Mary J. Blige’s second album, My Life will turn 27 later this year, having been originally released on November 29, 1994. A documentary centered around the album and the inspiration behind it was recently released on Amazon Prime. I literally cried off and on throughout the entire thing. Why? Well, I often “joke” that I could write a book about this album, but I will try not to actually do that. Let’s just say that it has meant a lot to me since its release, despite the fact that I was just a kid when it came out. It is one of a handful of albums that I loved back in the 90s, even though I couldn’t fully appreciate a lot of the subject matter on it at the time. (For example, Janet Jackson’s The Velvet Rope and Mariah Carey’s Butterfly also fall under this category of “too young and inexperienced in life to relate to all the lyrics then but I still loved them then and even more now that I can relate”, but I digress.) Like, I just loved the beats, melodies, samples, and vocals; the lyrics were secondary to me then. I distinctly recall jamming to “Be Happy” on a trip to Atlanta with my family during the album’s heyday, totally unaware of the depth of its lyrics then. The sample of Curtis Mayfield’s “You’re So Good To Me” was the main reason I loved it then, and is still something I love to this day.
As an adult, I still love the My Life album. However, I also feel it. A lot.
It was when I was in high school, i.e. awkward teenage years, that I really began to relate to songs like “My Life” and “Be Happy”. Here is a portion of what I have written about the former song in my upcoming book: My Life, the song, touches on the fact that what others perceive your life to be like when they look at you can be totally unlike the way your life really is, or at least unlike the way you experience it to be. Mary’s adlibs during the chorus suggest if you could see the truth in her life, you would see sadness and disillusionment: “Oh, you will see I’m so blue, down and out, crying every day, don’t know what to do or to say”. (She confirmed this in the documentary.) There have definitely been periods in my life when I could relate to that. This was also my first introduction to the great Roy Ayers, thanks to the sample.
Likewise, here is a portion of what I wrote in my book about “Be Happy”: Be Happy appears to be about relationships on the surface. The very first line alone indicates as much: “How can I love somebody else, if I can’t love myself enough to know when it’s time to let go?” That is a life lesson that many people have still yet to learn: love yourself first. The way we love ourselves directly influences our relationships. Been there! However, I have mainly taken from this song what the main hook says: “All I really want is to be happy”. Who doesn’t want to be happy? Who doesn’t want to live the life that they desire? When Mary adlibs, “I don’t want to have to worry ‘bout nothing no more” towards the end, I just feel it so much!
In addition to “My Life” and “Be Happy”, the other songs that I personally relate to the most on it are “I’m The Only Woman”(another great Curtis Mayfield sample on this one), “Be With You”, and “You Gotta Believe”. It’s the relatable lyrics about her feelings in love and romantic issues for me! Also, I just love “You Bring Me Joy” and “Don’t Go”. The samples in both are insane! The former used Barry White’s “It’s Ecstasy When You Lay Down Next To Me” wonderfully, while the latter most prominently used Guy’s “Goodbye Love”, DeBarge’s “Stay With Me”, and “Speak To My Heart” by the New York Restoration Choir featuring and directed by Donnie McClurkin. Good stuff.
Mary literally poured her heart out on this album. She expressed feelings of sadness, heartbreak, and disappointment, as well as those of hope, joy, and optimism about love, among other things. I will always appreciate her for her vulnerability, relatability, and transparency on this album and in her music and performances in general; it is why I am such a fan of hers. I often think back to jamming to this album as a youngster, and that I had no clue how much I would be able to relate to it as an adult. Honestly, I wish I didn’t relate to it so much, but alas…Mary definitely created my go-to album for when I’m feeling “some kinda way”. It speaks to me on a level that is hard to properly put into words.
I will end this by saying that this blog post actually began as an anniversary post for the album last November. Teacher life prevented me from finishing it then. However, once I watched the “My Life” documentary on Amazon Prime, I knew I had to come back to it. I still maintain that it is the best thing that Diddy ever produced.
There is so much more I could say about the album, but I will reserve that for future posts here and on my Instagram page; make sure you’re following me there! Link to it is in the top right corner!
Have YOU watched Mary J. Blige’s “My Life” documentary yet? If so, let me know your thoughts on it below!