I Stay in Love

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"I Stay in Love"
Single by Mariah Carey
from the album E=MC²
ReleasedOctober 28, 2008 (2008-10-28)
Recorded2007
StudioStone Groove Studios, Lake County, Illinois
Genre
Length3:31
LabelIsland Def Jam
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Carey
  • Cox
Mariah Carey singles chronology
"I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time"
(2008)
"I Stay in Love"
(2008)
"My Love"
(2009)
Music video
"I Stay In Love" on
YouTube

"I Stay in Love" is a song by American singer-songwriter

love interest
. She narrates that even though they said let go, and that she is aware that there is nothing left in their relationship, she still "stays in love with him".

"I Stay in Love" received generally positive reviews from music critics, with many considering the song a strong ballad and a highlight from the album, while complimenting its production and piano-driven melody, despite criticizing the similarities to Carey's previous single, "

UK Singles Chart
.

Carey performed "I Stay in Love" live on two high-profile televised events. First, on November 8, 2008, she was featured as a guest judge and musical performer of the

Bellagio Hotel and Casino Resort. Additionally, during the show and its preparations, Carey realizes that her ex-lover has found love with one of her fellow dancers, leading her to blow up the car he gave her, as well as its accompaniments in the Mojave Desert
.

Background and composition

"I Stay in Love" was written and produced by

urban radio stations on October 28, 2008.[4][5][6] A four-track EP consisting of remixes by Jody den Broeder and Ralphi Rosario was released in the United States on December 16, 2008.[7]

"I Stay in Love" is a "beat-driven" and "piano-laced" ballad, that is influenced by pop and R&B music genres.[8] The song's instrumentation is derived from a piano melody, and is backed by a strong computerized drum-beat.[9] It is composed in the key of D major, with Carey's vocals spanning from the low note of D3 to the high note of G5.[10] The song moves at a slow tempo of 65 beats per minute in cut time, and it follows a chord progression of D–Bm7–G–A. The song features a "double voice" effect during its final chorus, where Carey's normal singing tone throughout the rest of the song is combined with her raised pitch.[11] She raises the pitch one octave, and layers it over her normal tone.[11] Lyrically, the song finds Carey getting "her cry on with the connect-the-dots break-up track."[12] She describes the old time she shared with her lover. She also admits that even though they did attempt to save their relationship, and that she knows that it is definitely over, she still "stays in love with him".[12]

On the United States' Billboard

Singles Chart.[16]

Reception

Critical reception

"I Stay in Love" garnered generally positive reviews from music critics. Many complimented the song's piano-driven melody, as well as Carey's vocals, while some felt it was too similar to her previous single, "

Fox News' Roger Friedman described it as "a killer ballad."[18] People's Chuck Arnold named it the best ballad on the album, calling it "pretty".[8] The Houston Chronicle's writer Joey Guerra described the single as a "gently grooving ballad that Janet Jackson should be recording instead of wasting her time on tired sex clichés", while commenting, "It's doubtful, however, that Jackson could reach the notes Carey effortlessly hits at the end of the song".[19] Richard Cromelin from the Los Angeles Times highlighted Carey's raw form of singing on the track, writing, "its unadorned, and her voice is almost leathery in the lower notes. It's not flattering, but it rings true emotionally."[20] Nick Levine of Digital Spy called "I Stay in Love" a "fairly modern Mariah track" and that although he believed it was a "retread" of one of Carey's previous singles "We Belong Together" (2005), it is not an "unpleasant retread".[3]

Michael Slezak from Entertainment Weekly wrote that the song is "a slower, less addictive variation" of "We Belong Together".[21] Newsday critic, Glenn Gamboa, also called it a "We Belong Together-sh ballad".[22] In separate reviews of the song, both David Balls and Nick Levine of Digital Spy also compared the song to Carey's "We Belong Together"; the former rated "I Stay in Love" three out of five stars, and wrote, "It may not be the most original of songs, but Carey's emotion-packed vocals make this a pleasant treat after some vacuous recent offerings."[23][24] Freedom De Luc from The Washington Post described the song as an "emotive ballad",[25] while Nekesa Mumbi Moody from Foster's Daily Democrat noted "it could have been recorded in her early '90s heyday — except it's not as saccharine as some of her early work".[26] However, Evan Sawdey of PopMatters described it as one of the album's "worst songs".[27]

Music video

Background

Directed by Carey's then-husband

BET's Access Granted for a behind-the-scenes look and a world premiere on October 27, 2008.[31] The music video peaked at No. 16 on the Billboard Hot Videoclip Tracks chart.[32]

Synopsis

In the image, Carey is seen dressed in white garments and large feathers. She is featured as a dancer in Las Vegas, and is where she discovers her ex-lover has moved on.

The video, black-and-white, begins with Carey parking her antique automobile in desert. She gets out, with customized black boots with an 'M' on them, and as, she walks towards the camera, the vehicle explodes. As the music begins and the scene shifts to another where Carey applying her eye make-up and earrings. As a form of product placement, her fragrance is shown on a dresser in her Boudoir. As Carey finishes getting ready, scenery of Las Vegas is shown, before shifting to Carey, now dressed as a Vegas performer. As she walks down a runway dressed in white garments ad feathers, she catches the attention of a man. He turns out to be Carey's ex-lover, who in turn came to the show to meet with one of Carey's fellow dancers. As he caresses the female in the dressing room, Carey sees them, and walks by them, bumping into him purposely. Additional scenes are shown of Carey laying alone on the dark runway, apparently after the show has finished, as well as preparing herself for the show. During the second verse, the video then shows Carey driving down a highway in the desert, and as she drives, past memories of the pair are shown, holding each other intimately in a bed. She then pushes old gifts he had given her into the passengers seat, and pulls over the car, continuing the scene from the beginning of the video. After the car explodes, Carey tears off her necklace in despair, and begins to flail her arms in desperation. The video ends with Carey back at the show in Vegas during the finale, as glitter drops from the top of the stage. Carey, now back in the desert, looks for another ride, and gets into a black Cadillac Escalade driven by Nick Cannon.

Reception and Luscious Pink commercial

Nick Levine from Digital Spy complimented the video, commenting that it managed "to be both ridiculous and a little bit moving – quite an achievement."[23] Entertainment Weekly writer Michael Slezak described Carey's boots as "hot", and considered the cinematography of the music video "gorgeous". He also complimented several aspects of the video, saying, "Mariah’s bod looks totally smokin’, even if her entire wardrobe should be donated to a charity benefiting teenage strumpets and/or truck-stop hookers. Also: That Wentworth Miller 2.0 ain’t hard on the eyes, either (in reference to the man who played her love interest in "We Belong Together").[21]

The commercial for Carey's

Luscious Pink fragrance uses part of the "I Stay in Love" music video, with a clip of the song used as audio.[33] The short clip shows Carey getting ready for the Vegas show, by applying her make-up and lipstick, and also applying the fragrance on her neck and cleavage.[33] The release published on Carey's official website described the concept of the commercial as "a combination of Mariah's two passions – music and fragrance."[33]

Live performances

Due to promotion for E=MC² and the single, Carey was featured as a guest judge and musical act on the

2008 UK X Factor finalists and released as a single, becoming the second best-selling single of 2008 in the United Kingdom.[36] According to reports, the episode gained a large increase in viewers due to Carey's presence, and was able to surpass its long-time rival program, Strictly Come Dancing, in the ratings.[37] Carey also made an appearance at the American Music Awards of 2008 on November 23, at the Nokia Theatre.[38] Wearing a long black gown, she performed the song after receiving an honorary award for her achievements in music.[38] Chris Harris from MTV News described it as a "riveting performance".[38]

Formats

Remix EP[7]

  1. "I Stay In Love" (Jody den Broeder Radio Edit) – 4:08
  2. "I Stay In Love" (Ralph Rosario Melodic Radio Edit) – 3:50
  3. "I Stay In Love" (Jody den Broeder House Mix) – 8:29
  4. "I Stay In Love" (Ralph Rosario Big Vocal) – 8:12

I Stay In Love - EP

  1. "I Stay In Love" (Jody den Broeder House Mix) – 8:29
  2. "I Stay In Love" (Jody den Broeder Club Mix) - 8:31
  3. "I Stay In Love" (Jody den Broeder Radio Mix) – 4:08
  4. "I Stay In Love" (Jody den Broeder Dub) – 7:32
  5. "I Stay In Love" (Ralph Rosario's Big Vocal Mix) – 8:12
  6. "I Stay In Love" (Ralph Rosario's Melodic Radio Edit) – 3:50
  7. "I Stay In Love" (Ralph Rosario's Bar Dub Mix) – 8:15

Charts

See also

  • List of number-one dance singles of 2009 (U.S.)
  • Artists with the most number-ones on the U.S. dance chart

References

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