text: side effects ( song ) " side effects " is a song by american singer and songwriter mariah carey from her eleventh studio album , e mc ² ( 2008 ) . it was written by carey , scott storch , crystal johnson and the songs featured artist , young jeezy . it was inspired by carey 's marriage to record executive tommy mottola and his controlling nature over her and her career . carey discusses how she still deals with the side effects of the experiences that she encountered during the relationship . critical response to the song was positive , with many critics highlighting it as an album standout , praising its candid lyrics and honesty . it charted at number 93 on the u.s. billboard pop 100 chart upon the release of the album . background in 1988 , carey moved to manhattan , new york to pursue a career in music . after working as a background singer for rising pop singer brenda k. starr , carey was introduced to tommy mottola , head of columbia records , at a record executives gala . accompanied by starr , carey handed mottola her demo tape , featuring four of the eleven songs that would eventually comprise her debut studio album . in what has been largely described as a " cinderella - like story " , mottola heard the tape in his limousine ride home , and quickly returned to the event to find the girl with the " elusive voice " . when he arrived , carey had already left early , disappointed in the events of the evening . in what became a search , mottola began to track carey down through star 's management and eventually signed her to columbia 's roster of artists . after the release of her self - titled debut album ( 1990 ) , carey rose to fame , with the album selling over 15 million units globally . during the recording of carey 's third album , music box ( 1993 ) , the pair became romantically involved , and wed by august 1993 , only one month short of the album 's release . the couple moved into a large 12 - bedroom mansion in upstate new york , a home carey would later come to be described as a " private prison " and " golden cage " . referring to columbia , carey said in an interview " that company , made a billion dollars from the raggedy girl he met at that party . " throughout the marriage , mottola , both carey 's husband and boss , carefully manipulated and controlled her career , crafting her into the adult contemporary / pop singer he sought her to be . with each album , carey 's genre influences and production styles evolved , leading her farther into r & b and hip - hop territory . by 1994 , carey was already the best - selling artist of the 1990s , and the labels best - selling act . due to her continued success , carey was able to take more creative control over subsequent projects . during the recording sessions for her fifth album daydream ( 1995 ) , the couple had already begun " fighting at the drop of a feather " , due to his controlling nature over their personal life and her career . they separated in 1997 , and divorced the following year . carey described her sixth album butterfly ( 1997 ) as her magnum opus , and her greatest and most personal work , due to its personal and emotional background . on the album 's title track – written by carey for mottola – carey reached out to him , asking to allow her to be free like a ' butterfly ' , and if the two were ' meant to be ' , then the butterfly ' would return ' . in an interview with interview magazine , carey described the importance the song held for her , as well as its meaning : it was ' 97 and i was leaving my marriage [ to tommy mottola ] . which encompassed my life . i was writing the song ' butterfly ' wishing that that 's what he would say to me . there 's a part that goes , ' i have learned that beauty / has to flourish in the light / wild horses run unbridled / or their spirit dies / you have given me the courage / to be all that i can / and i truly feel ... [ sings ] and i truly feel your heart will lead you back to me when you 're ready to land . ' at that point i really believed that i was going to go back to the marriage – i didn 't think i was going to leave forever . but then the things that happened to me during that time caused me to not go back . had it been , ' go be yourself , you 've been with me since you were a kid , let 's separate for a while , ' i probably would 've . " " butterfly " became what carey later described as her " favorite and most heartfelt ballad . " its lyrics were very personal , linking to her personal life and relationship with mottola . carey wrote " butterfly " for mottola , hoping he would say its contents to her , and choose to do what was best for her . she described it as " the best ballad she had ever written " and credited it as the epitome of butterfly . production and composition " side effects " was written by carey , scott storch , crystal johnson and featured artist young jeezy . it was produced by carey for maroon entertainment and by storch on behalf of tuff jew productions / foundation . copyright is held by rye songs which is administered by songs of universal ( bmi ) / scott storch music / tvt publishing ( ascap ) / c - style ink / slide that music / emi - april songs ( ascap ) / yj music ( bmi ) . the track was recorded by brian garten at honeysouth studios in miami , florida , and mixed by fabian at the hit factory , also in miami . carey and johnson performed the background vocals . it is an r & b song with elements of electro . lyrically , carey is recounting a past relationship which fell into " violent times " , and how she still deals with the effects of what she experienced . carey begins with the line " i was a girl / you were ‘ the man ' / i was too young to understand / i was naïve / believing everything you told me . " although carey never mentions mottola 's name , many critics believed that she was addressing him directly in the lines " shining like a chandelier / that decorated every room inside / the private hell we built " , " sleeping with the enemy , aware that he was smothering every last part of me " and " said you were strong / protecting me / then i found out that you were weak / keepin ' me there , under your thumb / cause you were scared that i 'd become much / more than you could handle . " after confessing that she would " [ wake ] up scared some nights , still dreaming about the violent times , " carey decides to walk away from the relationship , and declares " but i still live with the side effects " . j. freedom de luc of the washington post likened the " echoing " repetition of " side effects " to that of rihanna 's on her 2007 single " umbrella " . in an interview with jennifer vineyard of mtv news , carey explained why she felt compelled to write the song : 'i wrote it because it was necessary for me to write it , ' mariah said of her most personal , and angriest , song to date . fans might be surprised at her references to ' the hell that we built ' and the ' violent times , ' but mariah thinks this song is for ' anyone who ’ s been in an abusive relationship . ' ' you know what ? i ’ ve been through too much at this point , ' she said . ' i want happiness and i want pure and real love , but the side effects of what other relationships have put me through cause me to be kind of on the defensive a lot of the time . and if somebody isn ’ t mature or caring and loving and open - hearted enough to understand that , then it ’ s tough , but this is a song for people who need that . ' mariah hopes that this song helps people feel ' a little bit reception the guardian 's alex macpherson praised the song , writing " the magnificent side effects finds carey at the height of her powers . over synths as slow as molasses , she intones some of the darkest lyrics of her career , a meditation on the long - term effects of an abusive relationship . verbose to the point of opulence , she crams syllables into the verses , races against her own emotions and perfectly conveys the song 's claustrophobic intensity . " joey guerra from the houston chronicle singled out " side effects " as " an an electro - tinged standout " in his review of the album . he praised storch and young jeezy for giving the song a " menacing mood " . writing for fox news , roger friedman described carey 's vocals performance as " gorgeous " , jeezy 's rap verse as " cool " and the hook as having top 40 appeal . he continued to write that mottola would most likely do a spit - take upon hearing the lyrics . describing the song as " a not - so - thinly - veiled swipe " at mottola , evan sawdey of popmatters thought that the lyrical content would " raise some eyebrows " . the new york times writer ben ratliff labeled the track as a " drama bomb " which recounts how carey lived under the spell of mottola during their marriage . the washington post 's j. freedom de luc thought that " side effects " was one of the albums highlights along with " touch my body " and " i wish you well " , and continued to write that carey appears to be unloading onto her ex - husband . nick levine from digital spy described the song as carey 's revenge on mottola , and " her rawest , most personal track in years " . jayanthi daniels of the new york sun was critical of " side effects " as well as " i 'm that chick " , describing them as " throwaway pop tracks " on a hip - hop album . live performances on july 31 , 2008 , carey performed a free concert at the hollywood and highland center shopping mall in los angeles , california , for 2 , 000 people . young jeezy joined carey on stage to perform " side effects " ; todd martens of the la times said of the performance that his " gruff intonations providing a surprisingly effective counterbalance to carey 's pleasantly light phrasing " . carey also performed " we belong together " , " shake it off " and a medley of " touch my body / i 'll be lovin ' u long time " . the concert was filmed and presented on jimmy kimmel live ! , as part of samsung at & t summer krush concert series . the production cost of the concert was estimated to be $ 250 , 000 ; according to kimmel 's music booker scott igoe . he confirmed that the cost was not incurred by kimmel , and that samsung made a contribution because " carey doesn 't come cheap " . charts