"Mary Jane (All Night Long)"
Single by Mary J. Blige
from the album My Life
ReleasedFebruary 8, 1995 (1995-02-08)
Length4:41
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Combs
  • Thompson
Mary J. Blige singles chronology
"I'm Going Down"
(1995)		 "Mary Jane (All Night Long)"
(1995)		 "You Bring Me Joy"
(1995)

"Mary Jane (All Night Long)" is a song by American singer-songwriter Mary J. Blige. It was written by Blige, Chucky Thompson and Sean "Puffy" Combs for her second studio album, My Life (1994), while production was helmed by Combs and Thompson. The song is built around a sample of “All Night Long” (1983) by American girl group Mary Jane Girls and "Close the Door" (1978) by American singer Teddy Pendergrass. [1][2] Due to the inclusion of the sample, Rick James is also credited as songwriter.[3]

Released as the album's third single, "Mary Jane (All Night Long)" peaked at number 37 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart and became a top twenty single on the UK Singles Chart, where it reached number 17. The official remix for "Mary Jane (All Night Long)" features rapper LL Cool J. The remix version was later included on Blige's compilation HERStory, Vol. 1 (2019) and My Life — 25th Anniversary Edition (2020). A music video for the song was never made.

Critical reception

Larry Flick from Billboard complimented the song as "another pearl" from the queen of hip-hop soul's "current masterpiece", My Life. He remarked that "this sexy homage to the Mary Janes Girls' evergreen "All Night Long" demands immediate turntable attention. [...] If there is a realistic candidate to be the Gladys Knight or Billie Holiday for our generation, Blige is it. No voice is as brutally honest or evocative."[4] Chuck Campbell from Knoxville News Sentinel noted the "controlled vocals and less-is-more music" of "Mary Jane (All Night Long)".[5] A reviewer from Music Week gave the song five out of five, calling it an "sassy reworking", writing, "With Sean 'Puffy' Combs and Bottom Dollar on remix duty, this is one classy track."[6] James Hamilton from the RM Dance Update deemed it an "excellent slower but similar remake".[7] Jonathan Bernstein from Spin noted that Blige "kickstarts" the record with the "thumping lilt" of the Mary Jane Girls song, "presented as her own composition."[8]

Track listings

CD maxi single[9]
No.TitleLength
1."Mary Jane (All Night Long)" (Radio Mix)3:40
2."Mary Jane (All Night Long)" (Album Version)4:37
3."Mary Jane (All Night Long)" (Soul Power Roller Skate Mix)5:04
4."Mary Jane (All Night Long)" (Bottom Dollar House Vocal)7:56
5."Mary Jane (All Night Long)" (Soul Power Mix)5:55

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the My Life liner notes.[3]

Charts

Chart (1995) Peak
position
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[10] 33
Scotland (OCC)[11] 63
UK Singles (OCC)[12] 17
UK Dance (OCC)[13] 3
UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC)[14] 4
US R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay (Billboard)[15] 37

References

  1. ↑ Williams, Chris. "Mary J. Blige's My Life LP (1994) revisited with co-producer Chucky Thompson | Return To The Classics". soulculture.com. Soul Culture. Archived from the original on 2014-08-19. Retrieved 2014-08-18.
  2. ↑ "Key Tracks: Mary J. Blige's My Life". redbullmusicacademy.com. Red Bull Music Academy. Retrieved 2015-12-28.
  3. 1 2 Blige, Mary J. (1994). My Life (Compact Disc). Mary J. Blige. MCA Records.
  4. ↑ Flick, Larry (September 9, 1995). "Dance Trax: Positive Vibes From Warner's Sisters Of Glory" (PDF). Billboard. p. 28. Retrieved December 7, 2022.
  5. ↑ Campbell, Chuck (December 23, 1994). "Germans Put New Spin On Punk Music". Knoxville News Sentinel.
  6. ↑ "Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. September 2, 1995. p. 10. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  7. ↑ Hamilton, James (September 16, 1995). "Dj directory" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p. 11. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  8. ↑ Bernstein, Jonathan (February 1995). "Spins". Spin. p. 76. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Mary Jane (All Night Long)". Discogs. 1995. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
  10. ↑ "Mary J Blige – Mary Jane (All Night Long)". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  12. ↑ "Mary J Blige: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
  14. ↑ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
  15. ↑ "Mary J. Blige Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 10, 2020.


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