I Stay in Love

"I Stay in Love" garnered generally positive reviews from music critics. Many complimented the song's piano-driven melody, as well as Carey's vocals, while some felt it was too similar to her previous single, "We Belong Together" (2005). In his review of E=MC², Kevin O'Hare of The Republican wrote that Carey "shines" on the song,[17] while Fox News' Roger Friedman described it as "a killer ballad."[18] People's Chuck Arnold named it the best ballad on the album, calling it "pretty".[8] The Houston Chronicle's writer Joey Guerra described the single as a "gently grooving ballad that Janet Jackson should be recording instead of wasting her time on tired sex clichés", while commenting, "It's doubtful, however, that Jackson could reach the notes Carey effortlessly hits at the end of the song".[19] Richard Cromelin from the Los Angeles Times highlighted Carey's raw form of singing on the track, writing, "its unadorned, and her voice is almost leathery in the lower notes. It's not flattering, but it rings true emotionally."[20] Nick Levine of Digital Spy called "I Stay in Love" a "fairly modern Mariah track" and that although he believed it was a "retread" of one of Carey's previous singles "We Belong Together" (2005), it is not an "unpleasant retread".[3]

Michael Slezak from Entertainment Weekly wrote that the song is "a slower, less addictive variation" of "We Belong Together".[21] Newsday critic, Glenn Gamboa, also called it a "We Belong Together-sh ballad".[22] In separate reviews of the song, both David Balls and Nick Levine of Digital Spy also compared the song to Carey's "We Belong Together"; the former rated "I Stay in Love" three out of five stars, and wrote, "It may not be the most original of songs, but Carey's emotion-packed vocals make this a pleasant treat after some vacuous recent offerings."[23][24] Freedom De Luc from The Washington Post described the song as an "emotive ballad",[25] while Nekesa Mumbi Moody from Foster's Daily Democrat noted "it could have been recorded in her early '90s heyday — except it's not as saccharine as some of her early work".[26] However, Evan Sawdey of PopMatters described it as one of the album's "worst songs".[27]

Directed by Carey's then-husband Nick Cannon, the music video for "I Stay in Love" was filmed in Las Vegas, Nevada, using a story line that Cannon and Carey co-wrote.[28] Carey filmed the video on October 5, at The Bank Nightclub of The Bellagio Hotel and Casino Resort, and in the Mojave Desert on October 6, 2008.[29] In an interview with Ryan Seacrest, Cannon spoke about the video and said that there is a scene where Carey is in bed with a man (played by Andrew Karelis), and that "Mariah plays the showgirl and there's a guy who cheated and there's flashbacks......".[30] The music video for "I Stay In Love" was featured on BET's Access Granted for a behind-the-scenes look and a world premiere on October 27, 2008.[31] The entire video was shown every hour on BET until October 28, 2008.[31] "I Stay in Love" music video peaked at No. 16 on Billboard's Hot Videoclip Tracks chart.[32]

In the image, Carey is seen dressed in white garments and large feathers. She is featured as a dancer in Las Vegas, and is where she discovers her ex-lover has moved on.

The video, black-and-white, begins with Carey parking her antique automobile in desert. She gets out, with customized black boots with an 'M' on them, and as, she walks towards the camera, the vehicle explodes. As the music begins and the scene shifts to another where Carey applying her eye make-up and earrings. As a form of product placement, her fragrance is shown on a dresser in her Boudoir. As Carey finishes getting ready, scenery of Las Vegas is shown, before shifting to Carey, now dressed as a Vegas performer. As she walks down a runway dressed in white garments ad feathers, she catches the attention of a man. He turns out to be Carey's ex-lover, who in turn came to the show to meet with one of Carey's fellow dancers. As he caresses the female in the dressing room, Carey sees them, and walks by them, bumping into him purposely. Additional scenes are shown of Carey laying alone on the dark runway, apparently after the show has finished, as well as preparing herself for the show. During the second verse, the video then shows Carey driving down a highway in the desert, and as she drives, past memories of the pair are shown, holding each other intimately in a bed. She then pushes old gifts he had given her into the passengers seat, and pulls over the car, continuing the scene from the beginning of the video. After the car explodes, Carey tears off her necklace in despair, and begins to flail her arms in desperation. The video ends with Carey back at the show in Vegas during the finale, as glitter drops from the top of the stage. Carey, now back in the desert, looks for another ride, and gets into a black Cadillac Escalade driven by Nick Cannon.

Nick Levine from Digital Spy complimented the video, commenting that it managed "to be both ridiculous and a little bit moving – quite an achievement."[23] Entertainment Weekly writer Michael Slezak described Carey's boots as "hot", and considered the cinematography of the music video "gorgeous". He also complimented several aspects of the video, saying, "Mariah’s bod looks totally smokin’, even if her entire wardrobe should be donated to a charity benefiting teenage strumpets and/or truck-stop hookers. Also: That Wentworth Miller 2.0 ain’t hard on the eyes, either (in reference to the man who played her love interest in "We Belong Together").[21]

The commercial for Carey's Luscious Pink fragrance uses part of the "I Stay in Love" music video, with a clip of the song used as audio.[33] The short clip shows Carey getting ready for the Vegas show, by applying her make-up and lipstick, and also applying the fragrance on her neck and cleavage.[33] The release published on Carey's official website described the concept of the commercial as "a combination of Mariah's two passions – music and fragrance."[33]