"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.
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.
"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 C
3to E
7. The song tested and challenged Carey's vocal
range and is her first song to require the execution of
multiple high 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 vocal
technique. The sheet music of the song has a 8va marking on the
last part of the song.
The single's music video, directed by Jeff Preiss, features
Carey and friends with exotic animals experiencing emotions
while partying and having fun around town in New York. The
video was desaturated but still maintains various different
color tints, which change from brown to red to blue and so
forth.
David Cole and Robert Clivillés created the main remix of
"Emotions" known as "Emotions" (12" club mix). Although Carey
did not re-record her vocals for it, she added a new
gospel-style intro before the song's dance portion. This new
intro was used when she performed "Emotions" on
MTV Unpluggedin 1992, as well as at some later concerts.
A music video was created using the 12" club mix, but only
slight changes in editing differentiate it from the video for
the original version.
"Emotions" was nominated for the 1992 Grammy Award for Best
Female Pop Vocal Performance, losing to "Something to Talk
About" by Bonnie Raitt. It won a BMI R&B Award, continuing
Carey's unbroken streak of wins for this award.
"Emotions" became Carey's fifth consecutive number 1 hit on
the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, giving her the distinction of being
the first and to date only act to have their first five singles
make number 1 on the Hot 100. (She had previously shared a
record of four with The Jackson 5.) It reached number 1 in its
seventh week and spent three weeks at the top, from October 6
to October 26, 1991. It replaced "Good Vibrations" by Marky
Mark and the Funky Bunch featuring Loleatta Holloway, and was
replaced by Karyn White's "Romantic". It remained in the top
forty for twenty weeks and was one of four singles from Carey
on the Hot 100's 1991 year-end charts, ranking 22. The song
topped the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and became her
second number 1 single on the Hot Dance Club Play chart. The
RIAA certified it gold.
Outside the U.S., it was Carey's most successful single
since "Vision of Love" (1990), the lead single from her debut
album. It reached the top five in Canada and New Zealand, and
became her first single to reach the United Kingdom top twenty
since her debut. It was a modest hit in Australia, where it
just missed the top ten, but its success in Europe was
limited.
It was used for a 2009
Australian Idoladvertisement.
On New Year's Eve, 2009, Carey sang Emotions on the first
night of her 'Angels Advocate Tour'. It is the first time she
has sang Emotions live in 10 years, since the Rainbow World
Tour.
Worldwide CD single
U.S. CD maxi-single
European maxi-single #1
European maxi-single #2