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.
Reflections
Mary J. Blige Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I remember
Back before
The record deal
And the cars
And the cribs
And the way
Took off
I was signin'
At lucy's
On 1-25th
Just tryin'
My best
To get on
Back when
Me and puff
And b.i.g.
Was kids
And I knew
Jodeci
I was young
And tough
And fresh in love
And it was
All a dream
Signing a contract
No guiding light
Just hopin' I
I can get out
The projects
And get my
Family right
'cause they
Were my life
In red zones
In bentley's
You can
Catch me
Tryna do me
I was jaded
On the block
I coulda faded
On the block
But I made it
Off the block
And I
[Chorus:]
I remember
Back when
I didn't know
Which way
To live
I remember
Back when
Pain was
All I had
To give
The reflections
Of my life
I see the
Lessons that I've learned
And now I know
Heartbreak don't exist
When it's been
Torn apart
By love
I used to
Throw a fit
I used
To shed
A doubt
And blame it
On a man
But that
Was mary than
And this is
Mary now
You gotta understand
It's about
How we
Respect ourselves
And the men
Have no control
Of our self-esteem
And when
We see that
Then we can
Let go
[Chorus]
Now I made
Some mistakes
I lost some
Friends along
The way
But I don't
Carry it
'cause it
Made me
A better chick
Its my life
And I know
That there's
More for
Me to see
I may not be
What I'm
Suppose to
But I can
Tell you right now
I ain't what
I use to be
[Chorus]
[Repeat: x7]
I remember
The song "Reflections" by Mary J. Blige is a reflection of her life as she remembers the days before she became famous. The lyrics talk about her journey from signing at Lucy's on 1-25th to becoming a star with a record deal, cars, and cribs. She remembers the tough times and how she wanted to succeed to get her family out of the projects. The song talks about her past mistakes, lost friendships, and her transformation as she grew as a person.
The song's lyrics reflect on the lessons that Blige learned throughout her life. She sees the pain she endured and how it made her stronger. The song also addresses how people need to respect themselves and not allow anyone to control their self-esteem. Blige acknowledges that she made mistakes, but she doesn't let them hold her back. She feels that she has grown as a person and is not the same as she used to be.
Line by Line Meaning
I remember
Reflecting on past events and experiences
Back before
In a time prior to achieving success
The record deal
Signing a contract with a record label
And the cars
Acquiring material possessions
And the cribs
Purchasing a luxurious home
And the way
The manner in which things occurred
That things
All the accomplishments and experiences
Took off
Becoming successful
I was signin'
The signing process of the record deal
At lucy's
At a club called Lucy's on 1-25th street
On 1-25th
On 125th street in Harlem, New York
Just tryin'
Making an attempt
My best
Giving maximum effort
To get on
Achieving success in the music industry
Back when
A reference to the past
Me and puff
Referring to Sean 'Puff Daddy' Combs
And b.i.g.
Referring to The Notorious B.I.G.
Was kids
In their youth
And I knew
Having knowledge of
Jodeci
Referring to the R&B group
I was young
In her early years
And tough
Being strong and resilient
And fresh in love
Loving someone in a new and exciting way
And it was
Referring to the journey getting to this point
All a dream
Being successful felt like a dream come true
Signing a contract
Agreeing to contractual terms with a record label
No guiding light
Not having a clear path to success
Just hopin' I
Having a sense of hope and optimism
I can get out
Leaving a difficult environment
The projects
Living in a low-income housing complex
And get my
Improving her living situation
Family right
Providing a better life for her family
'cause they
Because her family was important to her
Were my life
Her family was everything to her
In red zones
Living in areas with high crime rates
In bentley's
Driving Bentley luxury cars
You can
It was possible
Catch me
Find her
Tryna do me
Pursuing her goals and living her best life
I was jaded
Feeling cynical due to negative experiences
On the block
In her neighborhood
I coulda faded
Giving in and failing to achieve success
But I made it
Overcoming challenges and succeeding
Off the block
Leaving her neighborhood and moving forward
I remember
Reflecting on past events and experiences
Back when
A reference to the past
I didn't know
Not understanding
Which way
What direction to take in her life
To live
How to go about living her life
Pain was
Experiencing emotional suffering
All I had
Her life was defined by pain and struggle
To give
Enduring pain and using it to motivate herself
The reflections
Looking back on her life experiences
Of my life
Her past experiences that have shaped her
I see the
Reflecting and gaining insight
Lessons that I've learned
Learnings from experiences that have made her grow
And now I know
Having understood and gained clarity
Heartbreak don't exist
Realizing that heartbreak is not permanent
When it's been
If you believe and work through the pain
Torn apart by love
Love can heal the pain and mend a broken heart
I used to
Referencing old behavior
Throw a fit
Have an emotional outburst
I used
Having done something in the past
To shed
To express or show
A doubt
To express uncertainty
And blame it
To attribute fault to someone else
On a man
On a male partner
But that
Referencing a past mindset
Was mary than
An old version of herself
And this is
Referencing a present mindset
Mary now
A new and improved version of herself
You gotta understand
It's important to realize
It's about
The importance of
How we
The way in which we
Respect ourselves
Treating ourselves with dignity and self-worth
And the men
The influence of men in our lives
Have no control
Men should not have power over our self-esteem
Of our self-esteem
Our own value and worth should not be affected by men
And when
At the point in time when something happens
We see that
Realizing the truth of a situation
Then we can
At that point in time, we are able to
Let go
Release ourselves from the hold of negative influences
Now I made
Recounting past actions
Some mistakes
Errors in judgement
I lost some
Experienced the absence of
Friends along
Lost connections with friends
The way
Throughout her journey to success
But I don't
Not dwelling in the past
Carry it
Not letting it weigh her down
'cause it
Because her experiences
Made me
Created growth and change within her
A better chick
Improved her as a person
Its my life
Her life experiences that are unique to her
And I know
Understanding herself and her life experiences
That there's
Believing in the presence of something
More for
Potential for growth and opportunities
Me to see
To learn and gain insight from new experiences
I may not be
Not fitting into someone else's expectations
What I'm
Not meeting expectations of who she's supposed to be
Suppose to
Expectations from society or others around her
But I can
She is capable of
Tell you right now
At this moment
I ain't what
She is not who
I use to be
She has changed and grown as a person
I remember
Reflecting on past events and experiences
Lyrics © Songtrust Ave
Written by: EARL BLAIZE, KYLE AUSTIN, MAURICE MBOYA GREENE, ROBERT STEWART
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind