Well well well, on this day in 1994 Mary J. Blige blessed the world with her sophomore album titled ‘My Life’. Now I usually write about books in this virtual space but I’m switching things up in honor of this legend.
I was first introduced to Mary’s music via her 1st album ‘What’s the 411?’ in which track 04 ‘You Remind Me’ blew my little 7 year old ears away. I can’t say I fully comprehended exactly what she was talking about, but the beat knocked so I was hooked. Listening to those lyrics now, I can’t help but throw my therapist hat on lol and connect to just how powerful the limbic system is, Mary’s in particular. So much of her music is inspired by pain and longing with expressions of her desire to love and be loved. Oh Mary, in the words of RuPaul “if you can’t love yourself how in the hell you gonna love somebody else”! Nevertheless I cheered for her, track after track.
Back to ‘My Life’. Track 05 ‘I’m the Only Woman’ wowowowowowowowowow. Possessive, competitive, slightly toxic, emotionally vulnerable. Mary gave her fans a little taste of how she gets down behind closed doors. Loved it then, love it now even more. In fact I prefer messy, loose, complex “I will punch you in the face” Mary over sad and blue woe is me Mary who bellows how she just wants to be loved. Not sure what that says about me, or Mary. Obviously Mary is a whole person, though I’m highlighting the different aspects that particularly grab my attention. I can’t help but notice that she sings about love quite a lot, so I’d go as far as considering her an expert with over 10,000 hours x10 of singing about love, writing about love, being in love, rejecting love. Good for her, she’s consistent and allowing us to voyage with her while she engages in her craft. Sidebar: I understand why people who refuse to engage in talk therapy look to other outlets, like music, to process their feelings. Spell it out with me…… c-a-t-h-a-r-t-i-c !
If you have never listened to a Mary J. Blige album straight through ‘My Life’ is one of her pieces of art that I would recommend, as well as ‘Share My World’. Absolutely iconic.
And of course one icon influences another. The first American song I ever heard my mother sing was Anita Baker’s ‘Caught Up in the Rapture’ while driving her white 1988 Toyota Corolla. That’s the only space I have bore witness to my non-singing mother digging up a note, deep from the recesses of her diaphragm. Supposedly that’s where grief resides, in the lungs and diaphragm. Old stale persistent layered grief. That white beat up 1988 Toyota Corolla was where she’d release parts of that grief with Anita Baker singing along. I imagine Mary J. Blige was not only listening but singing along too, in spirit, as that white beat up 1988 Toyota Corolla trudged along on the empty streets of Hempstead. Anita’s famous song ‘Caught Up in the Rapture’ started Mary’s career. Kudos to both Queens.
