Emotions (Mariah Carey song)

"Emotions" is a song written and produced by Mariah Carey, and David Cole and Robert Clivillés of the C+C Music Factory, and recorded for Carey's second album Emotions (1991). It was released as the album's first single in the third quarter of 1991 in the United States and in the fourth quarter elsewhere. This disco-influenced song has its protagonist going through a variety of emotions, from high to low, up to the point where she declares "you got me feeling emotions" and sings high notes.

Background

Carey was sent to work with the C+C Music Factory and they composed the song "You're So Cold", which became the first choice for the album's first single. However, a second session with the production team had them feeling in a lighter mood when "Emotions" was created and finally decided upon as the lead single.

Composition

"Emotions" is disco-influenced pop song and it is written in the key of C major. Carey usually prefers to transpose the key to B♭ major when performing live (one example of this is on MTV Unplugged). Carey's vocal range spans more than four octaves on the track, from C₃ to E₇. The song tested and challenged Carey's vocal range and is her first song to require the execution of multiple whistle notes. It starts on a falsetto note followed by a belted note. This is one of the reasons why many singers who try to emulate her vocal technique may use an incorrect...
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