Don’t Forget About Us
"Don't Forget About Us" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, produced by Carey and Jermaine Dupri and recorded by Carey for the re-release of her fourteenth album, The Emancipation of Mimi. Co-written by Carey, Jermaine Dupri, Johnta Austin and Bryan Michael Cox, the song was released as the fifth single (fourth in North America) from the album in 2005 (see 2005 in music). It is Carey's thirtieth top forty single and 28th top 20 hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
Composition and meaning
In this midtempo jam, which harkens back to 1990s styled R&B, Carey regrets a failed relationship that never had a proper parting. Unlike "We Belong Together", another song from The Emancipation of Mimi, she is not very despondent, and has accepted that her ex is now seeing someone else. However, she does not want him to forget what they had when they were together: "Nothing can compare to your first true love, so I hope this will remind you, when it's for real it's forever, so don't forget about us". She also reminds her ex that no matter who his new girl is, "she'll never be MC".
Critical response
Carey has been known to repeat formulas for her singles if they are successful. For instance, in the past, she was called out for making songs such as "Heartbreaker" (1999) and "Loverboy" (2001) too similar to other lead up-tempos like "Dreamlover" (1993) and "Fantasy" (1995). Several music critics have drawn parallels between "Don't Forget About Us" and "We Belong Together", the second and most successful single from The Emancipation of Mimi. Chuck Taylor of Billboard called the song "little more than a continuation of the previous hit...On its own, "Forget" is a soulful, satisfying track, but it suggests that Carey has hit a creative wall." Vorlage:Ref Bill Lamb of About.com, in a more positive summary of the song, wrote "It doesn't mess with the brilliant formula of "We Belong Together"...[but] those wanting variety from Mariah Carey need to look elsewhere."Vorlage:Ref Still radio was impressed with the track and has embraced it.
Chart performance
"Don't Forget About Us" officially impacted radio on October 11, 2005, but had already been added to many radio station playlists. On September 26, 2005, it was played for the first time on the Chicago radio station, 96.3 - B96. Owing to high demand, B96 was set to play "Don't Forget About Us" again, but Carey's label, Island/Def Jam, told it it should not have played that song until the following day. In its place it premiered "So Lonely", Carey's new collaboration with Twista. On September 27, 2005, the track premiered on AOL Music's First Listen.
The track debuted on the "Pop 100 Airplay" chart at forty-eight, and at number eighty-one on the Hot 100 chart, and ascended to number 17 on the Hot 100 in its sixth week. The track rockets 11-4 on the Hot 100 airplay chart in its sixth week but since it has zero downloads because it has not been released to download sites the song has advanced more slowly on the Hot 100 than Carey's past two hits. The track became available for download on Itunes briefly on November 15th, the date that The Emancipation of Mimi re-release became available in stores and at download retailers, but the track has since been removed, presumably by Mariah's label Island Def Jam. According to Mediabase, the song now has more than 100 million impressions with more than twelve thousand spins.
Music video
The single's music video was officially released promotionally on November 1, 2005, but was premiered by surprise on October 29 on MTV's Spanking New series. The video reunited Carey with Paul Hunter, who had previously directed "Honey" (1997) and who was slated to direct the cancelled "Say Somethin'" (2005) video. The video jumps between two different time frames, with the first of these involving Carey in the present, where she is occasionally seen crying. The second invokes memories of Carey's past, where Carey and her boyfriend (played by Dolce & Gabbana model Christian Monzon) hold each other, play soccer, cuddle in the pool, walk on the beach at night, and share playful moments in the car together. Some of these scenes, such those set in the car and pool, are juxtaposed with similar sequences in the "present" of the video, where Carey is alone. In a nod to her past, Carey is seen wearing the jacket of her ex-boyfriend in one scene.
The video pays homage to actress Marilyn Monroe, whom Carey dressed up as in the music video for "I Still Believe" (1998). When Carey is in the pool with her leg outside the pool, this is referencing a shot from Monroe's unfinished film Something's Got to Give (1962) in which she struck a similar pose. After premiering at number four, "Don't Forget About Us" took a 3-point jump to number-one on the top ten music video chart show Total Request Live.
Chart trajectory
| Billboard Hot 100 Chart trajectory | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | |||||||||||||||
| Chart position | 81 | 56 | 36 | 26 | 20 | 17 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Comprehensive charts
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | "Don't Forget About Us" | Billboard Hot 100 | #17 |
| 2005 | "Don't Forget About Us" | Billboard Hot 100 Airplay | #4 |
| 2005 | "Don't Forget About Us" | Billboard Pop 100 | #20 |
| 2005 | "Don't Forget About Us" | Billboard Pop 100 Airplay | #9 |
| 2005 | "Don't Forget About Us" | Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | #14 |
| 2005 | "Don't Forget About Us" | Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Airplay | #19 |
| 2005 | "Don't Forget About Us" | Mainstream Top 40 | #8 |
| 2005 | "Don't Forget About Us" | Rhythmic Top 40 | #8 |
Official remixes/versions list
- "Don't Forget About Us" (album version/radio) 3:54
- "Don't Forget About Us" (instrumental) 3:38
- "Don't Forget About Us" (Quentin Harris Radio) 4:39
- "Don't Forget About Us" (Quentin Harris Re-Production Shelter Anthem Mix) 12:27
- "Don't Forget About Us" (Ralph Rosario & Craig J. Martini At XO Vocal) 7:46
- "Don't Forget About Us" (Tony Moran & Warren Rigg Dance Floor Anthem) 9:34
- "Don't Forget About Us" (Tony Moran Radio) 4:18
Notes and references
- Vorlage:Note Taylor Chuck. Billboard Single Reviews. Billboard. Retrieved Oct. 30, 2005.
- Vorlage:Note Lamb, Bill. Don't Forget About Us - Mariah Carey. About.com. Retrieved Oct. 30, 2005.