INFORMATION
The lead single from Mariah's 12th studio album was announced via Twitter on June 9, 2009. The song was later released to radio the following Tuesday, June 16. It debuted on Chicago radio station B96 at 2:00 pm.
The official Obsessed remix featuring Gucci Mane was played on radio within hours of the premier of the single.
Many fans and critics alike speculate that the song is directed towards rapper Eminem who states that him and Mariah have had a relationship in the early 2000's. However Mariah has feverishly denied this accusations. On the 2003 Charmbracelet album Mariah used clever lyrics to discuss the issue on Clown. However Eminem wanted the last blow and released Bagpipes from Bagdad in which he states "Mariah, what's ever happened to us, why did we have to break up" and "I mean I really want you bad you cunt, Nick you had your fun, I've come to kick you in your sack of junk". Obsessed appears to be Mariah's response.
The song was released to iTunes on Monday July 7.
Mariah on Obsessed:
"Uptempo fun summer record"
"Obsessed had to come outfirst"
"It's different for me, but clearly, it's so me!"
Mariah started filming the Obsessed video on June 28th and finished on June 29th. The video was directed by Brett Ratner, who also directed I Still Believe, Heartbreaker, Thank God I Found You, It's Like That, We Belong Together, and Touch My Body. The video was shot in The Plaza Hotel in New York City.
In the video Mariah playes the role of her 'stalker' who happens to be the opposite sex. Yes, Mariah dressed in drag and did it justice. This alter ego has been named Michael Caligiuri (sharing the same initials as Mariah).
REMIXES
Obsessed (Remix) -- Feat Gucci Mane
BILLBOARD
Billboard HOT 100 |
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POSITION |
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WEEKS ON CHART |
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Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs |
DATE |
POSITION |
JUMP |
WEEKS ON CHART |
July 9, 09 |
31 |
6 |
3 |
July 2, 09 |
37 |
15 |
2 |
June 25, 09 |
52 |
- |
1 (DEBUT) |
Adult R&B Airplay |
DATE |
POSITION |
JUMP |
WEEKS ON CHART |
July 9, 09 |
31 |
6 |
2 |
July 2, 09 |
37 |
- |
1 (DEBUT) |
Rhythmic Top 40 |
DATE |
POSITION |
JUMP |
WEEKS ON CHART |
July 2, 09 |
29 |
- |
1 (DEBUT) |
Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay |
DATE |
POSITION |
JUMP |
WEEKS ON CHART |
July 2, 09 |
35 |
- |
1 (DEBUT) |
Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles |
DATE |
POSITION |
JUMP |
WEEKS ON CHART |
July 9, 09 |
1 |
12 |
11 |
July 2, 09 |
13 |
- |
1 |
MEDIA IMPRESSIONS
USA Media Impressions |
DATE |
AUDIANCE |
SPINS |
7/4/2009 |
20.129 |
3422 |
6/27/2009 |
12.764 |
1886 |
6/20/2009 |
8.073 |
877 |
REVIEWSRolling StoneMariah Carey Fires Back at Eminem in New Single "Obsessed""Obsessed," the first single from Mariah Carey's upcoming album Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, debuted on Chicago's B96 radio today, and - surprise - it seems like the song is targeting Eminem, who recently started a beef with Carey and her husband Nick Cannon with the Relapse song "Bagpipes From Baghdad. "I was like, why are you so obsessed with me?" Carey asks before the song even begins. In "Bagpipes," Eminem rapped, "Mariah, what ever happened to us, why did we have to break up… Nick Cannon better back the f**k up. I'm not playing, I want her back, you punk." Mariah's response? "You're delusional, boy, you're losing your mind," Carey sings over choppy synths, with a dash of Auto-Tune dabbed on her voice. "It must be weed, it must be the E… Why are you so obsessed with me? Lying that you're sexing me." Carey adds some more barbs, like "Telling the world how much you miss me, but we never were so why you trippin' " and provoking the rapper with "You're a mom & pop, I'm a corporation. I'm a press conference, you're a conversation." The biting mid-tempo track is already more musically and lyrically engrossing than E=MC2's singles. In case you missed the radio debut, the diva's own official Website promises to post the song at 4 p.m. ET today. The news comes straight from Carey's updated Twitter, which not only revealed the "Obsessed" single cover art, which features a drenched Mariah, but also announced that Memoirs will hit stores on August 25th. As for the "Obsessed" video, Rush Hour's Brett Ratner will once again direct Carey, having already made the "We Belong Together" and "Touch My Body" clips. The video is expected out soon. "Obsessed" was produced by the duo of The-Dream and Tricky Stewart, who also produced the majority of Memoir according to Carey's official site. "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," Carey previously wrote on her Twitter about "Obsessed," adding that the song already has a remix all ready to go.
LINKMariah Carey feat. Gucci Mane, "Obsessed" [Remix]We're officially to the point where it's almost like the remixes are out before the songs themselves. Gucci Mane runs roughshod over a more-or-less unaltered version of Mariah's latest single, but his husky voice and sing-song delivery make it sound like a whole different animal. LINK
Newsday.comMariah Carey's "Obsessed" single takes down Eminem Whoa!Could this be the first time a diva trumps a rapper in a hip-hop beef?Mariah Carey throws some elbows on her new single “Obsessed” – the first track from her upcoming “Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel” (Island) due out Aug. 25, which debuted on radio this afternoon – and they’re all landing on her tormentor Eminem. “Why you so obsessed with me? Lying that you’re sexing me?” the Greenlawn native sings in the chorus, before delivering the kiss-off “You’re delusional. Boy, you’re losing your mind.” Despite the harsh words – tossing around digs like “You’re a mom-and-pop, I’m a corporation” and referring to his “Napoleon complex” – Carey plays it cool on the track that she co-wrote with The-Dream and Tricky Stewart. She coos confidently, riding the laid-back beat, probably holding back the laughs as she insults again.It plays far smoother than her husband Nick Cannon’s fiery response last month to Eminem’s “Bagpipes from Baghdad,” where Eminem raps about taking Carey back from him and then calls her a “[expletive] whore.” Of course, the Mariah-Eminem flak goes back for years, after he claimed they were in a six-month relationship, which Carey denies.“Your legacy has now been tainted from this day forth!” Cannon wrote (and then retracted) on his blog. “You will now be known as the rapper who lost to corny-ass Nick Cannon!” But “Obsessed” seems to go even farther. Eminem was torn down by Mariah herself. Right now, it's MC: 1, EM 0. LINKHitFix.comReview: Mariah Carey's new single, 'Obsessed'Without ever mentioning his name, Mariah Carey takes on Eminem in her new single, "Obsessed."The song, which bowed today, is a rhythmically-driven, mid-tempo slice of summer delight, full of insults delivered in a innocent, sugary sweet questioning way by Carey, which only adds to its appeal.Instead of anger, she's as gentle as a lamb here (yes, lamb reference is 100% intentional), practically dripping in saccharine while she lays down blow after blow at someone (just in case it isn't Enimem, but it is). Sample lyrics: "Finally found a girl you couldn't impress/last man on earth still couldn't get kissed" and our favorite snap: "You're a mom and pop/I'm a corporation/I'm the press conference/you're a conversation."We give her credit for rhyming "delusional" with a completely new word: "confusional."We like it and see no reason why it can't become a real word and replace "confusing," which is much harder to rhyme anyway. Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst gave us "agreeance," so why shouldn't Carey do her part to bring down the English language?For those with short memories, Eminem keeps insisting that he and Carey had a thing, while she says that didn't. He takes her and hubby Nick Cannon on in a much more profane way on his new album, "Relapse," whereas Carey couldn't be more G-rated here."Obsessed" will be great radio/gossip catnip for the first few days since there's nothing we all love so much as a meaningless feud between two people we don't know or really care about. But after that, it will be interesting to see how it fares after the initial "Oh... did she really say that?" dies down.With its emphasis on the beat and Carey's stuttering chorus, instead of any vocal prowess, "Obsessed" sounds like it could come from Rihanna or Britney Spears (especially in the "uh..uh..uh part) and that's just the way she and her co-producers The-Dream and Tricky Stewart want it.That's because much more than showing she's got great pipes, which, of course, she does, Carey has to continue to prove that, at 39, she can throw down with the younger girls who are constantly nipping.at.her.heels like in "All About Eve." To her credit, she pulls it off.LINKLos Angeles Times Mariah Carey: Are we 'Obsessed'?What: Mariah Carey's "Obsessed," the first single off her upcoming album.
How is it: This is a feistier Mimi than we're used to, as she comes out firing in the song's opening moments. "Why are you so obsessed with me?" questions an obviously irritated Carey.
Is she lashing out at Eminem? The gossip hounds? A simple scolding at a new breed of pop divas? It doesn't really matter. Either way, it will help Mariah stay in the headlines for weeks to come -- long enough to fuel hype for her album "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel," which will be conveniently released (on Aug. 25) in time to make the cut for the new Grammy eligibility rules.
With The-Dream and Tricky Stewart sharing production credits, Carey has been molded to fit current trends. The still-ubiquitous Auto-Tune is here (a look she played with on "E=MC2's" "Migrate); this time, it's used to bring a slight electronic manipulation to her trademark wails. No need to worry about hitting high notes when computers are all the rage these days, and the thick, pointed keyboards will allow Carey to fit comfortably on Top-40 play lists that are currently obsessed with Lady Gaga's "Poker Face." Ultimately, that's the point here, as this seems like a tune pointedly designed to get radio play and provide us press types with some new topics to try to get Carey to address on the red carpet, which she will artfully deflect from now until mid-November. The song is put-down after put-down, with Carey declaring that she "ain't gonna feed you / Gonna let you starve," and the hard-not-to-quote, "You're a mom and pop / I'm a corporation." She doesn't really sound angry -- just a little bemused at her attackers, even if the high road would have been to ignore them. But the sophisticated route doesn't always generate hype, and "Obsessed" is certainly more lively than her earlier work with The-Dream (the bedroom slow-dance "My Love").Unfortunately, it's an even more anonymous Carey than ever before. One of the biggest selling points of "E=MC2" was Carey dropping the over-the-top howling, and learning how to sing with a more restrained range. She thankfully left the showboating to the "American Idol" kids, and stayed closer to the rhythms. Yet "Obsessed" again sells out the songbird to her producers.
LINK
MTVIs Mariah Carey's 'Obsessed' Directed At Eminem?Singer seems to get back at the Detroit MC in the lyrics to her new single.
Apparently Mariah Carey has responded to Eminem's taunts from his track "Bagpipes From Baghdad" with her own stinging account of things on "Obsessed," the first single from her upcoming album Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel.
The bouncy number debuted Tuesday (June 16) and from the onset Carey seems to be giving her side of the story. "I was like, 'Why are you so obsessed with me?' " Carey says before the music begins.
The singer never mentions the rapper by name, but the lyrics suggest Em may be the target, as Carey talks about the target's drug problems. "It must be the weed, it must be the E/ 'Cause you be poppin', you get it poppin'," Carey sings. Em recently opened up about his battle with drugs on his latest LP, Relapse.On the album's "Bagpipes From Baghdad," Em raps about taking Carey back from Nick Cannon. (Carey has denied Eminem's claims that they dated for six months.) "Nick Cannon better back the f--- up," Em warns the actor/musician on the track. "I'm not playing/ I want her back, you punk."Cannon fired back at Eminem last month, before the rapper softened his dis in a later interview, defusing the tension.Carey hadn't responded publicly, but on "Obsessed," however, she seems to be getting her laughs in, particularly on the song's chorus."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," she sings in an Auto-Tune-tinged voice.Throughout the song, Carey calls the track's subject "delusional" and "confused" and says that the person must be "losing their mind."Singer/songwriter The-Dream confirmed in a previous interview that the song is definitely directed at someone — but the "Dancing on the Moon" singer who, along with producing partner Tricky Stewart, helmed most of Carey's next project, would not confirm exactly who. "Obsessed" is currently streaming on Carey's Web site.LINK
Who Will Have The Summer Jam of '09?Mariah Carey, "Obsessed"Odds That It Will Rule the Summer: 4:1
Just 14 months after 2008's E=MC² album fizzled, 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. And I'm not just saying that because the hook reminds me so much of Jamie Foxx's "Blame It," either. Glossy, flossy and decidedly "urban," Mariah strikes back. Your radio has been warned.
LINK
Showbiz 411
Mariah Exacts Revenge on Eminem
By Roger Friedman
Mariah Carey is finally getting back at Eminem. Her revenge for his ranting and raving about their alleged "affair" is a witty, biting new single called "Obsessed."
Good for Mariah, who's had to put up with Eminem's lunatic name calling for the last couple of years. Then, just to get publicity, Eminem took more swipes at her on his new CD in a song called "Bagpipes from Baghdad."
In the "song" – a term used loosely – the execrable Eminem calls Carey the "c word." (This is what your kids are spending millions on, folks. Wise up.) He not only attacks the singer but her husband, Nick Cannon, and long ago boyfriend Luis Miguel.
Mariah's comeback is funnier, catchier, and more likely to be a bigger hit. "Why are you obsessed with me?" she sings to one of the best hooks in her storied history. "You're delusional/you're confused/you're losing your mind," Mariah continues. "Lyin' that your sexin' me." Ouch!
And the winner is: Universal Music Group. Both performers record for them. And a feud is always good for business! "Obsessed," by the way, is the first single from Mariah's new album, due August 25th, to be called "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel."
LINK
FMOB
By Bob BurkeMariah Carey has released a brand new single for the summer of 2009, “Obsessed.” It was written and produced by Mariah, The-Dream and Tricky Stewart and is the first single from her forthcoming Memoirs Of An Imperfect Angel, which is due in stores on August 25 and is Mariah’s 12th studio album and the much anticipated follow-up to her platinum-selling E=MC² and her worldwide 10 million selling The Emancipation Of Mimi. It’s hard to find an artist with Carey’s track record who seems to deliver consistently over their entire career. Some things just seem to get better with time and I for one have always been as much a fan of MC’s lower vocal register as her signature high end power. 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!” And is it just me or is there a slim chance that MC is sending a message to a certain someone? BET ON IT!LINK
New York Magazine
Song of the Summer: Mariah Carey DominatesIt's late, the weather's nice (for the moment), and we've got big news so we're just gonna lay it on you: Mariah Carey has snatched the No. 1 Song of the Summer spot from the Black Eyed Peas, whose "Boom Boom Pow" is officially overplayed out – and faces an enemy from within: "I Gotta Feeling," by the Black Eyed Peas. Elsewhere, Cobra Starship and the Gossip burst the bounds of their respective genres to offer straight-up summer hotness, and Sean Kingston has us so ready to dance in front of the AC in our unmentionables.
Whether or not it's about Eminem, as some maintain (and the lyrics don't say Marshall Mathers to us – more like Stan), Mariah Carey's "Obsessed" contains one of the all-time great put-downs: "You're a mom-and-pop, I'm a corporation." (And you know Wal-Mart haters are turned on.) If nothing else, Mariah's an institution: Second only to the Beatles in No. 1 singles, she's the closest thing this summer has to a dominant (pun intended) diva – Keri Hilson's gonna touch her? Fergie? And, like the best summer tracks, this song's a shape-shifter: it's a slow jam, but with Gucci Mane on the remix; it's sexy, but a dis track; it's dark, but you'll sing along. Spin us right round, Mariah, and feel free to do so all summer.
1. Mariah Carey, "Obsessed": Congratulations to Mariah on the Power Rankings' first-ever No. 1 debut. On a side note, another notch in Mariah's impressive SOTS CV are her gritty choices in remix partners: following in the footsteps of O.D.B. and Jadakiss come Gucci Mane and the official "Obsessed" remix.
LINK
About.com
The Bottom Line
"Obsessed" is certainly a change of pace for Mariah Carey who has built one of the most phenomenal pop music careers of all time out of songs primarily about love, sex and inspiration. The new single is a very direct, bordering on nasty, dis reportedly of Eminem but probably of others as well. Lyrically "Obsessed" is interesting, but musically it just doesn't hold up with the standard of Mariah Carey's other work. She sounds surprisingly bored for the words she is singing.
Pros* Clever lyrical put-downs
Cons* Mariah Carey sounds bored* Plodding beat* Bitter tone
Guide Review - Mariah Carey - "Obsessed"
Mariah Carey is clearly settling scores on "Obsessed," but she sounds more like she's making a narcotized plea over the phone. Mariah could learn a thing or two from Britney Spears in this department. The auto-tune drenching of much of the song does not help matters. 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.
The most prominent speculation is that this song is a response to Eminem and his track "Bagpipes from Baghdad" where he takes on Carey's husband Nick Cannon. If indeed Eminem is the target, the pithy line, "You a mom and pop, I’m a corporation, I’m the press conference, you a conversation," rings a bit of playground sniping rather than being based in reality considering these are two of the biggest pop stars of all time. However, it will be interesting to see if musical feuding between two major stars is a commercial goldmine for Universal, the home to both artists. If so, expect to see more of this in the future.
One of the most disappointing aspects of "Obsessed" is that an artist with Mariah Carey's career record has elected to choose a bitter, musically weak recording to kick off a major new studio album. 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.
LINK
Boston Herald
By Lauren Carter, Boston Herald
Rating: B+
The soon-to-be-hot song of the season comes from Mrs. Nick Cannon, who wants to know, like, "Why you so obsessed with me?" The lead single off Mariah's forthcoming "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel" (expected release date: Aug. 25) is a crunk-flavored query into the mind of a borderline stalker who fronts like he's all up in Carey's bedroom, when really, if he were the last man on earth, he "still couldn't get this." Sorry, unnamed dude (who could be Eminem), but Mimi "can see right through you like you're bathin' in Windex." With help from Auto-Tune and beat wizards Tricky and The-Dream, 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.
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