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My Life (Mary J. Blige album)

My Life is the second album by American R&B recording artist Mary J. Blige, released on November 29, 1994, by Uptown Records and MCA Records.[2] 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. Unlike her debut, What's the 411? (1992), Blige contributed lyrics to fourteen of the album's tracks, making it her most introspective and personal album at the time. Similar to her debut album, My Life features extensive production from Sean "Puffy" Combs for his newly founded label, Bad Boy Entertainment, which was at the time backed by Arista Records.

My Life
Studio album by
Mary J. Blige
ReleasedNovember 29, 1994 (1994-11-29)
RecordedDecember 1993 – September 1994
Studio
  • Axis Studios Recording
  • Clinton Recording Studios
  • Daddy's House
  • The Hit Factory
  • Sound on Sound Recordings (New York City)
GenreR&B[1]
Length64:59
Label
Producer
Mary J. Blige chronology
What's the 411? Remix
(1993) 		My Life
(1994) 		Share My World
(1997)
Singles from My Life
  1. "Be Happy"
    Released: October 26, 1994
  2. "I'm Goin' Down"
    Released: January 18, 1995
  3. "Mary Jane (All Night Long)"
    Released: February 8, 1995
  4. "You Bring Me Joy"
    Released: May 28, 1995
  5. "I Love You"
    Released: May 28, 1995

Considered to be her breakthrough album, My Life became Mary J. Blige's second album to reach the top ten on the Billboard 200 chart, peaking at number seven, and debuting at number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, where it stayed for eight weeks. In 1996, the album was nominated for Best R&B Album at the 38th Grammy Awards, while in December of the same year, the album was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, for shipments of three million copies in the United States.[2] It also won the 1995 Billboard Music Award for Top R&B Album. A special commemorative edition of the album was released on November 20, 2020.[3]

Background

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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 winter of 1993 to record her second album, My Life.[4] Producer Chucky Thompson was brought in and had originally been contracted to produce one song and an interlude for the project.[4] He ended up being a last minute replacement as the producers Blige worked with previously on What's the 411? demanded more money when the album was certified triple platinum.[4] Blige loved the one song Thompson produced for her, which made Combs change the direction of the album.[4]

Combs called recording engineer Prince Charles Alexander out of the blue after Jodeci went to record Diary of a Mad Band. Alexander was brought in at the end of the record, after working on albums by other artists on Bad Boy Entertainment, such as Total, The Notorious B.I.G. and 112.[5] In the middle of recording My Life, Combs suggested covering Rose Royce's 1977 hit "I'm Going Down", which he wanted Alexander to handle the session. However, the two butted heads over production credit issues, as Combs wanted to give credit to himself and Thompson, although neither were present for the song's recording session.[5] Alexander fought hard to seek production credit from Combs and the two battled it out over the phone over the issue.[5] Combs later explained it was due to receiving a flat royalty rate for producing the majority of the songs and Alexander's production credit would have interfered with the royalty rate.[5] To circumvent this issue, Alexander insisted on having two more sessions with Bad Boy acts. One of the other songs he produced was another Rose Royce cover – "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" for Faith Evans' 1995 debut Faith.[5] Alexander was later called back in to do some mixing and recording.

On the song "K. Murray Interlude", it originally featured The Notorious B.I.G.. He was taken off due to the song's lyrical content, which would have forced Uptown Records to release the album with a Parental Advisory sticker.[5] Rapper Keith Murray was the replacement, while The Notorious B.I.G.'s verse would be released as the song "Who Shot Ya".[5]

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 singer K-Ci Hailey.[6][7] In this period, Blige would once again dominate the charts with her singles: the Top 40 hit "Be Happy", a cover version of "I'm Goin' Down" and "You Bring Me Joy". 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 protégés, the Mary Jane Girls.[5]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [8]
Cash Box(favorable)[9]
Chicago Tribune    [10]
Entertainment WeeklyB[11]
The Guardian    [12]
Knoxville News Sentinel     [13]
Los Angeles Times    [14]
Mojo     [15]
NME7/10[16]
The Philadelphia Inquirer    [17]
Pitchfork7.0/10[18]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide     [19]

NME wrote that the beats "reign supreme" and commended Blige for "telling her audience she grew up the same way they did, listened to the same things, was influenced by the same situations."[16] Village Voice critic Robert Christgau gave it a three-star honorable mention, indicating "an enjoyable effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well treasure". He cited "Mary Jane" and "I'm Going Down" as highlights while calling the album "an around-the-way girl's recipe for happiness".[20] In a mixed review, Jonathan Bernstein of Spin found most of the songs too "ordinary" and felt that Blige's compositions "give her space to stretch out and emote, but for all the melody they possess they might as well be breathing exercises."[21] Connie Johnson was more critical in the Los Angeles Times, finding it "drab" and devoid of attitude from Blige, who "doesn't add her own hard-core signature to any significant degree".[14]

In 2002, My Life was ranked number 57 on Blender's list of the 100 greatest American albums of all-time.[citation needed] The following year, Rolling Stone placed it at number 279 on their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time,[22] 281 on a 2012 revised list,[23] and 126 on a 2020 list.[24] In 2006, the record was included in Time's 100 greatest albums of all-time list.[25] Most recently, the album was recognized by Apple Music[26] as the 86th best album of all time in 2024 on the Apple Music 100 Best Albums list.

Accolades

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Publication Country Accolade Year Rank
Apple Music United States Apple Music 100 Best Albums 2024 86
Blender The 100 Greatest American Albums of All time 2002 57
Entertainment Weekly The 100 Best Albums from 1983 to 2008 2008 70
Rolling Stone The Essential Recordings of the 90s 1999 *
50 Essential Female Albums 2002 17
The 100 Greatest Albums of the 90s 2010 63
The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time 2003 279
2012 281
2020 126
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

Commercial performance

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My Life debuted at number nine on the US Billboard 200 chart, and eventually peaked at number seven. The album also debuted at number one on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and it spent a total of eight weeks at the top of that chart. The album would ultimately go on to spend 46 weeks on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart and 84 weeks on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The album also charted in Canada peaking at number 37 on the Canadian Albums Chart, and at number 59 on the UK Albums Chart.[27] On December 13, 1995, My Life was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for shipments of three million copies in the United States.[2] As of December 2009, the album has sold 2.8 million copies in the US.[28]

Track listing

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Unless otherwise indicated, Information is taken from the Album's Liner Notes[29]

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Intro"
1:04
2."Mary Jane (All Night Long)"
  • Thompson
  • Combs
4:39
3."You Bring Me Joy"
  • Thompson (music)
  • Combs (music)
  • Hailey (vocals)
4:13
4."Marvin Interlude"
  • Blige
  • Thompson
  • Combs
0:36
5."I'm the Only Woman"
  • Blige
  • Thompson
  • Combs
4:30
6."K. Murray Interlude" (performed by Keith Murray)
  • Keith Murray
  • Thompson
  • Combs
  • Nashiem Myrick
  • Myrick
  • Thompson
  • Combs
0:22
7."My Life"
  • Blige
  • Arlene DelValle
  • Thompson
  • Combs
  • Thompson
  • Combs
4:17
8."You Gotta Believe"
  • Herb Middleton
  • Thompson
  • Combs
5:02
9."I Never Wanna Live Without You"
  • Blige
  • Big Bub
  • Evans
  • Thompson
  • Combs
  • Middleton
  • Middleton
  • Thompson
  • Combs
6:17
10."I'm Goin' Down"
3:42
11."My Life Interlude"
  • Blige
  • Big Bub
  • Thompson
  • Combs
  • Thompson
  • Combs
1:15
12."Be with You"
  • Blige
  • Thompson
  • Combs
  • Thompson
  • Combs
4:26
13."Mary's Joint"
  • Blige
  • Combs
  • Thompson
  • Thompson
  • Combs
5:02
14."Don't Go"
  • Blige
  • Big Bub
  • Evans
  • Combs
  • Thompson
  • Thompson
  • Combs
4:59
15."I Love You"
  • Blige
  • Combs
  • Thompson
  • Combs
4:31
16."No One Else"
4:15
17."Be Happy"
5:49
International bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)ProducerLength
18."(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman"
2:56
25th anniversary edition bonus disc[30]
No.TitleWriter(s)ProducerLength
1."Mary Jane (All Night Long)" (Remix) (featuring LL Cool J)
  • James
  • Blige
  • Combs
  • Thompson
5:31
2."I'm Goin' Down" (Remix) (featuring Mr. Cheeks)
  • Whitfield
  • Thompson
  • Combs
  • Alexander[a]
  • Ledford[a]
3:50
3."I Love You" (Remix) (featuring Smif-N-Wessun)
  • Blige
  • Combs
  • Thompson
  • Combs
4:55
4."Be Happy" (Bad Boy Butter Remix)
  • Blige (Lyrics)
  • DelValle (Lyrics)
  • Combs (Music)
  • Olivier (Music)
  • Combs
  • Poke
4:44
5."Be Happy" (Ron G Remix)
  • Blige (Lyrics)
  • DelValle (Lyrics)
  • Combs (Music)
  • Olivier (Music)
  • Combs
  • Poke
3:42
6."(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman"
  • Goffin
  • King
  • Wexler
  • Mtume
2:56

Notes

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  • ^a signifies a co-producer
Sample credits

Personnel

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Unless otherwise indicated, Information is taken from the Album's liner notes[35]

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[45] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[46] Gold 100,000*
United States (RIAA)[47] 3× Platinum 3,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Jenkins, Craig (July 10, 2014). "1. Mary J Blige, My Life - The 50 Best R&B albums of the '90s". Complex. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c "American album certifications – Mary J. Blige – My Life". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. Retrieved February 6, 2013.
  3. ^ "Mary J. Blige to Re-release 'My Life' in November | 25th Anniversary". 31 July 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Williams, Chris. "Mary J. Blige's My Life LP (1994) revisited with co-producer Chucky Thompson | Return To The Classics". Soulculture.com. Archived from the original on 2014-08-19. Retrieved 2014-08-18.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Key Tracks: Mary J. Blige's My Life". Redbullmusicacademy.com. Retrieved 2015-12-28.
  6. ^ Murrell, Morgan (24 June 2021). "Mary J. Blige On Her "My Life" Album: "I Was Depressed, Ready To Die"". BuzzFeed. Retrieved 2021-06-25.
  7. ^ Mulkerrins, Jane (2013-11-01). "Mary J Blige: 'The way I was living, I should have been dead'". Evening Standard. Retrieved 2021-06-25.
  8. ^ Swihart, Stanton. "My Life – Mary J. Blige". AllMusic. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
  9. ^ Martinez, M.R. (December 17, 1994). "Urban — Reviews: Pick of the Week" (PDF). Cash Box. Retrieved March 9, 2022.
  10. ^ Preston, Rohan B. (December 29, 1994). "Worth The Wait". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
  11. ^ Hopkins, Tracy (November 25, 1994). "My Life". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
  12. ^ Sullivan, Caroline (December 9, 1994). "Mary J. Blige: My Life (MCA)". The Guardian. London.
  13. ^ Campbell, Chuck (December 23, 1994). "Germans Put New Spin On Punk Music". Knoxville News Sentinel.
  14. ^ a b Johnson, Connie (December 25, 1994). "Forget '411,' Mary J., Better Call 911". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  15. ^ Waring, Charles (December 2020). "Mary J. Blige: My Life". Mojo. No. 325. London. p. 95.
  16. ^ a b "Mary J. Blige: My Life". NME. London. January 7, 1995. p. 34.
  17. ^ Wood, Sam (December 11, 1994). "Mary J. Blige: My Life (Uptown/MCA) / Carleen Anderson: True Spirit (Virgin Records America)". The Philadelphia Inquirer.
  18. ^ Soto, Alfred (November 24, 2020). "Mary J. Blige: My Life". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
  19. ^ Moon, Tom (2004). "Mary J. Blige". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 83–84. ISBN 0743201698.
  20. ^ Christgau, Robert (2000). Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. St. Martin's Griffin. pp. xvi, 31. ISBN 0312245602.
  21. ^ Bernstein, Jonathan (February 1995). "Mary J. Blige: My Life". Spin. Vol. 10, no. 11. New York. pp. 76–77. Retrieved February 10, 2013.
  22. ^ "500 Greatest Albums of All Time: My Life – Mary J. Blige". Rolling Stone. New York. November 18, 2003. Archived from the original on December 20, 2010. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  23. ^ "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. New York. May 31, 2012. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
  24. ^ "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. New York. September 22, 2020. Retrieved October 31, 2020.
  25. ^ Tyrangiel, Josh (November 13, 2006). "The All-TIME 100 Albums – Mary J. Blige: My Life". Time. New York. Archived from the original on March 7, 2007. Retrieved March 13, 2010.
  26. ^ "My Life by Mary J. Blige". My Life by Mary J. Blige. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
  27. ^ "Artists". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
  28. ^ Mitchell, Gail (December 12, 2009). "Strength of Character". Billboard. Vol. 121, no. 49. p. 19. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved July 26, 2023 – via Google Books.
  29. ^ My Life (liner notes). Mary J. Blige. MCA/Uptown Records. 1995. MCD 11398.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  30. ^ "My Life 2CD – Mary J. Blige Official Store". Shop.maryjblige.com.
  31. ^ Alvin Blanco, The Wu-Tang Clan and RZA: A Trip Through Hip Hop's 36 Chambers, in Juleyka Lantigua Williams, editor, series Hip Hop in America (Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger, 2011), p 52.
  32. ^ Justin A. Williams, ed. (2015). The Cambridge Companion to Hip-Hop. Cambridge University Press. p. 149. ISBN 9781107037465.
  33. ^ a b Folk, Antwane (27 June 2021). "How Mary J. Blige's Pain Drew Her to the Sunshine on 'My Life'". Rated R&B.
  34. ^ a b c Arnold, Chuck (29 November 2019). "Mary J. Blige's 'My Life' at 25". Billboard.
  35. ^ Blige, Mary J. (1994). My Life (Album Notes). Uptown Records.
  36. ^ "Mary J. Blige ARIA Chart History complete to 2024". ARIA. Retrieved July 26, 2024 – via Imgur.com. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.
  37. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 7989". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 2016-09-03.
  38. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Mary J. Blige – My Life" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-09-03.
  39. ^ "Mary J. Blige | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 2016-09-03.
  40. ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2022-11-11.
  41. ^ "Mary J. Blige Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-09-03.
  42. ^ "Mary J. Blige Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-09-03.
  43. ^ "Billboard 200: Year End 1995". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  44. ^ "R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: Year End 1995". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  45. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Mary J Blige – My Life". Music Canada.
  46. ^ "British album certifications – Mary J Blige – My Life". British Phonographic Industry.
  47. ^ "American album certifications – Mary J Blige – My Life". Recording Industry Association of America.
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