Carey began writing songs for Emotions in 1990, penning the lyrics to every track herself. She had greater control over the creative process compared to her debut studio album, Mariah Carey (1990), where seven out of eleven songs were co-composed with Ben Margulies. With Emotions, she was able to work with a larger variety of artists; she principally composed the album with Walter Afanasieff—with whom she had worked on Mariah Carey—David Cole, and Robert Clivillés. One song, "If It's Over", was composed with Carole King. For Emotions, executives at Columbia granted her greater control over the creative process, compared to Mariah Carey where she had little sway. In between albums, she had a falling-out with collaborator Ben Margulies, with whom she composed seven of the eleven tracks on Mariah Carey. The conflict arose reportedly due to a contract she had signed with Margulies before joining Columbia. Their agreement entitled him to nearly half of the income she earned from Mariah Carey, rather than the expected one-half of the music publishing royalties from the songs they had co-written. Due to the end of Margulies and Carey's work relationship, Carey was to recruit new songwriters and musicians for Emotions.
In contrast to Margulies, Carey continued to work with Walter Afanasieff, who produced "Love Takes Time" for Mariah Carey. She made this choice because she felt serene and creative in his presence. They began writing for Emotions in late 1990, months before recording had begun. Their writing process usually involved Afanasieff first developing an idea, which he played on the keyboard as either a chord progression or a short instrumental line. This would inspire Carey to create vocal melodies or lyrics, and Afanasieff would play instruments to what she was singing. For Emotions, he would co-produce "And You Don't Remember", "Can't Let Go", "So Blessed", "Till the End of Time", "If It's Over", and "The Wind", and co-compose all but the latter two. "The Wind", the only track on the album not composed by Carey, was originally a jazz instrumental composed by pianist Russ Freeman in the 1950s. Afanasieff discovered it on a record by pianist Keith Jarrett, and Carey was inspired to create a song out of it.
Mottola suggested enlisting Robert Clivillés and David Cole of the dance music production duo C+C Music Factory, since combining slow ballads with uptempo dance tracks on albums proved successful in contemporary music at the time. They arrived at writing sessions with a collection of grooves, playing them for Carey to determine which could work as the base for songs. One decision Clivillés and Cole made early on was not to focus overly on Carey's upper vocal range. While they acknowledged it would be difficult to ignore it completely, they wanted to focus on her vocal ability without risking criticism that her range was merely a gimmick. Their collaborations produced four songs: "Emotions", "Make It Happen", "You're So Cold", and "To Be Around You". Cole played the keyboards, while Clivillés handled the drums. However, Clivillés co-composed only "Emotions" and "Make It Happen" alongside Carey and Cole, whereas "You're So Cold" and "To Be Around You" were composed solely by Carey and Cole.
Carey also worked with singer-songwriter Carole King for Emotions. Initially, King wanted Carey to record a rendition of Aretha Franklin's "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" (1967), co-written by King and Gerry Goffin. She declined, feeling that Franklin's version was "untouchable" and that there was nothing new she could add to it. Instead, what arose from Carey and King's time in the studio was the sentimental ballad "If It's Over", which Carey described as a "true collaboration". The two exchanged musical ideas and Carey conceived lyrics until they formed what both deemed a "wonderful" song.
Emotions was predominantly an R&B and dance-pop album that incorporates elements of soul, gospel, disco, and jazz. Carey wanted the album to draw heavily from Motown and gospel music, which her older sister and brother frequently played for her during her childhood. Compared to Mariah Carey, Emotions features a leaner production, eschewing the arrangements that some critics, and Carey herself, deemed overblown or overproduced. Most of the instrumentation on Emotions is synthesized; the arrangements of the songs mostly feature keyboards, drums, piano, and electric guitar.
The songs on Emotions were made to be radio-friendly and commercially accessible. Love and romance are recurring themes; Carey explained that writing about love helps her connect with listeners and makes her emotions easier to convey, even if her inspiration stems from real-life experiences that are not always romantic. "Emotions", "To Be Around You", "So Blessed", and "Till the World Ends" explore the narrator's feelings of love and joy when she is with her partner. In contrast, "And You Don't Remember", "Can't Let Go", "You're So Cold", and "If It's Over" portray Carey as a heartbroken lover or explore the deterioration of a romantic relationship. Emotions also contains two songs that depart from these themes and were inspired by Carey's real-life experiences: "The Wind" reflects on the grief of losing a loved one, and "Make It Happen" focuses on perseverance and faith in the face of adversity.
The album opened with "Emotions", which has been described as a post-disco, R&B, and gospel song. Clivillés and Cole reworked the song into a house track for its club remix on the 12-inch vinyl single, incorporating an extended gospel-style introduction."Emotions" described the overwhelming feelings of love the narrator experiences when she is with her lover. "And You Don't Remember", the second track on Emotions, incorporated prominent gospel influences through its organ chord progression, minimal production, and soft church choir vocals. "Can't Let Go" was an R&B and pop slow jam that features synthesizers and drum programming. It opens with faint notes from Carey in the whistle register, and she remains in a low vocal register with a breathy delivery before concluding with a whistle note at the end of the song. In the lyrics, the narrator laments the end of a relationship.
Nickson compared the restrained dance beat of "Make It Happen" to Motown music. Its lyrics were autobiographical, addressing the struggles Carey faced before being signed to Columbia and how her faith in God kept her going through it all. The fifth track, "If It's Over", was a ballad infused with soul and gospel blues. It draws influence from 1960s gospel music, leading critics to compare its sound to the music that brought Franklin great success. The song's backing vocals are similar to those of a church choir. The instrumentation includes both baritone and tenor saxophone, tambourine, electric organ, trombone, and trumpet.
"You're So Cold" was an upbeat dance track featuring piano that gives the song a house-influenced sound. Opened with a piano tremolo, followed by one of the lowest notes Carey recorded during her early career. Its lyrics depict the narrator questioning why she loves a toxic man and calling him out for being "so cold". "So Blessed", the album's seventh track, was a soft gospel-influenced torch song about love that evokes 1950s and 1960s pop balladry; Carey sings over layers of Hammond organ and synthesized strings. On "To Be Around You", was an upbeat track that features house-driven keyboards, Carey adopts a more staccato vocal delivery. The song paid homage to Cheryl Lynn's "Got to Be Real" (1978) and features spoken voices at the end.
The ninth track on Emotions, "Till the End of Time", was an atmospheric love ballad with a melody that Nickson likened to a lullaby. The song starts with hushed vocals that gradually become more impassioned as the song progresses, reaching a climax during the bridge. The album closed with "The Wind", an R&B and jazz ballad featuring a restrained vocal performance. It was based on a composition of the same name by pianist Russ Freeman; thus, he received credit as a composer. Inspired by the death of a friend in a drunk-driving accident.
The album received mixed reviews, some embraced the departures from Carey's debut and believed she was growing artistically, finding the production and songs to be welcome changes. But at the same time, many commentators found the album's lyrics dull. They panned its themes of love and heartbreak, deeming them trite or uninteresting.
Emotions Track List:
1. Emotions
2. And You Don't Remember
3. Can't Let Go
4. Make It Happen
5. If It's Over
6. You're So Cold
7. So Blessed
8. To Be Around You
9. Till The End Of Time
10. The Wind
