Although the project was tentatively titled "Street Butterfly", "Raw", or "A Dozen Roses" at one time or another, the album was eventually named after Curtis Mayfield's song "The Makings of You" from his solo debut album "Curtis" (1970), which is sampled in the Elliott-produced song "A Dozen Roses (You Remind Me)": "With a dozen roses / Such will astound you / The joy of children laughing around you / These are the makings of you." When asked about the meaning of the title, Monica elaborated in a 2006 interview with "Billboard" that "this album is really the makings of me because it talks about so many different scenarios, both good and bad, that have pretty much brought me to the point where I'm at mentally," she said, comparing it with a "musical diary where people can really see me in a lot of different lights for once."