Outside (Mariah Carey song)

Categorized in the pop and soul music genres, the ballad's composition features drums, guitars, synthesizers, piano, and programming.

Its lyrics, written by Carey, were inspired by traumatic events she experienced as a biracial girl and express her feelings of alienation due to her mixed-race identity.

[4] A change in style from her previous work, Butterfly moved Carey's music closer to hip-hop instead of the ballads she had become known for since her 1990 debut.

"[18] Dana Jon Chappelle and Mike Scott recorded "Outside" with assistance from Ian Dalsemer in New York at Crave Studios and The Hit Factory, and in California at WallyWorld.

After recording occurred, Mick Guzauski and Scott mixed the song at Crave and Bob Ludwig conducted mastering at Gateway in Portland, Maine.

[19] Experiences such as her parents' divorce,[2] kindergarten teachers questioning why she drew her father brown,[20] and being called a nigger by a group of girls influenced the subject matter.

[34] Carey uses a wide vocal range on "Outside";[36] critics likened it to the Grand Canyon[37] and a Broadway theatre-style of performance.

[39] A clear transition occurs during the bridge, at which point Carey "attempts to release her pain through despair and anger", according to scholar Shara Rambarran.

[42] Reviewing retrospectively, Vibe's Preezy Brown felt "Outside" was one of the more authentic compositions on Butterfly[36] and Billboard's Jon O'Brien said it "undoubtedly succumbs to Carey's worst musical excesses".

[46] In a study, scholar Julia L. Johnson Connor grouped "Outside" among "Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme)" (1999) and "My Saving Grace" (2002) as songs in which Carey discussed being biracial.

[47] New York Observer writer Jonathan Bernstein viewed it as an elaboration on her debut single "Vision of Love" (1990) in which she described feeling alienated but never explained why.

[49] In her book Crossing B(l)ack: Mixed-Race Identity in Modern American Fiction and Culture, Sika Dagbovie-Mullins said "Outside" represents the fluidity of Carey's exploitation of the mulatta stereotype: she can sing of not belonging yet act as a sex symbol in other media.