number of artists are attributed with writing and production credits, including Jermaine Dupri
Jermaine Dupri
Jermaine Dupri Mauldin , known as Jermaine Dupri or JD, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper.- Early life and career :...
, Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
, Twista
Twista
Carl Terrell Mitchell , better known by his stage name Twista, is an American rapper. He is known for once holding the title of fastest rapper in the world according to Guinness World Records in 1992, being able to pronounce 598 syllables in 55 seconds...
, Nelly
Nelly
Cornell Iral Haynes, Jr. , better known by his stage name Nelly, is an Grammy Award winning American rapper and actor. He has performed with the rap group St. Lunatics since 1993 and signed to Universal Records in 1999. Under Universal, Nelly began his solo career in 2000 with his debut album...
, Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Williams , commonly known simply as Pharrell, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, composer, and fashion designer. Williams and Chad Hugo make up the record production duo The Neptunes, producing hip hop and R&B music...
and James "Big Jim" Wright. Most of these artists also appear as featured guests on various tracks.
The album revealed a more intimate side of the singer, as seen in its declarative theme of emancipation from her personal and commercial setbacks. Although it shared similar vocal production with her previous works and an inclination towards her signature ballads, the album encompassed a variety of dance-oriented and uptempo styles that were in keeping with its celebratory aesthetics. Critics noted the album's pervading theme of independence and lack of restraint, and dubbed it a "party record". In contrast to the 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...
and adult contemporary music styles that framed her previous releases, the album showcased a wider range of genres, exploring hip-hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
and a variety of 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...
-related styles such as 1970s retro gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
and soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
.
The Emancipation of Mimi received generally positive reception, as many critics called it Carey's best vocal performance in years. Several reviewers had questioned Carey's vocal abilities in Charmbracelet, in which they found her voice to be airy, thin, and damaged. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
with opening week sales of 404,000 copies, the highest first-week sales of Carey's career at the time. It opened in the top five on the albums chart in Argentina, Canada, Denmark, France, and Japan, as well as on the European chart. The Emancipation of Mimi finished as the best-selling album of 2005 in the United States, and the second-best seller around the world. As of April 2008, it had sold over 12 million copies worldwide.
Carey had international success with the first two singles commissioned from the album. "It's like That
It's like That (Mariah Carey song)
"It's Like That" is a song written by Mariah Carey, Jermaine Dupri, Manuel Seal, and Johntá Austin, and produced by Carey, Dupri, and Seal for Carey's tenth studio album, The Emancipation of Mimi . It borrows the hook "it's like that y'all" from the Run-D.M.C. tracks "Hollis Crew" and "Here We Go...
" became one of Carey's highest-charting songs in years, reaching the top twenty in several countries. "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...
", the album's second single, topped the singles chart in the United States, where it accumulated 14 total weeks at number one, and was later named "song of the decade" by 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...
. Additionally, it reached number one in Australia and New Zealand, and achieved top-five places in several European countries. To promote the album, Carey performed at the 48th annual Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
s, where she received the only standing ovation of the evening, and the 33rd
American Music Awards of 2005
The 33rd American Music Awards were held on November 22, 2005. They were hosted by Cedric the Entertainer. The awards recognized the most popular albums and artists from the year 2005.-Pop/Rock Category:Winners are highlighted in bold.*Favorite Male Artist...
American Music Awards. Throughout 2006, Carey embarked on her sixth concert tour, The Adventures of Mimi
The Adventures of Mimi Tour
The Adventures of Mimi: The Voice, The Hits, The Tour was a 2006 concert tour of arenas by American R&B singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was one of a few tours in her then-sixteen year career and was named after a fan's "Carey-centric" diary of the same name...
.
Context
Prior to the release of her ninth studio album, CharmbraceletCharmbracelet
Charmbracelet is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, released on December 3, 2002 through Island Records and MonarC Entertainment. The album was her first release since facing a breakdown following the release of her film Glitter and its accompanying...
, Carey had experienced a year of critical, commercial, and personal troubles, following the poor reception of her debut film Glitter
Glitter (film)
Glitter is a 2001 film starring R&B singer, songwriter Mariah Carey. It was produced by 20th Century Fox and Columbia Pictures and directed by Vondie Curtis-Hall. It centers on the life and times of a struggling singer from the early club music scene in the 1980s.-Production:Carey has said about...
(2001) and her subsequent hospitalization. Glitter was panned by critics and earned less than eight million dollars at the box office. The soundtrack for the film fared slightly better, spawning a top-two single in the United States, and has sold over two million units worldwide. Carey made a controversial appearance on Total Request Live
Total Request Live
Total Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...
, in which she gave out ice cream to fans and demonstrated "erratic" behavior. After posting a troubling letter on her official site, Carey checked into a hospital in Connecticut, citing an "emotional and physical breakdown". Following the film and soundtrack's poor performance, Virgin Records
Virgin Records
Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny...
bought out Carey's unprecedented $100-million recording contract. They paid her $50 million to part ways. Carey flew to Capri
Capri
Capri is an Italian island in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrentine Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples, in the Campania region of Southern Italy...
, Italy, after her two-week hospitalization. During her five-month stay, she began writing and producing material for a new 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...
, using some of the experiences she had gone through in recent months as themes for the albums material. After being signed by Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
and starting her own imprint, MonarC Entertainment, Carey geared up for her intended "comeback" release, Charmbracelet. Critics deemed the album a strong improvement over Glitter, but not something that would re-capture audiences around the world and re-establish her popularity throughout the 1990s. Many took notice of Carey's more airy and light vocals, and claimed she was no longer capable of the same degree of vocal prowess she had exhibited earlier in her career. Three years later, with the release of The Emancipation of Mimi, Carey's critical and commercial popularity surged again; critics called it her true comeback, as well as an emancipation from her two previous albums.
Titling and development
After enduring three years of "carping" from critics, Carey planned out her return to music. In a letter she posted on her official site on November 18, 2004, she revealed that the name of the album would be The Emancipation of Mimi, which is derived from her nickname, "Mimi". She commented that although the album was intended to have a March 2005 release date, she wanted to explain the title because it had leaked out to the media earlier than anticipated. While Carey was recording the album, Island Records executive L.A. Reid learned that people referred to the singer as "Mimi". He told Carey, "I feel your spirit on this record. You should use that name in the title, because that's the fun side of you that people don't get to see – the side that can laugh at the diva jokes, laugh at the breakdown jokes, laugh at whatever they want to say about you and just live life and enjoy it." Carey explained that Mimi is a "very personal nickname" only used by those closest to her, and thus the title meant she was letting her guard down and inviting her fans to be that much closer to her. It was "just one of those little things that I've kept for myself in an attempt to have some delineation between a public persona and a private life." She later revealed how she thought it would be "obnoxious" to title her album The Emancipation of Mariah Carey.Jennifer Vineyard of MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
noted that The Emancipation of Mimi was intended to do what Charmbracelet did not: it would be her "post-breakdown, post-Glitter, comeback." After initial reports that "Say Somethin'
Say Somethin'
"Say Somethin" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was written by Carey, Snoop Dogg, Chad Hugo, and Pharrell Williams, and produced by The Neptunes as the fifth single from Carey's tenth studio album, The Emancipation of Mimi . The song is one of few from Carey's catalog in...
", featuring rapper Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
, would be the album's lead single, television personality and radio host DJ Envy
DJ Envy
DJ Envy is a mixtape DJ from New York. He is known as New York's leading mixtape gardener. He currently serves as the President & CEO of BLOK Entertainment, his own management and production company that has already produced tracks for such artist like DMX, Murderers, Funkmaster Flex, Foxy...
commented, "I think she's gonna do the same thing she did last year and go more hip-hop and less mainstream. She should keep it mainstream and just do a remix or something or this won't work." According to Envy, while Carey has a solid core audience, "her relevance to the general public hinges on whether she makes music that has to be heard." Critic Andre Meyer of CBS News
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
thought the material was "stronger", and called the album a move in Carey's long-term plan for pop domination, while giving off the "jittery R&B vibe that made Destiny’s Child so potent." He went on to say that "Mariah has returned to singing – while still pushing the limits of good taste with her barely there outfits."
Writing and recording
By November 2004, Carey had already recorded several songs for the album. Reid suggested that she compose a few more strong singles to ensure the project's commercial success. On Reid's recommendation, Carey met with Jermaine Dupri in Atlanta for a brief studio session, as she had written some of her best work with him. During this two-day trip, the duo wrote and produced "Shake It OffShake 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 "Get Your Number
Get Your Number
"Get Your Number" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was written by Carey, Jermaine Dupri, Johntá Austin and Bryan-Michael Cox, and produced by the former two and LRoc. It was released as the third international single from Carey's tenth studio album, The Emancipation of Mimi...
", which were released as the album's third and fourth singles. (Following this recording session, "Shake It Off" was briefly selected as the album's lead single, replacing the originally-planned "Say Somethin'".) Carey later returned to Atlanta for a second meeting with Dupri; during this trip, Carey and Dupri penned the last two songs to be included on the album, "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...
" and "It's like That
It's like That (Mariah Carey song)
"It's Like That" is a song written by Mariah Carey, Jermaine Dupri, Manuel Seal, and Johntá Austin, and produced by Carey, Dupri, and Seal for Carey's tenth studio album, The Emancipation of Mimi . It borrows the hook "it's like that y'all" from the Run-D.M.C. tracks "Hollis Crew" and "Here We Go...
". In an interview with 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...
, Carey described her sentiments regarding "It's Like That" during the production stage:
I had the chills. I had a great feeling about it when we finished writing the song, and I was flying back from Atlanta at some crazy hour of the morning ... But we were listening to it on the plane ride on the way home, and even from the demo version, I really felt something very special.
Carey and her management then decided to release "It's like That", which Carey called "the right fire-starter", as the album's lead single. "I am so grateful I went to Atlanta," Carey later reminisced about her experience with Dupri. "And I have to say, we wrote some of my favorite songs on the album. I'm so proud of Jermaine – he's so focused, and he knew what had to be done." In an interview with MTV, Carey said, "The album is not about making the older executives happy by making a bring-down-the-house, tearjerker ballad, or [something] steeped in the media dramas of my life. What I tried to do was keep the sessions very sparse, underproduced, like in '70s soul music ... "
Structure and style
Carey described The Emancipation of Mimi as her most most expressive album to that point; in her words, it signified her creative freedom, as she was oppressed by the expectations of record executives in the past. The album's motif of professional and cultural emancipation is demonstrated throughout various songs. Many feature Carey's "lack of restraint", while incorporating several examples of musical diversity not featured on Charmbracelet. The latter harbored on reviving Carey's popularity among the adult contemporary audience, following her decline with Glitter, which found the singer experimenting with sampledSampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
1980s melodies. While featuring a selection of ballads similar to those on Charmbracelet, they drew influence from R&B and hip-hop, and were composed at an elevated tempo. According to Dimitri Ehrlich, an editor from Vibe, the album includes multiple musical facets:
Mimi pulls Carey in two opposite directions. Most of the tracks find her paired with the hottest hip-hop producers of the day; there, she exercises restraint and settles into a groove. But on the rest, she does what comes most naturally to her-belting to her heart's desire, perhaps to mollify those who don't care much for her detours into raunchier rap territory.
The Emancipation of Mimi included a variety of tempos and genres not found on her previous release; Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune
The Chicago Tribune is a major daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, and the flagship publication of the Tribune Company. Formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" , it remains the most read daily newspaper of the Chicago metropolitan area and the Great Lakes region and is...
felt the album effectively combined "elements of hip-hop and rhythm and blues into pop songs that appeal to a broad cross-section of listeners." The Houston Chronicle
Houston 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...
s Joey Guerra noted the album's pervading formula; a mixture of "flirty club jams and sing-along ballads. A dash of kitsch. A sprinkling of guest rappers." Aside from the album's ballads and uptempo numbers, The Emancipation of Mimi incorporated elements of soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
and 1970s inspired genres, evident on the gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
-tinged closing track. While most tracks deduce their instrumentation from live bands and musical instruments, some of the uptempo songs featured computerized arrangements and synthesizers. Stylistically, critics considered the album Carey's most diverse record in years, one that highlighted a range of different production choices and techniques.
Songs and lyrics
The Emancipation of Mimis first song, "It's Like That", was written and producedRecord producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
by Carey and Jermaine Dupri. The song features hand claps
Clapping
A clap is the sound made by striking together two flat surfaces, as in the body parts of humans or animals. Humans clap with the palms of their hands, often in a constant drone to express appreciation or approval , but also in rhythm to match sounds in music and dance...
, whistle
Whistle
A whistle or call is a simple aerophone, an instrument which produces sound from a stream of forced air. It may be mouth-operated, or powered by air pressure, steam, or other means...
s, ad-libs
Ad libitum
Ad libitum is Latin for "at one's pleasure"; it is often shortened to "ad lib" or "ad-lib"...
and verses from Dupri and Fat Man Scoop. A strong bassline
Bassline
A bassline is the term used in many styles of popular music, such as jazz, blues, funk, dub and electronic music for the low-pitched instrumental part or line played by a rhythm section instrument such as the electric bass, double bass, tuba or keyboard...
and 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...
are aligned with piano and string notes. Its lyrics chronicle Carey's celebration of her emancipation: "I came to have a party / Open off that Bacardi ... Purple taking me higher / I'm lifted and I like it." Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine praised the song's lyrics and strong beat
Beat (music)
The beat is the basic unit of time in music, the pulse of the mensural level . In popular use, the beat can refer to a variety of related concepts including: tempo, meter, rhythm and groove...
, saying the song prepares listeners for the album's "party theme". "We Belong Together", the album's second track and second single, was also composed by Carey and Dupri. The song, a "broken-hearted lament for love", features finger-snaps
Snap (fingers)
Snapping one's fingers is the act of creating a cracking/clicking sound with one's fingers. Primarily this is done by building tension between the thumb and another finger and then moving the other finger forcefully downward so it hits the palm of the same hand at a high speed...
, kick drums
Bass drum
Bass drums are percussion instruments that can vary in size and are used in several musical genres. Three major types of bass drums can be distinguished. The type usually seen or heard in orchestral, ensemble or concert band music is the orchestral, or concert bass drum . It is the largest drum of...
, and a strong piano-driven melody.
Carey composed the jazz-influenced gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
ballad "Fly Like a Bird" with James Wright. The lyrics are in the form of a prayer that conveys a message of unconditional love from God. The song features a recording of Carey's deceased pastor, Clarence Keaton, reading two Bible verses, along with a full range of gospel background vocalists during the song's climax. Throughout the song's gospel-influenced crescendo, Carey's vocals enters the whistle register
Whistle register
The whistle register is the highest register of the human voice, lying above the modal register and falsetto register...
. Carey also wrote the song "Say Somethin'", which features rap verses from Snoop Dogg and production by The Neptunes
The Neptunes
The Neptunes are a record production duo consisting of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, who are credited with contributing the sound for many successful hip hop, R&B and pop artists in the late-1990s and 2000s...
. Ehrlich described the song as "a musical oddity" featuring "strange instrumentation, weird melodic shifts, hectic drum patterns and a bed of synths." In the song, the protagonist comes on to a love interest with the line "If it's worth your while, do something good to me." In Snoop Dogg's verse, the man invites his love interest to "get buckwild" in a restroom. According to Jozen Cummings of PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
, the song's lyrics describe "a shy woman who doesn't need to say anything at all to get a man's attention."
Carey wrote "Mine Again" alongside producer James Poyser
James Poyser
James Poyser in Sheffield, England is a multi-Grammy winning songwriter, musician and multi-platinum producer.Poyser has written and produced songs for various legendary and award-winning artists including Erykah Badu, Mariah Carey, John Legend, Lauryn Hill, Common, Anthony Hamilton, D'Angelo,...
. The ballad features electronic keyboard
Electronic keyboard
An electronic keyboard is an electronic or digital keyboard instrument.The major components of a typical modern electronic keyboard are:...
notes and a rhythmic vinyl sound while incorporating melodies from gospel and R&B genres. "Stay the Night" features production from Carey and Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
, and samples a piano loop from Ramsey Lewis
Ramsey Lewis
Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis, Jr. is an American jazz composer, pianist and radio personality. Ramsey Lewis has recorded over 80 albums and has received seven gold records and three Grammy Awards so far in his career.-Biography:...
's "Betcha by Golly, Wow" (1971). Lyrically, it features the protagonist facing the dilemma of spending the night with an ex-flame who now belongs to someone else. "Get Your Number
Get Your Number
"Get Your Number" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was written by Carey, Jermaine Dupri, Johntá Austin and Bryan-Michael Cox, and produced by the former two and LRoc. It was released as the third international single from Carey's tenth studio album, The Emancipation of Mimi...
" was written and produced by Carey and Dupri, and features the latter as a musical guest on the track. The song samples the hook from British band Imagination
Imagination (band)
Imagination were a three piece British soul and funk band, who came to prominence in the early 1980s. They had chart hits in 28 countries, earning four platinum discs, nine gold discs and more than a dozen silver discs around the world between 1981 and 1983....
's "Just an Illusion
Just an Illusion
"Just an Illusion" is a song co-written by Steve Jolley, Tony Swain, Ashley Ingram and Leee John, performed by the British band Imagination. The song was a major European hit, peaking at number two in the group's native UK. In the United States, "Just an Illusion" went to number twenty-seven on...
" (1982), and derives its production from "'80s-esque synthesizers" and several computerized musical instruments. Lawrence Ferber from the Windy City Times
Windy City Times
Windy City Times is Chicago's oldest LGBT newspaper, and the only Chicago gay publication with an independent circulation audit current as of 2008....
described "Shake It Off" as a "playful approach to bitterness—and, more specifically, a cheatin' bad apple", with lyrics like 'I gotta shake you off / Just like a Calgon commercial'. In an interview with Ferber, Carey described the song as her favorite from The Emancipation of Mimi: "Shake it off can apply to anything. Whatever personal dramas we go through, put that song on and you lose the anxiety or intensity of the moment. I'll listen to that song when I've just come out of an annoying meeting. I gotta shake this off." Editor Jon Pareles
Jon Pareles
Jon Pareles is an American journalist who is the chief popular music critic in the arts section of the New York Times. He played jazz flute and piano, and graduated from Yale University with a degree in music. In the 1970s he was an associate editor of Crawdaddy!, and in the 1980s an associate...
from The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
felt that the album followed a formula that was obvious on "Shake It Off": "On this album, the verses stay in a narrow range, the choruses glide higher, and at the ends of some songs, Ms. Carey gives herself a few of her old sky-high notes as a background flourish."
Release
The Emancipation of Mimi was released in Mexico on March 30, 2005. Available in digital downloadMusic download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
and physical CD format, it was shipped through The Island Def Jam Music Group
The Island Def Jam Motown Music Group
The Island Def Jam Motown Music Group, formerly The Island Def Jam Music Group, is an umbrella label formed in 1999 when Universal Music Group merged two of its daughter companies, Island Records and Def Jam Recordings, to create a label group. In 2011, Motown Records was split from the Universal...
. On April 4, 2005, the album was released to the public in Australia and New Zealand and throughout most European countries. In the United Kingdom, The Emancipation of Mimi was released through Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
. The following day, thew album was transported to record vendors in Canada through the Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
. On April 12, 2005, it became available in France, Japan and the United States, and was released on May 11, 2005 in China. On British and Japanese versions of the album, "Sprung" and "Secretlove" were included as "bonus tracks", not available in any other country.
Ultra Platinum Edition
A new edition of The Emancipation of Mimi, called the Ultra Platinum Edition, was released on November 15, 2005, to accompany the premiere of Carey's new single, "Don't Forget About Us". The album was released in two versions. The first was a CD with four bonus tracks: "Don't Forget About Us" (co-written and co-produced by Carey with Jermaine Dupri), the album's only single; "Makin' It Last All Night (What It Do)", featuring Dupri; the "We Belong Together" remix, featuring American rappers Styles PStyles P
David Styles better known by his stage name, Styles P, is an American rapper, author, and entrepreneur. He is prominently known as a member of Hip Hop group The LOX and is also a part of the Ruff Ryders hip-hop group, and in addition has released multiple albums and mixtapes as a solo...
and Jadakiss
Jadakiss
Jason Phillips , better known as Jadakiss, is an American rapper. He is a member of the group The LOX. Jadakiss is one of the three owners of the imprint known as D-Block. In early 2007, Jadakiss signed to Roc-a-Fella Records / Def Jam Records.-Early life:By the age of 16, Jadakiss was a freestyle...
; and a new version of the 2006 single "So Lonely" by American rapper Twista
Twista
Carl Terrell Mitchell , better known by his stage name Twista, is an American rapper. He is known for once holding the title of fastest rapper in the world according to Guinness World Records in 1992, being able to pronounce 598 syllables in 55 seconds...
(which originally featured Carey), in which Carey sings an additional verse. The second version of the album was a limited-edition set of the CD plus a DVD of music videos. The DVD included the videos from The Emancipation of Mimi that had so far been released ("It's Like That", "We Belong Together", "Shake It Off", and "Get Your Number"), along with the then-recently shot video for "Don't Forget About Us". The album marked the first domestic release of the video for "Get Your Number", which had previously been released only in Europe.
Singles
"It's Like ThatIt's like That (Mariah Carey song)
"It's Like That" is a song written by Mariah Carey, Jermaine Dupri, Manuel Seal, and Johntá Austin, and produced by Carey, Dupri, and Seal for Carey's tenth studio album, The Emancipation of Mimi . It borrows the hook "it's like that y'all" from the Run-D.M.C. tracks "Hollis Crew" and "Here We Go...
" was released as the album's lead single on January 7, 2005. The song received mostly positive reviews from music critics; Ehrlich described it as "catchy and infectious"—a song that would re-ignite Carey's popularity among MTV viewers. It became her highest-charting song in years, peaking at number sixteen on the US Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. "It's Like That" debuted and peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, and reached the top ten in Australia, Italy, and Switzerland, and the top twenty in France, the Netherlands, Norway, and Denmark. "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...
", the album's second single, became one of the biggest hits of Carey's career. Critics acclaimed the song's strong vocals towards the climax; Cinquemani wrote "The Voice has indeed returned." It became Carey's sixteenth chart topper in the United States, spending fourteen weeks atop the Hot 100, the longest stay of the 2000s and her second longest after "One Sweet Day
One Sweet Day
"One Sweet Day" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey and R&B group Boyz II Men. The song was written by Carey, Walter Afanasieff and the members of Boyz II Men: Wanya Morris, Shawn Stockman, Nathan Morris, and Michael McCary. "One Sweet Day" was produced by Carey and Afanasieff for...
" (1996), which spent a record sixteen weeks atop the chart. As well as breaking various Nielsen BDS
Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems
Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems, better known as BDS, is a service that tracks monitored radio, television and internet airplay of songs based on the number of spins and detections...
records, the song was name the "most successful song of the 2000s decade" by Billboard. "We Belong Together" topped the chart in Australia and the Netherlands, and attained a top five peak in Denmark, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
"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...
" was the third single released from The Emancipation of Mimi. The song peaked at number two on the Hot 100, being barred from the top spot by Carey's previous single, "We Belong Together". It became the first time in Billboard history that a female artist occupied the top two spots on the Hot 100. It was released as a double A-side
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
with "Get Your Number
Get Your Number
"Get Your Number" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was written by Carey, Jermaine Dupri, Johntá Austin and Bryan-Michael Cox, and produced by the former two and LRoc. It was released as the third international single from Carey's tenth studio album, The Emancipation of Mimi...
" in the UK and Australia, where it reached the top ten. "Don't Forget About Us
Don't Forget About Us
"Don't Forget About Us" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was written by Carey, Jermaine Dupri, Bryan-Michael Cox and Johntá Austin, and released as the fifth single for the re-issue of her tenth studio album, The Emancipation of Mimi...
" was the album's fourth official release, the first from the album's re-release, the Ultra Platinum Edition. The song became Carey's seventeenth chart topper in the United States, tying her with Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
for the most number one singles by a solo artist (a record she surpassed in 2008 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...
"). "Say Somethin'
Say Somethin'
"Say Somethin" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was written by Carey, Snoop Dogg, Chad Hugo, and Pharrell Williams, and produced by The Neptunes as the fifth single from Carey's tenth studio album, The Emancipation of Mimi . The song is one of few from Carey's catalog in...
" was released as the album's fifth single in the US, at the same time as "Fly Like a Bird
Fly like a Bird
"Fly Like a Bird" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, first released on April 3, 2006 by Island Records as a promotional single from her tenth studio album, The Emancipation of Mimi . Written and produced by Carey and James "Big Jim" Wright, the song draws influence from...
" was released as a promotional single. It peaked outside the top forty on the Hot 100 and reached the top forty in Australia and the United Kingdom. "Fly Like a Bird" was released as the album's sixth and final single. It was released to US urban and urban adult contemporary radio stations, while "Say Somethin'" was released to pop and rhythmic radio stations. "Fly Like a Bird" did not chart on the main Billboard chart, but it reached number four on Billboards Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles
Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles
The Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It lists the top 25 singles below number 100 that have not yet charted on the Billboard Hot 100. Sometimes, however, singles halt their progress on this chart, and never appear on the Hot 100...
chart, which represents the twenty-five songs above the Hot 100's number 100 position. It peaked at number nineteen on the 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 and topped the Hot Adult R&B Airplay.
Other charting songs
"Mine Again" was not released as a single in the US in 2005, but peaked at number 73 on Billboards Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart due to high sales and limited airplay. Similarly, "So Lonely" was never officially released, but reached number 65 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart due to limited airplay on certain R&B stations.
Promotion
Following the release of "It's Like That", Carey embarked on several stateside, European, and Asian promotional tours in support of The Emancipation of Mimi and its accompanying singles. Promotion for the song began at the 2005 Echo Awards, where Carey opened the ceremony with a live rendition of the song. Two days later, she performed the song on the German game show Wetten, dass..?Wetten, dass..?
Wetten, dass..? is a long-running German-language entertainment television show. It is the most successful Saturday television show in Europe...
. In the United Kingdom, Carey filmed a two-part appearance on the British music program Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops
Top of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. After 25 December 2006 it became a radio program, now hosted by Tony Blackburn...
, performing "It's like That", "We Belong Together", and "Shake It Off". Additional European and Asia appearances included an interview on the French talk show Le Grand Journal
Le Grand Journal (Canal+)
Le Grand Journal is a French nightly news and talk show airing every weekday evening on Canal+. Debuting on August 30, 2004, it was created and hosted by Michel Denisot. Originally a one-hour program, it expanded to two hours in 2005. Even though the show is broadcast on the premium channel Canal+,...
, and a performance of "We Belong Together" on Music Station
Music Station
is a Japanese music television program. It began broadcasting on October 24, 1986 and continues to be broadcast weekly in High-definition from 8PM-9PM on tv asahi...
in Japan. Carey launched the stateside release of the album on Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
with an interview and a five-piece outdoor concert. The concert, taking place in Times Square
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
and attracting the largest crowd to the plaza since the 2004 New Year's Eve celebration, featured the first three singles from the album in addition to "Fly Like a Bird" and "Make It Happen" (1991). The following week, she performed "We Belong Together" at the 2005 BET Awards
BET Awards
The BET Awards were established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate African Americans and other minorities in music, acting, sports, and other fields of entertainment over the past year. The awards are presented annually and broadcast live on BET...
, with an additional appearance at the annual VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
Save the Music
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
special, filmed live on April 17 at the Beacon Theatre. In front of a live audience of over 3,000, she began a three-piece set with a performance of "It's Like That", featuring special guests Jermaine Dupri and Fat Man Scoop. Next, Carey and R&B singer John Legend
John Legend
John Roger Stephens , better known by his stage name John Legend, is an American singer, musician, and actor. He is the recipient of nine Grammy Awards, and in 2007, he received the special Starlight award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.Prior to the release of his debut album, Stephens' career...
sang the 1979 duet "With You I'm Born Again
With You I'm Born Again
"With You I'm Born Again" is a 1979 duet single by Motown recording artists Billy Preston and Syreeta Wright, released as a single from the soundtrack of the motion picture, Fast Break. The song was credited as "Billy Preston and Syreeta" and written by Carol Connors & David Shire...
", before she closed the live broadcast with a cover of The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5 , later known as The Jacksons, were an American popular music family group from Gary, Indiana...
classic, "I'll Be There" with Trey Lorenz
Trey Lorenz
Trey Lorenz is an African American singer and songwriter. He was born in Florence, South Carolina and is a graduate of Wilson High School.-Biography:...
. Throughout the month of May, Carey performed "We Belong Together" on the Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
(May 5), The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that initially aired from May 25, 1992 to May 29, 2009, and resumed production on March 1, 2010. The fourth incarnation of the Tonight Show franchise made its debut on May 25, 1992, three days following Johnny...
(May 11), and The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show
The Ellen DeGeneres Show, often shortened to Ellen, is an American television talk show hosted by comedian/actress Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it is produced by Telepictures and airs in syndication, including stations owned by NBC Universal. For its first five seasons, the show...
(May 13), which also included a performance of "It's Like That". Carey made an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
(May 24) which featured a live rendition of "We Belong Together". On June 4 she performed at the annual Macy's Fourth of July Parade
Macy's
Macy's is a U.S. chain of mid-to-high range department stores. In addition to its flagship Herald Square location in New York City, the company operates over 800 stores in the United States...
, singing "America the Beautiful
America the Beautiful
"America the Beautiful" is an American patriotic song. The lyrics were written by Katharine Lee Bates and the music composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward....
" and the albums first two singles. The following week, Carey made a live appearance at the 2005 annual MTV Movie Awards
MTV Movie Awards
The MTV Movie Awards is a film awards show presented annually on MTV . It also contains movie parodies that used official movie footage with hosts and other celebrities and music performances. The nominees are decided by producers and executives at MTV. Winners are decided online by the general...
. The recital aired on television in black and white format, with Carey—appearing in color—as she performed "We Belong Together" on a white runway
Runway (fashion)
Runway or catwalk describes a narrow, usually flat platform that runs into an auditorium, used by models to demonstrate clothing and accessories during a fashion show In fashion jargon, "what's on the catwalk" or similar phrasing can refer to whatever is new and popular in fashion.- Exclusive...
-styled stage.
On July 2, 2005, Carey took part of the Live 8
Live 8
Live 8 was a string of benefit concerts that took place on 2 July 2005, in the G8 states and in South Africa. They were timed to precede the G8 Conference and summit held at the Gleneagles Hotel in Auchterarder, Scotland from 6–8 July 2005; they also coincided with the 20th anniversary of Live Aid...
benefit concert held in Hyde Park, London
Hyde Park, London
Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London, United Kingdom, and one of the Royal Parks of London, famous for its Speakers' Corner.The park is divided in two by the Serpentine...
. The televised event was watched by over 9.6 million British citizens, as well as a live audience of over 200,000. Carey performed a three song set-list, opening with "We Belong Together" and "Make It Happen", and followed by "Hero
Hero (Mariah Carey song)
"Hero" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released on October 19, 1993 by Columbia Records as the second single from Carey's third studio album, Music Box . Originally intended for Gloria Estefan, the song was written and produced by Carey and Walter Afanasieff...
", which featured a live choir of African children. On August 3, USA Today announced that Carey would be added to the roster of performers at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards
2005 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2005 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on August 28, 2005, honoring the best music videos from July 1, 2004 to June 30, 2005. The show was hosted by Diddy at the AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami, Florida...
. The ceremony was held at the American Airlines Arena on August 28 in downtown Miami Beach, Florida, with Carey's performance taking place at the National Hotel in South Beach
South Beach
South Beach, also nicknamed SoBe, is a neighborhood in the city of Miami Beach, Florida, United States. It is the area south of Indian Creek and encompasses roughly the southernmost 23 blocks of the main barrier island that separates the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay.This area was the first...
. Carey, accompanied by Dupri, performed "Shake It Off" and the official remix version of "We Belong Together". Carey was featured as a headlining performer at the 2005 Fashion Rocks
Fashion Rocks
Fashion Rocks was an annual international charity fundraiser event which features fashions by the world's top designers being presented to live performances by popular music acts.The inaugural event was held at the Royal Albert Hall on October 15, 2003...
, held in Monaco
Monaco
Monaco , officially the Principality of Monaco , is a sovereign city state on the French Riviera. It is bordered on three sides by its neighbour, France, and its centre is about from Italy. Its area is with a population of 35,986 as of 2011 and is the most densely populated country in the...
. Following her introduction by Donatella Versace
Donatella Versace
Donatella Versace is an Italian fashion designer and current Vice-President of the Versace Group, as well as chief designer. She owns 20 percent of the entire stock market assets of Versace. Her brother, Santo Versace, owns 30 percent...
, Carey performed the Peter Rauhofer Remix for "We Belong Together". On November 15, 2005, Carey performed "Shake It Off", as well as her newly-released single from the album's re-release, "Don't Forget About Us" during half-time
Half-time
In some team sports such as association football and rugby, matches are played in two halves. Half-time is the name given to the interval between the two halves of the match...
of the Thanksgiving game between the Detroit Lions
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League , and play their home games at Ford Field in Downtown Detroit.Originally based in Portsmouth, Ohio and...
and the Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. On November 22, 2005, Carey opened the 33rd annual
American Music Awards of 2005
The 33rd American Music Awards were held on November 22, 2005. They were hosted by Cedric the Entertainer. The awards recognized the most popular albums and artists from the year 2005.-Pop/Rock Category:Winners are highlighted in bold.*Favorite Male Artist...
American Music Awards, held at the Shrine Auditorium
Shrine Auditorium
The Shrine Auditorium is a landmark large-event venue, in Los Angeles, California, USA. It is also the headquarters of the Al Malaikah Temple, a division of the Shriners.-History:...
in Los Angeles, with a performance of "Don't Forget About Us". Dave West 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 a "blistering performance", and claimed Carey "wowed" the crowd with her live rendition of the song. Two months later, she celebrated the new year on television, placing as the featured performer at the Times Square Ball drop
Times Square Ball
The Times Square Ball is a time ball dropped each year during the New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square, Manhattan, New York City. The ball is made by Waterford Crystal and electric lights is raised to the top of a pole on the One Times Square building at 6:00 pm and then lowered to mark the...
on New Year's Eve in New York. The special, titled Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest, aired on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
at 10 pm on December 31; Carey performed a selection of the album's singles. Carey was nominated for eight Grammys in 2006—the most nominations she had ever received in one year. At the 48th Grammy Awards, held on February 8, 2006, Carey returned to the Grammy stage for the first time since 1996. Her performance opened with a pre-taped video in which she discussed the importance of God and religion in her life. Carey then came to the stage, and sang a shortened version of "We Belong Together". Next, Carey's pastor, Clarence Keaton, read a passage from the Bible to open Carey's performance of "Fly Like a Bird", as he did in the studio recording of the song. Midway through the song, a large choir joined Carey for the song's gospel climax. The performance earned the night's only standing ovation, and earned praise from critics.
Tour
In support of the album, Carey embarked on her first headlining tour in three years, named The Adventures of Mimi: The Voice, The Hits, The Tour after a "Carey-centric fan's" music diary. The tour spanned forty stops, with thirty-two in the United States and Canada, two in Africa, and six in Japan. Tickets for the tour went on sale on June 2, 2006, with prices ranging from $95 to $150 USDUnited States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
. The tour featured Carey's long-time friend Randy Jackson
Randy Jackson
Randall Darius "Randy" Jackson is an American bassist, singer, record producer, music manager, A&R executive, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is best known as a judge on American Idol and executive producer for MTV's America's Best Dance Crew...
as musical director. Carey's performances consisted of songs from her catalog and her newest singles. In an interview with the Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
, Carey described the tour's direction, as well as the music she would perform:
With this tour, I'm going to be working on some different arrangements for some of the older songs, to ... give it a little more life to them. That's not to say they're going to sound totally different and to freak anybody out ... I love re-singing songs to different music. I genuinely want to tour with these new songs, as well as older hits. These new songs mean so much to me, this time of my life has been so wonderful for me, and I want to experience that with my fans.
The tour received a warm critical reaction from music critics and concert goers, many of whom celebrated the quality of Carey's live vocals, as well as the show as a whole. However, critics felt the show's excesses, such as Carey's frequent costume changes and pre-filmed clips, were unnecessary distractions. The tours largest audiences were in Tunis, where Carey played to over 60,000 fans during the span of two shows.
Midway through the tour, Carey booked a two-night concert engagement in Hong Kong, which was scheduled to take place following her Japanese shows. The shows were cancelled, however, after tickets went on sale. According to Carey's then-manager Benny Medina
Benny Medina
Benny Medina is the CEO of The Medina Company and son of legendary Jazz drummer Ahmad "Benny" Medina. He has worked in the music business as a producer, talent manager and record executive...
, the cancellation was due to the concert promoter's refusal to pay Carey her agreed-upon compensation. The promoter blamed poor ticket sales (allegedly, only 4,000 tickets had sold) and "Carey's outrageous demands". Medina later disputed the promoter's ticket sales figure, saying that 8,000 tickets had sold. He said Carey would have performed as long as she was compensated, regardless of attendance. Carey ultimately sued the promoter, claiming $1 million in damages for the concert's abrupt cancellation.
Critical reception
Reviews
The Emancipation of Mimi was Carey's best-received album in years. It received a 64/100 (indicating "generally positive reviews") on the website MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which averages professional reviews into a numerical score. 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...
, senior editor of Allmusic, called the album a "highly crafted piece of dance-pop" and a "relative comeback" for Carey, despite its not being as smooth as it should be. Aside from the praise, Erlewine voiced a common criticism of the album: Carey's voice seems "damaged" in comparison with her "glory years" in the 1990s. He commented that in the strong and belted songs such as "Fly Like a Bird" and "I Wish You Knew", Carey's voice sounded "as airy, thin, and damaged as it did on Charmbracelet". Michael Paoletta from Billboard was less critical of her vocals, writing "while her voice has lost some of the power through the years, Mim deftly showcases her still-considerable pipes with strong lyrics and slick production." Paoletta called The Emancipation of Mimi Carey's best album since Butterfly (1997). Michael Dougall Bell
Michael Dougall Bell
Michael Dougall Bell is a former Canadian Foreign Service Officer with 36 years experience in the Department of Foreign Affairs, mostly focused on the Middle East. He was Canada's Ambassador to Jordan , Egypt , and Israel...
from the Calgary Sun
Calgary Sun
The Calgary Sun is a daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It is a division of Sun Media, a Quebecor company.First published in 1980, the tabloid-format daily replaced the long-running broadsheet newspaper, The Albertan soon after it was acquired by the publishers of the Toronto...
complimented Carey's voice, calling it "very impressive". Bell concluded the review, writing "While Emancipation may not send Carey's stock or star back up to where it once was and where that voice deserves to be, at least she's not plummeting – she's merely levelled off." Tom Sinclair, editor of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
, praised her vocals, pointing out how nearly every song "showcases Carey's undeniable vocal strengths". After reviewing "Fly Like a Bird", Sinclair concluded the review with "It's so moving that we'll resist the temptation to be crass and interpret the song as a plea for heightened record sales. Help from above is always welcome, but Emancipation sounds like it just might do fine all on its own."
According to Jenson Macey from BBC News
BBC News
BBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
, The Emancipation of Mimi was Carey's strongest effort from the 2000s; he maintained that the album "took her straight back to the top of the A-List." Caroline Sullivan from The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
gave the album four out of five stars, calling it "cool, focused and urban." Editor of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, Jon Pareles
Jon Pareles
Jon Pareles is an American journalist who is the chief popular music critic in the arts section of the New York Times. He played jazz flute and piano, and graduated from Yale University with a degree in music. In the 1970s he was an associate editor of Crawdaddy!, and in the 1980s an associate...
, gave The Emancipation of Mimi a favorable review, complimenting the fact that Carey wrote all of the album's material. He felt the record's new sound was fresh and innovative. He continued, "on The Emancipation of Mimi, she disciplines herself into coherence, using fewer tricks and sounding more believable. She also finds what lesser singers can take for granted: a certain lightness that eases her constant sense of control." Jozen Cummings from PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
gave the album seven out of ten stars, claiming it to be Carey's redemption from the manacles of her previous two releases. He complimented the album's singles, but called some of its production "corny" and "unnecessarily overproduced". Todd Burns from Stylus Magazine gave the album a B-, complimenting its assortment of beats and tempos. Burns, however, was very critical of some of The Neptunes and Dupri's production, calling it "ill-advised". He also criticized some of Carey's vocals, calling them "strained, thin and airy". While claiming it an obvious improvement over her previous releases of the decade, he finished with "It’s easily the strongest album that she’s made in this millennium, but suffers from the fact that her vocals have deteriorated—a simple fact of the ravages that her voice has undergone in the past fifteen years." Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine gave The Emancipation of Mimi three and a half out of five stars, calling it "redemption". He complimented its array of beats and its production. While giving the album a positive review, Cinquemani was critical of Carey's voice, calling it scratchy. "Where once Mariah's trademark high notes used to serve some purpose, they now seem random, existing just to convince us that The Voice is still there—and it is ... kind of. As gratifying as that is on the surface, there's still the nagging feeling that Mariah has damaged her voice beyond repair."
Awards and nominations
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nominations in 2006–07: eight in 2006 for the original release (the most received by Carey in a single year), and two in 2007 for the Ultra Platinum Edition. In 2006 Carey won "Best Contemporary R&B Album"
Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album
The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works on albums in the contemporary R&B music genre...
for The Emancipation of Mimi, as well as "Best Female R&B Vocal Performance"
Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to female recording artists for quality R&B songs...
and "Best R&B Song"
Grammy Award for Best R&B Song
The Grammy Award for Best R&B Song has been awarded since 1959. From 1969 to 2000 it was known as the Grammy Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Song, from 1962 to 1968 it was known as Best Rhythm & Blues Recording, and from 1959-1961 as Best Rhythm & Blues Performance...
for "We Belong Together". Carey was nominated for, but did not win, "Album of the Year"
Grammy Award for Album of the Year
The Grammy Award for Album of the Year is the most prestigious award category at the Grammys. It has been awarded since 1959 and though it was originally presented to the artist alone, the award is now presented to the artist, the producer, the engineer and/or mixer and the mastering engineer...
(The Emancipation of Mimi), "Record of the Year"
Grammy Award for Record of the Year
The Record of the Year is one of the four most prestigious Grammy Awards presented annually. It has been awarded since 1959.-History:The honorees through its history have been:*1959-1965: Artist only.*1966-1998: Artist and producer....
("We Belong Together"), "Song of the Year"
Grammy Award for Song of the Year
The Song of the Year is one of the four most prestigious awards in the Grammy Awards ceremony, if not in all of the American music industry. It has been awarded since 1959 and unlike the Record of the Year award, which goes to the performer and production team of a single song, Song of the Year...
("We Belong Together"), "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance"
Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance is the latest in a series of awards recognizing superior vocal performance by a female in the pop category, the first of which was presented in 1959. The award goes to the artist...
("It's Like That"), and Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance
Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance is an accolade presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally named the Gramophone Awards, to performers of quality traditional R&B vocal performances. The award was first given in 1999; until 2003, only...
("Mine Again"). In 2007 "Don't Forget About Us" was nominated for "Best Female R&B Vocal Performance" and "Best R&B Song", winning neither.
The Emancipation of Mimi won the 2005 Soul Train Awards for "Best R&B/Soul Album" and "Best Female R&B/Soul Album", and the 2005 Vibe Award for "Album of the Year". Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
ranked the album number 43 on its 2005 list of the year's best albums, and Entertainment Weekly ranked it 21 on their list of the "Top 100 Best Albums of the past 25 years". The song "We Belong Together" won a Teen Choice Award, a World Music Award, two Billboard Music Awards, two Radio Music Awards, and three Bambi Awards
Bambi (prize)
The Bambi - Deutschlands Wichtigster Medienpreis, often simply called Bambi Awards and stylized as BAMBI, are presented annually by Hubert Burda Media to recognize excellence in international media and television "with vision and creativity who affected and inspired the German public that year",...
. "Shake It Off" and "Don't Forget About Us" won two additional Bambis. After Carey received the Bambi in recognition of over 100,000 units of The Emancipation of Mimi in Germany, there was heavy media attention when the award was stolen from Carey's dressing room.
Commercial performance
The Emancipation of Mimi became Carey's most commercially successful album of the 2000s. In its first week of release in the United States, it debuted atop the Billboard 200 with over 404,000 copies sold, the highest first-week sales in Carey's career, until E=MC², which opened with 463,000 in 2008. It became her fifth number-one album in the country and her third album to debut at number one. It remained inside the top ten for for several months before dropping to number eleven on September 28, 2005. The album remained in the top twenty for thirty-one consecutive weeks. It returned to the top five after the release of the Ultra Platinum Edition, which helped the album rebound to number four, with sales of 185,000 units. The Emancipation of Mimi was the best-selling album in the United States in 2005, with nearly five million units sold. In the last full week of the year, the album outsold 50 Cent50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson III , better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, investor, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin and The Massacre . Get Rich or Die Tryin has been certified eight times platinum by...
's The Massacre
The Massacre
The Massacre is the second studio album by American rapper 50 Cent, released March 3, 2005 on Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records in the United States. Its initially planned release was pushed five days ahead to avoid Internet leakage. The album debuted at number 1 on the U.S. Billboard...
, which had been released over six weeks earlier. It was the first album by a solo female artist to become the year's best-selling album since Alanis Morissette
Alanis Morissette
Alanis Nadine Morissette is a Canadian-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, record producer, and actress. She has won 16 Juno Awards and seven Grammy Awards, was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards and also shortlisted for an Academy Award nomination...
's Jagged Little Pill
Jagged Little Pill
Jagged Little Pill is the third studio album by Canadian recording artist and songwriter Alanis Morissette. It was Morissette's first internationally released album, and her first studio album after the three year hiatus following her break with MCA Records. The album marked a shift from her style...
in 1996. It became Carey's highest-selling album in the United States since Daydream (1995), which shipped ten million copies and received a diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
(RIAA). Ten months after its release, the album was certified six-times platinum by the RIAA, denoting shipments of over six million copies. As of August 2010, stateside sales of the album are estimated at over 5,941,000.
The Emancipation of Mimi entered the Australian Albums Chart
ARIA Charts
The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...
on April 17, 2005, at number thirteen. The following week, it peaked at number six, where it spent one week. The album spent a total of forty-six weeks on the chart. It was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
(ARIA), and finished number twenty-seven on the End of Year Chart. In Canada The Emancipation of Mimi debuted and peaked at number two on the Canadian Albums Chart
Canadian Albums Chart
The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS...
, with first-week sales of 11,000 units. The album was certified triple platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association
Canadian Recording Industry Association
Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada...
(CRIA), denoting shipments of over 300,000 units. The Emancipation of Mimi debuted at number seven on the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
dated April 6, 2005. On July 23, fourteen weeks after its debut, the album once again reached its peak position of number seven. After one re-entry, the album spent a combined forty-three weeks in the albums chart, being certified double-platinum by the British Phonographic Industry
British Phonographic Industry
The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies...
(BPI). The album has sales of over 621,352 copies as of early 2008. In France the album debuted at its peak position of number four on April 9, 2005. The record spent a total of fifty-one weeks in the chart, and was certified gold by the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique
Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique
The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry...
(SNEP). Eight months after its release in Europe, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) certified The Emancipation of Mimi platinum, denoting shipments of over one million units throughout the continent. In Hong Kong it was awarded a Gold Disc Award, which is issued to the top ten best-selling foreign albums each year. It debuted at number two on the Japanese Albums Chart
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
, and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of Japan
Recording Industry Association of Japan
The Recording Industry Association of Japan is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved the music industry...
(RIAJ). At the end of 2005, the IFPI reported that The Emancipation of Mimi had sold more than 7.7 million copies globally, and was the second best-selling album of the year, after Coldplay
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London. After they formed Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish. Will Champion joined as a...
's X&Y
X&Y
X&Y is the third studio album by English rock band Coldplay, released 6 June 2005 in the United Kingdom via the record label Parlophone. The album, which features influences of electronic music, was produced by the band and British record producer Danton Supple...
. It was the best-selling album worldwide by a solo and female artist. As of April 2008, The Emancipation of Mimi has sold over 12 million copies worldwide.
Track listing
Credits and personnel
Credits for The Emancipation of Mimi are 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...
– songwriterSongwriterA songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, 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...
, executive producerExecutive producerAn executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
, 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... - Thom BellThom BellThomas Randolph "Thom" Bell is an American songwriter and producer, best known as one of the creators of the Philadelphia style of soul music in the 1970s. He moved to Philadelphia as a child.-Biography:...
– songwriter - Courtney Bradley – background vocals
- Darnell BristolDarnell BristolDarnell "Dee" Bristol is a member of The Deele and a songwriter who co-wrote The Deele's "Two Occasions." Years later, he would be credited as a co-writer of Mariah Carey's "We Belong Together", when Carey would reusing portions of "Two Occasions." He has also been credited on certain releases with...
– songwriter - Calvin Broadus – songwriter, vocals
- Rick Brunermer – fluteFluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
, tenor saxophoneTenor saxophoneThe tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble... - Jason Carson – assistant engineer
- Dana Jon Chappelle – engineer
- Andrew Coleman – engineerAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
- Bryan-Michael Cox – songwriter, producer
- Linda CreedLinda CreedLinda Creed also known by her married name Linda Epstein, was an American singer-songwriter and lyricist who teamed up with songwriter-producer Thom Bell to produce some of the most successful Philadelphia soul groups of the 1970s.-Career:Born in Philadelphia in 1949, Creed was raised in the...
– songwriter - Donald DeGrateDeVante SwingDonald Earle DeGrate, Jr. , better known by his stage name DeVante Swing, is an American record producer, singer, rapper and songwriter. Swing rose to fame in the 1990s as the founding member of the trendsetting R&B group Jodeci, one of the more popular R&B acts of its time...
– songwriter - Sidney DeWayneSidney DeWayneSidney DeWayne , is a songwriter and producer.He co-wrote Midnight Star's early eighties ballad "Slow Jam", and The Deele's "Two Occasions" with Babyface. He received another BMI award for Field Mob's "Sick Of Being Lonely"...
– songwriter - Jeff Dieterie – tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
- Darryl Dixon – alto saxophoneAlto saxophoneThe alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions...
- Charlie Drayton – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
- Jermaine DupriJermaine DupriJermaine Dupri Mauldin , known as Jermaine Dupri or JD, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper.- Early life and career :...
– songwriter, producer, 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...
, vocals - Kenneth Edmonds – songwriter
- Manuel Farolfi – assistant engineer
- Jason Finkel – assistant engineer
- Isaac FreemanFatman ScoopIsaac Freeman III, better known by his stage name Fatman Scoop is a hip hop promoter and radio personality famed for his on-stage rough, raw, loud voice....
– vocals - Brian Frye – engineer
- Brian Garten – engineer, mixing
- Cornell HaynesNellyCornell Iral Haynes, Jr. , better known by his stage name Nelly, is an Grammy Award winning American rapper and actor. He has performed with the rap group St. Lunatics since 1993 and signed to Universal Records in 1999. Under Universal, Nelly began his solo career in 2000 with his debut album...
– songwriter, vocals - Loris HollandLoris HollandLoris Holland is an American composer, record producer, synthesizer and songwriter.-Biography:Holland grew up in the British Guyana, to a family which forbade any music other than hymns and classical music, due to the deaths of his maternal grandfather and uncle on separate occasions, whilst...
– keyboardKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... - John Horesco – engineer, mixing
- Chops Horns – hornHorn (instrument)The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
- Chad HugoChad HugoCharles Edward Hugo is an American musician and record producer. He is best known as one half of the music production and writing duo The Neptunes and as a member of the funk/rock band N.E.R.D. He is a saxophonist, pianist and guitarist...
– songwriter - Ken Duro IfillKen Duro IfillKen "Duro" Ifill is the CEO of Desert Storm Records and a six-time Grammy Award-winning mix engineer.-Desert Storm Records:In 1997, Duro, DJ Clue, and Skane developed Desert Storm Records. The labels first major artist is rapper, Fabolous. In September 2001, Fabolous released his debut album Ghetto...
– mixing - Ashley Ingram – songwriter
- Randy JacksonRandy JacksonRandall Darius "Randy" Jackson is an American bassist, singer, record producer, music manager, A&R executive, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is best known as a judge on American Idol and executive producer for MTV's America's Best Dance Crew...
– bassBass drumBass drums are percussion instruments that can vary in size and are used in several musical genres. Three major types of bass drums can be distinguished. The type usually seen or heard in orchestral, ensemble or concert band music is the orchestral, or concert bass drum . It is the largest drum of... - Rodney JerkinsRodney JerkinsRodney "Darkchild" Jerkins is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician. Jerkins received two Grammy nominations in 2011.-Biography:...
– songwriter - Leee JohnLeee JohnLeee John of St Lucian descent, is a British musician and actor. He was educated in New York, later studying drama at the Anna Scher Theatre School.-Career:...
– songwriter - Jeffrey Lee Johnson – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Steve JolleyJolley & SwainSteve Jolley and Tony Swain were a successful pop musician, songwriting and record production duo in the United Kingdom in the early to mid-1980s, producing some of the top artists and songs of the era....
– songwriter - Rev. Dr. Clarence Keaton – background vocals
- Michael Leedy – assistant engineer
- Samuel Lindley – songwriter, producer
- Trey LorenzTrey LorenzTrey Lorenz is an African American singer and songwriter. He was born in Florence, South Carolina and is a graduate of Wilson High School.-Biography:...
– vocals, background vocals - Manny Marroquin – mixing
- Carl MitchellTwistaCarl Terrell Mitchell , better known by his stage name Twista, is an American rapper. He is known for once holding the title of fastest rapper in the world according to Guinness World Records in 1992, being able to pronounce 598 syllables in 55 seconds...
– songwriter, vocals - Patrick MotenPatrick MotenPatrick Moten was an American musician and songwriter, who co-wrote Bobby Womack's "If You Think You're Lonely Now"...
– songwriter - Mike Pierce – engineer
- James PhillipsLRocLRoc is a staff songwriter and producer at Jermaine Dupri's So So Def Recordings. He has co-written and co-produced singles like Janet Jackson's "Call on Me" , Monica's "Everytime Tha Beat Drop", Mariah Carey's "Get Your Number", Murphy Lee's "Wat Dat Hook Gonna Be", Usher's "Yeah!", LL Cool J's...
– songwriter - Jason PhillipsJadakissJason Phillips , better known as Jadakiss, is an American rapper. He is a member of the group The LOX. Jadakiss is one of the three owners of the imprint known as D-Block. In early 2007, Jadakiss signed to Roc-a-Fella Records / Def Jam Records.-Early life:By the age of 16, Jadakiss was a freestyle...
– vocals - Herb Power – 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...
- James PoyserJames PoyserJames Poyser in Sheffield, England is a multi-Grammy winning songwriter, musician and multi-platinum producer.Poyser has written and produced songs for various legendary and award-winning artists including Erykah Badu, Mariah Carey, John Legend, Lauryn Hill, Common, Anthony Hamilton, D'Angelo,...
– songwriter, producer, keyboard - L.A. Reid – executive producer
- Joe Romano – flugelhornFlugelhornThe flugelhorn is a brass instrument resembling a trumpet but with a wider, conical bore. Some consider it to be a member of the saxhorn family developed by Adolphe Sax ; however, other historians assert that it derives from the valve bugle designed by Michael Saurle , Munich 1832 , thus...
, trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air... - Manuel Seal – songwriter
- Ernesto Shaw – mixing
- Marc ShemerScram JonesMarc Shemer, better known by his stage name Scram Jones, is a producer, DJ and emcee from New Rochelle, New York. He has produced music for the Wu-Tang Clan. Mariah Carey, Jae Millz, Saigon, and Lloyd Banks. As an emcee he has been featured alongside Nas, Saigon, Styles P, Kool G Rap and Immortal...
– songwriter - Dexter Simmons – mixing
- David StylesStyles PDavid Styles better known by his stage name, Styles P, is an American rapper, author, and entrepreneur. He is prominently known as a member of Hip Hop group The LOX and is also a part of the Ruff Ryders hip-hop group, and in addition has released multiple albums and mixtapes as a solo...
– vocals - Sandra Sully – songwriter
- Tony SwainJolley & SwainSteve Jolley and Tony Swain were a successful pop musician, songwriting and record production duo in the United Kingdom in the early to mid-1980s, producing some of the top artists and songs of the era....
– songwriter - Phil Tan – mixing
- Maryann Tatum – background vocals
- Sherry Tatum – background vocals
- Pat Viala – mixing
- Jeff Villanueva – engineer
- Kanye WestKanye WestKanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
– songwriter, producer - Pharrell WilliamsPharrell WilliamsPharrell Williams , commonly known simply as Pharrell, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, composer, and fashion designer. Williams and Chad Hugo make up the record production duo The Neptunes, producing hip hop and R&B music...
– songwriter, vocals - Bobby WomackBobby WomackRobert Dwayne "Bobby" Womack is an American singer-songwriter and musician. An active recording artist since the early 1960s where he started his career as the lead singer of his family musical group The Valentinos and as Sam Cooke's backing guitarist, Womack's career has spanned more than 40...
– songwriter - James Wright – songwriter, producer, keyboard
Charts and certifications
Album charts (main entry)| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
6 |
| Austrian Albums Chart | 19 |
| Belgian Flandres Albums Chart Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... |
31 |
| Belgian Wallonia Albums Chart Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... |
26 |
| Canadian Albums Chart Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
2 |
| Danish Albums Chart Tracklisten Tracklisten is a Danish top 40 record chart that is presented every Thursday midnight at .The weekly Danish Singles Chart also known as Track Top-40 combines the 40 best selling tracks from legal music downloads and the sales of music singles on either CD or vinyl... |
2 |
| Dutch Albums Chart MegaCharts MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top... |
8 |
| European Albums Chart | 4 |
| French Albums Chart Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
4 |
| German Albums Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
14 |
| Greek International Albums Chart IFPI Greece International Federation of the Phonographic Industry Greece or IFPI Greece is the Greek branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and is the official charts provider and recording sales certification body for Greece. Currently two charts are compiled, one for sales of... |
2 |
| Irish Albums Chart Irish Recorded Music Association Irish Recorded Music Association is the Irish record industry association. IRMA is a non-profit association set up to manage and control the music industry in the Republic of Ireland.-Goals and activities:... |
18 |
| Italian Albums Chart Federation of the Italian Music Industry The Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy.... |
15 |
| Japanese Albums Chart Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc... |
2 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
12 |
| Polish Albums Chart Polish Music Charts The Polish Music Charts are two official album charts and seven singles charts in Poland, provided by ZPAV, the Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry . The first, the Top 100, is a monthly chart based on data received from the album companies... |
22 |
| Portuguese Albums Chart Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995... |
25 |
| Spanish Albums Chart | 15 |
| Swedish Albums Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
32 |
| Swiss Albums Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
9 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
7 |
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
1 |
| US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
1 |
Album charts (end of year)
| End of year chart (2005) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart | 27 |
| Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia) | 94 |
| Dutch Albums Chart | 47 |
| French Albums Chart | 48 |
| German Albums Chart | 77 |
| Japanese Albums Chart | 61 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart | 42 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 78 |
| UK Albums Chart | 31 |
| US Billboard 200 | 4 |
| Worldwide Charts | 2 |
Album charts (end-of-decade)
| End of decade chart (2000–2009) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 | 27 |
Album certifications
| Country (Provider) | Certification Music recording sales certification Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,... (sales thresholds) |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... ) |
Platinum |
| Brazil (ABPD Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos The Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos is an official representative body of the record labels in the Brazilian phonographic market.- About :... ) |
Gold |
| Canada (CRIA Canadian Recording Industry Association Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada... ) |
3× Platinum |
| Europe (IFPI) | Platinum |
| France (SNEP Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... ) |
Gold |
| Hong Kong (IFPI) | Gold |
| Japan (RIAJ Recording Industry Association of Japan The Recording Industry Association of Japan is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved the music industry... ) |
Platinum |
| Netherlands (NVPI) | Gold |
| New Zealand (RIANZ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... ) |
Platinum |
| United Kingdom (BPI British Phonographic Industry The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies... ) |
2× Platinum |
| United States (RIAA Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States... ) |
6× Platinum |
Singles charts
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
US R&B 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,... |
AUS ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
CAN Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... |
FRA Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
GER Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
NL Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
NZ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
SWI Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
UK UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
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| 2005 | "It's Like That It's like That (Mariah Carey song) "It's Like That" is a song written by Mariah Carey, Jermaine Dupri, Manuel Seal, and Johntá Austin, and produced by Carey, Dupri, and Seal for Carey's tenth studio album, The Emancipation of Mimi . It borrows the hook "it's like that y'all" from the Run-D.M.C. tracks "Hollis Crew" and "Here We Go... " |
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| "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... " |
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Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... : Gold |
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| "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... " |
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| "Get Your Number Get Your Number "Get Your Number" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was written by Carey, Jermaine Dupri, Johntá Austin and Bryan-Michael Cox, and produced by the former two and LRoc. It was released as the third international single from Carey's tenth studio album, The Emancipation of Mimi... " (featuring Jermaine Dupri) |
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| "Don't Forget About Us Don't Forget About Us "Don't Forget About Us" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was written by Carey, Jermaine Dupri, Bryan-Michael Cox and Johntá Austin, and released as the fifth single for the re-issue of her tenth studio album, The Emancipation of Mimi... " |
1 | 1 | 12 | — | — | 41 | 32 | 12 | 19 | 11 |
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| 2006 | "Say Somethin' Say Somethin' "Say Somethin" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was written by Carey, Snoop Dogg, Chad Hugo, and Pharrell Williams, and produced by The Neptunes as the fifth single from Carey's tenth studio album, The Emancipation of Mimi . The song is one of few from Carey's catalog in... " (featuring Snoop Dogg) |
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| "—" denotes a title that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||
External links
- The Emancipation of Mimi at MetacriticMetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...