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.
It's On
Mary J. Blige Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Something has changed and there's no hiding that
Sometimes I wish that I can read your mind
And see what secrets you have I can't find
I don't know what you're doing
Or how you spend your time
I've been getting this feeling
And I hope that I'm wrong
I don't wanna be right
You won't do this to me
Not me, not me
Why you asking me these questions? it's me
You know I ain't hiding nothing, it's me, it's me
You know I wear everything on my sleeve
You already know
It's me, it's me
Why you acting like a stranger? it's me
I have always been the same girl, it's me, it's me
Why is it a problem now?
It's like you just figured out
That it's me, it's me, it's me
Is there something you wanna talk about?
'Cause everything I do upsets you now
I'm starting to feel some type of way
Starting to feel like it's a game, and I don't wanna play, no
I don't know what you're doing
Or how you spend your time, no
I've been getting this feeling
That something just ain't right
And I hope that I'm wrong (I hope)
I don't wanna be right (I don't wanna be right)
You won't do this to me (You won't do this to me)
Not me, not me (not me)
Why you asking me these questions? it's me
Oh, you know I ain't hiding nothing, it's me, it's me (nothing, it's me)
You know I wear everything on my sleeve (everything, everything)
You already know (you, you, you already know)
It's me, it's me (you already know)
Why you acting like a stranger? it's me (Why you acting like a stranger, yeah?)
I have always been the same girl it's me, it's me (I never had a representative)
Why is it a problem now? (why?)
It's like you just figured out
It's me, it's me, it's me (yeah, yeah)
I don't really understand
Is this really happening?
Am I crazy?
No, it ain't me
You're the one that's losin' it
Why you lookin' at me so different?
Thought I used to be your best friend
Never on the outside looking in
Why you asking me theses questions? it's me (why, why, oh why?)
You know I ain't hiding nothing, it's me it's me (you know I ain't hiding nothing, babe)
You know I wear everything on my sleeve (everything)
You already know me (you already know)
It's me, it's me (you already know)
Why you acting like a stranger? it's me (why you acting like a stranger, babe?)
I have always been the same girl it's me, it's me (I have always been just plain old me)
Why is it a problem now? (why, why)
It's like you just figured out (you just figured out)
It's me, it's me, it's me
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah
Mary J. Blige’s song It's On is a song filled with emotion, as the lyrics try to make sense of some unexplained changes in a romantic relationship. The first verse talks about the singer's confusion as their partner appears to have fallen out of love with them for no apparent reason. They cannot understand what has changed and wishes they could read their partner’s mind to uncover any secrets they are hiding. The second verse expresses the singer's sense of betrayal because they feel like their partner has been hiding something important from them. However, when confronted, their partner acts like the singer is the one with trust issues.
Meanwhile, the chorus repeats the phrase “it’s me” over and over in a desperate plea to their partner to remember who they are and not let this misunderstanding come between them. The singer also expresses their frustration at their partner’s sudden change in behavior, as they’ve always been the same person and can't understand why it’s only now their partner has a problem.
In summary, It's On is a heartbreakingly honest song about a relationship that seems to be deteriorating. The singer is left confused by their partner's changes and is struggling to understand what's going on. The song shows that sometimes being honest about how you feel isn't enough to fix everything, and sometimes you have to work together to uncover what's really going on.
Line by Line Meaning
You fell in love with who you're lookin' at
You have fallen for the way I look, my appearance is what you love
Something has changed and there's no hiding that
Something between us has changed and it's noticeable, there's no point in hiding it
Sometimes I wish that I can read your mind
At times, I wish I could know what you're thinking
And see what secrets you have I can't find
I would like to know the secrets that you've been keeping from me
I don't know what you're doing
I am clueless about your actions
Or how you spend your time
I have no idea how you're spending your time
I've been getting this feeling
I've been having a distinct intuition
That something just ain't right
That there is something wrong
And I hope that I'm wrong
Although I am uneasy, I hope I am wrong
I don't wanna be right
It's hard not to be anxious, but I don't want to be correct
You won't do this to me
I won't tolerate this behavior from you
Not me, not me
I won't allow you to treat me this way
Why you asking me these questions? it's me
Why do you need to interrogate me? It's just me, the same person you know
You know I ain't hiding nothing, it's me, it's me
You should know I'm not keeping any secrets from you, it's still me
You know I wear everything on my sleeve
I am transparent with my feelings and thoughts
You already know
You already have knowledge about this, no need to question me
Why you acting like a stranger? it's me
Why are you treating me like someone you don't know when it's still me?
I have always been the same girl it's me, it's me
I have remained the same throughout, I am still the same person
Why is it a problem now?
Why is it bothering you now when it never did before?
It's like you just figured out
It seems like you have just now realized
Is there something you wanna talk about?
Is there something you want to discuss?
'Cause everything I do upsets you now
Because everything I do seems to bother you lately
I'm starting to feel some type of way
I'm beginning to sense something is off
Starting to feel like it's a game, and I don't wanna play, no
It seems like this is all a game to you, but I don't want to participate
I don't really understand
I am having trouble comprehending the situation
Is this really happening?
Is this actually occurring?
Am I crazy?
Am I losing my mind?
No, it ain't me
No, I'm not the one who's causing this problem
You're the one that's losin' it
It is you who is becoming unhinged in this scenario
Why you lookin' at me so different?
Why are you giving me a strange look?
Thought I used to be your best friend
I thought we were close friends
Never on the outside looking in
I never felt like an outsider until now
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah
An expression of acknowledgement or agreement
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BRANDON ALEXANDER HODGE, DWAYNE SIRVESTOR NESMITH, MARY J. BLIGE, PRISCILLA RENEA HAMILTON, RICHARD BUTLER, TREMAINE ALDON NEVERSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind