Obsessed

"Obsessed" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, taken from her twelfth studio album, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel (2009). It was written and produced by Carey, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart and Terius "The-Dream" Nash, and was released as the album's lead single on June 16, 2009. The song draws musical influences from R&B and hip hop music, and is built around a thumping bass line. Additionally, the song is accentuated by hand claps, while Carey's voice is processed with auto-tune. Lyrically, the song describes the protagonist's dilemma regarding a stalker, and finds her asking him "Why are you so obsessed with me?" several times throughout the song. The line "Why are you so obsessed with me?" is a reference to the 2004 movie Mean Girls, which is one of Carey's favorite films. The song received generally positive reviews from contemporary music critics, as many highlighted it as a stand-out track from Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel. Many reviewers complimented its clever lyrics and strong beat, while other criticized the song's usage of auto-tune on Carey's vocals. At the time of the song's release, "Obsessed" was the center of controversy, as critics and the media suggested Carey was aiming it at American rapper Eminem, who had negatively referenced her several times in song. Having alluded to the rapper in one of her previous songs, "Clown", critics suggested "Obsessed" was too an outcry at the rapper. The song uses explicit lyrics that reviewers found directly linked to him, such as his ongoing drug problem, as his constant reference and "obsession" to her in the media. "Obsessed" peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Carey's 27th top-ten hit on the chart. In terms of total top-ten chart entries among all artists in the chart's history, Carey tied for fifth place after the song's peak, with Janet Jackson and Elton John. Internationally, the song was not released throughout parts of Europe, as Island Records decided to give priority to the album's second single, Carey's cover of Foreigner's classic "I Want to Know What Love Is". "Obsessed" peaked within the top 10 in France and Italy, and in the top 20 in Australia, Belgium, Canada and Japan. Carey performed the song live on the fourth season of America's Got Talent, The Today Show, and throughout her Angels Advocate Tour (2009–10). The song's music video was directed by film-maker Brett Ratner, who Carey has previously worked with on other music videos. Throughout the video, Carey plays both herself and the character of the male stalker, dressed in a bellhop uniform, as well as a gray hoodie and sweatpants. Two videos were shot for "Obsessed", one for the original version, and one for the remixed version, which features rapper Gucci Mane. The video was shot predominantly at the Plaza Hotel, and on the streets of New York City. After several photographs of Carey dressed as the stalker were leaked, tabloids immediately compared Carey's costume to Eminem's usual attire, with many commenting that aside from the goatee, the pair looked identical. Carey revealed that the music video would reference several of her favorite films, such as Mean Girls (2004) and The Devil Wears Prada (2006). (wiki)