connecting with God. Author Chris Nickson wrote the following regarding the song, its lyrics and composition: That wasn't just a faith in herself and her talent, but also the ability to let herself go, to pray to God, and to trust in what would happen. These were, by far, her most inspiring words to date, letting others know that no matter what they were doing, no matter how difficult things were, with help they would win through. Musically, the piece had a restrained dance beat, very Mowtownish, that owed a little more to gospel, with a chorus – sung by Mariah, Trey and Patrique – that rose gloriously from the verse to repeat and drive and its very positive message home. "Make It Happen" is a dance track that draws influence from pop, R&B, gospel, and dance-pop genres; its tempo is 108 beats per minute. The song was written and produced by Carey and C+C Music Factory's David Cole and Robert Clivillés, and it was released as the third and final single from her second studio album, Emotions. It employs several musical instruments, including the piano, guitar, bass, organ, and tambourine. Additionally, Carey incorporated a church choir into the track's bridge, which, according to Nickson, helped the song become even more of an anthem. The song is set in common time and is composed in the key of D minor. Carey's vocal range spans from the low-note of C3 to the high-note of G5, while the song's chorus follows a chord progression of Gsus2–G–G/F–Em7–G/D–C–G/B–Am7. Reception Critical response "Make It Happen" has received acclaim from music critics, many of whom complimented its uplifting lyrical content. Allmusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine named the song one of his top two picks from Emotions, while Jon Pareles from The New York Times called it an "uplifting pop-gospel homily". Steve Morse of The Boston Globe wrote: "[Its] positive message also soars through a gospel rearrangement. After hearing it, we understand why [Carey named] gospel star Shirley Caesar ... such a strong influence". In a different review of the album, Morse called "Make It Happen" "glorious" and described it as "a clear slice of spiritual autobiography". Larry Flick from Billboard stated that here, Carey "tones down the vocal acrobatics slightly and delivers her most appealing and affecting single to date." He added, "Infectious pop/house musical context is slick enough to keep radio fires burning, but tough