Thick of It (Mary J. Blige song)

"Thick of It" is a song by American singer Mary J. Blige. It was written by Blige, Darhyl "DJ" Camper Jr., and Jazmine Sullivan for her thirteenth studio album Strength of a Woman (2017), while production was helmed by Camper. The song embodies portions of the song "Give a Little Love" (1975) by Scottish pop rock band Bay City Rollers. Due to the inclusion of the sample, John Goodison and Phil Wainman are also credited as songwriters. The song was released as the lead single from the album on October 7, 2016 . "Thick of It" went to number one on the US Adult R&B Songs chart.

"Thick of It"
Single by Mary J. Blige
from the album Strength of a Woman
ReleasedOctober 7, 2016
GenreHip Hop, R&B, Soul
Length4:02
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Mary J. Blige singles chronology
"Doubt"
(2015)
"Thick of It"
(2016)
"American Skin (41 Shots)"
(2016)
Music video
"Thick of It" on YouTube

Background

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"Thick of It" was written by Blige, Darhyl "DJ" Camper Jr., and Jazmine Sullivan, while production was helmed by the Camper.[1] In 2017, Blige commented on the track: "This song was originally written about me fighting for my marriage. The lyrics were completely different, and it was saying things like "We just don't give up when we're in the thick of it." And then with all of this happening, it was hard to go back to the studio and do it, but I had to do it, in order to — how can I say it? — get free, because my music is therapeutic to me as well. And if I don't write about it and if I don't sing about where I am in my life, I won't start a healing process."[2]

Chart performance

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"Thick of It" was released as the lead single on October 7, 2016. The song topped the US Adult R&B Songs chart for a record-breaking 16 consecutive weeks.[3] It was Blige's fifth song to top the chart as well as the fastest climb to number one in over 20 years.[3]

Music video

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The music video for "Thick of It" was directed by Dennis Leupold.[4] It was released on November 7, 2016.[5][6]

Track listing

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Digital download[7]
No.TitleLength
1."Thick of It"4:02

Credits and personnel

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Credits adapted from the liner notes of Strength of a Woman.[1]

Charts

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Release history

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Release history and formats for "Thick of Its"
Region Date Format(s) Label Ref
United States October 7, 2016 Digital download Capitol Records

References

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  1. ^ a b Strength of a Woman (Media notes). Mary J. Blige. Captiol. 2017.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. ^ Martin, Rachel; Pearson, Vince (April 27, 2017). "'I'm Not Going To Be Broken': Mary J. Blige On 'Strength Of A Woman'". NPR. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Mendizabal, Amaya (November 3, 2016). "Mary J. Blige's 'Thick of It' Has Fastest Climb to No. 1 in over 20 Years on Adult R&B Songs". Billboard. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  4. ^ "Mary J. Blige – Thick Of It". OnSmash.com. 2016-11-07. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  5. ^ "New Video: Mary J. Blige – 'Thick of It' - HipHop-N-More". Hiphop-n-more.com. 7 November 2016. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
  6. ^ "R&B Music Video: Mary J. Blige - Thick of It - Singersroom.com". Singersroom.com. 7 November 2016. Retrieved 25 November 2018.
  7. ^ a b "Mary J. Blige – Thick of It". iTunes Store (US). October 7, 2016. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  8. ^ "Mary J. Blige Chart History (Adult R&B Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 4, 2017.
  9. ^ "Mary J Blige Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 16, 2016.
  10. ^ "Mary J. Blige Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
  11. ^ "Mary J. Blige Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
  12. ^ "2016 Year End Chart: ADULT R&B SONGS". Billboard. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  13. ^ "2017 Year End Chart: ADULT R&B SONGS". Billboard. Retrieved January 30, 2019.