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"Obsessed" is a song by American singer Mariah Carey, released as the lead single from her 12th studio album, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel. The song is produced and co-written by Mariah Carey, The-Dream and Christopher "Tricky" Stewart.

Background and release

On June 9, 2009, Carey announced via Twitter that the first single from Memoirs would be "Obsessed" and that it would be released to radio the following Tuesday, June 16; she also stated that "this is one of favorite songs ever." The singer also stated that the song was an "uptempo fun summer record," and even though she wanted to release a Butterfly-era ballad, "Obsessed" had to come out first. She wrote on Twitter, "It's different for me, but clearly, it's SO me!"

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. A remix of the song, featuring rapper Gucci Mane, premiered on the same day. Gucci said that 50 Cent's manager, Chris Lighty, orchestrated his guest appearance.

Music video

The music video will be directed by Brett Ratner.. It will be shot on June 28, 2009.

Critical reception

Initial reviews of the track were generally positive. Rolling Stone stated that "the biting mid-tempo track is already more musically and lyrically engrossing than E=MC²’s singles," while a reviewer from Hitfix stated that the song "is rhythmically-driven, mid-tempo slice of summer delight, full of insults delivered in an innocent, sugary sweet questioning way by Carey, which only adds to its appeal," adding that Carey "pulls it off." Newsday writer Glenn Gamboa wrote on the paper's music blog that Carey "coos confidently, riding the laid-back beat, probably holding back the laughs as she insults again." MTV News predicted that "Obsessed" would be the song of the summer, calling it "glossy, flossy, and decidedly 'urban'." FMQB's Bob Burke said that "There's no doubt that Mariah can sing like no one else, but sometimes less is best, as is the case on this hypnotic track that is sure to keep MC fans totally "Obsessed." The Boston Herald gave the song a B+ review, saying that "she's still got it". Billboard gave Obsessed a very positive review saying, Jay-Z may have declared AutoTune dead, but Mariah Carey just revived it. Along with The-Dream and Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, Carey has crafted a gem of a diss record that coasts, even over its sputtering moans and synth jabs, her lyrical boasts are biting and funny, and the syrupy lightness of her vocals is tailor-made for the ribbing she gives her mystery pursuant (reportedly Eminem). Though some lament Carey trading in her sky-high notes and ballads for a more constrained, R&B-friendly range, the singer has clearly found a new comfort zone that could very well produce her 19th No. 1 hit.. "Obsessed" is the featured "Single of the Week" in the Music section of People magazine, they stated that "This summery midtempo bouncer from Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, due Aug. 25, finds MC getting a bit devilish with what sounds like a response to Eminem's "Bagpipes from Baghdad".

The song received a mixed review from the Los Angeles Times, with a writer stating that although this was "a feistier Mimi than '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," saying that Carey should have put out a stronger lead single from Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, he stated that "Lyrically "Obsessed" is interesting, but musically it just doesn't hold up with the standard of Mariah Carey's other work, " Those having similar issues in life will surely grab some of the more clever lyrical put-downs here, but the music, a plodding, repetitive beat with little melody, is forgettable". Lamb also called the song "bitter" and was negative towards the excessive use of Auto-Tune in the song, "Her vocals, historically among the most memorable in pop music history, are drowned by auto-tune leaving a faceless drone on the chorus".

Lyrical content

In an interview with HipHopDX, The-Dream stated that Carey had a song that everyone would be talking about and that it would "light up the blogs," also calling it a "fire record." The producer noted that due to the content of the song, "somebody’s going to be very upset."

Within hours after the song's release, various outlets speculated that its target was rapper Eminem, in response to his song "Bagpipes from Baghdad," in which he taunted Carey's husband, Nick Cannon by telling Nick Cannon to back off and that Carey is his. According to MTV, Carey alludes to drug problems in "Obsessed," which Eminem opened up about on his latest album, Relapse.

Chart performance

Obsessed debuted at number 52 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, on the issue dated July 4, 2009. This marked Carey's 48th chart entry. Carey extends her lead for second most charted titles among women in the '90s and '00s, the first being Mary J Blige with 57 chart entries.

Charts

Release history

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References

1. ^ Mariah Carey Remix Puts the 'G in Ghetto'. Rap-Up. June 14, 2009. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
2. Twitter / Mariah Carey. Twitter. June 9, 2009. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
3. Obsessed - New Mariah Single Out Next Week!. mariahcarey.com. June 9, 2009. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
4. Twitter / Mariah Carey. Twitter. June 9, 2009. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
5. Twitter / Mariah Carey. Twitter. June 9, 2009. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
6. Obsessed Songfacts
7. The Island Def Jam Music Group. Mariah Carey Puts Finishing Touches on Her New Album, MEMOIRS OF AN IMPERFECT ANGEL, for August 25th Release. Yahoo! Finance. June 16, 2009. Retrieved June 16, 2009.
8. http://twitter.com/MariahCarey/status/2365439576
9. ^ Kreps, Daniel. Mariah Carey Fires Back at Eminem in New Single “Obsessed”. Rolling Stone. June 16, 2009. Retrieved June 16, 2009.
10. Newman, Melinda. Review: Mariah Carey's new single, 'Obsessed'. Hitfix. June 16, 2009. Retrieved June 16, 2009.
11. ^ Gamboa, Glenn. Mariah Carey's "Obsessed" single takes down Eminem. Newsday. June 16, 2009. Retrieved June 16, 2009.
12. Montgomery, James. Mariah Carey? Drake? Who Will Have The Summer Jam Of '09?. MTV News. June 16, 2009. Retrieved June 19, 2009.
14. Carter, Lauren. Disc Reviews: Mariah Carey. Boston Herald. Retrieved June 24, 2009.
15. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/reviews-singles/obsessed-1003988222.story
16. People magazine, page 45, July 6, 2009 issue.
17. ^ Martens, Todd. Mariah Carey: Are we 'Obsessed'?. Los Angeles Times. June 16, 2009. Retrieved June 16, 2009.
18. Lamb, Bill. Mariah Carey - "Obsessed". About.com. Retrieved June 19, 2009.
19. Burgess, Omar. The-Dream Talks Auto-Tune, Mariah's Answer Record. HipHopDX. June 11, 2009. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
20. Joszor, Njai. Mariah Carey will throw punches on Obsessed single. Examiner.com. June 12, 2009. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
21. Wete, Brad. HOT FIVE AT 5: Featuring Mariah Carey. Vibe. June 16, 2009. Retrieved June 16, 2009.
22. Rodriguez, Rodriguez (2009-06-16). "Is Mariah Carey's 'Obsessed' Directed At Eminem?". MTV. Retrieved 2009-06-17.
23. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/chart-beat-bonus/chart-beat-the-black-eyed-peas-lynda-carter-1003985729.story

• 2009 singles
• Mariah Carey songs
• Music videos directed by Brett Ratner
• Songs written by Mariah Carey