Shake It Off (Mariah Carey song)
"Shake It Off" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey for her tenth studio album, The Emancipation of Mimi (2005). It was written and produced by Carey along with Jermaine Dupri, Bryan-Michael Cox, and Johntá Austin. The song was serviced to radio on July 11, 2005, by Island and Mercury Records as the album's third single in the United States, while "Get Your Number" served as the album's third single elsewhere. Described by Dupri as "ghetto," the track is a R&B song that makes use of pop and hip hop influences and a simple, sparse production. Lyrically, the song follows Carey as she moves on from her relationship with an unfaithful lover, packing her things and breaking up with him over an answering machine.
"Shake It Off"
"Secret Love"
July 11, 2005
2004
3:52
- Mariah Carey
- Jermaine Dupri
- Bryan-Michael Cox
- Johntá Austin
The song was well received by music critics, with many complimenting its simple yet inspirational lyrics, as well as calling it a standout track from the album. It peaked at number two on the US Billboard Hot 100, blocked by Carey's own "We Belong Together" and Kanye West's and Jamie Foxx’s "Gold Digger" for six weeks. Furthermore, it marked the first time a female lead artist occupied the top two positions of the Hot 100. The song also peaked at numbers six and five in Australia and New Zealand, and numbers fifteen and nine in Ireland and the United Kingdom, respectively.
The song's music video, directed by Jake Nava features numerous extravagant wardrobe changes and starred actor Chris Tucker. The video was nominated for Best R&B Video at the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards. "Shake It Off" was performed live by Carey on several televised events, including the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards, the 2005 World Music Awards and British program Top of the Pops. Additionally it was performed as a five-piece concert on Good Morning America, and on the New Year's Eve special titled, Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest. "Shake It Off" was included on the set-lists of The Adventures of Mimi Tour (2006), the Angels Advocate Tour (2010), The Elusive Chanteuse Show (2014), The Sweet Sweet Fantasy Tour (2016), the All The Hits Tour with Lionel Richie (2017) and her second concert residency, The Butterfly Returns (2018).
Critical reception[edit]
"Shake It Off" was met with generally positive reviews from music critics. AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine picked "Shake It Off" as a top pick from the album.[16] Michael Paoletta, writing for Billboard, gave the song a positive review, complimenting its lyrics, production and Carey's vocals.[17] He concluded his review with his assurance that the song would be a success, writing "After 'We Belong Together' brought her back to radio big time, 'Shake It Off' will take Carey's good fortune to the next step."[8] Some critics compared the song heavily to Usher's material from his 2004 album, Confessions. Sal Cinquemani from Slant Magazine wrote "Mariah too heavily bites on the styles of her successors: Usher by way of Dupri on 'Shake It Off',"[9] while Dan Gennoe of Yahoo! Music UK said the song was "Usher-lite".[10] Lawrence Ferber from the Windy City Times described "Shake It Off" as a "standout" track from the album.[15] When discussing the track with Ferber, Carey described the song as her favorite from The Emancipation of Mimi: "Shake it off can apply to anything. Whatever personal dramas we go through, put that song on and you lose the anxiety or intensity of the moment. I'll listen to that song when I've just come out of an annoying meeting. I gotta shake this off."[15] While Todd Burns from Stylus Magazine described it as "sultry",[18] a writer from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram called it "lyrically crude" and "ghetto".[19] Similarly, The Michigan Daily's Chris Gaerig criticized Carey's "airy vocals" and wrote "Carey sounds like a 13-year-old boy going through puberty, singing love songs to a grade school crush."[20]
Chart performance[edit]
In the United States, "Shake It Off" entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 66, the week's highest debut.[21] In its seventh week on the chart, it reached number two behind Carey's previous single, "We Belong Together," marking the first time a female lead artist occupied the top two positions of the Hot 100.[22][23] "Shake It Off" was at the number two position for an additional five weeks after "We Belong Together" fell from number one (six weeks in total); it was subsequently held off the top spot by Kanye West's "Gold Digger".[24][25] The song stayed within the Hot 100 for 26 weeks, and finished at number fifteen on the Billboard Year-End Chart.[26] The single fared well on multiple Billboard component charts, reaching the top spot on the Mainstream Top 40 (Pop Songs) tally, and becoming her second consecutive number-one on the chart following "We Belong Together" as well as her sixth number-one overall.[27][28] It peaked at number two on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and number 27 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart.[29] "Shake It Off" was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipments of over 1,000,000 copies.[30]
"Shake It Off" was released throughout Australia and New Zealand as the third single from The Emancipation of Mimi in late 2005.[31] In the United Kingdom, it was released as a double A-side along with "Get Your Number," the third single serviced to the United States at the same time.[32] The single performed well outside the United States, reaching number five and six on the New Zealand Singles Chart and Australian Singles Chart, respectively.[31][33] The single was later certified Gold in Australia by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), denoting shipments of over 35,000 units.[34] On the UK Singles Chart, the song debuted at number nine during the week of October 15, 2005.[32] Dropping to number ten the following week, the song lasted a total of eight weeks in the singles chart before making its descent.[35]
Music video[edit]
Background[edit]
The song's music video was originally scheduled to be directed by Brett Ratner, who had shot Carey's previous two videos.[42] However, Jake Nava was used as the director instead, as Ratner had other obligations regarding one of his films.[42] It was filmed during the end of June 2005.[42] When describing the video's concept to MTV News, Carey said "I actually just got the treatment. We came up with some cool concepts."[42] When asked for a more detailed synopsis, Carey declined and responded "It's "really technical. It's a new approach that I would have to let [the director] explain. It's new territory."[42] During a scene in the video in which Carey had to wear very high-heeled pumps, she had the video crew carry her to various sections of the set.[43] When Nava suggested she wear a pair of sensible flat footwear in between shoots, Carey jokingly replied "my feet repel them dahling."[44] When recalling the moment in a later interview, Carey claimed her feet were "in agony" and said "My high heels had left my feet bleeding. Laugh all you want, my feet hurt."[44]
Credits for The Emancipation of Mimi adapted from the album's liner notes.[72]