Obsessed (song)
Encyclopedia
"Obsessed" is a song by American singer-songwriter
Mariah Carey
, taken from her twelfth studio album, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel
(2009). It was written and produced by Carey, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart
and Terius "The-Dream" Nash
, and was released as the album's lead single
on June 16, 2009. The song draws musical influences from R&B
and hip hop
music, and is built around a thumping bass line. Additionally, the song is accentuated by hand claps
, while Carey's voice is processed with auto-tune
. Lyrically, the song describes the protagonist's dilemma regarding a stalker, and finds her asking him "Why are you so obsessed with me?" several times throughout the song.
The song received generally positive reviews from contemporary music critics, as many highlighted it as a stand-out track from Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel. Many reviewers complimented its clever lyrics and strong beat, while other criticized the song's usage of auto-tune on Carey's vocals. At the time of the song's release, "Obsessed" was the center of controversy, as critics and the media suggested Carey was aiming it at American rapper Eminem
, who had negatively referenced her several times in song. Having alluded to the rapper in one of her previous songs titled "Clown", critics suggested "Obsessed" was too an outcry at the rapper. The song uses explicit lyrics that reviewers found directly linked to him, such as his ongoing drug problem, as his constant reference and "obsession" to her in the media.
"Obsessed" peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100
, becoming Carey's twenty-seventh top-ten hit on the chart. In terms of total top-ten chart entries amongst all artists in the chart's history, Carey tied for fifth place after the song's peak, with Janet Jackson
and Elton John
. Internationally, the song was not released throughout parts of Europe, as Island Records
decided to give priority to the album's second single, Carey's cover of Foreigner
's classic "I Want to Know What Love Is". "Obsessed" peaked within the top-ten in France and Italy, and in the top-twenty in Australia, Belgium, Canada and Japan. Carey performed the song live on the fourth season
of America's Got Talent
, The Today Show, and throughout her Angels Advocate Tour
(2009–10).
The song's music video was directed by film-maker Brett Ratner
, who Carey has previously worked with on other music videos. Throughout the video, Carey plays both herself and the character of the male stalker, dressed in a bellhop uniform, as well as a gray hoodie and sweatpants. Two videos were shot for "Obsessed", one for the original version, and one for the remixed version, which features rapper Gucci Mane
. The video was shot predominantly at the Plaza Hotel
, and on the streets of New York City. After several photographs of Carey dressed as the stalker were leaked, tabloids immediately compared Carey's costume to Eminem's usual attire, with many commenting that aside from the goatee, the pair looked identical. Carey revealed that the music video would reference several of her favorite films, such as Mean Girls
(2004) and The Devil Wears Prada
(2006).
After completing The Adventures of Mimi Tour
(2006), Carey began working on material for her eleventh studio effort, the yet untitled E=MC²
(2008). E=MC² was hailed as one of the most anticipated albums of 2008, with many critics weighing their opinions on whether Carey would be able to deliver significant success, following her achievements with The Emancipation of Mimi
. After the release and success of "Touch My Body
", the project's lead single
, subsequent singles of the album failed to garner airplay or significant charting, Island Records
halted promotion of the album. Since the album's release, Carey had planned to embark on an extensive tour in support of E=MC², describing its production and direction in several interviews. When asked to describe the tour's theme, Carey explained "I'm thinking elaborate. I like elaborate. We only do substantial. That's what my jeweler says. I haven't gotten the looks in mind just yet, but we're going to figure it out soon enough." Despite continued plans for a tour, and announcements made on The X Factor
in the United Kingdom in November, the tour was suddenly cancelled in early December 2008.
Heavy speculation suggested that Carey had become pregnant, and had abandoned plans for a tour as a result. Many reports were made claiming that Carey had been visiting a famed gynecologist's office in Los Angeles. Additionally, Carey's newly slimmed figure began to change, as she stopped her exercise routines and gained weight. Though Carey had eventually announced that she was pregnant with twins on November 28, 2010, over two years later, she admitted she had indeed been pregnant during that time period, and suffered a miscarriage. For that reason, she cancelled the tour, and lost the child only two months later. Carey later opted to record a new album, that would be released during the summer of 2009. During the later stages of the project, Carey released the title, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel
, that would serve as the singer's twelfth studio album
. She explained how plans for a ballad
to be released were put on hold, because a new song she had written "needed to be heard". On June 9, 2009, she wrote on her official Twitter
account: "Seriously, this is one of my favorite songs ever. I love the whole album. I'm completely immersed in it. I can't wait for you to hear it," and announced its title as "Obsessed". Later that week, The-Dream
, who co-wrote the song with Carey, claimed that the song was definitely aimed at someone in particular, and that it would upset them greatly. The song was transmitted digitally to radio stations on June 16, 2009 for immediate airplay and made its debut on Chicago radio station B96
at 2:00 pm. An official remix of the song, featuring rapper Gucci Mane
, premiered on the same day.
described it as "wet and raunchy", while writing, "As you can see here the star has chosen a sexy shot to launch material from her next album. Mariah is shown busting out of a revealing black top and wearing black underwear." Similarly, a writer from Rap-Up
called it a "smokin' hot cover", and stated it made them "want to touch her body
."
(2001). Critically, the film was panned by movie 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 selling over three million units globally. However, following the film and soundtrack's weak performance, Carey's unprecedented $100 million dollar recording contract was bought out by Virgin Records
, who paid her $49 million to part ways. Prior to the project's weak commercial success, Carey checked into a hospital in Connecticut, following a controversial appearance on Total Request Live
, in which she gave out ice cream to fans and demonstrated what was considered by the media as "erratic behavior". After leaving troubling messages on her website, Carey checked into the hospital, citing an "emotional and physical breakdown." Carey subsequently flew to Capri, Italy after her two week hospitalization, staying there for five months in which she began writing and producing material for a new studio album
, stemming from the experiences she had gone through in the recent months. After being signed by Island Records
, and starting her own imprint, MonarC Entertainment, Carey geared up for her intended "comeback" release, Charmbracelet.
During this period in Carey's personal life, American rapper Eminem
claimed to have dated Carey for six months throughout the gloomy times in the singer's life. Carey denied ever having been involved with the rapper in a personal relationship, claiming that they had only met a handful of times, and it was professional. Subsequently, he referred to Carey in several of his songs in a negative light, claiming to have been angered by her not admitting to seeing him. On Charmbracelet, Carey included a song titled "Clown", which critics suggested was aimed at Eminem. Clown's lyrics were described as "languidly sinister" by Sarah Rodman of The Boston Globe
, and read: "I should've left it at 'I like your music too'...You should never have intimated we were lovers / When you know very well we never even touched each other." In 2005, during the rapper's Anger Management Tour
, he began playing voice-mails and recordings that were reportedly left by Carey during his concerts. One of the messages said: "I heard you were getting back with your ex-wife. Why won't you see me? Why won't you call me?". After playing the excerpt, Eminem would pretend to be sick before launching into his song "Puke". On May 12, 2009, Eminem released his sixth studio effort, Relapse, which included a song titled "Bagpipes from Baghdad". The song's lyrics suggested Eminem was still in love with Carey, and that he "wanted her back": "I want another crack at ya" and "Nick Cannon better back the f**k up. I'm not playing, I want her back, you punk." After the song's release, Cannon went on his website, defending Carey and expressing his disgust at his comments:
Following Cannon's comments, Eminem clarified that the song was actually "wishing the couple the best", and that it was a misunderstanding. In an interview with BBC Radio
, Eminem clarified that although contained a "harsh" line, he meant well: "There's a line on there that was a little harsh. It's a harsh line. But it's like this, the way I look at it, I had no idea he was gonna take it like he took it. I had no idea Nick Cannon was gonna start wildin' out on me. No pun intended." He later commented that he respected Cannon for his response, and that he expected him to stand up for his wife: "I didn't read his blog or anything. But it is what it is. He's supposed to defend his wife, and I expected him to do that. But at the end of the day, it's a line I said – it's a song. What I actually meant to say is, I wish them the best. That's what I meant to say. That's the whole message of the record."
" on July 30, 2009, which he claimed to be a retaliation. The song's lyrics allude to his supposed relationship with the singer, the music video for "Obsessed", and pictures and proof he claims to have of the couple. The song begins "Only reason I dissed you in the first place is because you denied seeing me. Now I'm pissed off," before describing Carey's impersonation of him in her video, "Oh gee, is that supposed to be me in the video with the goatee?/ Wow Mariah, didn't expect ya to go balls out." Eminem continues describing a near-sexual encounter with the singer, threatening to release voice-mails and pictures he still has in his possession. Additionally, the song features a females voice, unknown whether or not Carey's, where she calls herself Mary Poppins
, as well as several intervals of her laughter. In the aftermath of the releases, Cannon was questioned regarding the inspiration of "Obsessed", and whether it was ever directed at Eminem:
and hip hop
music genres. The song is built around a "thumping bass line", and features a "distorted wordless vocal hook
" as its instrumentation. Additionally, the song is accentuated by hand claps
, while Carey's voice is set with auto-tune
. Joey Guerra of the Houston Chronicle
described the song's production as "an auto-tune orgy of come-hither vocals and cutesy Mariah-isms." According to the sheet music
published at Musicnotes.com by Sony/ATV Music Publishing
, "Obsessed" is set in common time
with a tempo of 84 beats per minute. It is composed in the key of C minor
, with Carey's vocal range spanning from the low-note of C3 to the high-note of C7. Written and produced by Carey, The-Dream
and Tricky Stewart, the song follows in the chord progression
of Bm7–Am7–Gmaj7. Lyrically, the song describes the protagonists dilemma regarding a stalker, and finds her asking him regarding his obsession.
After the song's release, critics heavily compared its lyrics to Eminem, and suggested Carey alluded to him and his 'obsession' with her. "Obsessed" never mentions the rapper's name, although reviewers felt it to be very obvious. The song begins with "I was like, 'Why are you so obsessed with me?'", before the music begins. As the first verse begins, Carey describes the tracks' subjects constant lies: "All up in the blogs sayin' we met at a bar / When I don't even, know who you are / Sayin' you up in my house sayin' you up in my car / When you in L.A. and I'm at at Jermaine's". Additionally, the song suggests the stalker is under the influence of drugs: It must be the weed, it must be the E / 'Cause you be poppin', you get it poppin'." During the chorus, Carey confronts her stalker, asking: Why are you so obsessed with me / Boy I wanna know / Lying that you're sexing me / When everybody knows/ It's clear that you're upset with me / Oh, Oh, Oh, finally found a girl that you couldn't impress / If you you were the last man on earth still couldn't hit this." During the song's second verse, critics complimented Carey's lyrics, highlighting phrases such as: You're a mom & pop, I'm a corporation / I'm a press conference, you're a conversation," "suggesting the rapper isn't a worthy suitor".
. Daniel Kreps from Rolling Stone
stated that "the biting mid-tempo track is already more musically and lyrically engrossing than E=MC²
’s singles." The A.V. Club
s Michaelangelo Matos complimented the song's clever lyrics, and called it a "wicked dis of an unnamed Eminem for spreading rumors about their involvement." Though criticizing Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel
for being full of mid-tempo numbers, James Reed from The Boston Globe
felt "Obsessed" "stood out of the goo", due to its witty lyrics and strong beat production. Monica Herrera of Billboard
gave the song a positive review, describing it as a "gem of a dis record that coasts, even over its sputtering moans and synth jabs." Additionally, Herrera complimented Carey's lyrics, calling them "bity and funny". Entertainment Weekly
s Leah Greenblatt described the track as a "brash synth kiss-off", while Alex Macpherson from The Guardian
called it "jaunty" and "wisecracking". On "Obsessed", Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine
felt the "attitude is sexy", while Jon Caramanica from The New York Times
felt the song was a stand-out track from the album, which he felt was "dated". He described that although the entire album was produced by Carey, The-Dream and Tricky Stewart, which he described as "masters of compensation, helping elevate mediocre singers — like The-Dream himself or Rihanna
, on 'Umbrella
' — to something sublime", "Obsessed" sounded "Dr. Dre
-esque, and felt it was a notable exception from the rest of Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel.
Los Angeles Times
s Ann Powers described it as an "aggressive track", while Lauren Carter of the Boston Herald
wrote "Carey’s musical stiff-arm ends with some vocal acrobatics to let us know she’s still got it. Expect to get 'Obsessed' this summer." MTV News rated the song as one of the contenders for the "best of the summer", writing "Mimi returns, this time with an Auto-Tuned kiss-off to wannabe lotharios (and Eminem?) that will probably be the soundtrack to a million summer hookups and just as many public-intoxication collars. Glossy, flossy and decidedly "urban," Mariah strikes back. Your radio has been warned. Allmusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine
chose the song as a "top pick" from Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, while Amos Barshad of The New York Times listed it as the fifth top song of the summer. In contrast, "Obsessed" received a mixed review from the Los Angeles Times writer, Todd Martens, who wrote that although "its feistier Mimi than [they]'re used to", she ultimately "has been molded to fit current trends" and that the single "again sells out the songbird to her producers." Bill Lamb from About.com
was also critical of "Obsessed", stating that Carey should have put out a stronger lead single from the album, and ultimately wrote "Her vocals, historically among the most memorable in pop music history, are drowned by auto-tune leaving a faceless drone on the chorus. I hope she has indeed settled her score here and on the album Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel she will return to songs worthy of her talent." At the ASCAP 27th Annual Pop Music Awards, "Obsessed" won "Most Performed Song".
, with sales of 119,266 digital downloads, making it Carey's highest debut in over a decade, since "My All
" (1998). This marked her fortieth entry on the Hot 100, making her just the eighth woman in the chart's history to make 40 or more appearances. The song peaked at number seven on the Hot 100, making it her 27th top 10 hit, the second greatest amount among female artists, and tying her achievements to those of Janet Jackson
. The song stayed in the Top 40 for twenty weeks, longer than her number-one hit Touch My Body
(2008). In terms of total top 10 chart entries amongst all artists in the chart's history, Carey is now tied for fifth place with Jackson and Elton John
. The song made an early debut at number fifty-two on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and has since peaked at number twelve, marking Carey's 40th chart entry and placing her in second place for most charted songs among women in the '90s and '00s (the first being Mary J Blige). Carey made her 29th appearance on the Pop Songs/Mainstream Top 40 radio chart, with "Obsessed" debuting at number thirty-nine, and peaking at eight. The arrival extends her lead for the most overall chart entries in the tally's nearly 17-year history. She is now three titles ahead of the second-place Madonna
(26).
On August 11, 2009, it was announced that the single would be released as a CD single
at Wal-Mart
store locations in the United States, her first commercial single release physically since 2002 in the country. The CD single was released early at various Wal-Mart store locations, however selling enough copies an entire week before its release date to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot Singles Sales chart, where it remained for four consecutive weeks on the chart. On October 15, 2009, "Obsessed" was certified Platinum
by the Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA), denoting shipments of over one million units. This marked Carey's 12th Platinum single, more than any other female artist in history. According to Nielsen SoundScan
, "Obsessed" has sold over 1,550,000 copies in the United States as of August 15, 2010. On the Canadian Hot 100
, the song peaked at number twenty, and spent only four weeks within the singles chart.
Internationally, the song achieved moderate charting due to its limited release. It was not released commercially throughout Europe, in order to give way for the album's second single, Carey's cover of Foreigner
's classic "I Want to Know What Love Is". On July 26, 2009, the song debuted at number twenty-six on the Australian Singles Chart
. "Obsessed" peaked at number thirteen in the following weeks, placing higher than "Touch My Body" (#17 in 2008), and spent a total of thirteen weeks on the chart. "Obsessed" was certified Gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association
(ARIA), denoting shipments of over 35,000 units. In France, "Obsessed" debuted at its peak position of number eight, during the week dated September 26, 2009. The song charted for a total of twenty-three weeks, before dropping out on February 27, 2010. Similarly, the song peaked at number six on the Italian Singles Chart
on July 16, as well as number sixty-one on the Dutch Top 40
on September 5, 2009. On both the Japan Hot 100
and New Zealand Singles Chart
, "Obsessed" peaked at numbers sixteen and twenty-one, while spending four weeks on both charts, respectively. In the United Kingdom, "Obsessed" was lined up to be released in August before the release of Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, but was pushed back several times and was ultimately cancelled in October, despite receiving heavy radio and video airplay. After the album was released, the song peaked at number fifty-two from downloads alone.
Gucci Mane
was released alongside the original. The song kept to its original arrangement and vocals, only adding ad libs
throughout the song, as well as replacing the bridge
with a new verse by Mane. Two days before the remix's release, Jasmine Dotiwala
, Carey's longtime friend tweeted regarding it, saying "Listening to 'Obsessed' remix on repeat, -guest rapper-cant tell u who it is but he put the G in Ghetto! Sick combo-hotness." In an interview with MTV News, Mane described the remix as his "biggest collaboration yet":
Aside from the primary remix, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel included four additional remixes that were released on a separate CD along with the original. It was packaged in a separate sleeve, and included the remix featuring Mane, and versions done by Jump Smokers, Tim Cahill, Seamus Haji
and Friscia & Lamboy
.
, who had previously worked with Carey on six other music videos, and was shot from June 28 to June 29, 2009. Throughout the video, Carey plays herself and a male stalker, dressed as both a bellhop and a man wearing a gray hoodie and sweatpants. Two videos were shot for "Obsessed", one for the original version, and one for the remixed version, which features Gucci Mane
. The video was shot predominantly at the Plaza Hotel
, and on the streets of New York City. After several photographs of Carey dressed as the stalker were leaked, critics and bloggers immediately compared Carey's costume to Eminem's usual attire, and many wrote that aside from the goatee, the pair looked alike. Carey tweeted "I am NOT at any point in the video playing a specific person. I'm dressed as a 'stalker' in 3 different ensembles." Carey also revealed that the music video would reference several of her favorite films, such as Mean Girls
(2004), with the line "Why are you so obsessed with me?", as well as The Devil Wears Prada
(2006), by featuring French celebrity photographer Patrick Demarchelier
, who was also heavily referenced in the film. In an interview with MTV News, Carey described going under-cover as the stalker role: "Well, we had a lot of people outside. I'm walking up to the Plaza [Hotel], and when I was dressed as Mariah Carey, there were a lot of people just standing there taking pictures, and the street was closed down, and it was a whole rigmarole. It is what it is. So, basically, I went into costume as the stalker, and I told my bodyguard, 'I don't want you to walk with me.' So, a friend of mine was there, and I was like, 'Let's walk together.'" After reports continued to speculate regarding the video's subject, Ratner explained that the main inspiration behind the video was the 1983 film, The King of Comedy
. In an interview with MTV News, Ratner responded to reports that the video was regarding Eminem:
On July 10, 2009, Carey announced via her Twitter account that the video would premiere on the talent competition program, America's Got Talent
, which is hosted by Cannon. She posted "Just wanna let you know that the world premiere of the 'Obsessed' video is on 'America's Got Talent' (hosted by NCx0x) Wed.night..July 15th!" Although the full video was set to premiere, only a two minute preview was shown, while the full version was later released on line. On July 23, 2009, Carey visited 106 & Park
to premiere the video for "Obsessed", as well as the remix video. She discussed the making of the video, as well as the postponement of Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, which was delayed over one month.
by Patrick Demarchelier
as the photographer. The bellhop, now dressed in a gray hoodie and sweatpants, is shown holding a hair-blower at Carey, apparently assisting with the shoot. As the shoot continues, scenes of the bellhop are shown in his room, where she has dolls of Carey on the wall, as well as quilts with the cover of her 2005 album, The Emancipation of Mimi
(2005). The video progresses as Carey, now on the streets of New York, is walking towards the hotel. As she begins to notice the bellhop, dressed in the sweats, pursuing her, she turns around in haste and begins jolting back to the hotel while holding several shopping bags. Additionally, scenes of the stalker's home are shown again, this time more elaborately, with his walls covered with portraits of the singer, as well as album covers and lights around a large photo of her. The video continues with several scenes of the stalker staring at Carey during the shoot, as well as his obsession with her in his bedroom. As the video comes to an end, she waits for her limousine to arrive at the hotel. However, before she gets inside, she notices the stalker attempting to take a picture of her. She then looks directly into his camera and gives a smile. The video then shows him again, still attempting to take a picture, right before a bus hits him. Carey gasps in shock after witnessing the incident. The video closes with more shots of the photoshoot. The scene where the stalker gets hit by a bus, and the opening line Carey speaks, are both references to Mean Girls. The remix video for the song features the same story-line and footage, only showing inter-cut scenes of Carey dressed in a white ensemble, while laying on a vintage wooden table. As Gucci Mane stands next to her in a white suit, he pours her champagne and hands her the glass.
s Corris Little described it as "genius!" and continued, "Move over Eminem, I'm officially obsessed with Mariah Carey. Who isn't? She can sing, she's pretty and she has really fun music videos. Anyone remember the Heartbreaker
video where she had an evil twin trying to steal her man?". A writer from the Evening Standard
called the video "shocking", and felt that Carey's disguise was so convincing, she should assume the role more often if she wants to travel incognito. The New York Post
s Jarett Wieselman described it as "human butterfly embraced her macho side", and concluded his review with "I'm guessing the video involves Mariah's butch bellhop becoming a little infatuated with the singer, or something. Basically it's another way to give her double the screentime -- much like that Mariah-on-Mariah fight in 'Heartbreaker'!" Daily News writer Chris Baud joked about Eminem going one step further, writing: "It's great that Mariah seems to be having fun with this whole 'Mininem' thing, but we're afraid of the conflict going any further, because no one wants to see the next step: Eminem in drag." Jennifer Armstrong from Entertainment Weekly complimented Carey for "going after" Eminem, and concluded "I like Mariah with a sense of humor, and I love the idea of her turning the tables on the king of celebrity-mocking videos."
of the talent competition, America's Got Talent
. Carey, appearing in jeans and a black top, was accompanied by several male dancers and three back-up singers. As she performed the song, the dancers hoisted her into the air several times, and carried her to several areas on the stage. During the performance, several white lights flashed, while monitors behind the dancers showed images of Carey and the video. Breanne Heldman from E! Entertainment Television criticized several aspects of the performance. She described the lighting as "anxiety inducing", and wrote, "That said, no one is doubting the singer's impressive set of pipes, but—frighteningly jarring lighting and quick edits aside—did she actually utilize them on 'America's Got Talent' last night?" Aside from questioning the singers live vocals, she also felt Carey seemed "robotic", and didn't show effort or interest in the performance. A reviewer from Idolator
also was critical on the performance, asking if there was "anything good about [it]". He claimed Carey was lip-syncing, and described it as "lackadaisical", and wrote, "the backup dancers’ moves would have probably received a big red 'X' from at least one of the judges."
In the United States, on October 2, 2009, Carey began promotion of the album on Today, in the form of a four piece outdoor concert. Wearing a "black leather trench coat and accessorized with a glittery microphone", Carey performed "Obsessed", "I Want to Know What Love Is", "H.A.T.E.U.
" and her 1991 single, "Make It Happen". The performance of "Obsessed" featured similar choreography as on America's Got Talent, in which Carey was carried around by her dancers several times. Carey performed "Obsessed" live on Lopez Tonight
on December 16, 2009, alongside another song from the album, "It's A Wrap". At the Fashion Rocks
ceremony in 2009, Carey performed "Touch My Body
" and "Obsessed", as well as the remix to her 1995 song "Fantasy
". During the short set list
, Carey was accompanied by six men in black tie and suits, who hoisted her into the air in front of over 6,000 people during "Obsessed", and rigorous dance routines throughout "Touch My Body". Following the release of Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, she held four concerts at The Pearl Concert Theatre, where she included the song on the set-list. Similar to the performance at the Fashion Rocks ceremony, Carey was hoisted into the air several times by four to six male dancers, each of whom circled her with intricate dancing throughout the song. Carey featured similar choreography for the song during her Angels Advocate Tour
(2009–10), where it was included throughout the entire span of the tour.
European CD single
Japanese Promo Single
UK Promo Single
US CD Single
US maxi-single
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
, taken from her twelfth studio album, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel
Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel
Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel is the twelfth studio album by American R&B singer Mariah Carey. It was released on September 29, 2009 through Island Records in the U.S. and November 23, 2009 with Mercury Records in the UK...
(2009). It was written and produced by Carey, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart
Christopher Stewart (music producer)
Christopher "Tricky" Stewart is an American songwriter, music producer, music publisher, executive producer, recording industry executive and recording studio owner. In a career spanning 16 years, Stewart, at the helm of his company RedZone Entertainment, is responsible for over 25 million...
and Terius "The-Dream" Nash
The-Dream
Terius Youngdell Nash , better known by his stage name The-Dream, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. He is known for co-writing "Umbrella" for Rihanna and "Single Ladies " for Beyoncé, as well as for his three solo albums, Love Hate, Love vs...
, and was released as the album's lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
on June 16, 2009. The song draws musical influences from R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
and hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
music, and is built around a thumping bass line. Additionally, the song is accentuated by 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...
, while Carey's voice is processed with auto-tune
Auto-Tune
Auto-Tune is a proprietary audio processor created by Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a phase vocoder to correct pitch in vocal and instrumental performances. It is used to disguise off-key inaccuracies and mistakes, and has allowed singers to perform apparently perfectly tuned vocal...
. Lyrically, the song describes the protagonist's dilemma regarding a stalker, and finds her asking him "Why are you so obsessed with me?" several times throughout the song.
The song received generally positive reviews from contemporary music critics, as many highlighted it as a stand-out track from Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel. Many reviewers complimented its clever lyrics and strong beat, while other criticized the song's usage of auto-tune on Carey's vocals. At the time of the song's release, "Obsessed" was the center of controversy, as critics and the media suggested Carey was aiming it at American rapper Eminem
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
, who had negatively referenced her several times in song. Having alluded to the rapper in one of her previous songs titled "Clown", critics suggested "Obsessed" was too an outcry at the rapper. The song uses explicit lyrics that reviewers found directly linked to him, such as his ongoing drug problem, as his constant reference and "obsession" to her in the media.
"Obsessed" peaked at number seven on the 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...
, becoming Carey's twenty-seventh top-ten hit on the chart. In terms of total top-ten chart entries amongst all artists in the chart's history, Carey tied for fifth place after the song's peak, with Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
and Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
. Internationally, the song was not released throughout parts of Europe, as 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...
decided to give priority to the album's second single, Carey's cover of Foreigner
Foreigner (band)
Foreigner is a British-American rock band, originally formed in 1976 by veteran English musicians Mick Jones and ex-King Crimson member Ian McDonald along with American vocalist Lou Gramm...
's classic "I Want to Know What Love Is". "Obsessed" peaked within the top-ten in France and Italy, and in the top-twenty in Australia, Belgium, Canada and Japan. Carey performed the song live on the fourth season
America's Got Talent (season 4)
The fourth season of America's Got Talent, an American television reality show talent competition, premiered on the NBC network on June 23, 2009. Country singer Kevin Skinner was named the winner on September 16, 2009....
of America's Got Talent
America's Got Talent
America's Got Talent is an American reality television series on the NBC television network, and part of the global British Got Talent franchise. It is a talent show that features singers, dancers, magicians, comedians, and other performers of all ages competing for the advertised top prize of...
, The Today Show, and throughout her Angels Advocate Tour
Angels Advocate Tour
The Angels Advocate Tour is the seventh concert tour by American R&B singer Mariah Carey, in support of her twelfth studio album, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel. The tour visited North America, also Egypt, Brazil and Singapore...
(2009–10).
The song's music video was directed by film-maker Brett Ratner
Brett Ratner
Brett Ratner is an American film director, film producer and music video director. He is best known for directing the Rush Hour film series, The Family Man, Red Dragon, X-Men: The Last Stand, and Tower Heist. He was also a producer on the Fox drama series, Prison Break.- Early life :Ratner was...
, who Carey has previously worked with on other music videos. Throughout the video, Carey plays both herself and the character of the male stalker, dressed in a bellhop uniform, as well as a gray hoodie and sweatpants. Two videos were shot for "Obsessed", one for the original version, and one for the remixed version, which features rapper Gucci Mane
Gucci Mane
Radric Davis , better known by his stage name Gucci Mane, is an American rapper. He debuted in 2005 with Trap House and followed with albums such as Hard to Kill in 2006, Trap-A-Thon and Back to the Trap House in 2007. In 2009, his second studio album The State vs. Radric Davis was released...
. The video was shot predominantly at the Plaza Hotel
Plaza Hotel
The Plaza Hotel in New York City is a landmark 20-story luxury hotel with a height of and length of that occupies the west side of Grand Army Plaza, from which it derives its name, and extends along Central Park South in Manhattan. Fifth Avenue extends along the east side of Grand Army Plaza...
, and on the streets of New York City. After several photographs of Carey dressed as the stalker were leaked, tabloids immediately compared Carey's costume to Eminem's usual attire, with many commenting that aside from the goatee, the pair looked identical. Carey revealed that the music video would reference several of her favorite films, such as Mean Girls
Mean Girls
Mean Girls is a 2004 American teen comedy-drama film directed by Mark Waters. The screenplay was written by Tina Fey and is based in part on the non-fiction book Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman, which describes how female high school social cliques operate and the effect they can have...
(2004) and The Devil Wears Prada
The Devil Wears Prada (film)
The Devil Wears Prada is a 2006 comedy-drama film, a loose screen adaptation of Lauren Weisberger's 2003 novel of the same name. It stars Anne Hathaway as Andrea Sachs, a recent college graduate who goes to New York City and gets a job as a co-assistant to powerful and demanding fashion magazine...
(2006).
Background
| "The most anticipated is the Mariah project, and she just released a fire record in the building today. And we have been blasting it out all day. It's just fucking retarded. I don't think anybody is going to expect her to come out punching like she is going to come out. But she got a record. It's going to light the blogs up too because you don't know who she talking about, what she talking about, but she talking about something. And remember The-Dream told you first. So you can start that up right now. Mariah Carey has a record, and somebody's going to be very upset. I said that." | ||
After completing The Adventures of Mimi Tour
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...
(2006), Carey began working on material for her eleventh studio effort, the yet untitled E=MC²
E=MC² (Mariah Carey album)
E=MC² is the eleventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, first released in the United States on April 15, 2008, by Island Records. Carey began recording the album in late-2007 in Anguilla, after writing and composing most of its material during and after her 2006 Adventures...
(2008). E=MC² was hailed as one of the most anticipated albums of 2008, with many critics weighing their opinions on whether Carey would be able to deliver significant success, following her achievements with The Emancipation of Mimi
The Emancipation of Mimi
The Emancipation of Mimi is the tenth studio album by American recording artist Mariah Carey, released in the United States on April 12, 2005, by Island Records. Following the relatively poor critical and commercial responses to her albums, Glitter and Charmbracelet , The Emancipation of Mimi...
. After the release and success of "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...
", the project's lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
, subsequent singles of the album failed to garner airplay or significant charting, 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...
halted promotion of the album. Since the album's release, Carey had planned to embark on an extensive tour in support of E=MC², describing its production and direction in several interviews. When asked to describe the tour's theme, Carey explained "I'm thinking elaborate. I like elaborate. We only do substantial. That's what my jeweler says. I haven't gotten the looks in mind just yet, but we're going to figure it out soon enough." Despite continued plans for a tour, and announcements made on The X Factor
The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
in the United Kingdom in November, the tour was suddenly cancelled in early December 2008.
Heavy speculation suggested that Carey had become pregnant, and had abandoned plans for a tour as a result. Many reports were made claiming that Carey had been visiting a famed gynecologist's office in Los Angeles. Additionally, Carey's newly slimmed figure began to change, as she stopped her exercise routines and gained weight. Though Carey had eventually announced that she was pregnant with twins on November 28, 2010, over two years later, she admitted she had indeed been pregnant during that time period, and suffered a miscarriage. For that reason, she cancelled the tour, and lost the child only two months later. Carey later opted to record a new album, that would be released during the summer of 2009. During the later stages of the project, Carey released the title, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel
Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel
Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel is the twelfth studio album by American R&B singer Mariah Carey. It was released on September 29, 2009 through Island Records in the U.S. and November 23, 2009 with Mercury Records in the UK...
, that would serve as the singer's twelfth 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...
. She explained how plans for a ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
to be released were put on hold, because a new song she had written "needed to be heard". On June 9, 2009, she wrote on her official Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
account: "Seriously, this is one of my favorite songs ever. I love the whole album. I'm completely immersed in it. I can't wait for you to hear it," and announced its title as "Obsessed". Later that week, The-Dream
The-Dream
Terius Youngdell Nash , better known by his stage name The-Dream, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. He is known for co-writing "Umbrella" for Rihanna and "Single Ladies " for Beyoncé, as well as for his three solo albums, Love Hate, Love vs...
, who co-wrote the song with Carey, claimed that the song was definitely aimed at someone in particular, and that it would upset them greatly. The song was transmitted digitally to radio stations on June 16, 2009 for immediate airplay and made its debut on Chicago radio station B96
WBBM-FM
WBBM-FM, known on air as "B96", is a Rhythmic Contemporary outlet in Chicago, Illinois with a Rhythmic based playlist. The station is owned by CBS Radio and broadcasts at 96.3 MHz with an ERP of 4.2 kW. WBBM's main competition is WKSC-FM "103.5 Kiss FM", as well as urban rivals WGCI-FM &...
at 2:00 pm. An official remix of the song, featuring rapper Gucci Mane
Gucci Mane
Radric Davis , better known by his stage name Gucci Mane, is an American rapper. He debuted in 2005 with Trap House and followed with albums such as Hard to Kill in 2006, Trap-A-Thon and Back to the Trap House in 2007. In 2009, his second studio album The State vs. Radric Davis was released...
, premiered on the same day.
Artwork
The single cover artwork for "Obsessed" features Carey leaning against a dirty concrete wall. She is shown wearing black underwear and a matching sheer top, with a black bra visible through the shirt. Carey's hair is featured in a long and wet style, cascading over her shoulders and right breast. The word "Obsessed" is written in large white letters over Carey's body. An anonymous writer for MTVMTV
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....
described it as "wet and raunchy", while writing, "As you can see here the star has chosen a sexy shot to launch material from her next album. Mariah is shown busting out of a revealing black top and wearing black underwear." Similarly, a writer from Rap-Up
Rap-Up
Rap-Up is a magazine launched in 2001 by founder Devin Lazerine. The publication was originally a website devoted to hip hop, until Lazerine decided to pitch the possibility of a magazine to several publishers. The magazine is focused on the hip hop and R&B aspect of the music industry, and...
called it a "smokin' hot cover", and stated it made them "want to touch her 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...
."
Background
In 2001, Carey decided to venture into film with her debut acting role, GlitterGlitter (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). Critically, the film was panned by movie 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 selling over three million units globally. However, following the film and soundtrack's weak performance, Carey's unprecedented $100 million dollar recording contract was bought out by 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...
, who paid her $49 million to part ways. Prior to the project's weak commercial success, Carey checked into a hospital in Connecticut, following 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 what was considered by the media as "erratic behavior". After leaving troubling messages on her website, Carey checked into the hospital, citing an "emotional and physical breakdown." Carey subsequently flew to Capri, Italy after her two week hospitalization, staying there for five months in which 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...
, stemming from the experiences she had gone through in the recent months. 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.
During this period in Carey's personal life, American rapper Eminem
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
claimed to have dated Carey for six months throughout the gloomy times in the singer's life. Carey denied ever having been involved with the rapper in a personal relationship, claiming that they had only met a handful of times, and it was professional. Subsequently, he referred to Carey in several of his songs in a negative light, claiming to have been angered by her not admitting to seeing him. On Charmbracelet, Carey included a song titled "Clown", which critics suggested was aimed at Eminem. Clown's lyrics were described as "languidly sinister" by Sarah Rodman of The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
, and read: "I should've left it at 'I like your music too'...You should never have intimated we were lovers / When you know very well we never even touched each other." In 2005, during the rapper's Anger Management Tour
Anger Management Tour
The inaugural Anger Management Tour was founded and started in the fall 2000 by Limp Bizkit, Papa Roach, and after the release of The Marshall Mathers LP by Eminem. Originally targeted at both rap and rock fans, the first "Anger Management" outing took place in 2000. It had two separate legs.The...
, he began playing voice-mails and recordings that were reportedly left by Carey during his concerts. One of the messages said: "I heard you were getting back with your ex-wife. Why won't you see me? Why won't you call me?". After playing the excerpt, Eminem would pretend to be sick before launching into his song "Puke". On May 12, 2009, Eminem released his sixth studio effort, Relapse, which included a song titled "Bagpipes from Baghdad". The song's lyrics suggested Eminem was still in love with Carey, and that he "wanted her back": "I want another crack at ya" and "Nick Cannon better back the f**k up. I'm not playing, I want her back, you punk." After the song's release, Cannon went on his website, defending Carey and expressing his disgust at his comments:
I felt sorry for him because he must really be stuck in the past. Not only has his music not evolved, but also homeboy is still obsessed with my wife, the same female that wouldn't let him get to second base from eight years ago. What type of grown a** man lies about getting with a chick? Only Slim Lamey! LOL! I’m putting this out there now. Marshall Mathers, you need to holler at me... Man to man, let’s meet up and deal with this like adults. So, Miss Marshall, I'm going to make you wish you never spoke my name and regret the ungodly things you said about my wife. Your legacy has now been tainted from this day forth! You will now be known as the rapper who lost to corny-ass Nick Cannon!
Following Cannon's comments, Eminem clarified that the song was actually "wishing the couple the best", and that it was a misunderstanding. In an interview with BBC Radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
, Eminem clarified that although contained a "harsh" line, he meant well: "There's a line on there that was a little harsh. It's a harsh line. But it's like this, the way I look at it, I had no idea he was gonna take it like he took it. I had no idea Nick Cannon was gonna start wildin' out on me. No pun intended." He later commented that he respected Cannon for his response, and that he expected him to stand up for his wife: "I didn't read his blog or anything. But it is what it is. He's supposed to defend his wife, and I expected him to do that. But at the end of the day, it's a line I said – it's a song. What I actually meant to say is, I wish them the best. That's what I meant to say. That's the whole message of the record."
Aftermath
After Carey premiered "Obsessed" on June 16, 2009, the media frenzied and began speculating the song was targeting Eminem, due to its lyrics and overall message. Following the song's accompanying music video, which featured Carey playing a role that resembled the rapper, critics considered it Carey's response to Eminem's "Bagpipes from Baghdad". Soon after both the song and video's release, the rapper released another song, titled "The WarningThe Warning (Eminem song)
"The Warning" is a controversial hip-hop diss song written by Eminem as part of an ongoing conflict with Mariah Carey over claims that she once had a relationship with him...
" on July 30, 2009, which he claimed to be a retaliation. The song's lyrics allude to his supposed relationship with the singer, the music video for "Obsessed", and pictures and proof he claims to have of the couple. The song begins "Only reason I dissed you in the first place is because you denied seeing me. Now I'm pissed off," before describing Carey's impersonation of him in her video, "Oh gee, is that supposed to be me in the video with the goatee?/ Wow Mariah, didn't expect ya to go balls out." Eminem continues describing a near-sexual encounter with the singer, threatening to release voice-mails and pictures he still has in his possession. Additionally, the song features a females voice, unknown whether or not Carey's, where she calls herself Mary Poppins
Mary Poppins
Mary Poppins is a series of children's books written by P. L. Travers and originally illustrated by Mary Shepard. The books centre on a magical English nanny, Mary Poppins. She is blown by the East wind to Number Seventeen Cherry Tree Lane, London and into the Banks' household to care for their...
, as well as several intervals of her laughter. In the aftermath of the releases, Cannon was questioned regarding the inspiration of "Obsessed", and whether it was ever directed at Eminem:
She's Mariah Carey. She's not beefin', she's a vegetarian. People keep saying ['Obsessed'] was directed at certain people. To be completely honest, she did the record 'cause she's a huge fan of this movie Mean GirlsMean GirlsMean Girls is a 2004 American teen comedy-drama film directed by Mark Waters. The screenplay was written by Tina Fey and is based in part on the non-fiction book Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman, which describes how female high school social cliques operate and the effect they can have...
, and there's a line in the movie where one of the girls is like, 'Why are you so obsessed with me?' She says that at the beginning of the song, and that's where the concept came from. But, you know, art imitates life.
Composition
"Obsessed" is an up-tempo song, which draws influence from R&BContemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
and hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
music genres. The song is built around a "thumping bass line", and features a "distorted wordless vocal hook
Hook (music)
A hook is a musical idea, often a short riff, passage, or phrase, that is used in popular music to make a song appealing and to "catch the ear of the listener". The term generally applies to popular music, especially rock music, hip hop, dance music, and pop. In these genres, the hook is often...
" as its instrumentation. Additionally, the song is accentuated by 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...
, while Carey's voice is set with auto-tune
Auto-Tune
Auto-Tune is a proprietary audio processor created by Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a phase vocoder to correct pitch in vocal and instrumental performances. It is used to disguise off-key inaccuracies and mistakes, and has allowed singers to perform apparently perfectly tuned vocal...
. Joey Guerra of 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...
described the song's production as "an auto-tune orgy of come-hither vocals and cutesy Mariah-isms." According to the sheet music
Sheet music
Sheet music is a hand-written or printed form of music notation that uses modern musical symbols; like its analogs—books, pamphlets, etc.—the medium of sheet music typically is paper , although the access to musical notation in recent years includes also presentation on computer screens...
published at Musicnotes.com by Sony/ATV Music Publishing
Sony/ATV Music Publishing
Sony/ATV Music Publishing is a music publishing company co-owned by The Michael Jackson Family Trust and Sony. The organisation was originally founded as Associated TeleVision in 1955 by Lew Grade. In 1957, ATV acquired Pye Records as a wholly owned subsidiary...
, "Obsessed" is set in common time
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
with a tempo of 84 beats per minute. It is composed in the key of C minor
C minor
C minor is a minor scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. The harmonic minor raises the B to B. Changes needed for the melodic and harmonic versions of the scale are written in with naturals and accidentals as necessary.Its key signature consists of three flats...
, with Carey's vocal range spanning from the low-note of C3 to the high-note of C7. Written and produced by Carey, The-Dream
The-Dream
Terius Youngdell Nash , better known by his stage name The-Dream, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. He is known for co-writing "Umbrella" for Rihanna and "Single Ladies " for Beyoncé, as well as for his three solo albums, Love Hate, Love vs...
and Tricky Stewart, the song follows in the chord progression
Chord progression
A chord progression is a series of musical chords, or chord changes that "aims for a definite goal" of establishing a tonality founded on a key, root or tonic chord. In other words, the succession of root relationships...
of Bm7–Am7–Gmaj7. Lyrically, the song describes the protagonists dilemma regarding a stalker, and finds her asking him regarding his obsession.
After the song's release, critics heavily compared its lyrics to Eminem, and suggested Carey alluded to him and his 'obsession' with her. "Obsessed" never mentions the rapper's name, although reviewers felt it to be very obvious. The song begins with "I was like, 'Why are you so obsessed with me?'", before the music begins. As the first verse begins, Carey describes the tracks' subjects constant lies: "All up in the blogs sayin' we met at a bar / When I don't even, know who you are / Sayin' you up in my house sayin' you up in my car / When you in L.A. and I'm at at Jermaine's". Additionally, the song suggests the stalker is under the influence of drugs: It must be the weed, it must be the E / 'Cause you be poppin', you get it poppin'." During the chorus, Carey confronts her stalker, asking: Why are you so obsessed with me / Boy I wanna know / Lying that you're sexing me / When everybody knows/ It's clear that you're upset with me / Oh, Oh, Oh, finally found a girl that you couldn't impress / If you you were the last man on earth still couldn't hit this." During the song's second verse, critics complimented Carey's lyrics, highlighting phrases such as: You're a mom & pop, I'm a corporation / I'm a press conference, you're a conversation," "suggesting the rapper isn't a worthy suitor".
Critical reception
"Obsessed" received generally positive reviews from music critics. While most reviewers complimented the song's lyrics and production, some criticized Carey for her usage of auto-tuneAuto-Tune
Auto-Tune is a proprietary audio processor created by Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a phase vocoder to correct pitch in vocal and instrumental performances. It is used to disguise off-key inaccuracies and mistakes, and has allowed singers to perform apparently perfectly tuned vocal...
. Daniel Kreps from 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...
stated that "the biting mid-tempo track is already more musically and lyrically engrossing than E=MC²
E=MC² (Mariah Carey album)
E=MC² is the eleventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, first released in the United States on April 15, 2008, by Island Records. Carey began recording the album in late-2007 in Anguilla, after writing and composing most of its material during and after her 2006 Adventures...
’s singles." The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club
The A.V. Club is an entertainment newspaper and website published by The Onion. Its features include reviews of new films, music, television, books, games and DVDs, as well as interviews and other regular offerings examining both new and classic media and other elements of pop culture. Unlike its...
s Michaelangelo Matos complimented the song's clever lyrics, and called it a "wicked dis of an unnamed Eminem for spreading rumors about their involvement." Though criticizing Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel
Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel
Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel is the twelfth studio album by American R&B singer Mariah Carey. It was released on September 29, 2009 through Island Records in the U.S. and November 23, 2009 with Mercury Records in the UK...
for being full of mid-tempo numbers, James Reed from The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
felt "Obsessed" "stood out of the goo", due to its witty lyrics and strong beat production. Monica Herrera of 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...
gave the song a positive review, describing it as a "gem of a dis record that coasts, even over its sputtering moans and synth jabs." Additionally, Herrera complimented Carey's lyrics, calling them "bity and funny". 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...
s Leah Greenblatt described the track as a "brash synth kiss-off", while Alex Macpherson from The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
called it "jaunty" and "wisecracking". On "Obsessed", Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
felt the "attitude is sexy", while Jon Caramanica 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 the song was a stand-out track from the album, which he felt was "dated". He described that although the entire album was produced by Carey, The-Dream and Tricky Stewart, which he described as "masters of compensation, helping elevate mediocre singers — like The-Dream himself or Rihanna
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
, on 'Umbrella
Umbrella (song)
"Umbrella" is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna, featuring a rap verse by Jay-Z. The song was written by The-Dream, Christopher Stewart, Kuk Harrell and Jay-Z, and was produced by Stewart and The-Dream for Rihanna's third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad...
' — to something sublime", "Obsessed" sounded "Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records...
-esque, and felt it was a notable exception from the rest of Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel.
Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
s Ann Powers described it as an "aggressive track", while Lauren Carter of the Boston Herald
Boston Herald
The Boston Herald is a daily newspaper that serves Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and its surrounding area. It was started in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States...
wrote "Carey’s musical stiff-arm ends with some vocal acrobatics to let us know she’s still got it. Expect to get 'Obsessed' this summer." MTV News rated the song as one of the contenders for the "best of the summer", writing "Mimi returns, this time with an Auto-Tuned kiss-off to wannabe lotharios (and Eminem?) that will probably be the soundtrack to a million summer hookups and just as many public-intoxication collars. Glossy, flossy and decidedly "urban," Mariah strikes back. Your radio has been warned. Allmusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...
chose the song as a "top pick" from Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, while Amos Barshad of The New York Times listed it as the fifth top song of the summer. In contrast, "Obsessed" received a mixed review from the Los Angeles Times writer, Todd Martens, who wrote that although "its feistier Mimi than [they]'re used to", she ultimately "has been molded to fit current trends" and that the single "again sells out the songbird to her producers." Bill Lamb from About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
was also critical of "Obsessed", stating that Carey should have put out a stronger lead single from the album, and ultimately wrote "Her vocals, historically among the most memorable in pop music history, are drowned by auto-tune leaving a faceless drone on the chorus. I hope she has indeed settled her score here and on the album Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel she will return to songs worthy of her talent." At the ASCAP 27th Annual Pop Music Awards, "Obsessed" won "Most Performed Song".
Commercial performance
"Obsessed" debuted at number eleven on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard 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...
, with sales of 119,266 digital downloads, making it Carey's highest debut in over a decade, since "My All
My All
"My All" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey from her sixth studio album, Butterfly . It was released as the album's fourth and second commercial single on April 21, 1998 by Columbia Records. The song was written and produced by Carey and Walter Afanasieff...
" (1998). This marked her fortieth entry on the Hot 100, making her just the eighth woman in the chart's history to make 40 or more appearances. The song peaked at number seven on the Hot 100, making it her 27th top 10 hit, the second greatest amount among female artists, and tying her achievements to those of Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
. The song stayed in the Top 40 for twenty weeks, longer than her number-one hit 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...
(2008). In terms of total top 10 chart entries amongst all artists in the chart's history, Carey is now tied for fifth place with Jackson and Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
. The song made an early debut at number fifty-two on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and has since peaked at number twelve, marking Carey's 40th chart entry and placing her in second place for most charted songs among women in the '90s and '00s (the first being Mary J Blige). Carey made her 29th appearance on the Pop Songs/Mainstream Top 40 radio chart, with "Obsessed" debuting at number thirty-nine, and peaking at eight. The arrival extends her lead for the most overall chart entries in the tally's nearly 17-year history. She is now three titles ahead of the second-place Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
(26).
On August 11, 2009, it was announced that the single would be released as a CD single
CD single
A CD single is a music single in the form of a standard size Compact Disc, not to be confused with the 3-inch CD single, which uses a smaller form factor. The format was introduced in the mid-1980s, but did not gain its place in the market until the early 1990s...
at Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
store locations in the United States, her first commercial single release physically since 2002 in the country. The CD single was released early at various Wal-Mart store locations, however selling enough copies an entire week before its release date to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot Singles Sales chart, where it remained for four consecutive weeks on the chart. On October 15, 2009, "Obsessed" was certified Platinum
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
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), denoting shipments of over one million units. This marked Carey's 12th Platinum single, more than any other female artist in history. According to Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan is an information and sales tracking system created by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett. Soundscan is the official method of tracking sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada...
, "Obsessed" has sold over 1,550,000 copies in the United States as of August 15, 2010. On the Canadian Hot 100
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...
, the song peaked at number twenty, and spent only four weeks within the singles chart.
Internationally, the song achieved moderate charting due to its limited release. It was not released commercially throughout Europe, in order to give way for the album's second single, Carey's cover of Foreigner
Foreigner (band)
Foreigner is a British-American rock band, originally formed in 1976 by veteran English musicians Mick Jones and ex-King Crimson member Ian McDonald along with American vocalist Lou Gramm...
's classic "I Want to Know What Love Is". On July 26, 2009, the song debuted at number twenty-six on the Australian Singles 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...
. "Obsessed" peaked at number thirteen in the following weeks, placing higher than "Touch My Body" (#17 in 2008), and spent a total of thirteen weeks on the chart. "Obsessed" was certified Gold 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), denoting shipments of over 35,000 units. In France, "Obsessed" debuted at its peak position of number eight, during the week dated September 26, 2009. The song charted for a total of twenty-three weeks, before dropping out on February 27, 2010. Similarly, the song peaked at number six on the Italian Singles 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....
on July 16, as well as number sixty-one on the Dutch Top 40
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...
on September 5, 2009. On both the Japan Hot 100
Japan Hot 100
The Japan Hot 100 is a music singles chart in Japan. It is compiled by Billboard and Hanshin Contents Link ever since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at billboard-japan.com and every Thursday at billboard.com ....
and New Zealand Singles 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...
, "Obsessed" peaked at numbers sixteen and twenty-one, while spending four weeks on both charts, respectively. In the United Kingdom, "Obsessed" was lined up to be released in August before the release of Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, but was pushed back several times and was ultimately cancelled in October, despite receiving heavy radio and video airplay. After the album was released, the song peaked at number fifty-two from downloads alone.
Remix
On June 16, 2009, an accompanying remix featuring rapperRapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
Gucci Mane
Gucci Mane
Radric Davis , better known by his stage name Gucci Mane, is an American rapper. He debuted in 2005 with Trap House and followed with albums such as Hard to Kill in 2006, Trap-A-Thon and Back to the Trap House in 2007. In 2009, his second studio album The State vs. Radric Davis was released...
was released alongside the original. The song kept to its original arrangement and vocals, only adding ad libs
Ad libitum
Ad libitum is Latin for "at one's pleasure"; it is often shortened to "ad lib" or "ad-lib"...
throughout the song, as well as replacing the bridge
Bridge (music)
In music, especially western popular music, a bridge is a contrasting section which also prepares for the return of the original material section...
with a new verse by Mane. Two days before the remix's release, Jasmine Dotiwala
Jasmine Dotiwala
Jasmine Dotiwala is an English-born Broadcaster, Producer, Director and Columnist.-Career:Jasmine Dotiwala has gained acclaim in the media for breaking new, young, British talent, along with fresh, groundbreaking and edgy TV programming featuring A-List celebrities including Eminem, Jay-Z,...
, Carey's longtime friend tweeted regarding it, saying "Listening to 'Obsessed' remix on repeat, -guest rapper-cant tell u who it is but he put the G in Ghetto! Sick combo-hotness." In an interview with MTV News, Mane described the remix as his "biggest collaboration yet":
Shout-out to Mariah Carey and her whole squad and my boy Chris Lighty. He got me and Mariah together. I appreciate it. He put me on there as well as her. Both of them are smart for doing that. The song came out hard. Mariah knew I wanted to do a song with her. It finally happened, and it turned out hard. I just flew up there to New York, went in the studio with her. I flew right out and went back on the road. When I do a song with people, I like to really get in the studio with them so I could feel they swag and they could feel mine. The music comes out better.
Aside from the primary remix, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel included four additional remixes that were released on a separate CD along with the original. It was packaged in a separate sleeve, and included the remix featuring Mane, and versions done by Jump Smokers, Tim Cahill, Seamus Haji
Seamus Haji
Seamus Haji is a British record producer, who had a number one on the UK Dance Chart, with a cover of Indeep's, "Last Night a DJ Saved My Life". He originally released this as a single in 2004. The single originally reached #69 on the UK Singles Chart, and #13 on re-issue in March 2007 and #1 on...
and Friscia & Lamboy
Friscia & Lamboy
Friscia & Lamboy are an electronic music duo. In 2003, they did a remix for Cher's single "Love One Another", in 2004 they remixed Britney Spears's single "Outrageous" and in 2007 remixed Ashley Tisdale's single "He Said She Said"...
.
Background and development
The song's music video was directed by Brett RatnerBrett Ratner
Brett Ratner is an American film director, film producer and music video director. He is best known for directing the Rush Hour film series, The Family Man, Red Dragon, X-Men: The Last Stand, and Tower Heist. He was also a producer on the Fox drama series, Prison Break.- Early life :Ratner was...
, who had previously worked with Carey on six other music videos, and was shot from June 28 to June 29, 2009. Throughout the video, Carey plays herself and a male stalker, dressed as both a bellhop and a man wearing a gray hoodie and sweatpants. Two videos were shot for "Obsessed", one for the original version, and one for the remixed version, which features Gucci Mane
Gucci Mane
Radric Davis , better known by his stage name Gucci Mane, is an American rapper. He debuted in 2005 with Trap House and followed with albums such as Hard to Kill in 2006, Trap-A-Thon and Back to the Trap House in 2007. In 2009, his second studio album The State vs. Radric Davis was released...
. The video was shot predominantly at the Plaza Hotel
Plaza Hotel
The Plaza Hotel in New York City is a landmark 20-story luxury hotel with a height of and length of that occupies the west side of Grand Army Plaza, from which it derives its name, and extends along Central Park South in Manhattan. Fifth Avenue extends along the east side of Grand Army Plaza...
, and on the streets of New York City. After several photographs of Carey dressed as the stalker were leaked, critics and bloggers immediately compared Carey's costume to Eminem's usual attire, and many wrote that aside from the goatee, the pair looked alike. Carey tweeted "I am NOT at any point in the video playing a specific person. I'm dressed as a 'stalker' in 3 different ensembles." Carey also revealed that the music video would reference several of her favorite films, such as Mean Girls
Mean Girls
Mean Girls is a 2004 American teen comedy-drama film directed by Mark Waters. The screenplay was written by Tina Fey and is based in part on the non-fiction book Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman, which describes how female high school social cliques operate and the effect they can have...
(2004), with the line "Why are you so obsessed with me?", as well as The Devil Wears Prada
The Devil Wears Prada (film)
The Devil Wears Prada is a 2006 comedy-drama film, a loose screen adaptation of Lauren Weisberger's 2003 novel of the same name. It stars Anne Hathaway as Andrea Sachs, a recent college graduate who goes to New York City and gets a job as a co-assistant to powerful and demanding fashion magazine...
(2006), by featuring French celebrity photographer Patrick Demarchelier
Patrick Demarchelier
Patrick Demarchelier is a French fashion photographer.-Life:Born near Paris in 1943 to a modest family, he spent his childhood in Le Havre with his mother and four brothers. For his seventeenth birthday, his stepfather bought him his first Eastman Kodak camera...
, who was also heavily referenced in the film. In an interview with MTV News, Carey described going under-cover as the stalker role: "Well, we had a lot of people outside. I'm walking up to the Plaza [Hotel], and when I was dressed as Mariah Carey, there were a lot of people just standing there taking pictures, and the street was closed down, and it was a whole rigmarole. It is what it is. So, basically, I went into costume as the stalker, and I told my bodyguard, 'I don't want you to walk with me.' So, a friend of mine was there, and I was like, 'Let's walk together.'" After reports continued to speculate regarding the video's subject, Ratner explained that the main inspiration behind the video was the 1983 film, The King of Comedy
The King of Comedy (1983 film)
The King of Comedy is a 1983 American dark comedy film starring Robert De Niro and Jerry Lewis, and directed by Martin Scorsese. The subject of the movie is celebrity stalking...
. In an interview with MTV News, Ratner responded to reports that the video was regarding Eminem:
It's not about Eminem — we weren't like, 'Let's find an Eminem look-alike'. We weren't talking to any Eminem [look-alikes]. I guess it's a good rumor, but I don't think it's true. I don't really know. I never asked her, but then when I recommended EllenEllen DeGeneresEllen Lee DeGeneres is an American stand-up comedienne, television host and actress. She hosts the syndicated talk show The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and was also a judge on American Idol for one year, having joined the show in its ninth season....
, that's where she got the idea. Mariah never talked to me about that. You know, Mariah ... she's like the most feminine girl you can imagine, so the more I covered up the less work I had to do on the transitions of changing back and forth. I kind of told the wardrobe guy, 'Let's bulk her up with layers and stuff' — first of all, to hide her breasts, because they're prominent, and to kind of make her more boyish. A b-boy made sense.
On July 10, 2009, Carey announced via her Twitter account that the video would premiere on the talent competition program, America's Got Talent
America's Got Talent
America's Got Talent is an American reality television series on the NBC television network, and part of the global British Got Talent franchise. It is a talent show that features singers, dancers, magicians, comedians, and other performers of all ages competing for the advertised top prize of...
, which is hosted by Cannon. She posted "Just wanna let you know that the world premiere of the 'Obsessed' video is on 'America's Got Talent' (hosted by NCx0x) Wed.night..July 15th!" Although the full video was set to premiere, only a two minute preview was shown, while the full version was later released on line. On July 23, 2009, Carey visited 106 & Park
106 & Park
106 & Park is a Top Ten Hip-Hop and R&B music video show, set up in a countdown format, that airs weekdays at 6:00 PM on BET . Since its inception, it was the network's #1 rated show...
to premiere the video for "Obsessed", as well as the remix video. She discussed the making of the video, as well as the postponement of Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, which was delayed over one month.
Synopsis
The video begins with Carey at a photoshoot in a private room at the Plaza Hotel, speaking the line, "And I was like, why are you so obsessed with me?". Next, a Rolls-Royce Phantom is shown pulling up to the hotel, with Carey stepping out of the vehicle. As she gets out of the car, Carey dressed as a bellhop, assists her to the ramp where she greets fans. The next scene finds Carey walking into the hotel, and waving to everyone, with the camera zooming to the bellhops face to reveal him intently staring at her. As the first verse begins, Carey is shown at the photo-shoot in the hotel, with a cameoCameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
by Patrick Demarchelier
Patrick Demarchelier
Patrick Demarchelier is a French fashion photographer.-Life:Born near Paris in 1943 to a modest family, he spent his childhood in Le Havre with his mother and four brothers. For his seventeenth birthday, his stepfather bought him his first Eastman Kodak camera...
as the photographer. The bellhop, now dressed in a gray hoodie and sweatpants, is shown holding a hair-blower at Carey, apparently assisting with the shoot. As the shoot continues, scenes of the bellhop are shown in his room, where she has dolls of Carey on the wall, as well as quilts with the cover of her 2005 album, The Emancipation of Mimi
The Emancipation of Mimi
The Emancipation of Mimi is the tenth studio album by American recording artist Mariah Carey, released in the United States on April 12, 2005, by Island Records. Following the relatively poor critical and commercial responses to her albums, Glitter and Charmbracelet , The Emancipation of Mimi...
(2005). The video progresses as Carey, now on the streets of New York, is walking towards the hotel. As she begins to notice the bellhop, dressed in the sweats, pursuing her, she turns around in haste and begins jolting back to the hotel while holding several shopping bags. Additionally, scenes of the stalker's home are shown again, this time more elaborately, with his walls covered with portraits of the singer, as well as album covers and lights around a large photo of her. The video continues with several scenes of the stalker staring at Carey during the shoot, as well as his obsession with her in his bedroom. As the video comes to an end, she waits for her limousine to arrive at the hotel. However, before she gets inside, she notices the stalker attempting to take a picture of her. She then looks directly into his camera and gives a smile. The video then shows him again, still attempting to take a picture, right before a bus hits him. Carey gasps in shock after witnessing the incident. The video closes with more shots of the photoshoot. The scene where the stalker gets hit by a bus, and the opening line Carey speaks, are both references to Mean Girls. The remix video for the song features the same story-line and footage, only showing inter-cut scenes of Carey dressed in a white ensemble, while laying on a vintage wooden table. As Gucci Mane stands next to her in a white suit, he pours her champagne and hands her the glass.
Reception
At the time of the video's release, several critics complimented, and took notice of the similarities in Eminem's attire and Carey's stalker. Nick Levine from Digital Spy wrote: "It isn't quite as ridiculous as we were hoping, and Mariah's insisting the male stalker she plays isn't meant to be a 'specific person', but there's still plenty to enjoy in the 'Obsessed' video. There is a lot of MC cleavage, a not entirely convincing fake beard and a neat Mean Girls reference towards the end." NewsdayNewsday
Newsday is a daily American newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties and the New York City borough of Queens on Long Island, although it is sold throughout the New York metropolitan area...
s Corris Little described it as "genius!" and continued, "Move over Eminem, I'm officially obsessed with Mariah Carey. Who isn't? She can sing, she's pretty and she has really fun music videos. Anyone remember the Heartbreaker
Heartbreaker (Mariah Carey song)
"Heartbreaker" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released on September 21, 1999 by Columbia Records as the lead single from Carey's seventh studio album, Rainbow . The song was written by Carey and Jay-Z and produced by the former and DJ Clue...
video where she had an evil twin trying to steal her man?". A writer from the Evening Standard
Evening Standard
The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...
called the video "shocking", and felt that Carey's disguise was so convincing, she should assume the role more often if she wants to travel incognito. The New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
s Jarett Wieselman described it as "human butterfly embraced her macho side", and concluded his review with "I'm guessing the video involves Mariah's butch bellhop becoming a little infatuated with the singer, or something. Basically it's another way to give her double the screentime -- much like that Mariah-on-Mariah fight in 'Heartbreaker'!" Daily News writer Chris Baud joked about Eminem going one step further, writing: "It's great that Mariah seems to be having fun with this whole 'Mininem' thing, but we're afraid of the conflict going any further, because no one wants to see the next step: Eminem in drag." Jennifer Armstrong from Entertainment Weekly complimented Carey for "going after" Eminem, and concluded "I like Mariah with a sense of humor, and I love the idea of her turning the tables on the king of celebrity-mocking videos."
Live performances
Carey performed "Obsessed" on several televised appearances since its release. On August 5, 2009, Carey performed the song live for the first time on the fourth seasonAmerica's Got Talent (season 4)
The fourth season of America's Got Talent, an American television reality show talent competition, premiered on the NBC network on June 23, 2009. Country singer Kevin Skinner was named the winner on September 16, 2009....
of the talent competition, America's Got Talent
America's Got Talent
America's Got Talent is an American reality television series on the NBC television network, and part of the global British Got Talent franchise. It is a talent show that features singers, dancers, magicians, comedians, and other performers of all ages competing for the advertised top prize of...
. Carey, appearing in jeans and a black top, was accompanied by several male dancers and three back-up singers. As she performed the song, the dancers hoisted her into the air several times, and carried her to several areas on the stage. During the performance, several white lights flashed, while monitors behind the dancers showed images of Carey and the video. Breanne Heldman from E! Entertainment Television criticized several aspects of the performance. She described the lighting as "anxiety inducing", and wrote, "That said, no one is doubting the singer's impressive set of pipes, but—frighteningly jarring lighting and quick edits aside—did she actually utilize them on 'America's Got Talent' last night?" Aside from questioning the singers live vocals, she also felt Carey seemed "robotic", and didn't show effort or interest in the performance. A reviewer from Idolator
Idolator (website)
Idolator is a music blog. Created by the blog network Gawker Media in August 2006, Idolator was later sold to rival blog network Buzz Media, which also owns music blog Stereogum. From the 2007 departure of original head writer Brian Raftery until November 2009, the blog's head writer was Maura...
also was critical on the performance, asking if there was "anything good about [it]". He claimed Carey was lip-syncing, and described it as "lackadaisical", and wrote, "the backup dancers’ moves would have probably received a big red 'X' from at least one of the judges."
In the United States, on October 2, 2009, Carey began promotion of the album on Today, in the form of a four piece outdoor concert. Wearing a "black leather trench coat and accessorized with a glittery microphone", Carey performed "Obsessed", "I Want to Know What Love Is", "H.A.T.E.U.
H.A.T.E.U.
"H.A.T.E.U." is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, taken from her twelfth studio album, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel . It was written and produced by Carey, along with Terius "The-Dream" Nash and Christopher "Tricky" Stewart...
" and her 1991 single, "Make It Happen". The performance of "Obsessed" featured similar choreography as on America's Got Talent, in which Carey was carried around by her dancers several times. Carey performed "Obsessed" live on Lopez Tonight
Lopez Tonight
Lopez Tonight was an American late-night television talk show hosted by comedian George Lopez. The hour-long program premiered on November 9, 2009, on cable network TBS. Lopez was the first Mexican American to host a late-night talk show on an English-language network in the United States. The...
on December 16, 2009, alongside another song from the album, "It's A Wrap". At the 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...
ceremony in 2009, Carey performed "Touch My Body
Touch My Body
"Touch My Body" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, taken from her eleventh studio album, E=MC² . It was written and produced by Carey, along with Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, Crystal "Cri$tyle" Johnson and Terius "The Dream" Nash, and was released as the album's lead single on...
" and "Obsessed", as well as the remix to her 1995 song "Fantasy
Fantasy (Mariah Carey song)
"Fantasy" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey. It was released on September 12, 1995 by Columbia Records as the lead single for her fifth studio album, Daydream . The song was written by Carey and Dave Hall, both serving as primary producers alongside Sean Combs...
". During the short set list
Set list
A set list, or setlist, is a document that lists the songs that a band or musical artist intends to play, or has played, during a specific concert performance...
, Carey was accompanied by six men in black tie and suits, who hoisted her into the air in front of over 6,000 people during "Obsessed", and rigorous dance routines throughout "Touch My Body". Following the release of Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, she held four concerts at The Pearl Concert Theatre, where she included the song on the set-list. Similar to the performance at the Fashion Rocks ceremony, Carey was hoisted into the air several times by four to six male dancers, each of whom circled her with intricate dancing throughout the song. Carey featured similar choreography for the song during her Angels Advocate Tour
Angels Advocate Tour
The Angels Advocate Tour is the seventh concert tour by American R&B singer Mariah Carey, in support of her twelfth studio album, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel. The tour visited North America, also Egypt, Brazil and Singapore...
(2009–10), where it was included throughout the entire span of the tour.
Track listings and formats
Brazilian Promo-single- "Obsessed" (Album Version)
European CD single
- "Obsessed" (Album Version)
- "Obsessed" (Cahill Radio Edit)
Japanese Promo Single
- "Obsessed" (Album Version)
- "Obsessed" (Super Clean Version)
UK Promo Single
- "Obsessed" (Seamus Haji & Paul Emanuel Club Mix)
- "Obsessed" (Cahill Club Mix)
- "Obsessed" (Seamus Haji & Paul Emanuel Dub)
- "Obsessed" (Cahill Dub)
- "Obsessed" (Seamus Haji & Paul Emanuel Radio Edit)
- "Obsessed" (Cahill Radio Edit)
- "Obsessed" (Jump Smokers Radio Edit)
- "Obsessed" (Remix Featuring Gucci Mane)
- "Obsessed" (Original Mix)
US CD Single
- "Obsessed" (Album Version)
US maxi-single
- "Obsessed" (Cahill Radio Mix)
- "Obsessed" (Seamus Haji & Paul Emanuel Radio Edit)
- "Obsessed" (Friscia And Lamboy Radio Mix)
- "Obsessed" (Jump Smokers Radio Edit)
- "Obsessed" (Cahill Club Mix)
- "Obsessed" (Seamus Haji & Paul Emanuel Club Mix)
- "Obsessed" (Friscia And Lamboy Club Mix)
- "Obsessed" (Cahill Dub)
- "Obsessed" (Seamus Haji & Paul Emanuel Dub)
- "Obsessed" (Friscia And Lamboy Piano Dub)
Credits and personnel
Adapted from the Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel liner notes.- Mariah CareyMariah CareyMariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
– songwriting, producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Terius Nash – songwriting, producer
- Christopher StewartChristopher Stewart (music producer)Christopher "Tricky" Stewart is an American songwriter, music producer, music publisher, executive producer, recording industry executive and recording studio owner. In a career spanning 16 years, Stewart, at the helm of his company RedZone Entertainment, is responsible for over 25 million...
– songwriting, producer - Brian Garter – recording
- Brian Thomas – recording
- Jaysen-Joshua Fowler – 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...
- Dave Pensado – audio mixing
- Bernie Grundman – masteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
Charts
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles 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... |
13 |
| Belgian Flandres Singles 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... |
14 |
| Belgian Wallonia Singles 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... |
20 |
| Canadian Hot 100 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... |
20 |
| Czech Republic Singles Chart | 11 |
| Dutch Singles Chart 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... |
61 |
| European Singles Chart | 28 |
| French Singles 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... |
8 |
| Italian Singles 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.... |
6 |
| Japan Hot 100 Japan Hot 100 The Japan Hot 100 is a music singles chart in Japan. It is compiled by Billboard and Hanshin Contents Link ever since February 2008. The chart is updated every Wednesday at billboard-japan.com and every Thursday at billboard.com .... |
16 |
| New Zealand Singles 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... |
21 |
| Slovakian Singles Chart | 17 |
| Swiss Singles 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... |
61 |
| 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 ... |
52 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 7 |
| US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
12 |
| US Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs | 1 |
| US Billboard Pop Songs Mainstream Top 40 (Pop Songs) The Mainstream Top 40 is an airplay chart from Billboard magazine, and is also known as Pop Songs on billboard.com. It was often mistaken for and confused with the now discontinued Pop 100 Airplay chart... |
8 |
Certifications
| Region | Certifications |
|---|---|
| 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... ) |
Gold |
| 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... ) |
Platinum |
End of year charts
| Charts (2009) | Position |
|---|---|
| French Singles Chart | 71 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 41 |