In 1992, Blige released her debut album What's The 411?. The album sold 3.4 million copies on the strength of singles You Remind Me, Real Love, Reminisce, Sweet Thing, and Love No Limit. The album pioneered a new genre known as Hip-Hop Soul and is credited with influencing the marriage of Hip-Hop and R&B.
In 1994, Blige released her sophomore album My Life. Blige wrote or co-wrote fourteen of the seventeen album tracks. Supported by singles Be Happy, Mary Jane (All Night Long), I'm Goin' Down, and You Bring Me Joy, the album sold over three million copies and was certified 3x platinum by the RIAA in 1996. It has since been included in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
Not Gon' Cry, a 1996 single written and produced by Babyface for Waiting To Exhale soundtrack (1995), peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Blige's highest charting single of the 1990s. The same year, Blige won her first Grammy for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for her performance on I'll Be There for You/You're All I Need to Get By by Method Man.
On April 22, 1997, Blige released her third album, Share My World on MCA Records. Blige cut ties with producers Sean Combs and Chucky Thompson and worked with the likes of Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Rodney Jerkins, Babyface, R. Kelly, and Poke & Tone. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with sales of 240,000 copies, Blige's first to do so. Supported by singles Love Is All We Need, I Can Love You, Everything, Missing You, and Seven Days. Share My World was certified 3x platinum by the RIAA and sold nearly 4 million copies in U.S.
In Summer 1998, Blige embarked on the Share My World Tour, which resulted in a Gold-certified live album released later that year, simply titled The Tour. The album spawned one single, Misty Blue.
On August 17, 1999, Blige's fourth album, titled Mary was released. It marked a departure from her more familiar hip hop-oriented sound; this set featured a more earthy, whimsical, and adult contemporary-tinged collection of songs. The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 239,000 copies in its first week. It spent 57 weeks on the chart and produced four charting singles: All That I Can Say, Deep Inside, Give Me You, and Your Child. Though not as successful as prior releases, the album still sold 2.1 million copies in the U.S. and was nominated for a Grammy for Best R&B Album.
On August 28, 2001, MCA released Blige's fifth studio album, No More Drama. The album's first single, Family Affair (produced by Dr. Dre) became her first number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100, where it remained for six consecutive weeks. Two other singles, Dance For Me and No More Drama were released, with the latter becoming a Top 20 hit. On January 29, 2002, the album re-released and featured three new songs, one being Rainy Dayz, which was released as a single and became another Top 20 hit for Blige. No More Drama has since sold 3.2 million copies in the U.S. and 5 million copies worldwide.
In 2003, Blige won her second Grammy (and first as a lead artist) for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for "He Think I Don't Know".
On August 26, 2003, Blige's sixth album Love & Life was released on Geffen Records (which had absorbed MCA Records.) Blige reunited with producer Sean Combs for the album. Despite the album debuting at number one on the Billboard 200 and becoming Blige's fourth consecutive UK top ten album, Love & Life became Blige's then lowest selling album selling 1 million copies. Still, it was nominated for Grammy Best Contemporary R&B Album.
Geffen Records released Blige's seventh studio album, The Breakthrough on December 20, 2005. For the album, Blige collaborated with J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, Rodney Jerkins, will.i.am, Bryan-Michael Cox, 9th Wonder, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Raphael Saadiq, Cool and Dre, and Dre & Vidal. It debuted at number one on both the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. Selling 727,000 copies in its first week, it became the biggest first-week sales for an R&B solo female artist in SoundScan history. The official lead single, Be Without You peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, while peaking at number one on the R&B chart for a record-setting fifteen consecutive weeks. In March 2017, Billboard Magazine ranked "Be Without You" as the most successful R&B/Hip-Hop Song of all time. The song was nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year and won the Best R&B Song and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance categories at the 2007 Grammy Awards. Other singles included Top 40 Hit Enough Cryin, Top Five R&B song Take Me As I Am, and UK Top Three Hit One. The Breakthrough won the Grammy for Best R&B Album in 2007.
In December 2006, a compilation called Reflections (A Retrospective) was released. It contained many of Blige's greatest hits and four new songs, including the worldwide lead single We Ride (I See the Future). The album peaked at number nine in the U.S, selling over 170,000 copies in its first week, while reaching number forty in the UK. It has sold more than 1.6 million copies.
Blige's eighth studio album, Growing Pains, was released on December 18, 2007, debuting at number two on the Billboard 200 and at number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It sold 629,000 copies in its week and was certified Platinum by the RIAA. The album won Grammy for Best Contemporary R&B Album in 2009. It spawned the Top 40 Hit Just Fine.
Blige's ninth studio album, Stronger with Each Tear, was released on December 21, 2009, debuting at number two on the Billboard 200 and at number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, selling 332,000 units in its first week of release. The album had sold 726,100 copies in the United States by April 2010, and was certified Gold by the RIAA on January 6, 2011.
Blige was honored at the 2009 BET Honors Ceremony and was paid tribute by Anita Baker and Monica.
Blige's tenth studio album, My Life II... The Journey Continues (Act 1), was released in November 2011. The album debuted at #5 on the Billboard 200, selling 156,000 copies in the first week; it was eventually certified Gold in 2012 and has sold 763,000 in the US.
A Mary Christmas, Blige's first holiday album, was released on October 15, 2013 through Matriarch and Verve Records. In early December, A Mary Christmas became Blige's 12th top ten album after it rose to #10 in its eighth week and was certified Gold by the RIAA.
Think Like A Man Too, which serves as Blige's 12th studio album, was released on June 17, 2014. On Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, the soundtrack album charted at number six, marking Blige's 16th top ten entry on the chart, tying her with Mariah Carey for the second-most top tens by a female artist.
Following her concert date at the Essence Festival, on July 9, 2014 it was announced Blige would move to London to experiment with a new sound for her new album. Blige spent a month in London recording her album in RAK Studios with a host of young British acts, including Disclosure, Naughty Boy, Emeli Sandé and Sam Smith. Twelve new songs, co-written and recorded by the singer, were released on November 24, 2014 on an album entitled The London Sessions. The album received acclaim and was included on many Best Albums of 2014 lists. The album debuted at number nine on the Billboard 200 and number one on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, with 55,000 albums sold and 2,000 shifted in album-equivalent units. It became her 13th top ten entry on the Billboard 200 and her tenth number one entry on Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums.
Following a heavily publicized divorce from her husband and manager Kendu Isaacs, Blige released her thirteenth studio album Strength of a Woman on April 28, 2017. Supported by Urban AC hit singles Thick of It and U + Me (Love Lesson), Strength of a Woman debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 on the issue dated ending May 20, 2017, with 78,000 album-equivalent units, selling 72,000 standard copies in its first week. It became Blige's highest-charting album since 2009's Stronger with Each Tear, and her tenth top five entry on the chart.
In 2017, Blige starred in the period drama film Mudbound directed by Dee Rees. Playing Florence Jackson, the matriarch of her family. For her performance in Mudbound, Blige was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress. She also received nominations for Best Original Song for Mighty River, becoming the first person nominated for an Academy Award for acting and original song in the same year.
On July 12, 2018, Blige released a new single, titled Only Love.
Fade Away
Mary J. Blige Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh
It's starting to rain again.
Everything's gone now.
Even the sun.
It's starting to rain again.
Don't go away.
Hm
I've been high and I've been low.
I've been wealthy and I've been poor.
I don't know much.
But one thing I know, this ain't no fun.
Hm
Sometimes I wish that I can stand here and fade away.
(Sometimes)
Oh
So that no one could see the tears running down my face.
(Sometimes)
Oh, invisibility would be great.
I painted a picture with her in his arms.
Hm
It's starting to rain again.
It's all in my mind.
He's done me no harm.
Hm
I've been up and I've been down.
Through all my drama, he's still around.
I can't believe that even now I put us through the storm.
Oh
Sometimes I wish that I can stand here and fade away.
(Sometimes)
Oh
So that no one could see the tears running down my face.
(Sometimes)
Oh, invisibility would be great.
Couldn't look at myself in the mirror.
Asking myself "How dumb could you be? "
Maybe everything would be much clearer if no one could see me.
Hm
Oh
Oh, invisibility would be great.
Oh
Sometimes I wish that I can stand here and fade away.
(Sometimes)
Oh
So that no one could see the tears running down my face.
Hey
Hey
Sometimes I wish that I can stand here and fade away.
(Sometimes)
Oh
So that no one could see the tears running down my face.
(Sometimes)
Invisibility would be great
Mary J. Blige's "Fade Away" is a song about the pain and heartbreak one feels when going through a difficult time in a relationship. The song opens with a metaphor of the rain, symbolizing the singer's sadness and despair, returning and washing away any hope or light in their life, even the sun which usually brings light and warmth. The singer, perhaps addressing a lover, pleads with them not to go, questioning what they have done. Despite going through highs and lows and being rich and poor, the singer knows that what they are going through is not fun.
The chorus of the song reveals the singer's desire to fade away or become invisible when they are going through this pain, perhaps wanting to be hidden from the world and shielded from the tearing down of their self-confidence. The singer paints a picture of their partner with someone else, possibly having an affair, and despite their stormy relationships, they are still together, but the pain of the situation is still visible. The singer then reflects on how they cannot face themselves in the mirror, grappling with the fact that they allowed themselves to be hurt this way, and wonders if everything would be better if they could just disappear.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh
Expression of sound, usually indicating a feeling of sadness or pain.
Oh
Expression of sound, usually indicating emphasis or excitement.
It's starting to rain again.
The negative emotions, which had seemingly ceased, are starting to reappear, causing unhappiness.
Everything's gone now.
The good things that used to surround the singer are no longer there.
Even the sun.
The metaphorical source of light and warmth has left, making things darker and colder.
It's starting to rain again.
The negative emotions, which had seemingly ceased, are starting to reappear, causing unhappiness.
Don't go away.
A plea to the object of affection to stay, in order to bring back the good times.
What have I done?
Reflecting on what caused the current situation and how the singer contributed to it.
Hm
Expression of introspection or thoughtfulness.
I've been high and I've been low.
The singer has experienced both good and bad times.
I've been wealthy and I've been poor.
The singer has experienced both financial abundance and hardship.
I don't know much.
There is a lack of understanding about the current situation.
But one thing I know, this ain't no fun.
The current situation is not enjoyable, and the singer wishes it would end.
Hm
Expression of introspection or thoughtfulness.
Sometimes I wish that I can stand here and fade away.
The singer wishes to disappear completely, removing themselves from the current situation and the world around them.
(Sometimes)
The wish to disappear is not constant, but rather occurs occasionally.
Oh
Expression of sound, usually indicating emphasis or excitement.
So that no one could see the tears running down my face.
The singer wishes to escape the embarrassment and vulnerability of crying in front of others.
(Sometimes)
The wish to disappear is not constant, but rather occurs occasionally.
Oh, invisibility would be great.
The singer wishes to be completely unseen, in order to avoid judgement and vulnerability.
I painted a picture with her in his arms.
The singer imagined a scenario where the object of their affection is with someone else, causing emotional pain.
Hm
Expression of introspection or thoughtfulness.
It's starting to rain again.
The negative emotions, which had seemingly ceased, are starting to reappear, causing unhappiness.
It's all in my mind.
The imagined scenario of the object of their affection being with someone else is not real, but rather a product of the singer's own thoughts.
He's done me no harm.
The object of their affection has not intentionally caused the singer harm, but rather the singer's own emotions have caused pain.
Hm
Expression of introspection or thoughtfulness.
I've been up and I've been down.
The singer has experienced both good and bad times.
Through all my drama, he's still around.
Despite the singer's emotional ups and downs, the object of their affection has remained present in their life.
I can't believe that even now I put us through the storm.
The singer is unsure why they continue to create emotional turmoil in their relationship, and regrets doing so.
Oh
Expression of sound, usually indicating emphasis or excitement.
Sometimes I wish that I can stand here and fade away.
The singer wishes to disappear completely, removing themselves from the current situation and the world around them.
(Sometimes)
The wish to disappear is not constant, but rather occurs occasionally.
Oh
Expression of sound, usually indicating emphasis or excitement.
So that no one could see the tears running down my face.
The singer wishes to escape the embarrassment and vulnerability of crying in front of others.
Hey
Expression of sound, usually indicating attention or greeting.
Hey
Expression of sound, usually indicating attention or greeting.
Invisibility would be great.
The singer wishes to be completely unseen, in order to avoid judgement and vulnerability.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: EARL SMITH, KENNETH BYLES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@LadyKimberley.
"Invisibility would be great". We've all been there at some point or another. Great work Mary!!
@evisuallover
You did it again Ne-yo. A really REALLY beautiful song. Kudos to Mary J Blige because she sings it really great. Simply love it.
@devinelove2795
I remember those days,it kills me to recall those dark moments, but the grace of god& ms. bilge saved me from me 2009
@dre12337
me to be again maybe
@gregoryhayes1741
bro her music saved alot of us real talk
@verod6631
Devine Love indeed... then and now..
@fromama2011
Whew! Same.
@richandacarter1529
Won't HE. and music do it??!!
@jay-lafox507
Mary is the soundtrack of my life... she is soul... love her lyrics her voice so beautiful.
@dre12337
she is and you are to