Your Girl

"Your Girl" is a song recorded by American singer Mariah Carey for her tenth studio album, The Emancipation of Mimi (2005). She wrote the track with Marc Shemer and the latter produced it with her as Scram Jones. Lyrically, "Your Girl" is about Carey approaching a potential lover in a confident manner. She uses belting as part of her vocal performance. Critics described the music as containing pop, soul, gospel, jazz, and disco influences; some compared it to works by rapper Kanye West. It samples vocals and an acoustic guitar from the 2003 Adeaze song "A Life with You".

In music reviews, critics compared Carey's vocals to their state in the 1990s. The song's short length and her demeanor on it also received commentary. Some viewed "Your Girl" as one of the best tracks on The Emancipation of Mimi. Island Records did not issue it as a single from the album. Carey later released two remixes featuring rappers as part of a digital extended play. She performed the song live during the 2006 Adventures of Mimi concert tour and the 2024 Celebration of Mimi concert residency.

Background and release
Following the album Glitter (2001), American singer Mariah Carey opted to join Island Records and released Charmbracelet (2002). For its follow-up, The Emancipation of Mimi (2005), she intended to create a more lighthearted record. "Your Girl" is the tenth track on the album, which was released on March 30, 2005. The label did not release it as a single. In April 2020, Carey said this was planned from the beginning despite it being one of her favorite tracks on the album. She wrote that the song "should have been a single" in her memoir later that year. Retrospectively, Entertainment Weekly writer Michael Slezak attributed its lack of radio airplay to the number of other worthy tracks on The Emancipation of Mimi. Chris Gardner of The Hollywood Reporter described the song as a deep cut.

"Your Girl" was later promoted as part of the #MC30 campaign marking three decades of Carey's career. On January 29, 2021, she issued an extended play to digital outlets containing a version featuring Diplomats members Cam'ron and Juelz Santana and a second remix featuring the rapper N.O.R.E.

Composition
Two minutes and forty-six seconds in length, "Your Girl" is the shortest song on The Emancipation of Mimi. Critics labeled it a slow jam and a power ballad. Carey wrote the song with Marc Shemer and the latter produced it with her under the stage name Scram Jones. All work occurred at various locations in New York City. Dana Jon Chapelle and Brian Garten engineered the song with assistance from Rufus Morgen at Honeywest Studios. After Pat "Pat 'Em Down" Viala mixed it at Right Track Studios, Herb Powers mastered "Your Girl" at The Hit Factory. It features background vocals from Carey and Mary Ann Tatum.

"Your Girl" contains a sample from the 2003 Adeaze song "A Life with You", written and performed by New Zealanders Feagaigafou and Logovi'i Tupa'i. It uses the same acoustic guitar and speeds up a few lines of the duo's voices in the chorus. Scram Jones obtained clearance after performing at a party for the group's record label Dawn Raid Entertainment. The arranger and guitarist of "A Life with You", Dominique Leauga, alleged he was not credited for his contributions.

Carey's singing incorporates belting early on in "Your Girl". The lyrics are about her confidently addressing a prospective lover. She says "I'm gonna make you want to get with me tonight" and assures him she will "put naughty thoughts into your mind". For Pitchfork's Julianne Escobedo Shepherd, the focus is on Carey's assertiveness rather than a relationship. In The New York Times, Jon Pareles said she uses an impersonal delivery. The song is "innocent, yet still a bit grimy" according to Carey.

Critics interpreted the composition differently. According to Clayton Smales of the Townsville Bulletin, "Your Girl" is a pop-leaning song. Guy Blackman of the Sunday Age felt it has a "down-tempo disco feel" and Sal Cinequemani of Slant Magazine said it is a derivative of the Motown sound. Slezak stated the chorus contains gospel influences; The Jakarta Post's Tony Hotland thought jazz and soul elements were present. Joey Guerra likened "Your Girl" to a retro soul record in the Houston Chronicle and Nick Marino called it "a simple old-school jam" in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Escobedo Shepherd said it was "based on the Kanye [West]-style, sped-up soul record trend that was aflame at the time" of recording. Todd Burns of Stylus Magazine also thought the production was influenced by West, while BBC Music writer Adam Webb viewed it as a revision of the "classic soul sound" common in Carey's previous work.

Critical reception
The song's composition was a subject of commentary from music critics. Blackman and Slezak called the chorus catchy. The Sunday Herald Sun said the song was too brief and Marino thought its length encouraged the listener to play it again. Billboard's Nolan Feeney wrote: "Anticipation and longing are hallmarks of many a great pop song, but sometimes you just have to cut to the point".

Carey's performance received mixed reviews. Andy Gill of The Independent said her vocals were so histrionic she is "almost as bad as all the Pop Idol wannabes that reflect her disastrous influence". In comparing her voice to its state in the 1990s, Burns thought Carey sounded weaker, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel critic Dave Tianen said she used the same excessive style to bad effect, and Orlando Sentinel writer Jim Abbott argued it was better because she exercised more restraint. According to the Sunday Herald Sun, the song serves as an effective showcase for Carey's vocal range. Her presence received positive feedback from critics who viewed her as exuding confidence.

Some critics called "Your Girl" the best or one of the best tracks on The Emancipation of Mimi. It has appeared on rankings of Carey's music. In 2005, Slezak listed it among her 10 best songs. Billboard ranked it at number 38 on their 2020 list of Carey's 100 greatest songs.

Live performances
Carey has performed "Your Girl" infrequently since its release. She sang it during her 2006 concert tour, The Adventures of Mimi. In 2020, she uploaded an a capella version to her social media accounts for the fifteenth anniversary of The Emancipation of Mimi. This formed part of a series of at-home performances by Carey during the COVID-19 pandemic. It received a positive review from Billboard's Glenn Rowley, who said she "delivers vocals fit for the gods". In 2024, Carey gave her first live performance of the song since 2006 for her Las Vegas concert residency, The Celebration of Mimi.

Credits and personnel
Recording
 * Recorded at Honeywest Studios, New York City
 * Mixed at Right Track Studios, New York City
 * Mastered at The Hit Factory, New York City

Personnel
 * Mariah Carey – songwriting, production, background vocals
 * Marc Shemer/Scram Jones – songwriting, production
 * Mary Ann Tatum – background vocals
 * Dana Jon Chappelle, Brian Garten – engineering
 * Rufus Morgen – assistant engineering
 * Pat "Pat 'Em Down" Viala – mixing
 * Herb Powers – mastering