My Life

Album: My Life (1994)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The title track of Mary J Blige's second album, "My Life" samples heavily from Roy Ayers' 1976 signature track "Everybody Loves the Sunshine." Blige has been a fan of the Roy Ayers song since a very young age. She recalled to NME:

    "I was four years old and living in Hastings, New York. I'd never felt anything like it. It made me feel so many emotions for a little kid. I saw so many colors. Years later I sampled it on one of my songs, 'My Life,' because the song was so important to me. It makes me feel good and bad all at the same time."
  • The song is a stark look at what Blige had been through by this stage of her life. Her career was going gangbusters, with her debut album delivering two #1 R&B hits: "You Remind Me" and "Real Love." But behind the scenes, she was struggling to keep it together, embroiled in the cauldron of fame and caught in a fraught and sometimes abusive relationship with Cedric "K-Ci" Hailey of Jodeci. At the end of this song she lets on to her struggles:

    You will see I'm so down and out
    Cryin' every day
    Don't know what to do or to say
  • Blige wrote this with the track's producers, Sean "Puffy" Combs and Chucky Thompson, as well as her friend Arlene DelValle, who also contributed to the album closer, "Be Happy."
  • Blige's older sister, LaTonya Blige-DaCosta, provided additional backing vocals on the song.
  • The album peaked at #7 in the US, where it also debuted at #1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. In December 1995, it was certified triple-Platinum for shipments of three million copies in the US.
  • "My Life" wasn't released as a single but it became one of Mary's signature songs, often included in her setlists. In 2021 she told her story in a documentary called My Life.

Comments: 1

  • No from NoI was curious about the true meaning behind My Life
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Tom Johnston from The Doobie Brothers

Tom Johnston from The Doobie BrothersSongwriter Interviews

The Doobies guitarist and lead singer, Tom wrote the classics "Listen To The Music," "Long Train Runnin'" and "China Grove."

Rickie Lee Jones

Rickie Lee JonesSongwriter Interviews

Rickie Lee Jones on songwriting, social media, and how she's handling Trump.

Jon Anderson of Yes

Jon Anderson of YesSongwriter Interviews

From the lake in "Roundabout" to Sister Bluebird in "Starship Trooper," Jon Anderson talks about how nature and spirituality play into his lyrics for Yes.

Lori McKenna

Lori McKennaSongwriter Interviews

Lori's songs have been recorded by Faith Hill and Sara Evans. She's performed on the CMAs and on Oprah. She also has five kids.

Chris Frantz - "Genius of Love"

Chris Frantz - "Genius of Love"They're Playing My Song

Chris and his wife Tina were the rhythm section for Talking Heads when they formed The Tom Tom Club. "Genius of Love" was their blockbuster, but David Byrne only mentioned it once.

Richard Butler of The Psychedelic Furs

Richard Butler of The Psychedelic FursSongwriter Interviews

Psychedelic Furs lead singer Richard Butler talks about their first album since 1991 and explains what's really going on in "Pretty In Pink."