Be Without You

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

"Be Without You"
Single by Mary J. Blige
from the album The Breakthrough
ReleasedNovember 14, 2005 (2005-11-14)
Length4:09
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Bryan-Michael Cox
Mary J. Blige singles chronology
"MJB da MVP"
(2005) 		"Be Without You"
(2005) 		"One"
(2006)
Music video
"Be Without You" on
YouTube

"Be Without You" is a song by American recording artist

Bryan Michael Cox, Jason Perry, and Blige for her seventh studio album, The Breakthrough (2005). Production was helmed by Cox, with additional production from Young Smoke and vocal production from Ron Fair and Blige. A piano-tinkling downtempo R&B song, the song examines a relationship where the couple is trying to decide if they want to stay together, with Blige urging them to appreciate their blessings. "Be Without You" was released as the album's first official single
on November 14, 2005.

Ranking among the most played songs on US radio in the year 2006, it was certified double-platinum by the

Best Female R&B Vocal Performance categories at the 2007 Grammy Awards
.

Background

"Be Without You"
Mary J. Blige's "Be Without You" from The Breakthrough
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"Be Without You" is a

Johnta Austin, and co-produced by Cox and Young Smoke.[2] Cox played all instruments, helped by Young Smoke, as well as Ron Fair, who also did the additional vocal arrangements and string arrangements. Additionally, the song features three engineers and was mixed by David Pensado.[2] Cox commented on the production of "Be Without You": "I did the whole track and Jason co-composed the bridge with me, and Johnta wrote the lyrics and the melody. Mary came in and she and I tweaked some of the lines and tightened the record up lyrically to fit her. We threw ideas around, we talked about the track and we came up with concepts."[2]

Critical reception

"Be Without You" was released to universal acclaim.

The Sun Sentinel wrote: On "Be Without You, "Blige pours out all her emotion as she talks about the feeling of being with that person you cannot live without.[7]

Antwane Folk from

BET.com wrote of the song: "With a beautiful piano melody and Mary in top-notch, gut-wrenching form, it's easy to see why this is one of the biggest songs of Mary's legendary career."[11]

Accolades

Awards and nominations for "Be Without You"
Organization Year Category Result Ref.
ASCAP Pop Awards
 2007 Pop Music Award Won [12]
Song of the Year Won
BET Awards 2006 Video of the Year Won [13]
Billboard Awards
 2006 Hot 100 Airplay of the Year Won [14]
Hot 100 Airplay of the Year Won
R&B/Hip-Hop Song Airplay of the Year Won
R&B/Hip-Hop Song of the Year Won
Grammy Awards 2007 Best R&B Song Won [15]
Best Female R&B Vocal Performance Won
Song of the Year Nominated
Record of the Year Nominated
International Dance Music Awards 2007 Best R&B/Urban Dance Track Won [16]
MOBO Awards 2006 Best Song Nominated [17]
MTV Video Music Awards 2006 Best R&B Video Nominated [18]
NAACP Image Awards 2007 Outstanding Music Video Won [19]

Chart performance

The single debuted at number 93 on the

Hot Dance Club Play chart. The song broke the record for the longest-running single in the existence of the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
, where it spent a grand total of 75 weeks on that chart. After its run on the main R&B chart, it moved to the Recurrent R&B Airplay chart.

In the UK, the single only peaked at number 32 on the UK singles chart; however, with the Moto Blanco remix of the song becoming a large club hit in the UK, the song actually managed to hold (to that time) the record for the most weeks on the UK top 75 for a Mary J. Blige single (18 in total). Having proved very popular, the Moto Blanco remix was featured as a B-side in the UK on subsequent singles "MJB Da MVP" and "Enough Cryin'."

Music video

Actor Terrence Howard co-stars as Blige's boyfriend in the video.[20]

Blige reteamed with Matthew Rolston, director of the visuals for her 1995 single "I'm Going Down," to film a music video for "Be Without You."[20] Though set in New York City, it was largely filmed in Los Angeles on November 8, 2005,[20] with much of the scenes shot in a home originally owned by entertainer Frank Sinatra.[21] Actor Terrence Howard, fresh from the success of the drama film Hustle & Flow (2005), was consulted to portray Blige's love interest in the video.[21]

"Be Without You" first aired on November 28, 2005. It peaked on

LAUNCH Music Videos Top 100 at the sixth position the same week. There's also a "Live At Launch Exclusive Performance" available for download from January 2006, which peaked seventieth on the same chart. The music video won in the Video of the Year category at the 2006 BET Awards as well as the award for Outstanding Music Video at the 38th NAACP Image Awards.[13][19] In addition, "Be Without You" was nominated for Best R&B Video at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards.[18]

Synopsis

The video begins with a black and white cityscape with Blige standing on top of a building as the song starts playing. Then, the video shifts into a bathroom scene with Blige cleaning out her medicine cabinet. In the first scene, Blige is typing the lyrics on her laptop. The next scene shown in color appears with Blige falling in love with her boyfriend and sleeping with him. Then, the next scene takes place in a kitchen where Blige and her love interest are celebrating dinner with her family. Meanwhile, she is seen in a color scene standing next to a group of candles with the next scene showing her at a red carpet premiere walking out of a limo. Then, Blige and her boyfriend break up after having a fight (as seen in the events at the beginning of the video). After 2 candles begin to melt, the final scene in black and white changes to color with a knock on Blige's door. She opens the door to find her boyfriend on the other side. They embrace at the close of the song.

Remixes

The official remix was also produced by Bryan-Michael Cox and features former Shady Records rapper Stat Quo.

Track listings

UK CD single[22]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Be Without You" (Kendu Mix)
4:10
2."Be Without You" (Moto Blanco Vocal Mix)
  • Blige
  • Austin
  • Cox
  • Perry
4:31
US CD single[23]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Be Without You" (Kendu Mix)
  • Blige
  • Austin
  • Cox
  • Perry
4:10
2."Show Love"
Thompson3:42
3."Be Without You" (Moto Blanco Vocal Mix)
  • Blige
  • Austin
  • Cox
  • Perry
4:31

Notes

  • ^[a] denotes a co-producer
  • ^[b] denotes a vocal producer
  • ^[c] denotes a remix producer

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of The Breakthrough.[24]

  • Johntá Austin – writer
  • Mary J. Blige – vocal producer, writer
  • Bryan-Michael Cox – instruments, producer, writer
  • Pat Dillet – recording engineer
  • Mike Eleopolous – additional recording
  • Ron Fair – additional instruments, Pro Tools, vocal producer
  • Dave Pensado – mixing engineer
  • Jason Perry – writer
  • Young Smoke – keyboards, additional producer
  • Allen Sides – strings recording

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for "Be Without You"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[59] Gold 400,000‡
United States (RIAA)[60] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release history and formats for "Be Without You"
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref(s).
United States November 14, 2005
  • urban AC
    radio
[61]
United Kingdom December 19, 2005
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
 [62]
Various January 20, 2006 Digital download [63][64][65]
United States January 30, 2006 Contemporary hit radio [66]

Cover versions

  • English dance group Booty Luv covered the song for their debut album, Boogie 2Nite (2007).[67]
  • Smooth jazz saxophonist and musician Eric Darius covered the song on his 2008 album, Goin' All Out.[68]
  • A cover of the Moto Blanco remix by Wi-Fi featuring Melanie M was released in the UK by
    All Around the World in March 2007.[69]

References

  1. ^ Cox, Bryan-Michael (April 18, 2006). "Mary J. Blige "Be Without You" Sheet Music in D Minor - Download & Print". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c Tingen, Paul. "Writing & Producing R&B". soundonsound.com. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  3. ^ Hope, Clover. "Albums: The Breakthrough". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  4. ^ Petridis, Alexis (July 14, 2022). "Mary J Blige's 20 greatest songs – ranked!". The Guardian. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  5. ^ "Mary J Blige's 20 greatest songs – ranked!". Billboard. January 7, 2006. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  6. ^ Inskeep, Thomas (January 17, 2006). "The Breakthrough, Geffen". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on February 16, 2006. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  7. ^ "BLIGE OUTDOES HERSELF, AGAIN". Sun Sentinel. February 24, 2006. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  8. ^ Folk, Antwane (July 27, 2022). "Mary J. Blige's 30 Best Songs". Rated R&B. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  9. ^ Smith, Da'Shan (January 11, 2024). "Best Mary J. Blige Songs: 20 Essentials From The Queen Of Hip-Hop Soul". udiscovermusic.com. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  10. ^ Ghoneim, Tareck (February 6, 2006). "Review of Be Without You – Single by Mary J Blige". Contactmusic.com. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  11. BET.com
    . Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  12. ^ "Mary J. Blige Honored With Voice Of Music Award". Starpulse.com. June 26, 2007. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  13. ^
    BET.com
    . Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  14. Billboard.com
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  15. Grammy.com
    . Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  16. ^ "Winter Music Conference 2017 - WMC 2017". wintermusicconference.com. Archived from the original on April 21, 2013. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  17. ^ "Beyonce leads nominees for MOBO Awards". Associated Press. September 20, 2006. Retrieved March 8, 2024 – via East Bay Times.
  18. ^
    MTV.com
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  19. ^
    Billboard.com
    . Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  20. ^ a b c Reid, Shaheem (November 8, 2005). "Mary J. Blige's 'Breakthrough' Is Coming Out This Year After All". MTV News. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  21. ^ a b Folk, Antwane (December 20, 2020). "A Breakthrough: Mary J. Blige's 'Be Without You'". Rated R&B. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
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  25. ^ "Mary J Blige – Be Without You". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved January 4, 2013.
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  45. ^ "Mary J. Blige Chart History (Dance Mix/Show Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
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  49. ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 2006" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  50. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 2006" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
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  59. ^ "British single certifications – Mary J. Blige – Be Without You". British Phonographic Industry.
  60. ^ "American single certifications – Mary J. Blige – Be Without You". Recording Industry Association of America.
  61. ^ "Going for Adds". Radio & Records. No. 1632. November 11, 2005. p. 25.
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  63. ^ "Be Without You – Single". Apple Music. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
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  65. ^ "Be Without You – Single". Apple Music. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  66. ^ "Going for Adds". Radio & Records. No. 1642. January 27, 2006. p. 24.
  67. Hed Kandi. 2007.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link
    )
  68. ^ Goin' All Out (Compact Disc). Eric Darius. Blue Note Records. 2008.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  69. ^ "WIFI FEAT. MELANIE M – BE WITHOUT YOU". AustrianCharts.at. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
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