It's a Wrap

"It's a Wrap" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriterMariah Careyfor her twelfth studio albumMemoirs of an Imperfect Angel(2009). It is adoo wop-inflectedR&Bbreakup song with minimal instrumentation and features lyrics about dismissing a lover. The tracksamples"I Belong to You" byLove Unlimited, whose writerBarry Whiteis credited on "It's a Wrap" along with Carey. She produced it with Heatmyzer and previous collaboratorsChristopher "Tricky" StewartandJames "Big Jim" Wright. A remix features additional vocals by American singerMary J. Blige.
Music criticsdisagreed on whether to categorize "It's a Wrap" among the best in Carey's discography or classify it as a mediocre effort. Carey performed the song on the television programLopez Tonightin 2009. She reprised it throughout theAngels Advocate Tourin 2010 and received positive reviews that highlighted her vocals and energy. In early 2023, "It's a Wrap" went viral due to aTikTokdance challenge and was released as a single on February 10 that year as part of a digitalextended play. It peaked at number 24 on USHot R&B Songsand entered charts in the United Kingdom, New Zealand and South Korea.
Island RecordsreleasedMariah Carey's eleventh studio albumE=MC²in April2008.It opened to her largest US first-week sales following appearances onAmerican IdolandThe Oprah Winfrey Show.The lead single, "Touch My Body", become Carey's eighteenth numberone on theBillboardHot 100.She married American entertainerNick Cannonshortly after the album's release and decreased its promotion to focus on her personal life.
In early2009, Carey began working on follow-up albumMemoirs of an Imperfect Angelwith "Touch My Body" producerChristopher "Tricky" Stewartand "Fly Like a Bird" producerJames "Big Jim" Wright.Despite her marriage, Carey envisioned a women's empowerment theme with songs about not needing men in life.One day at their home studio, Carey came in humming amelodywhile Cannon was toying withchordsandsamples. His suggestion that they conceptualize "if I came home hella late and you kickin' me out the house" formed the basis for the song "It's a Wrap".It appears as the eighth track on the albumbetween two others of a similar theme, "Standing O" and "Up Out My Face".
Carey is the sole artist onMemoirs of an Imperfect Angel, which Island released on September 28,2009.In early2010, she announced that a follow-up project,Angels Advocate, would feature remixes of tracks from the album as duets.American singerMary J. Blige, whom Carey had long admired,appears as a featured artist on the remix to "It's a Wrap".Universal Music GroupcancelledAngels Advocatefor unknown reasonsand the remix was included as a bonus track on the deluxe edition of Carey's fourteenth studio albumMe. I Am Mariah... The Elusive Chanteuse(2014).The song subsequently debuted at number100 on theGaonSouth KoreaInternational Digitalchart, which ranks the best-performing tracks by international artists based on streaming, downloads and background music sales.
In early2023, asped-upedition of "It's a Wrap" became popular on social media with a viral dance challenge.Carey posted aTikTokvideolip syncingto the version and encouraged her fans to follow.The clip received 10million views and its audio was used for 650,000 others.After the song's US streams increased 1,000 percent in one month,Def Jam Recordingsissued a four-track digital extended play containing the album version, remix, sped-up version and a shortened edit on February 10,2023.Carey continued promoting the song with additional TikTok dance videos featuring her children andKim Kardashian, which collectively received over 35million views.A 12-inch vinyl of the EP was released on December 1,2023.
Along withThe Weeknd's "Die for You" andLady Gaga's "Bloody Mary", "It's a Wrap" was one of several songs to appear on music charts in early2023 due to viral sped-up versions.After receiving 2,500downloads, it debuted at number22 on the USR&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Saleschart dated February 25,2023. "It's a Wrap" entered at number24 onHot R&B Songsthe following week, aided by 3.6 million streams as calculated byLuminate.On March 6,2023, the sped-up version reached number36 on the New Zealand Hot Singles chart, which measures "the 40 fastest-moving tracks by sales, streams and airplay".
Musically, "It's a Wrap" is anR&Bsongwithdoo wopinflections.It contains elements from "I Belong to You"(1974) by the female vocal trioLove Unlimitedand samples the performance byLove Unlimited Orchestra. The composer and lyricist,Barry White, is credited as a writer on "It's a Wrap" along with Carey. She produced the song with Heatmyzer,Stewart and Wright.They integrate instrumentation sparsely in the arrangement.Stewart, Wright, Leon Bisquera and Monte Neuble play the keyboards andHammond B3, Alex Al performs the bass guitar and Ronnie Gutierrez provides percussion.
Brian Garten and Brian "B-Luv" Thomas recorded "It's a Wrap" at Honeywest Studies in New York City and The Boom Boom Room inBurbank, California. Jaycen-Joshua Fowler and Dave Pensadomixedit at Larrabee Studios inUniversal City, California, after which Brian Gardner conductedmasteringat the Los Angeles-basedBernie Grundman Mastering. Luis Navarro aided during the recording process and Giancarlo Lina assisted in the mixing.The album version of "It's a Wrap" lasts three minutes and fifty-nine seconds and an edited version is approximately one minute shorter.
"It's a Wrap" is a breakup songthat incorporates two verses, a pre-chorus, chorus andbridge.Its lyrics involve ahungoverCarey decisively dismissing a lover from her life.After beginning the song with a wail,she sings with an open voicein ahigh-pitchedtone.Carey describes both her inner thoughts ("I was oh, so acquiescent – but I learned my lesson")and outward feelings ("I should crack you right in your forehead").She threatens to callMaury Povichand declares of the relationship: "When it's gone, it's gone".
The song received critical analysis.Chicago TribunecriticGreg Kotand Mesfin Fekadu of theAssociated Pressdescribed Carey's vocals as containing grit and attitude, respectively.Writing inBetween the Lines, Chris Azzopardi dubbed "It's a Wrap" a "fierce-girl anthem"andThe Boston Globe's Sarah Rodman labeled it a "saucy kiss-off".Jon CaramanicaofThe New York Timesand Michael Cragg ofMusicOMHremarked the song recalls agirl groupaura.The Gazette's T'Cha Dunlevy felt the recording had a sense ofswingandThe Village Voice'sClover Hopedescribed it as retro.
In the remix, Blige adds an introduction coercing Carey to leave the relationship: "Why don't you just cut this guy loose? Tell him it's a wrap cos you're better than that. And you Mariah Carey. Remember?"News.com.auwriter Cameron Adams considered it a "2014 celebrity update" ofCharlene's "I've Never Been to Me" (1977) and thought the new lyrics resembled dialogue from Carey's 2001 filmGlitter.In an article forBET, Dominique Zonyeé felt the remix evokes "a women's-only club vibe".
Music criticsjudged "It's a Wrap" against other songs in Carey's catalog. Mesfin Fekadu of the Associated Press considered it a classic comparable to "Always Be My Baby", "Vision of Love" and "We Belong Together".In contrast, Cragg felt it lacked the nonchalant nature of "Fantasy" or "Honey".Adams derided the lyrics as some of the worst in Carey's career.Writing forBillboardin 2017, Everett Brothers deemed it "the most refreshingly creative song [she] has written and performed in recent memory".The magazine placed the remix at number22 in their 2020 list of Carey's 100 best songs.
The song's composition and Carey's vocal performance were topics of commentary. ForTime Out's Kim Taylor Bennett, "It's a Wrap" sounds "slick and sophisticated but bland".Dunlevy perceived the production passé and Hope praised it as nostalgic.Kot thought the production augmented Carey's vocal delivery.According to Fekadu, the latter "is so sensuous and sweet, even the song's intended target will remain under her spell".
The remix received reviews regarding the dynamic between Blige and Carey. Devone Jones ofPopMatterssaid it is successful because, rather than outsing each other, the pair have complementary charm.Zonyeé reckoned the duet superior to the original.Billboard's Rania Aniftos considered the remix commanding; Brothers believed the delayed release stymied its effectiveness.
Carey performed "It's a Wrap" on television and tour. On December 17,2009, she sang it during an episode of the US late-night talk showLopez Tonight.Carey reprised the track for the 2009–2010Angels Advocate Tourin a choreographed routine with a male backup dancer acting as the man she dismisses.Her performances garnered positive feedback from American newspaper critics, who considered it a successful vocal showcase.Azzopardi felt "It's a Wrap" sounded better on stageandThe Washington Post's Chris Richards thought the live version gained a verve comparable to "Honey" and "Heartbreaker".Rodman remarked Carey "dug giddily" into the performanceandThe Press of Atlantic City's Scott Cronick described it as a highlight.In 2023, Carey sang "It's a Wrap" during a headline performance atLos Angeles Prideand at theMerry Christmas One and All!tour.
2023 EP
Credits adapted from the liner notes ofMemoirs of an Imperfect Angelunless otherwise noted.
Recording
Personnel