Carly Rae Jepsen’s Emotion Top 5 Tracks 10 Years Later

Carly Rae Jepsen‘s Emotion was a career-defining album, but five of the tracks really stood out. Jepsen kicked the decade off well, contributing to the most defining pop albums of the 2010s.

The Canadian-born singer first saw success in 2012 when her single “Call Me Maybe” spent nine consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. However, Emotion helped Jepsen gain a cult following in 2015, and these five tracks still hold up 10 years later.

Gimmie Love

Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Gimmie Love” is the perfect representation of the album’s synth-pop genre. It also dives into the emotions she was experiencing when writing the album, epitomizing the title. Jepsen kicks the 80s-inspired pop song off with a slower tempo, suggesting it won’t be the pop anthem it is.

However, while she may disguise the song in the beginning, by the chorus, the beat picks up, making it one of the most fun songs on Emotion. Despite being upbeat, the song is actually incredibly vulnerable as Jepsen basically begs for her love interest to show her affection.

The 2010s icon puts her feelings on display, admitting to being afraid of ruining things but also feeling compelled to tell the truth. It’s no wonder that Emotion resonated with so many pop music fans. Songs like “Gimmie Love” showcase how skilled Jepsen is at creating fun pop hits that can also express universal feelings around romantic relationships.

Making The Most Of The Night

“Making The Most Of The Night” also relies heavily on synth beats, mimicking the 80s decade of music. The singer, who went mainstream thanks to Swag artist Justin Bieber, sings about making the most of a night with someone who is clearly going through a rough time.

According to the lyrics, this person, who seems to be a romantic interest, has been feeling down, so Jepsen does whatever she can to make them feel better. Jepsen references running red lights and hijacking this person from their sadness in order to help them feel good again. The best way to describe the song is electric.

Jepsen was able to translate the feelings of running off in the night with someone into the track. Through the production and her vocals, the adrenaline kicks in at the pre-chorus and takes off at the chorus, bringing listeners on a wild night with her and her partner.

The song slows down at the bridge. There’s a somber sound as Jepsen pleads for this person to trust that she can take their pain away. Then, the song concludes on its high-energy chorus again, ending the track on a positive note.

Your Type

“Your Type” takes a different turn from the previous tracks on the list. This time, Jepsen isn’t singing about a blooming relationship, but someone who does not reciprocate her feelings. Jepsen’s yearning and frustration come across effortlessly in the song.

It’s clear she’s hurting as she accepts that she’s just not the type of person that the guy she loves would want to be with. In the second verse, Jepsen starts theorizing about the girl this person could be with and how into her he must be.

Still, Jepsen can’t quit being in love with this person, even if there’s no chance they’ll ever be together. Jepsen’s audience of mostly young adults could feel this song deeply, as unrequited love is pretty common in your 20s. Jepsen also released an accompanying music video, bringing her emotions to life.

It begins with her wandering around the streets, then into a bar, before taking the stage and transforming into a rockstar. The video perfectly encompasses the feeling of the song. There’s a loneliness to it, but there’s also something very empowering about the way Jepsen copes with her emotions.

There’s a great lyric that comes at the song’s bridge and later repeats at the end of the track. “I’ll make time for you,” Jepsen sings, pleading for this person to understand all that she has to give. It’s one of the most heart-wrenching moments in the track, revealing an unfortunate truth.

Sometimes, no matter how much you believe you are right for someone, they don’t see things from your perspective. Carly Rae Jepsen nailed this feeling in “Your Type.” The song also maintained a legacy as it was used in a 2022 scene from The Summer I Turned Pretty season 1, in a scene between characters Belly Conklin and Jeremiah Fisher.

Boy Problems

Carly Rae Jepsen diverted slightly with Emotion‘s sixth track, “Boy Problems.” While most of the tracks on the album are 80s synth-inspired, “Boy Problems” is a little more bubble gum pop. There are even some disco influences on the song, similar to some of Sabrina Carpenter’s pre-Short n’ Sweet tracks.

The tongue-in-cheek single sees the self-aware Jepsen realizing how unbearable she’s being with all her boy problems. She admits her friends are fed up with her constant complaining and realizes by the chorus that she doesn’t even care if she and her boyfriend broke up. Eventually, Jepsen admits that her tumultuous relationship is taking a toll on her friendships.

As she sings in the bridge, “What’s worse, losing a lover or losing your best friend?” At this point in the song, Jepsen finds herself coming to terms with the truth of how her behavior is tearing her friendships apart.

What’s so great about “Boy Problems” is that it conveys a pretty common struggle of knowing how ridiculous you are acting, but not knowing how to pull yourself out of it. The song is pretty shameless because Jepsen is owning up to being the friend who always has relationship problems that she’s forcing everyone else to suffer from.

Most people would deny being the girl who gets caught up in romantic drama, but Jepsen put a comical twist on it, wearing the identity with pride. The song was an instant classic among Jepsen’s fans because of how relatable it is. Sometimes it’s not about profound lyrics or production, but about how much a song resonates with its audience.

“Boy Problems” did just that. In 2016, Jepsen released a music video, directed by Petra Collins and starring Barbie Ferreira, that had Euphoria vibes three years before the show’s premiere. The video feels like an 80s film, taking inspiration from teen dramas and campy horror. However, even without the video, “Boy Problems” remains a perfect pop anthem.

Run Away With Me

“I Really Like You” was the lead single off Emotion, and even featured Tom Hanks and Justin Bieber in its music video. However, the song that really defined the album was “Run Away With Me.” The track also differs from some of the others, as the intro includes a blaring saxophone.

However, the song soon transforms into a synth anthem that matches the energy of all the other tracks on Emotion. As the title suggests, Jepsen’s song is a plea for her partner to run away with her. However, it’s removed from the sadness of “Making The Most Of The Night.” Instead, the song is more celebratory.

Jepsen sings about being tired of her mundane routine, prompting a getaway plan. The accompanying music video showcases Jepsen traveling the world from New York to Japan, with quick cuts adding to the chaos of the song. “Run Away With Me” is arguably the most memorable track on Jepsen’s album.

Not only is it invigorating, but it produced one of the most iconic memes of the 2010s. During the Vine and Tumblr days, Jepsen’s song was used in a series of videos. Usually, anytime someone was playing a wind instrument in a video, someone would edit the song’s intro over it.

However, there were others, like a popular video of a man skipping down the street edited to the song’s chorus. With its iconic intro and meme legacy, no other song on Emotion better represents the album or that era of Carly Rae Jepsen‘s life.