My Life (Mary J. Blige album)

My Life
Studio album by Mary J. Blige
Released	November 28, 1994
Recorded	March 1993–September 1994: (Hit Factory);New York, NY
Genre	R&B, hip hop soul, soul
Length	64:59
Label	Uptown/MCA
Producer	Sean "Puffy" Combs (Executive), The Hitmen (Including Chucky Thompson & Nashiem Myrick), Poke, Mr. Dalvin
Professional reviews
The reviews parameter has been deprecated. Please move reviews into the “Reception” section of the article. See Moving reviews into article space. Allmusic Robert Christgau Entertainment Weekly (B) NME (7/10) Rolling Stone Spin (mixed) The Washington Post (favorable)
Mary J. Blige chronology
What's the 411? Remix (1992) My Life (1994) Share My World (1997)
Singles from My Life
"Be Happy" Released: October 26, 1994 "I'm Goin' Down" Released: January 18, 1995 "Mary Jane (All Night Long)" Released: February 8, 1995 "You Bring Me Joy/I Love You" Released: May 28, 1995 "My Life" Released: June 29, 1995

My Life is the second studio album from American R&B and soul singer Mary J. Blige, Released by Uptown/MCA Records on November 29, 1994. Recording sessions for the album began in fall of 1993 and ended almost one year later. Many of the topics on My Life deal with clinical depression, Blige's battling with both drugs and alcohol, as well as being in an abusive relationship. Similar to her debut album What's the 411?, My Life features vast production from Sean Combs, who provided a hip hop soul sound.

Considered to be her breakthrough album, My Life became Mary J. Blige's second album to reach the top ten of the Billboard 200 charts, peaking at number seven, and debuting at number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart for eight weeks. The album was nominated at the 1996 Grammy Awards for Best R&B Album, while in December of the same year, the album was certified 3x Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, for excess in sales of over three million copies. and won the Billboard Music Award for Best R&B Album.

Though receiving mostly mixed to favorable reviews upon its release, the album's reception among music critics and writers has improved over time, with some regarding it as one of the greatest albums of all time. In 2002, Blender ranked My Life number 57 on their 100 greatest American albums of all time list, in 2003, the album was ranked number 279 on Rolling Stone magazine's the 500 greatest albums of all time, and in 2006, it was included in Time's 100 greatest albums of all time list.

The sequel to the album, My Life II... The Journey Continues (Act 1), was released on November 21, 2011.

Overview

Following the success of her debut album, What's the 411?, and a remixed version in 1993, Blige went into the recording studio in the fall of 1993 to record her second album, My Life. The album was a breakthrough for Blige, who at this point was in a clinical depression, battling both drugs and alcohol, as well as being in an abusive relationship with K-Ci Hailey, which was reported in several tabloids. In this period, Blige would once again dominate the charts with her singles: the Top 40 hit "Be Happy", a cover version of Rose Royce's 1977 hit "I'm Goin' Down", and "Mary Jane (All Night Long)", an elucidation of the Mary Jane Girls' "All Night Long", Rick James's "Mary Jane", and Teddy Pendergrass's hit "Close the Door". The album uses primary soul samples from R&B musicians such as Curtis Mayfield, Roy Ayers, Al Green, Teddy Pendergrass, Marvin Gaye, Barry White, Rick James, and his protegès, the Mary Jane Girls.

Other memorable songs include a cover version of Aretha Franklin's hit single "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman", "You Bring Me Joy" (which samples "It's Ecstasy When You Lay Down Next To Me" by Barry White) and "My Life," alongside an official remix version of the song "Be With You", which features Lauryn Hill rapping on the introduction and closing verses. (In 1998, Lauryn Hill would duet with Blige on the hip hop soul ballad "I Used to Love Him" on Hill's album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.)

She has announced that her sequel to the album, My Life II... The Journey Continues (Act 1), was released on November 21, 2011 under Blige's label, Matriarch Records and Geffen Records.

Chart performance

My Life was released in the United States on November 28, 1994, and debuted on January 14, 1995 on the Billboard 200, peaking at #7, quickly selling a successful 200,000 copies in its first week of sales, and atop the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart at #1 for eight consecutive weeks. It eventually was the most successful R&B album on the Billboard Year-End chart for 1995. Singles from the album that have been released so far:

• "Be Happy" - the album's lead single, was released within a month of after the release of "My Life", peaked at #6 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and at #29 on the Billboard Hot 100.

• "Mary Jane (All Night Long)" - the second single overall, debuting at #37 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs at #39 on the Billboard Hot 100.

• "I'm Going Down" - A cover version of Rose Royce's 1977 hit, the song debuted at #22 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #13 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.

• "You Bring Me Joy" - the fourth single, released in May 1995, debuted at #57 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #29 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Intro"	Mary J. Blige, Sean "Puffy" Combs, Chucky Thompson	Chucky Thompson, Sean "Puffy" Combs	1:04
2.	"Mary Jane (All Night Long)"	Blige, Combs, Rick James, Thompson	Chucky Thompson, Sean "Puffy" Combs	4:39
3.	"You Bring Me Joy"	Blige, Combs, Joel "JoJo" Hailey, Thompson	Chucky Thompson, Sean "Puffy" Combs	4:13
4.	"Marvin Interlude"	Blige, Combs, Thompson	Chucky Thompson, Sean "Puffy" Combs	0:36
5.	"I'm The Only Woman"	Blige, Combs, Thompson	Chucky Thompson, Sean "Puffy" Combs	4:30
6.	"K. Murray Interlude"	Keith Murray, Combs, Nasheim Myrick, Thompson	Nashiem Myrick, Chucky Thompson	0:22
7.	"My Life"	Blige, Combs, Arlene DelValle, Thompson	Chucky Thompson, Sean "Puffy" Combs	4:17
8.	"You Gotta Believe"	Blige, Big Bub, Combs, Faith Evans, Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey, Thompson	Herb Middleton, Chucky Thompson, Sean "Puffy" Combs	5:02
9.	"I Never Wanna Live Without You"	Blige, Big Bub, Combs, Evans, Thompson	Herb Middleton, Chucky Thompson, Sean "Puffy" Combs	6:17
10.	"I'm Goin' Down"	Norman Whitfield	Chucky Thompson, Sean "Puffy" Combs	3:42
11.	"My Life Interlude"	Blige, Big Bub, Combs, Thompson	Chucky Thompson, Sean "Puffy" Combs	1:15
12.	"Be With You"	Blige, Combs, Thompson	Chucky Thompson, Sean "Puffy" Combs	4:26
13.	"Mary's Joint"	Blige, Combs, Thompson	Chucky Thompson, Sean "Puffy" Combs	5:02
14.	"Don't Go"	Blige, Combs, Evans, Thompson	Chucky Thompson, Sean "Puffy" Combs	4:59
15.	"I Love You"	Blige, Combs, Thompson	Chucky Thompson, Sean "Puffy" Combs	4:31
16.	"No One Else"	Dalvin DeGrate, C. Hailey	Mr. Dalvin	4:14
17.	"Be Happy"	Blige, Combs, DelValle, J.C. Olivier	Sean "Puffy" Combs, Poke	5:49

International bonus track
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer	Length
18.	"(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman"	Gerry Goffin, Carole King, Jerry Wexler	Sean "Puffy" Combs	2:56

Samples

• "Mary Jane (All Night Long)" samples "All Night Long" by Mary Jane Girls and "Close the Door" by Teddy Pendergrass
• "You Bring Me Joy" samples "It's Ecstasy When You Lay Down Next to Me" by Barry White
• "I'm The Only Woman" samples "Give Me Your Love" by Curtis Mayfield and "For the Love of Money" by The O'Jays
• "K. Murray Interlude" contains a portion of "Who Shot Ya" by The Notorious B.I.G.
• "My Life" samples "Everybody Loves The Sunshine" by Roy Ayers
• "Don't Go" samples "Goodbye Love" by Guy, "Stay with Me" by DeBarge, "Brazilian Rhyme (Beijo)" by Earth, Wind & Fire, and "Speak to My Heart" by the New York Restoration Choir featuring Donnie McClurkin
• "I Love You" samples "Ike's Mood" by Isaac Hayes and "Hollywood's World" by DJ Hollywood
• "No One Else" samples "Free at Last" by Al Green and "La Di Da Di" by Slick Rick and Doug E. Fresh
• "Be Happy" samples "You're Too Good To Me" by Curtis Mayfield and "I Want You" by Marvin Gaye
• "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" - Aretha Franklin cover
• "Be Happy (Remix)" samples "Money (Dollar Bill Ya'll)" by Jimmy Spicer
• "Be With You" samples "High Powered" by Dr. Dre featuring RBX, The Lady of Rage and Daz Dillinger. And its remix version contains an interpolation of "Hey Love" by The Delfonics.

Personnel

• André Harrell - Executive Producer
• Big Bub - Vocals (Background)
• Bob Brockmann - Engineer, Keyboards, Mixing
• Bruce Purse - Trumpet
• Prince Charles Alexander - Engineer, Flute, Mixing, Piccolo, Producer, Sax (Tenor)
• Chucky Thompson - Keyboards, Multi Instruments, Producer
• Dalvin DeGrate - Arranger, Multi Instruments
• Darryl Pearson - Bass
• Debra Young - Production Coordination
• Diane Monroe - Violin
• Eileen Folson - Cello
• Faith Evans - Songwriter, Vocals (Background)
• Frank Colon - Percussion
• Fred McFarlane - Keyboards
• Gloria Agostini - Harp
• Herb Middleton - Keyboards, Multi Instruments
• Herb Powers - Mastering
• JoDee Stringham - Design

• K-Ci & JoJo - Arranger, Vocals (Background)
• Keenya Mauldin - Hair Stylist
• Latonya J. Blige - Vocals (Background)
• Lenny Underwood - Piano
• Lesa Terry - Violin
• Mark Ledford - Trumpet
• Mary J. Blige - Main Performer, Vocals, Vocals (Background)
• Nasheim Myrick - Engineer, Programming
• Regina Carter - Violin
• Richard Travali - Engineer
• Rob Paustian - Engineer, Mixing
• Sam Fine - Make-Up
• Sante d'Orazio - Photography
• Sean "Puffy" Combs - Executive Producer, Producer
• Sybil Pennix - Stylist
• Tim Dawg - Associate Executive Producer
• Tony Maserati - Engineer, Mixing
• Victor Bailey - Bass
• Vincent Henry - Sax (Alto)

Charts

Chart (1993)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard 200	7
U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums	1
UK Albums Chart	2

Accolades

Publication	Country	Accolade	Year	Rank
Blender	United States	The 100 Greatest American Albums of All time	2002	57
Entertainment Weekly		The 100 Best Albums from 1983 to 2008	2008	70
Rolling Stone		50 Essential Female Albums	2002	17
Rolling Stone		The 100 Greatest Albums of the 90s	2010	63
Rolling Stone		The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time	2003	279
Rolling Stone		The Essential Recordings of the 90s	1999	*
Time		Top 100 Albums of All Time	2006	*
Vibe		100 Essential Albums of the 20th Century	1999	*
Vibe		150 Albums That Define the Vibe Era (1992–2007)	2007	*
The Rough Guide		Soul: 100 Essential CDs	2000	*
The New Nation	United Kingdom	Top 100 Albums by Black Artists		38
FNAC	France	The 1000 Best Albums of All Time	2008	862

See also

• List of number-one R&B albums of 1994 (U.S.)
• List of number-one R&B albums of 1995 (U.S.)
• Billboard Year-End

External links

• My Life at Discogs
• My Life accolades at acclaimedmusic.net