My Life | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | November 29, 1994 | |||
Recorded | 1993–1994 | |||
Studio | Axis Studios Recording Clinton Recording Studios Daddy's House The Hit Factory Sound on Sound Recordings (New York City) | |||
Genre | R&B[1] | |||
Length | 64:59 | |||
Label | Uptown | |||
Producer |
| |||
Mary J. Blige chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from My Life | ||||
|
Professional ratings | |
---|---|
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [5] |
Chicago Tribune | [6] |
Christgau's Consumer Guide | [7] |
Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [8] |
Entertainment Weekly | B[9] |
The Guardian | [10] |
Los Angeles Times | [11] |
NME | 7/10[12] |
The Philadelphia Inquirer | [13] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [14] |
Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
Blender | United States | The 100 Greatest American Albums of All time | 2002 | 57 |
Entertainment Weekly | The 100 Best Albums from 1983 to 2008 | 2008 | 70 | |
Rolling Stone | 50 Essential Female Albums | 2002 | 17 | |
Rolling Stone | The 100 Greatest Albums of the 90s | 2010 | 63 | |
Rolling Stone | The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time | 2003 | 279 | |
Rolling Stone | The Essential Recordings of the 90s | 1999 | * | |
Time | Top 100 Albums of All Time | 2006 | * | |
Vibe | 100 Essential Albums of the 20th Century | 1999 | * | |
Vibe | 150 Albums That Define the Vibe Era (1992–2007) | 2007 | * | |
The Rough Guide | Soul: 100 Essential CDs | 2000 | * | |
The New Nation | United Kingdom | Top 100 Albums by Black Artists | 38 | |
FNAC | France | The 1000 Best Albums of All Time | 2008 | 862 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | 'Intro' | Mary J. Blige, Sean 'Puffy' Combs, Chucky Thompson | Chucky Thompson, Sean 'Puffy' Combs | 1:04 |
2. | 'Mary Jane (All Night Long)' | Blige, Combs, Rick James, Thompson | Chucky Thompson, Sean 'Puffy' Combs | 4:39 |
3. | 'You Bring Me Joy' | Blige, Combs, Joel 'JoJo' Hailey, Thompson, Ekundayo Paris, Nelson Pigford | Chucky Thompson, Sean 'Puffy' Combs | 4:13 |
4. | 'Marvin Interlude' | Blige, Combs, Thompson | Chucky Thompson, Sean 'Puffy' Combs | 0:36 |
5. | 'I'm The Only Woman' | Blige, Combs, Thompson, Curtis Mayfield | Chucky Thompson, Sean 'Puffy' Combs | 4:30 |
6. | 'K. Murray Interlude' | Keith Murray, Combs, Nasheim Myrick, Thompson, Allie Wrubel, Herb Magidson | Nashiem Myrick, Sean 'Puffy' Combs | 0:22 |
7. | 'My Life' | Blige, Combs, Arlene DelValle, Thompson, Roy Ayers | Chucky Thompson, Sean 'Puffy' Combs | 4:17 |
8. | 'You Gotta Believe' | Blige, Big Bub, Combs, Faith Evans, Cedric 'K-Ci' Hailey, Thompson, Herb Middleton | Herb Middleton, Chucky Thompson, Sean 'Puffy' Combs | 5:02 |
9. | 'I Never Wanna Live Without You' | Blige, Big Bub, Combs, Evans, Thompson, Middleton | Herb Middleton, Chucky Thompson, Sean 'Puffy' Combs | 6:17 |
10. | 'I'm Goin' Down' | Norman Whitfield | Chucky Thompson, Sean 'Puffy' Combs, Mark Ledford, Prince Charles Alexander | 3:42 |
11. | 'My Life Interlude' | Blige, Big Bub, Combs, Thompson | Chucky Thompson, Sean 'Puffy' Combs | 1:15 |
12. | 'Be With You' | Blige, Combs, Thompson | Chucky Thompson, Sean 'Puffy' Combs | 4:26 |
13. | 'Mary's Joint' | Blige, Combs, Thompson | Chucky Thompson, Sean 'Puffy' Combs | 5:02 |
14. | 'Don't Go' | Blige, Combs, Evans, Thompson, Big Bub, Gene Griffin, Timmy Gatling, Teddy Riley, Aaron Hall, Donnie McClurkin | Chucky Thompson, Sean 'Puffy' Combs | 4:59 |
15. | 'I Love You' | Blige, Combs, Thompson, Isaac Hayes | Chucky Thompson, Sean 'Puffy' Combs | 4:31 |
16. | 'No One Else' | Cedric Hailey, Dalvin DeGrate, Al Green, Douglas E. Davis, Ricky Walters | Mr. Dalvin | 4:14 |
17. | 'Be Happy' | Blige, Combs, DelValle, J.C. Olivier, Curtis Mayfield | Sean 'Puffy' Combs, Poke | 5:49 |
International bonus track | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer | Length |
18. | '(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman' | Gerry Goffin, Carole King, Jerry Wexler | James Mtume | 2:56 |
|
|
Chart (1994–95) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[20] | 37 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[21] | 69 |
UK Albums (OCC)[22] | 59 |
US Billboard 200[23] | 7 |
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[24] | 1 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/Sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada)[25] | Gold | 50,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[26] | Gold | 100,000^ |
United States (RIAA)[27] | 3× Platinum | 3,000,000^ |
*sales figures based on certification alone ^shipments figures based on certification alone |