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.
Till the Morning
Mary J. Blige Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Morning, can you touch me, can you help me?
Morning, to the sweet stuff, let me heat up
Make me loose my mind, loose freq of time
But I gotta work
You keep sending messages you wantin' me
If you wanna get me, put your energy
You should in the real not on the phone
Yeah yeah
I'm sensing it when you come close
Boy come on cause I'm getting mo
Ooh ooh
I love it when you do that soul
Turn it up that turns me on
Morning, can you touch me, can you help me?
Morning, to the sweet stuff, let me heat up
Make me loose my mind, loose freq of time
But I gotta work
I can see you know most wrapped up in the sheets
You got me going crazy screaming more
If you want to get me, like you want me to be
Than you gotta stop me for dancing on the floor
Yeah yeah
I'm sensing it when you come close
Boy come on cause I'm getting mo
Ooh ooh
I love it when you do that soul
Turn it up that turns, me on
Morning, can you touch me, can you help me?
Morning, to the sweet stuff, let me heat up
Make me loose my mind, loose freq of time
But I gotta work
Morning, can you touch me, can you help me?
Okay, we gonna take you to the rooftop, c'mon!
Touch me, hold me
Kiss me, closely
Teach me, show me
Enjoy me!
Touch me, hold me
Kiss me, closely
Teach me, show me
Enjoy me!
Now did you like it?
How did you feel?
Was it good to ya?
Can you give a little more?
Now relax now baby
Let me ease your mind
Let me get it together
And I'll regret it till?
Yeah yeah
I'm sensing it when you come close
Boy come on cause I'm getting mo
Ooh ooh
I love it when you do that soul
Turn it up that turns, me on
Morning, can you touch me, can you help me?
Morning, to the sweet stuff, let me heat up
Make me loose my mind, loose freq of time
But I gotta work
Morning, can you touch me, can you help me?
Touch me, hold me
Kiss me, closely
Teach me, show me
Enjoy me!
Touch me, hold me
Kiss me, closely
Teach me, show me
Enjoy me!
Touch me, hold me
Kiss me, closely
Teach me, show me
Enjoy me!
Touch me, hold me
Kiss me, closely
Teach me, show me
Enjoy me!
In the song Till The Morning, Mary J. Blige sings about the struggle between work and pleasure. The song starts with Mary asking the morning to help her and touch her, so she can get in the mood for the sweet stuff. She is aware that to achieve this state of mind, she needs to lose the frequency of time and let herself free. However, she's got work to do, and the person who wants her keeps sending messages. Mary points out that instant messages cannot be as effective as real-life communication, and if the person wants to get her, they need to put in real energy. She wants to feel the person's energy, not just talk to them on the phone.
As the song goes on, Mary continues to enjoy the person's presence and energy, and she encourages them to come close and turn up the soul because that's what turns her on. In the second part of the song, Mary takes the listener to the rooftop, where she asks to be touched, kissed, taught, shown, and enjoyed. She then asks for feedback and reassurance that it was good and encourages the person to give a little more. In the end, Mary asks the person to relax and promises to ease their mind, get it together and make them regret nothing until the morning.
Line by Line Meaning
Morning, can you touch me, can you help me?
The singer is seeking comfort from the morning and asking for guidance.
Morning, to the sweet stuff, let me heat up
The singer is looking forward to indulging in the pleasures of the morning.
Make me loose my mind, loose freq of time
The singer wants to get lost in the moment and forget about time.
But I gotta work
Despite her desires, the singer still has responsibilities to attend to.
You keep sending messages you wantin' me
The singer is receiving messages from someone who wants her attention.
But instant messages don't be as?
Instant messages are not enough for the singer, she wants more.
If you wanna get me, put your energy
The singer wants someone to put effort into getting to know her.
You should in the real not on the phone
The singer wants an in-person connection, not just virtual communication.
Yeah yeah
An expression of agreement or excitement.
I'm sensing it when you come close
The singer feels a connection when someone is near her.
Boy come on cause I'm getting mo
The singer is becoming more interested in the person she feels a connection with.
Ooh ooh
An expression of pleasure or excitement.
I love it when you do that soul
The singer is enjoying someone's romantic gestures or actions.
Turn it up that turns me on
The singer is turned on by someone's actions or behavior.
Okay, we gonna take you to the rooftop, c'mon!
The singer is excited to take the listener on a journey to a special place.
Touch me, hold me
The singer wants physical affection.
Kiss me, closely
The singer wants a close and passionate kiss.
Teach me, show me
The singer wants to learn and experience new things.
Enjoy me!
The singer wants the listener to fully enjoy being with her.
Now did you like it?
The singer is checking in with the listener to see if they enjoyed the experience.
How did you feel?
The singer is asking the listener about their emotional state.
Was it good to ya?
The singer is asking the listener if they liked the experience.
Can you give a little more?
The singer is encouraging the listener to give more of themselves in the moment.
Now relax now baby
The singer is encouraging the listener to relax and let go of their worries.
Let me ease your mind
The singer wants to help the listener relax and feel comfortable.
Let me get it together
The singer wants to focus and prepare for the moment.
And I'll regret it till?
The singer is saying she will regret not fully experiencing the moment.
Touch me, hold me
The singer wants physical affection.
Kiss me, closely
The singer wants a close and passionate kiss.
Teach me, show me
The singer wants to learn and experience new things.
Enjoy me!
The singer wants the listener to fully enjoy being with her.
Touch me, hold me
The singer wants physical affection.
Kiss me, closely
The singer wants a close and passionate kiss.
Teach me, show me
The singer wants to learn and experience new things.
Enjoy me!
The singer wants the listener to fully enjoy being with her.
Touch me, hold me
The singer wants physical affection.
Kiss me, closely
The singer wants a close and passionate kiss.
Teach me, show me
The singer wants to learn and experience new things.
Enjoy me!
The singer wants the listener to fully enjoy being with her.
Touch me, hold me
The singer wants physical affection.
Kiss me, closely
The singer wants a close and passionate kiss.
Teach me, show me
The singer wants to learn and experience new things.
Enjoy me!
The singer wants the listener to fully enjoy being with her.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: PHARRELL WILLIAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind