| "No More Drama" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) | ||||
| Single byMary J. Blige | ||||
| from the albumNo More Drama | ||||
| Released | October 30, 2001 (2001-10-30) | |||
| Length | 5:26 | |||
| Label | MCA | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis | |||
| Mary J. Blige singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"No More Drama" is a song by American recording artistMary J. Blige. Written and produced by duoJimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, it was initially intended for Blige's fourth studio albumMary (1999) before she insisted on making it the title track of herfifth studio album of the same name (2001). The song embodies portions of "The Young and the Restless Theme" (1971), written byBarry De Vorzon andPerry Botkin Jr. Lyrically, the song is about going through hard times and moving on from pain.
The song was released to acclaim from music critics who called it one of her finest recordings yet. It was issued asNo More Drama's second single in the United States on October 30, 2001, and as the third single in certain European markets, where "Dance for Me" had served as the second single instead. It became another hit for Blige, peaking at number 15 on the USBillboard Hot 100 and number nine in the United Kingdom. The video for the song won Blige her firstMTV Video Music Award forBest R&B Video.
"No More Drama" samples from "Nadia's Theme,"incidental music for the 1971 filmBless the Beasts and Children which later came to prominence as the theme music for the Americansoap operaThe Young and the Restless.[1] Initially written and produced by duoJimmy Jam and Terry Lewis for Blige's fourth studio albumMary (1999), it was left off the album after Blige suggested to transfer it to her next project.[1] Jimmy Jam commented on the creation process: "I'm a big soap opera fan, and I always wanted to do something usingThe Young and the Restless theme. We figured Mary was at a point in her life that she knew about drama and it was a song lyrically she could sing. We wrote all the lyrics, but always with the intention that she would rewrite it to make it personal to her." Upon hearing, Blige "said: "You been following me around with a spy or something? This is exactly what I'm feeling. I'm not changing a thing on this one"."[2]
An ode to self-reliance and the need to leave the damaging stuff and people in the rearview.[1] Blige toldJet in 2001: "This song is demanding that you stay away from my life if you’re going to bring me drama. I am saying "Enough is enough of this nonsense. Enough of this self-abuse, people abuse, fake friends, the whole nine. Beat it!"."[3] She further spoke about her feeling behind the track in an interview withThe Daily Telegraph: "I go through the emotion of being a child growing up in the projects [...] and every woman around you being beaten so badly by men you can’t even understand it, and then growing up and realizing you’re repeating all those patterns, you’re drinking the alcohol and doing the drugs and being abused by men, and the pain and frustration of not being able to stop it. I rewind through that every time I sing it. I want to give people the real truth."[4]Perry Botkin Jr., one of the song's original composers, who had never heard of Blige prior to this was delighted to get a writing credit, saying: "I woke up one morning and I'm on the cutting edge of R&B. These days, I'm completely removed from pop music — except when [royalty] checks arrive."[5]
Blige performed the song at the44th Annual Grammy Awards on February 27, 2002.[3] It marked her first solo performance at the show, following two collaborative performances in 1998 and 1997, respectively.[3] The singer, dressed in a shiny gold two-piece pants suit and sporting a burgundy spike cut, emerged from a door in the middle of the stage, before she slowly worked the stage in front of a screen of promo images and the song's official music video.[3] Blige receivedstanding ovations for her performance.[3] She also sang "No More Drama" at thehalftime show of Super Bowl LVI in 2022. As she sang, the piano section from English pop rock bandTears For Fears's 1985 hit single "Head Over Heels" was incorporated into the track.[6]
The song was featured inBille Woodruff's 2003 dance filmHoney and later also used as the background theme for bothTyler Perry'sWhy Did I Get Married? (2007) andWhy Did I Get Married Too? (2010).[7] The line "so tired, tired of all the drama" was briefly sampled inAzealia Banks 2013 single "Yung Rapunxel."[7] Frequently used in singing competition televisions shows,Joshua Ledet performed "No More Drama" during theeleventh season ofAmerican Idol.James Arthur also performed this song, during theninth series ofThe X Factor.La'Porsha Renae, runner-up of15th season ofAmerican Idol, performed this song during the show's last season. Wé McDonald covered the song onThe Voice season 11 in the Knockout Round, whhile Sam Lavery sang the song in the sing-off ofThe X Factor 2016.
"No More Drama" was released to universal acclaim.Alexis Petridis fromThe Guardian called it "a visceral, cathartic howl of a song, wrapped up in a superb soap-opera-theme-sampling Jam & Lewis production. Its climax is breathtaking."[8] Da'Shan Smith fromuDiscoverMusic found that "No More Drama" saw "Blige navigate unfamiliar territory: contentment. Recalling the heartbreak and the ups and downs she’s navigated through her life, Mary declares no more drama in one of her most dramatic performances."[9]Vibe's Lela Olds wrote: "As fans of her music, we’ve seen her go through so much through the years, but it was so inspirational for her to declare she’s done with the drama in her life through this song."[4]BET.com wrote of the song: "[It] is a pivotal moment in Mary's evolution. Over an epic Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis interpolation of The Young & The Restless theme, Mary lets loose like never before, tearfully wailing of moving beyond the painful struggles of her early life—and setting the stage for the uplifting, happy-to-be-me music to come."[10]
Nerisha Penrose fromBillboard wrote: "On the dramatic cut, Mary has grown weary of her significant other and his drama and is ready to hit the refresh button on her life, this time leaving all the stress of her past relationship behind."[11] Her colleague Chuck Taylor wrote in his 2001 review of the song: "Jimmy Jam and Terr Lewis don't rest on the sample, though. The pair's production adds lush instrumentation and harmonies to the mix, and theTimbaland-style electronic blips and burps bring in the 21st-century factor [...] Blige demonstrates all the strength and passion one would expect from her; by the three-minute mark, she has long dropped the script, soaring over the song's form with her own improvised licks."[12] In a review of its parent album, Sal Cinquemani, writing forSlant Magazine, remarked that "the sheer drama of the title track is, in fact, what elevates it above the rest of the album, interpolating the theme song from The Young & The Restless throughout. Unfortunately, the Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis-penned track aims to empower with such thematic obscurities as "I choose to win"."[13]
A music video for "No More Drama" was directed bySanji Senaka.[14] It features cameos by singerMariah Carey and rapperP. Diddy who had both recently experienced their own very publicized dramas, with Carey going through personal and professional problems following hermovie andalbumGlitter, and Diddy facing legal troubles following a night club shooting.[3] Senaka commented that the video was "about the quality of the performance, even though I didn't have the luxury of rehearsal times. I didn't want a "video" performance", the whole "arguing" thing." I wanted people's souls to connect.[15] "No More Drama" won Blige her firstMTV Video Music Award forBest R&B Video.[16] It also earned Blige a nomination for theNAACP Image Award for Outstanding Music Video, but lost toIndia Arie's "Little Things" (2002).[17]
The visuals follow the lives of three individuals battling life difficulties and tragedies.[3] They contain images of a depressed man that is struggling to overcome drugs (played by actor David Venafro), a gang member who lost a friend in a shooting and a woman who is verbally and physically abused by her partner. While the theme of the video is dramatic, it ends on an encouraging note as the gang member decides to end the cycle of killing by leaving his gang; the drug addict is seen to be headed for a rehab clinic to combat his addiction and the woman finding the strength to leave her abusive lover behind and start a new life.[3] Carey and Diddy appear individually on televisions stacked in a store front window, in front of which Blige is singing.[3] Aside from those images, Senaka added footage regarding "America’s New War" in motion after theSeptember 11 attacks.[3]
All versions of the P. Diddy/Mario Winans remix feature P. Diddy.
US 12-inch single[18]
UK CD1[19]
UK CD2[20]
| UK 12-inch single[21]
UK cassette single[22]
European CD single[23]
Australasian CD single[24]
|
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[55] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | October 30, 2001 | MCA | [56] | |
| November 6, 2001 | Urban radio | [57] | ||
| United Kingdom | April 29, 2002 |
| [58] | |
| May 6, 2002 | 12-inch vinyl | [59] | ||
| Australia | June 3, 2002 | CD | [60] |
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link){{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)| 1990s singles | |
|---|---|
| 2000s singles | |
| 2010s singles |
|
| 2020s singles | |
| Soundtracks | |
| Guest appearances |
|
