The Boy Is Mine (album)

Infobox Album | Name = The Boy Is Mine
Type = studio
Artist = Monica


Released = flagicon|United States flagicon|Canada July 14, 1998
Recorded = 1998
Genre = R&B
Length = 57:49
Label = Arista
Producer = Darkchild, Jermaine Dupri, Dallas Austin, Brandy Norwood, Tony Maserati, Daryl Simmons, Dexter Simmons, Colin Wolfe, David Foster, Leslie Brathwaite
Reviews =
* Allmusic Rating|4|5 [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:29841vd1zzua link]
* "Rolling Stone" Rating|3|5 [http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/monica/albums/album/103222/review/5940769/the_boy_is_mine link]
Last album = "Miss Thang"
(1995)
This album = "The Boy Is Mine"
(1998)
Next album = "All Eyez on Me"
(2002)Singles
Name = The Boy Is Mine
Type = studio
single 1 = The Boy Is Mine
single 1 date = May 19, 1998
single 2 = The First Night
single 2 date = July 24, 1998
single 3 = Angel of Mine
single 3 date = January 19, 1999
single 4 = Inside
single 4 date = March 1, 1999
single 5 = Street Symphony
single 5 date = September 14, 1999
single 6 = Right Here Waiting
single 6 date = February 27, 2000

"The Boy Is Mine" is the second studio album by American R&B/ singer Monica, released by Arista Records on July 14, 1998 in North America and Canada (see 1998 in music) at the age of 17. Mainly produced by Dallas Austin, the album earned Monica with worldwide popularity. The album also featured production by Rodney Jerkins and Jermaine Dupri. "The Boy Is Mine" earned Monica Grammy-nominations and became her biggest-selling album to date. It has sold more than 7 million units.

History

Production and title

After the success of her firs album "Miss Thang", Monica eventually entered recording studios in 1997 to start work on her then-untitled second album with producer Dallas Austin. Austin contributed most to the album and moreover served as its executive producer which helps Monica cultivate her voice so she sounds more mature than her 17 years [ [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:jvfyxqtjld6e~T1 allmusic ((( The Boy Is Mine> Review ))) ] ] . Arnold also worked with producers Jermaine Dupri, Rodney Jerkins, Daryl Simmons, among others.

Release and reception

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 "Billboard" 200 and number two on the U.S. "Billboard" Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums chart, selling more than 92,935cite web|title="Brandy And Monica 'Held Hands And Prayed Together'"|work=Yahoo! Music|url=http://music.yahoo.com/read/news/12032969|accessdate=2008-10-01] copies in its first week of release, with sales of nearly 526,000 since the ninth week of its release. The album continued selling well, and the album eventually received three platinum certifications by the RIAA for more than three million copies shipped to stores. While the album managed to enter the Top Ten in the U.S., in French, Canada and Swiss 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.

Awards and nominations

"The Boy Is Mine" was nominated for a 41st Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year for "The Boy Is Mine", Best R&B Album, Best R&B Song for "The Boy Is Mine", Best R&B Performance By a Duo or Group with Vocals for "The Boy Is Mine", won the latter one and received generally good reviews.

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.

Chart performance

"The Boy Is Mine" topped the U.S. Hot 100 for thirteen weeks and the Canadian Singles Chart for fifteen weeks, which made it one of the biggest singles of the 1990s, selling over two million copies. In the U.S., reaching number 1 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 1999, "Angel of Mine" was the third single the peaked at number one on the "Billboard Hot 100" in Feburary. "Inside" was released as the album's fourth single the same year withnot being releashed 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 releashed as a limited Vinyl format with no promotion of a video.

Covers

*"Misty Blue" originally recorded by Bobby Montgomery in 1967
*"Right Here Waiting" originally recorded by Richard Marx in 1989

Track listing

# "Street Symphony" (Dallas Austin) – 5:36
# "The Boy Is Mine" (duet with Brandy) (B. Norwood, R. Jerkins, J. Tejeda, F. Jenkins, L. Daniels) – 4:50
# "Ring Da Bell" (D. Austin) – 4:23
# "The First Night" (J. Dupri, M. McLeod, P. Sawyer, T. Savage) – 3:55
# "Misty Blue" (Bobby Montgomery) – 4:21
# "Angel of Mine" (T. Potts, R. Lawrence) – 4:10
# "Gonna Be Fine" (featuring Outkast) (D. Austin) - 4:17
# "Inside" (Diane Warren) – 4:11
# "Take Him Back" (D. Austin, Sting) – 4:27
# "Right Here Waiting" (featuring 112) (Bruce Gaitsch, Richard Marx) – 4:29
# "Cross the Room" (D. Austin, B. Curtis, Debra Killings) – 3:51
# "I Keep It to Myself" (Danny Sembello, Marti Sharron) – 4:25
# "For You I Will" (Diane Warren) – 4:54;Special Edition
#

"The First Night" (So So Def Mix) – 5:23
# "The First Night" (Razor N. Mix) – 4:47

Credits and personnel

* Darkchild Orchestra - strings
* Dean Gant - piano
* Ronnie Garrett - bass
* Tom Knight - drums
* Sonny Lallerstedt - guitar
* Tomi Martin - guitar
* Scott Meeder - percussion
* Isaac Phillips - guitar
* Michael Thompson - guitar
* Colin Wolfe - bass

Production

* Executive producers: Clive Davis
* Producers: Darkchild, Jermaine Dupri, Dallas Austin, Brandy Norwood, Tony Maserati, Daryl Simmons, Dexter Simmons, Colin Wolfe, David Foster, Leslie Brathwaite
* Vocal assistance: Darcy Aldridge, Sue Ann Carwell, Chelle Davis, Debra Killings, Pamela Major, Jeff Pescetto
* Engineers: A. Baars, G. Crawford, Ben Garrison, Humberto Gatica, Thom "TK" Kidd, Carlton Lynn, Ricco Lumpkins, Chris Tergesen
* Assistant engineers: John Horesco IV, Ty Hudson, Tim Lauber, Kevin Lively, Vernon Mungo, Claudine Pontier, Mike Wilson
* Mixing: Mick Guzauski
* Mixing assistance: Tom Berner, Marnie Riley
* Programming: Felipe Elgueta, John "J.R." Robinson, Glen Woodward

Charts and certification

References