Therapy

Album: The London Sessions (2014)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The opening track from The London Sessions, this doo-wop tune was written by Sam Smith with Blige in mind. It is one of four songs on the album that the British blue-eyed soul singer-songwriter contributed towards. It was also released as the album's lead single and peaked at #28 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
  • When Smith first sang the song to Blige in his London studio, she found herself profoundly moved. "I just had to change a couple little words to make it fit me," she recalled to Billboard magazine. "It touched my heart because it's a topic that people don't like to talk about. I thought it would be nice to let people know, 'It's OK, you're not the only one.'"
  • The song was co-written by Eg White, best known for his work on Adele's "Chasing Pavements."
  • For Blige therapy isn't about sitting in front of a doctor. She explained to Time Out: "It's about working out, running, maybe a bowl of ice cream."

    "Listening to Mary J Blige might be therapy for a whole lot of people," she added. "Having a good cry to a song you love and relate to – just getting stuff out, so you can see everything clearly. That's what I mean by therapy."
  • In 2014, Blige performed this on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and the American Music Awards.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy and Black Star Riders

Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy and Black Star RidersSongwriter Interviews

Writing with Phil Lynott, Scott saw their ill-fated frontman move to a darker place in his life and lyrics.

Marc Campbell - "88 Lines About 44 Women"

Marc Campbell - "88 Lines About 44 Women"They're Playing My Song

The Nails lead singer Marc Campbell talks about those 44 women he sings about over a stock Casio keyboard track. He's married to one of them now - you might be surprised which.

Andrew Farriss of INXS

Andrew Farriss of INXSSongwriter Interviews

Andrew Farriss on writing with Michael Hutchence, the stories behind "Mystify" and other INXS hits, and his country-flavored debut solo album.

Chris Fehn of Slipknot

Chris Fehn of SlipknotSongwriter Interviews

A drummer for one of the most successful metal bands of the last decade, Chris talks about what it's like writing and performing with Slipknot. Metal-neck is a factor.

Thomas Dolby

Thomas DolbySongwriter Interviews

He wrote "She Blinded Me With Science" so he could direct a video about a home for deranged scientists.

Superman in Song

Superman in SongSong Writing

Not everyone can be a superhero, but that hasn't stopped generations of musicians from trying to be Superman.