We Belong Together

Mariah Carey's "We Belong Together" was released on March 22, 2005, serving as the second single from her tenth studio album, The Emancipation of Mimi. This track marked a significant resurgence for Carey's career. It was co-written by Carey alongside Jermaine Dupri, Manuel Seal, and Johntá Austin, with additional writing contributions from Bobby Womack, Darnell Bristol, Babyface, Patrick Moten, and Sandra Sully, who contributed to the sampled material. The song is primarily characterized by its contemporary R&B sound, infused with elements of soul, featuring a simple piano arrangement and an understated backbeat.

The song achieved considerable commercial success, topping the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States for 14 nonconsecutive weeks. This performance made it the second longest-running number one song on the chart at the time, a record surpassed only by Carey's own "One Sweet Day" with Boyz II Men. In recognition of its impact, Billboard later named "We Belong Together" the "song of the decade" and ranked it as the 15th most popular song in the chart's history. It also set new airplay records, achieving the largest one-day and one-week audiences for a song. Internationally, it reached the number one position in Australia and secured top five placements in numerous other countries, including Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, and the United Kingdom.[edit]