With You (Mariah Carey song)

DJ Mustard contributed to both the production and writing of "With You".

DJ Mustard and Carey produced "With You" and co-wrote it with Charles Hinshaw and Greg Lawary over a two day period at Westlake Recording Studios, Los Angeles.[1] In reference to working with the singer, Lawary stated "When I saw my name among Mariah Carey and DJ Mustard, I teared up. She's such a legend. It's like working with Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston. She's done so much for music".[2] The song was announced on October 2, 2018, along with its single artwork.[3] It was released two days later.[4] "With You" served as the second single from Carey's fifteenth studio album Caution, and was preceded by the promotional single "GTFO".[5][6]

The song is a "velvety" ballad with a finger-snap beat and warm piano. It features lyrics about a woman seeking safety and security and her partner promising his love. The song's outro features one of Carey's signature high-tone whistle notes.[7] "With You" is centered around Carey telling someone she “fucks with" them in a romantic capacity. It includes a reference to her 1998 single "Breakdown" featuring Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, with her singing "Ever since that Bone Thugs song, you ain't gotta break down, you're too strong".[5] Some critics viewed the song as reminiscent of Carey's earlier work, including the songs: "I Stay in Love", "Bye Bye", and "Angels Cry".[8] It is performed in the key of A♭ major with a tempo of 74 beats per minute in common time. "With You" follows a chord progression of A♭ – C/G – Fm7 – E♭m6 – D♭maj7 – E♭11(no 3), and Carey's vocals span from E♭₃ to E♭₇.[9]

"With You" received positive reviews from critics. The Atlantic's Spencer Kornhaber praised "With You", stating that he "can’t stop playing" it, and opined that Carey "regards romance with open-eyed caginess".[10] Writing for Rolling Stone, Brittany Spanos called the song a "shchmaltzy slow jam", and made note of the singer's use of the whistle register.[11] Chris DeVille of Stereogum described it as "a different sort of ballad: warm, organic, built from little more than gospel piano and booming 808s", adding "When she leans into the hook, [...], you feel that too".[12] Critics for Jezebel wrote "she will have you know that she is Mariah the star", but added that it is "not super exciting stuff".[8]

"With You" was Carey's first lead single to not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but it made some other charts in US, which included number seven on Adult Contemporary,[13] number 33 on Adult Top 40[14] and number 21 on R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart.[15] "With You" became Carey's 23rd top 10 hit on the Adult Contemporary chart on the survey dated February 9.[13]

Outside the US, the song reached number 125 on the France Downloads chart and number 30 on Spain's Physical/Digital chart respectively.[16][17] The highest peak of the song was number eight on the Hungary Single Top 40 chart. It was Carey's most successful single in Hungary since "I Want to Know What Love Is" in 2009.[18]

The accompanying music video for "With You" was directed by Sarah McColgan. Its release was teased by Carey a day prior to the premiere via her YouTube channel on October 10, 2018.[19][20] The video is set in black and white and features Carey creating a sense of intimacy while highlighting her lush life by posing in different spots across Los Angeles. It includes the singer posing at various locations such as a balcony, a beach and the floor of a mansion; she is also seen driving around the city in a car and walking down the Hollywood Boulevard.[21] The outfit worn by Carey consists of a faux fur coat and sunglasses.[22]

Carey performed "With You" for the first time at the American Music Awards of 2018.[23] During the performance, she wore a hot pink gown, and was surrounded by shirtless male dancers who performed intricate choreography.[24] While performing, Carey was raised on a pink platform which appeared to be part of her gown. The singer stood in one place throughout the entire performance while dancers mimicking a flower executed choreography around her, and she concluded it by blowing a kiss to the audience.[25] Carey later performed the song on selected dates of her Live in Concert tour.[26] On November 19, 2018, Carey performed "With You" on Good Morning America.[27] It was included in the setlist for her Caution World Tour (2019), serving as part of the encore.[28][29]

Credits are referenced from the album's liner notes.[1]

• Mariah Carey – songwriting, lead vocals, production
• DJ Mustard – songwriting, production
• Greg Lawary – songwriting
• Charles Hinshaw – songwriting
• Chris Gehringer – mastering
• Brian Garten – mixing, recording
• Phil Tan – mixing
• Bill Zimmerman – engineering
• Will Quinnell – engineering
• Jeremy Nichols – engineering