Mary J. Blige

Released: July 28, 1998

Songwriter: Mary J. Blige Chucky Thompson Diddy

Producer: Chucky Thompson Diddy

[Intro]
Yeah, whoa whoa whoa, whoa whoa whoa

[Verse 1]
I know
That you're just a man
But you're all the man I need
And I know (I know)
That you care and you'll never leave
No, you'll never leave

[Chorus]
I love you so
I can't let go (No no no no)
You know it's real
The way I feel
I want to stay (Wanna stay)
I'll try to wait (I tried to wait)
On you my dear
My love's sincere

[Bridge]
Why can't we work it out
Why baby? Can't we try (Why, why, why, why, why)
You said our love would always stand the test of time (Yeah)
Why can't we work it out
Why baby? Can't we try (Why, why, why, why, why)
You said our love would always stand the test of time
(Just take our time and build our love, stronger than it ever was)

Mary Jane Blige (b. Jan 11 1971) grew up in the projects of Yonkers, New York. A random decision to record a cover of “Caught Up in the Rapture” by Anita Baker in a pop-up recording booth at a mall led MJB to getting signed by Uptown Entertainment. After providing background vocals on Father MC’s hit single “I’ll Do 4 U” in 1990, a young intern at Uptown named Sean “Puffy” Combs ended up executive producing Mary’s 1992 debut album What’s The 411?. Fusing hip-hop beats with Mary’s soulful voice earned her the nickname “Queen of Hip-Hop Soul”.

She followed up her debut with a string of critically acclaimed albums, including 1994’s My Life and 1997’s Share My World, as well as hit singles such as “Not Gon' Cry,” “Family Affair,” “Be Without You,” and “Just Fine.”

She also collaborated with rappers on a number of tracks, including Jay-Z’s “Can’t Knock the Hustle,” Ghostface Killah’s “All That I Got is You,” Wyclef’s “911,” Common’s “Come Close,” and Method Man’s “I’ll Be There for You/All I Need to Get By,” which was a platinum hit and won the two of them a Grammy Award in 1996 for Best Rap Performance By a Duo or Group.

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