| "Mine Again" | |
|---|---|
| Song byMariah Carey | |
| from the albumThe Emancipation of Mimi | |
| Released | April 12, 2005 |
| Recorded | 2004 |
| Studio | MSR Studios, New York City; Honeywest Studios, New York City. |
| Genre | |
| Length | 4:01 |
| Label | Island |
| Songwriters | |
| Producers |
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| Audio | |
| "Mine Again" onYouTube | |
"Mine Again" is a song by American singerMariah Carey from her tenth studio albumThe Emancipation of Mimi (2005). It was co-written and co-produced by Carey andJames Poyser. It was recorded atMSR Studios and Honeywest Studios, both located New York City. It is aR&B andsoul inspiredballad. The lyrics revolve around the protagonist wishing for a second chance at a seemingly failed relationship.
The song garnered positive reviews frommusic critics, praising Carey and Poyser's production and her vocal performance. Upon the release ofThe Emancipation of Mimi, "Mine Again" debuted on the USHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at number 82, and reached a peak of number 73. In 2006, it was nominated for theBest Traditional R&B Performance at the48th Annual Grammy Awards.
In 2001, Carey suffered a physical and emotional breakdown, causing her to abandon promotion of her then-released studio albumGlitter (2001), and its accompanyingfilm.[1] Since she was hospitalized for exhaustion, the film project received strongly negative critical feedback, with the album faring slightly better.[2] Following Carey's absence from the public eye, as well as her abandonment of promotional appearances for the film and soundtrack, her unprecedented $100 million five-album record deal withVirgin Records (EMI Records) was bought out for $50 million.[3][4] After recovering and completing her contractual agreement with Virgin Records, Carey began recording her intended "comeback" and follow-up album,Charmbracelet (2002).[5] The album focused on incorporating several inspirational ballads and re-capturing Carey's audience from the 1990s.[6] However, critics took notice of Carey's different vocals.[6]
AsGlitter was an unsuccessful mixture ofcovers anddance music,Charmbracelet incorporated slower, contemporary melodies.[6] In his review of the album,Stephen Thomas Erlewine criticized the album's content, describing Carey's voice as "in tatters".[6] He wrote, "Whenever she sings, there's a raspy whistle behind her thin voice and she strains to make notes throughout the record. She cannot coo or softly croon, nor can she perform her trademark gravity-defying vocal runs. Her voice is damaged, and there's not a moment where it sounds strong or inviting."[6] Though fueled by strong media attention regarding Carey's return to music, as well as her new deal withIsland Records, the album failed to deliver the type of success she had been accustomed to throughout the 1990s, and only managed sales of five million copies globally.[7] After the album's release, and its succeeding tour, Carey began conceptualizing and working on a new project, eventually titledThe Emancipation of Mimi, her tenth studio effort.[8] By November 2004, Carey had already recorded several songs for the album.[9]
"Mine Again" was co-written and co-produced by Carey andJames Poyser.[10] The song was recorded atMSR Studios and Honeywest Studios, both located inNew York City.[10] Theengineers were Dana Jon Chappelle and Brian Garten, and they were assisted by Jason Finkel and Michael Leedy.[10] "Mine Again" wasmixed byPhil Tan at MSR Studios, while the song wasmastered by Herb Powers at the now closedThe Hit Factory in New York City.[10] A multitude of instrumental musicians were involved with the song's production, including Chops Horns playing thehorn, Darryl Dixon playing thealto saxophone, Joe Ramano playing thetrumpet andflugelhorn, Jeff Dieterle playing thetrombone andbass trombone, Rick Brunermer playing thetenor saxophone andflute,Randy Jackson on thebass, Poyser on thekeyboards, Jeffrey Lee Johnson on theguitars and Charles Drayton on thedrums.[10]
"Mine Again" is an "old-school '70s smoothsoul",[11] andneo soulballad.[12] The lyrics revolve around the protagonist wishing for a second chance at a seemingly failed relationship.[12] "Mine Again" is written in thekey ofB-flat major and is set incommon time with a moderate dancegroove with 66beats per minute (BPM).[13] Carey'svocal range spans threeoctaves from the lower note ofF4 to the higher note ofF♯7.[13] The song includespiano keys andguitar strings as part of its instrumental composition.[13] The song begins with the lyric, "I remember when you used to be mine, way back then."[13]
"Mine Again" garnered positive reviews frommusic critics.Stephen Thomas Erlewine forAllMusic wrote that "Mine Again" was "especially welcome" and "deliciously sleek" and praised Poyser's production.[11] Todd Burns forStylus Magazine wrote that the song was a Carey "signature show-off track."[14] Julianne Escobedo Shepherd ofPitchfork praised her for channelingDiana Ross without ever sounding like anyone but herself."[15] Sal Cinquemani forSlant Magazine noted that the songs which did not work well on the album were the ones where Carey performs a song in the "style of her successors", such asUsher by way ofJermaine Dupri on "Shake It Off",Twista viaThe Legendary Traxster on "One and Only", andThe Neptunes on "To the Floor".[16] However, Cinquemani praised Carey for "channeling a predecessor" instead of one of her successors, such as channelingPrince on "Mine Again" and "Joy Ride", describing the outcome "sublime".[16] Cinquemani also wrote that "Mine Again", and another track from the album called "I Wish You Knew", wereover sung and "would blow the 7th grade talent show competition away."[16]
| Year | Ceremony | Award | Result | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Grammy Awards | Best Traditional R&B Performance | Nominated | [17] |
Credits adapted from the liner notes ofThe Emancipation of Mimi.[10]
Recording
Personnel
| Musicians
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"Mine Again" debuted at number 82 on the USHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart on June 6, 2005.[18] On August 13, 2005, the song charted and number 77, and fell to 89 the following week.[19] For the week dated September 17, 2005, "Mine Again" charted at number 95.[20] The song peaked at number 73 on October 29, 2005,[21] and fell to number 85 the following week.[21] It remained on the chart for a total of 14 weeks.[22]
| Chart (2005) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| USHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[23] | 73 |