My Life (Mary J. Blige album)

Untitled

My Life is the second studio album by American R&B singer Mary J. Blige.

Overview

Following the success of her debut album, What's the 411? and a remixed version in 1992, Blige went into the recording studio in the fall of 1993 to record her sophomore album, My Life. Darkier, moodier and less uptempo than her first album, The album was a breakthrough for Blige, who at this point, was in a clinical depression, battling both drugs, and alcohol, alongside being in an abusive relationship with K-Ci Hailey, which was reported in several tabloids, the relationship ended in 1997 (when Blige released her third album, Share My World).

In this period, Blige would once again dominate onto the charts with the singles: the Top 40 hit, "Be Happy". A cover version of Rose Royce's 1976 hit "I'm Going Down", an eludication of both Mary Jane Girls/Rick James, "All Night Long" and soul singer Teddy Pendergrass hit, "Close the Door", converted into another Top 40 hit "Mary Jane (All Night Long)".

Other songs such as a cover version of Aretha Franklin's hit single "Natural Woman", "You Bring Me Joy" (which heavily and mostly sampled "It's Ecstasy When You Lay Down Next To Me" by the late soul musician Barry White), and "My Life", have peaked on the R&B charts as well, and her biggest single in the mid-late 1990s, "Not Gon' Cry" (which was featured on the "Waiting to Exhale" soundtrack, and on her "Share My World" album), alongside an official remix version to the song "Be With You", which features Lauryn Hill rapping on the introduction and closing verses (In 1998, Lauryn Hill would duetted with Blige on the hip hop soul ballad, "I Used to Love Him" on Hill's record-breaking album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill).

In the summer of 1995, Blige teamed up with Method Man, for the single, I'll Be There For You/You're All I Need to Get By, which sampled Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's smash hit, "You're All I Need to Get By", the song peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at #1, and at #1 on the R&B charts.

In 1996, Blige earned her first two Grammy Award nominations: one for Best R&B Album, and one for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group ("I'll Be There For You/You're All I Need to Get By"), Blige had won the latter for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group with Method Man, while the Best R&B Album award went to TLC's "CrazySexyCool". The album is seen as a painful letter to the strained relationship with K-Ci Hailey (Jodeci/K-Ci and Jo-Jo), which the relationship had ended in the first quarter of 1997, when Blige released a more Contemporary R&B (her third) album, Share My World.

Within this period, Blige had made big and concerted effort to clean up her life, and frequently became in more of the positive frame of mind, as a result, the album has been claimed the magnum opus of Blige's career in the mid late 1990s. My Life also marked the last collaboration with Mary J. Blige and Sean Combs, in which they reportedly clashed during the making of the album, and Uptown Records was now in-defunct, until nine years later, when both Blige and Combs reunited for Blige's sixth album, Love & Life, which again Combs departed after Blige's sixth album as well.

Chart Performance

My Life was released in the United States on November 29, 1994, and debuted on January 14, 1995 on the Billboard 200, peaking at #7, quickly selling a successful 55,000 copies in its first week of sales, and atop the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart at #1 for eight consecutive weeks. 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.

• "Natural Woman" - the fifth and final single released from "My Life", a cover version of Aretha Franklin's "You Make Me Feel Like (A Natural Woman)", debuted #95 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #39 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.

Certification

My Life was certified 3X platinum by the RIAA in December 1996. In 2003, the album was ranked number 279 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. It is Blige's only album on the list.

Track listing

#	Title	Length	Producer(s)
1	"Intro"	1:04	Sean "Puffy" Combs & Chucky Thompson for The Hitmen
2	"Mary Jane (All Night Long)"	4:39	Sean "Puffy" Combs & Chucky Thompson for The Hitmen
3	"You Bring Me Joy"	4:13	Sean "Puffy" Combs & Chucky Thompson for The Hitmen
4	"Marvin Interlude"	0:36	Sean "Puffy" Combs & Chucky Thompson for The Hitmen
5	"I'm The Only Woman"	4:30	Sean "Puffy" Combs & Chucky Thompson for The Hitmen
6	"K. Murray Interlude"	0:22	Nashiem Myrick for The Hitmen
7	"My Life"	4:17	Sean "Puffy" Combs & Chucky Thompson for The Hitmen
8	"You Gotta Believe"	5:02	Herb Middleton
9	"I Never Wanna Live Without You"	6:17	Herb Middleton
10	"I'm Goin' Down"	3:42	Sean "Puffy" Combs & Chucky Thompson for The Hitmen
11	"My Life Interlude"	1:15	Sean "Puffy" Combs & Chucky Thompson for The Hitmen
12	"Be With You"	4:26	Sean "Puffy" Combs & Chucky Thompson for The Hitmen
13	"Mary's Joint"	5:02	Sean "Puffy" Combs & Chucky Thompson for The Hitmen
14	"Don't Go"	4:59	Sean "Puffy" Combs & Chucky Thompson for The Hitmen
15	"I Love You"	4:31	Sean "Puffy" Combs & Chucky Thompson for The Hitmen
16	"No One Else"	4:14	Mr. Dalvin
17	"Be Happy"	5:49	Sean "Puffy" Combs & Poke for Trakmasters
18	"(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" [International Bonus Track]	2:56	James Mtume

Miscellanea

• During the promotion period of her English album Exodus in the United States, Japanese singer-songwriter Hikaru Utada claimed that she used to listen to this album at least 3 times a day after school and sing along. She also said that this was the one album she couldn't live without.

Credits

André Harrell - Executive Producer

• Big Bub - Vocals (Background)

• Bob Brockmann - Engineer, Keyboards, Mixing

• Bruce Purse - Trumpet

• Charles "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 - 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)