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.
love at first sight
Mary J. Blige Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Gettin' all of my attention
Could this be love at first sight, baby
You walked away and I missed you
Visions of wanting to kiss you
How could this be if I don't really know you?
Ohh baby, baby
And I never knew that I, could fall in love on the very first night
Could this be love?
You had on the latest fashion
It was a bigger distraction
It drew me closer and closer to you, yeah, baby
I never saw anything like this
But you I just could not resist
I swallowed my pride and stepped through your side
Or could it be - be
Could it be love at first sight?
And I never knew that I, could fall in love on the very first night
Could this be love?
I wanna know if you could call me up (could you call me up sometime? please)
And maybe somebody we just might hook up, could this love at first sight?
Once again, it's that other M&M now
How many women feelin' him?
Somebody call the coroner, quick, Mary is killin 'em
Tell 'em what's the 411 and who came runnin'
When Clef dialed 911 from shots comin'
This somethin' for the radio, guest starring M.C.
Johnny Blazin' the hip hop and R&B
What, ya'll thought ya wasn't gon' see me
You can't spell Mary J. Blige without a J.B.
Well back to the matter, and it's sex on the platter
She only wanna be happy and I ain't mad at her
You go momma, nowadays, I'm more calmer
And if you take a look at my life, no more drama
Now you know, you searchin' for a Wu-Tang pro
You find me, just bout everywhere the poontang go
Now you know, feel me like your favorite love song
Cuz my computer love is the thetruth.com
Could it be love at first sight?
And I never knew that I, could fall in love on the very first night
Could this be love?
Could it be love at first sight?
And I never knew that I, could fall in love on the very first night
Could this be love?
The lyrics of Mary J. Blige's Love @ 1st Sight (Feat. Method) talk about the possibility of falling in love at first sight. The song starts with the singer looking at someone from a distance and getting all of her attention. She wonders if this could be love, even though she doesn't really know the person. Then, she sees the person walking away, and she wants to kiss them, which makes her question even more if it could be love.
The singer describes how the person's fashion sense drew her closer to them, and she just couldn't resist. The chorus is repeated twice, and the singer asks the person if they could call her up sometime and if they could hook up. The lyrics also include a rap by Method Man, where he talks about Mary J. Blige's popularity and how she's killing it. He brags about his skills as an MC and talks about being everywhere the poontang goes.
The song's lyrics are about falling in love at first sight, but they also talk about living in the moment and taking risks in life. Mary J. Blige's powerful voice and Method Man's rap blend together perfectly, and the song became a hit when it was released.
Line by Line Meaning
Lookin' at you from a distance
I couldn't help but notice you from afar
Gettin' all of my attention
You have my undivided attention
Could this be love at first sight, baby
Is it possible to fall in love with someone upon initial meeting?
You walked away and I missed you
When you left, I felt a longing for you
Visions of wanting to kiss you
I imagined kissing you
How could this be if I don't really know you?
It's strange to have strong feelings for someone I barely know
Ohh baby, baby
An expression of affection
You had on the latest fashion
You were dressed impeccably
It was a bigger distraction
Your attire was so captivating that it distracted me
It drew me closer and closer to you, yeah, baby
Your fashion drew me in and made me want to be near you
I never saw anything like this
Your outfit was unlike anything I've ever seen before
But you I just could not resist
I couldn't help but be drawn to you
I swallowed my pride and stepped through your side
I overcame my shyness and approached you
Or could it be - be
Could this be love?
I wanna know if you could call me up (could you call me up sometime? please)
Can I have your phone number so we can talk and get to know each other better?
And maybe somebody we just might hook up, could this love at first sight?
If we spend more time together, could it turn into love at first sight?
Once again, it's that other M&M now
Referring to Method Man, a fellow rapper
How many women feelin' him?
How many women are attracted to him?
Somebody call the coroner, quick, Mary is killin 'em
Mary's talent is so impressive, it's deadly
Tell 'em what's the 411 and who came runnin'
Tell them the latest news and who's been interested in hearing it
When Clef dialed 911 from shots comin'
When Wyclef Jean called for backup because there was danger
This somethin' for the radio, guest starring M.C.
This song is intended for radio play and features a guest rapper
Johnny Blazin' the hip hop and R&B
Johnny Blaze (Method Man's alter ego) is impressively blending rap and R&B
What, ya'll thought ya wasn't gon' see me
Did you think I wouldn't make an appearance?
You can't spell Mary J. Blige without a J.B.
A play on words, using the initials of her name as well as the acronym for Johnny Blaze (J.B.)
Well back to the matter, and it's sex on the platter
Let's get back to the topic at hand, which is sexual desire
She only wanna be happy and I ain't mad at her
Mary just wants to be content and I don't blame her for that
You go momma, nowadays, I'm more calmer
You're doing great, Mary. These days, I'm more chill
And if you take a look at my life, no more drama
If you see my life now, there's no longer any chaos or confusion
Now you know, you searchin' for a Wu-Tang pro
Now you know, if you're looking for a Wu-Tang expert
You find me, just bout everywhere the poontang go
You'll find me nearly anywhere women are
Now you know, feel me like your favorite love song
Now you understand me, relate to me like you would to your favorite love song
Cuz my computer love is the thetruth.com
My love is genuine, not just virtual
And I never knew that I, could fall in love on the very first night
I never thought it was possible to fall in love so quickly
Could this be love?
Is this really love I'm feeling?
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ALI SHAHEED MUHAMMED, CLIFFORD SMITH, KAMAL IBN JOHN FAREED, MALIK IZAAK TAYLOR, MARIO WINANS, MARIO MENDELL WINANS, MARY J BLIGE, MECHALIE JAMISON, MECHALIE S JAMISON, SEAN COMBS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@essj3334
Who else listening to this classic in 2024?
@jamaljeffrey9291
I will listen to her for the rest of my life
@MyaVilla88
Me I thought I was the only one
@sabrinabenseghir1056
Moi elle est dans ma play liste ❤❤❤
@TheSalim68200
@@sabrinabenseghir1056moi aussi l’écoute au moins 10 fois par jour ❤
@sabrinabenseghir1056
@@TheSalim68200 Cette chanson donne une pêche d'enfer .Je l'écoute sur le trajet a pied qui m'emmène a mon travail
@diddy7998
I miss the old times and the style…😩
@flipflops-ed5xq
I love alll of her. She still banging !!!
@methodman1052
Method Man can literally kill any track and his flow is amazing. And Mary J. Blige is the queen of R&B
@didi_90
Yep he can