Love Is All We Need

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Love Is All We Need (Mary J. Blige song)
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"Love Is All We Need"
Single by Mary J. Blige
from the album Share My World
ReleasedMarch 12, 1997 (1997-03-12)[1]
StudioFlyte Tyme Studios (Edina, Minnesota)
Length4:16
LabelMCA
Songwriter(s)
Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis
Mary J. Blige singles chronology
"All That I Got Is You"
(1996) 		"Love Is All We Need"
(1997) 		"I Can Love You"
(1997)
Nas singles chronology
"
Escobar '97
"
(1997) 		"Love Is All We Need"
(1997) 		"Grand Finale"
(1998)

"Love Is All We Need" is a song by American singer

Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. The song contains a sample of the song "Moonchild" (1985) as performed by American singer Rick James
. With its more buoyant tone, it stood in conspicuous contrast to much of the more dark-rooted material featured on Blige's earlier albums.

The song was released by

Do You Know Where You're Going To (Theme from Mahogany)
".

Background

Citing creative differences, Blige and mentor

Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. The end result produced songs that were less entrenched in the hip hop soul of her first two albums, and replaced with a style that was more aligned with R&B, revealing a softer side and noticeably lighter mood of Blige who had made a concerted effort to clean up her life after experiencing clinical depression, while also battling drug and alcohol addiction.[3]

"Love Is All We Need" was one ouf of three songs that James Harris III and Terry Lewis wrote and produced for the album.[4] In a 1997 interview with Jet magazine, Blige commented on their contribution: "They have this thing where things for the artist. They created Mary songs. We walked into the studio and they had everything that would Mary sing. When I heard "Love Is All We Need, I said, "This is a Mary song"."[4] Harris further elaborated in 2011: "When she came up to Minneapolis to work on songs, we gave her a bunch of things that sounded really different than she was thinking she should sound like [...] So we played her a couple of tracks, and those tracks ended up becoming "Love Is All We Need”" with Nas and "Everything."[5]

Critical reception

Jonathan Bernstein from

Nas and a sample of Rick James' "Moonchild"."[7] Billboard editor Larry Flick called "Love Is All We Need" a "hit-bound jam that, once again, elevates [Blige] miles above the ever-growing pack of wannabes gunning for her throne."[8]

Music Week rated the song three out of five, describing it as a "lively, funky track featuring rapper Nas and a tasty Rick James sample."[9] A reviewer from People Magazine viewed it as "brilliantly produced" and "a muscular ode to the power of commitment." The reviewer added, "With rapper Nas adding encouragement, Mary J. dives deep into the song’s dense grooves with a tone that’s alternately raw and rugged and then as clear as a spring day. Like much of this excellent CD, it’s a perfect blend of attitude and straight-up skill."[10] Alexis Petridis, writing for The Guardian, remarked: "A booming, dense production by Jam & Lewis, a feature from Nas in his imperial phase [...] a killer hook, Blige on commanding form. Even here, delivering a buoyant paean to lasting romance, there is a raw power and attitude to her voice that sets her apart."[11]

Chart performance

Blige debuted "Love Is All We Need" at the

UK Singles Chart since 1995's "Mary Jane (All Night Long)."[12][13] The song also reached number four on the UK R&B Singles chart.[14]

Music video

Portions of the visuals for "Love Is All We Need" were filmed at the roof of the Carnegie Hall Tower.

The accompanying music video for "Love Is All We Need" was directed by Paul Hunter and shot in New York City on February 24–25, 1997.[15] The visual open with an aerial shot of a city apartment block. Bliges leaves a car and goes into an apartment building with a little girl. She goes through her apartment and later sings as she sits in a chair and stands on a staircase, before appearing at a fashion show. Nas is in a fancy chair rapping his verse. The final scene shows Blige on top of the Carnegie Hall Tower.[15]

Track listings

CD 1
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Love Is All We Need" (Album Version)
Cutfather & Joe[a]
4:16
2."Love Is All We Need" (Cutfather & Joe Stripped Down Mix)
  • Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis
  • Cutfather & Joe[a]
4:15
3."Love Is All We Need" (Elusive Club Mix)
  • Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis
  • Dlugosch[a]
  • Lange[a]
8:15
4."Love Is All We Need" (Mark!s Faster Mary Faster Dub)
11:41
5."Love Is All We Need" (Hard on Dub)
  • Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis
  • Dlugosch[a]
  • Lange[a]
6:53

Notes

  • ^[a] denotes remix producer

Sample credits

  • "Love Is All We Need" contains a contains a sample from "Moonchild" as written and performed by Rick James.

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the Share My World liner notes.[16]

  • Mary J. Blige – lead vocals, background vocals
  • LaTonya Blige-DaCosta – background vocals
  • Nas
    – additional vocals
  • production

Charts

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Blige 'Shares Her World' on MCA Album". Billboard. April 12, 1997. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  2. ^ "Mary J. Blige: Love & Life". Billboard. August 9, 2003. p. 13. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  3. CNN.com
    . October 12, 1999. Retrieved March 21, 2004.
  4. ^ a b "Mary J. Blige: At Peace With Hit New Album And Positiv Outlook On Life". Jet. May 26, 1997. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  5. ^ "Jimmy Jam And Terry Lewis: Our Favorite Moments In 11 Songs". Jet. November 15, 2019. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  6. ^ Bernstein, Jonathan (May 2, 1997). "Share My World". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  7. ^ "Airborne" (PDF). Music & Media. June 21, 1997. p. 25. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  8. ^ Flick, Larry (March 29, 1997). "Reviews & Previews: Singles". Billboard. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  9. ^ "Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. April 26, 1997. p. 10. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  10. ^ "Picks and Pans Review: Share My World". People. May 19, 1997. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
  11. ^ Petridis, Alexis (July 12, 2022). "Mary J Blige's 20 greatest songs – ranked!". The Guardian. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  12. ^ a b "Mary J Blige – Love Is All We Need". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved April 1, 2017.
  13. ^ a b "Mary J Blige: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 1, 2017.
  14. ^ a b "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
  15. ^ a b "Mary J. Blige: Love Is All We Need (1997)". IMDb. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  16. ^ Blige, Mary J. (1997). Share My World (Liner Notes) (Compact Disc). Mary J. Blige. MCA Records.
  17. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 14, no. 21. May 24, 1997. p. 12.
  18. ^ "Mary J Blige – Love Is All We Need" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved April 1, 2017.
  19. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
  20. ^ "Mary J Blige – Love Is All We Need". Singles Top 100. Retrieved April 1, 2017.
  21. ^ "Mary J. Blige Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 1, 2017.
  22. ^ "Mary J. Blige Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
  23. ^ "Mary J. Blige Chart History (Radio Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
  24. ^ "Mary J. Blige Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
  25. ^ "The Urban Top 40 Tracks Of 1997" (PDF). Music Week. January 10, 1998. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
  26. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: 1997". Billboard. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
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