Mixtapemotions

“Emotion” by Carly Rae Jepsen+ E-MO-TION Track by Track, Sunday July 30, 2023

Music critics weren’t expecting much from Carly Rae Jepsen when she released her third studio record, E-MO-TION. Her second record Kiss contained two top-10 hits, “Good Time,” a duet with Owl City, and the number 1 song of 2012, “Call Me Maybe.” But Kiss was immature as was the lead single from E-MO-TION, “I Really Like You.” However, the parent album of the single was much more grown up than Kiss. And while Jepsen may no longer be a hit maker on the Hot 100, her fan base and critical acclaim has remained consistent since releasing her pivotal third record E-MO-TION. Today we take a look at the original track list. We’ll look at the deluxe editions and bonus tracks later. 
 

1. “Run Away with Me” is perhaps the best Carly Rae Jepsen song. It’s the beginning of an adventure, even if its just a weekend trip. The music video for the song features Jepsen and her band on their off days on tour, running around the cities of Paris, New York, and Tokyo, with the most notable scenes of Jepsen and the band singing karaoke in Tokyo. The saxophone is played in a unique way in the song, sounding like a trumpet calling for action.


2. “Emotion,” the album’s title track, slows the album’s mood a little from the verse. Loneliness is a theme in Jepsen’s music, and “Emotion” is a song about a former love who Jepsen wants to haunt. 

3. “I Really Like You” was an addition to the album because her manager Scooter Braun wouldn’t allow her to release another single until it could match “Call Me Maybe” in catchiness. Braun also had drinks with actor almost universally beloved actor Tom Hanks and asked him to be in Jepsen’s video. Hanks gladly accepted the offer. The video turns the adolescent love song into a collective love for a national treasure. 
4. “Gimmie Love” is another slow start after an album highlight, but like “Emotion,” the chorus hits with a driving beat. As the song progresses, the backing vocals build and the song sounds like a late ’80s/ early ’90s that meant something special at the time, but re-contextualized in the ’10s for maximum nostalgia. 
5. “All That” was the first promotional single from the record, released on iTunes after Jepsen performed it on Saturday Night Live. It’s one of the slowest songs on the record–an end of prom slow-dance ballad–exactly the type of song that Scooter Braun didn’t want to be pushing Jepsen’s new record. Hence, “I Really Like You” was released as the album’s first radio single.

6. “Boy Problems.” After the slowest comes the funkiest, “Boy Problems” is certainly an immature take, and it was the song I couldn’t stand at first. Co-written and featuring a vocal intro by Sia, the song captures a valley-girl vibe that is totally ironic, totally. It’s a storytelling song about not wanting to hear about that problem your friend is telling you over and over again. Who cares? I’ve got my own problems.


7. “Making the Most of the Night” brings the album into a mid-track slow down. The songs aren’t boring, but they lack the umph of the earlier tracks. The song, also written by Sia, was a promotional single released before the album. Whether the song is about a love interest or a friend, the listener of the song has had a rough time, and the speak will hijack that person for a night out to help that person forget about their troubles. It’s a nice sentiment. 

8. “Your Type” was the third single from the record and final promotional single leading up to the album’s release. The song only charted in Canada. It’s a heartfelt song about being in love with a friend. 

9. “Let’s Get Lost” brings back the sax! It’s the feeling of a night you never want to end, highlighted by Jepsen suggesting, “let’s take the long way home.”
10. “LA Hallucinations.” Is this the first song Jepsen wrote about sex? It’s a song about changing due to fame. The song starts out with the speaker shacking up with a boy she sees herself with forever until fame overtakes her or the both of them. On a later Carly Rae Jepsen this would seem out of place, but at this time it seemed like Jepsen’s career was on the up-and-up. 

11. “Warm Blood” has Carly singing in a sultry voice. It’s one of the sexier songs on the record. It’s club ready despite being one of the slower tracks. 
12. “When I Needed You.” Carly best explains this song on an episode of Song Exploder. The original ending of the non-Deluxe Editions of the album is where we’re going to end the post for today.