The song is a ballad, blending pop and R&B beats while incorporating its sound from several instruments including the violin, piano and organ.

It was the center of a very public controversy between Carey and her label Sony Music, based on what she perceived to be weak promotion of the single.

Stateside, due to Billboard rules at the time, it was not eligible to chart on the Hot 100, though it managed to reach number six on the Dance Club Songs.

Both feature personal videos left by five fans, re-telling their stories of pain and emotional abuse and how the song had inspired them.

According to Carey, writing "Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme)" helped her get through rough emotional moments with her label's management, and even times when she felt overwhelmed by others.

[1] Additionally, during the taping of the Mariah Carey Homecoming Special, Carey told audience members that after the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, she felt the song would help family members and friends of the victims during the tragedy, and hoped it would give them strength to get by the tragic event.

[2] Although there were no conflicts during the recording process, the pair had minor disagreements during the songwriting stages: Carey said that Warren liked to repeat lyrical phrases often.

Carey explains in the song's lyrics how although people can try to make her feel down and depressed, no matter what happens, she can't let them win: "There's a light in me that shines brightly.

However, after getting wind of her plan, Sony made it clear that the album needed a more up-beat and urban track to warm airwaves.

[3] These different opinions led to a very public feud in between them, as Carey began posting messages on her webpage during early and mid-2000, telling fans inside information on the scandal, as well as instructing them to request "Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme)" on radio stations.

[3] One of the messages Carey left on her page read: "Basically, a lot of you know the political situation in my professional career is not positive.

Fearing the loss of their label's highest seller, and the best-selling artist of the decade, Sony chose to release the song.

[4] Danyel Smith from Entertainment Weekly called the song the "emotional center of the album" and wrote "There's a light in me/That shines brightly, she sings.

The song (co-written with Diane Warren and co-produced with Jam and Lewis) resonates with new life experience—a kind of truth and uplift.

The clips were featured in the video's introduction, where Carey reacts to her fan's struggles which included personal insecurities, the problems of being part of a racial or social minority, and being victimized by verbal harassment.

In her testimonial, the third girl says "I am fourteen years old, I'm a high school student, there is not one day that goes by that people don't make fun of me about my race.

After the last girl reads her message, Carey is shown lying on pillows on the floor of her sparse living room, watching television.

[11] Although "Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme)" was never fully released as a single, Carey felt very strongly about the song and therefore promoted it through several live television and award show appearances.

Carey started performing the single for the first time after 5 years on her second concert residency placed in Las Vegas, The Butterfly Returns in 2018.