"Shake It Off" is a mid-tempo R&B and pop song with a hip hop backbeat and a "thumping", sparse production. Written and produced by Carey, Jermaine Dupri, Bryan-Michael Cox and Johntá Austin, the song drew comparisons to several productions from Usher's 2004 album, "Confessions". According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by W.B.M. Music Corporation, "Shake It Off" is set in common time with a tempo of 66 beats per minute. It is composed in the key of D major with Carey's vocal range spanning from the low-note of D3 to the high-note of G#6. The song follows in the chord progression of Bm7–Am7–Gmaj7 The verses and chorus remain in a narrow voice range, until according to Jon Pareles of "The New York Times", Carey "gives herself a few of her old sky-high notes as a background flourish" near the song's end. According to Carey's album guide in "Rolling Stone", Dupri leaves his trademark on the album's best tracks including "Shake It Off", with the track's production and beat described as "syncopated" and "bouncy."