The Boy Is Mine

The Boy Is Mine
Studio album by Monica
Released July 14, 1998
Recorded 1997–1998
Genre R&B, Soul, Hip hop soul
Length 57:49 (standard edition)
Label Arista, LaFace
Producer Dallas Austin, Leslie Brathwaite, Jermaine Dupri, David Foster, Rodney Jerkins, Tony Maserati, Brandy Norwood, Daryl Simmons, Dexter Simmons, Colin Wolfe
Monica chronology
Miss Thang
(1995)		 The Boy Is Mine
(1998)		 All Eyez on Me
(2002)
Singles from The Boy Is Mine
  1. "The Boy is Mine"
    Released: May 19, 1998
  2. "The First Night"
    Released: July 24, 1998
  3. "Angel of Mine"
    Released: November 17, 1999
  4. "Inside"
    Released: March 1, 1999
  5. "Street Symphony"
    Released: September 14, 1999
  6. "Right Here Waiting"
    Released: February 27, 2000

The Boy Is Mine is the second studio album by American singer Monica, released by Arista Records on July 14, 1998 in the United States. The album featured production from Jermaine Dupri, Dallas Austin, Rodney Jerkins, among others and featured guest appearances from Brandy, hip hop duo Outkast, and R&B quartet 112. The Boy Is Mine spawned five singles, including the number one-hits "The Boy Is Mine", "The First Night", and "Angel of Mine", the Dallas Austin-penned "Street Symphony" and the international single "Right Here Waiting".

The album debut at number eight on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart in August 1998. It earned Monica three Grammy Award nominations for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group, Best R&B Song and Record of the Year. The Boy Is Mine was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America on June 21, 2000.

Contents

Background

Production and title

After the success of her first album Miss Thang, Monica entered recording studios in 1997 to start work on her second album with producer Dallas Austin. Austin contributed most to the album and moreover served as its executive producer.[1] Arnold also worked with producers Jermaine Dupri, Rodney Jerkins, Daryl Simmons, among others.

Release and reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]
Robert Christgau [2]
Rolling Stone [3]

With professional reviewers liking the album's ballads and classic sound, the album was praised for Monica's soulful and clear voice. Monica's second album became a worldwide success: It debuted at number eight on the U.S. Billboard 200 and number two on the U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart, with sales of nearly 526,000 since the ninth week of its release.[4] The album continued selling well, received platinum certifications on September 1998, and eventually received three platinum certifications for more than three million copies shipped to stores selling over 2.04 million copies in the U.S.[5][6][7] While the album managed to enter the top ten in the U.S., France, Canada, and Switzerland, it was a top twenty success in the majority of the charts it appeared on.

In Asia, the album was a hit sensation, becoming one of the first R&B albums to achieve multiple chart hit singles. "The Boy Is Mine", "The First Night", and Angel of Mine" all topped the Austrian Singles Chart during the nineties.

The Boy Is Mine was nominated for the 41st Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year for "The Boy Is Mine", and Best R&B Song for "The Boy Is Mine", and won an award for Best R&B Performance By a Duo or Group with Vocals of "The Boy Is Mine". Besides the Grammys, The Boy Is Mine received multiple Billboard Music Awards and was nominated for several American Music Awards, MTV Awards and Soul Train Awards.

Singles

"The Boy Is Mine" topped the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for 13 weeks and the Canadian Singles Chart for 15 weeks, which made it one of the biggest singles of the 1990s, selling over two million copies. In the U.S., reaching number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart. It became one of the biggest jumps to number one in the history of the Billboard Hot 100.

The second single, "The First Night" became Monica's second number-one hit on the U.S. Bilboard Hot 100, where it remained five non-consecutive weeks atop the chart. Outside the States, "The First Night" reached the top 10 in Canada and the United Kingdom. In February 1999 "Angel of Mine" was the third single that peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. "Inside" was released as the album's fourth single the same year with not being released in North America. Follow-up single "Street Symphony" made it only half of the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks at number 50. The Boy Is Mine's sixth and final single, "Right Here Waiting" received a late release in 1999. The single was only released as a limited vinyl format with no promotional video.

Track listing

No. Title Writer(s) Producer(s) Length
1. "Street Symphony"   Dallas Austin D. Austin 5:36
2. "The Boy Is Mine" (duet with Brandy) Brandy Norwood, Rodney Jerkins, Japhe Tejeda, Fred Jerkins III, LaShawn Daniels Darkchild, D. Austin, B. Norwood 4:50
3. "Ring da Bell"   D. Austin D. Austin 4:23
4. "The First Night"   Jermaine Dupri, Marilyn McLeod, Pam Sawyer, Tamara Savage J. Durpi 3:55
5. "Misty Blue"   Bobby Montgomery D. Austin, Colin Wolfe 4:21
6. "Angel of Mine"   Rhett Lawrence, Travon Potts Darkchild 4:10
7. "Gone Be Fine" (featuring Outkast) D. Austin, Andre Benjamin D. Austin 4:17
8. "Inside"   Diane Warren David Foster 4:11
9. "Take Him Back"   D. Austin, Sting Dallas Austin, Leslie Brathwaite 4:27
10. "Right Here Waiting" (featuring 112) Richard Marx D. Foster, Tony Maserati 4:29
11. "Cross the Room"   D. Austin, B. Curtis, Debra Killings D. Austin 3:51
12. "I Keep It to Myself"   Danny Sembello, Marti Sharron Daryl Simmons 4:25
13. "For You I Will"   D. Warren D. Foster 4:54

Samples

Charts and certifications

Chart positions

Chart (1998) Provider
Australian Albums Chart 8
Canadian Albums Chart 7
Dutch Albums Chart 6
French Albums Chart 20
German Albums Chart 17
Japanese Albums Chart 14
New Zealand Albums Chart 17
Norwegian Albums Chart 25
Swedish Albums Chart 49
Swiss Albums Chart 3
UK Albums Chart 52
U.S. Billboard 200 8
U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums 2

Certifications

Region Provider Certification
(sales thresholds)
Canada CRIA 3× Platinum
United States RIAA 3× Platinum

Credits and personnel

Musicians

Production

Release history

Country Date
Canada July 14, 1998
United States

References

  1. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Monica: The Boy Is Mine" at Allmusic. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
  2. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Monica". RobertChristgau.com. http://robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?id=959. Retrieved 7 October 2011. 
  3. ^ Stovall, Natasha (12 August 1998). "Monica: The Boy Is Mine". Rolling Stone (Straight Arrow) (RS 794). ISSN 0035-791X. Archived from the original on 14 December 2006. http://web.archive.org/web/20061214054600/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/monica/albums/album/103222/review/5940769/the_boy_is_mine. 
  4. ^ "Brandy And Monica 'Held Hands And Prayed Together'". Yahoo! Music. 16 September 1998. http://music.yahoo.com/read/news/12032969. Retrieved 2008-10-01. 
  5. ^ Trust, Gary (6 August 2010). "Ask Billboard: As Years Go By". Billboard.com. http://www.billboard.com/#/column-chartbeat/ask-billboard-as-years-go-by-1004108098.story. Retrieved 8 August 2010. 
  6. ^ Basham, David (14 March 2002). "Got Charts? The Long Road To #1 — And Those Who Rocked It". MTV.com. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1452903/20020314/brandy.jhtml. Retrieved 7 October 2011. 
  7. ^ "Monica's 'After The Storm' Due Out In June". Yahoo! Music. 30 May 2003. http://new.music.yahoo.com/monica/news/monicas-after-the-storm-due-out-in-june--12043369. Retrieved 1 October 2008. 
Monica
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