"I Can Love You" is a song by American recording artist

Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...

. It was written by Blige along with her sister LaTonya Blige-DaCosta,

Rodney Jerkins Rodney Roy Jerkins (born July 29, 1977), also known by his stage name Darkchild, is an American record producer, rapper, and songwriter. He has collaborated with a broad range of popular artists. Jerkins has won multiple Grammy Awards. Among hi ...

, and

Lil' Kim Kimberly Denise Jones (born July 11, 1974), Those giving 1974 include: * * * * * better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper and reality television personality. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, she lived much of he ...

for her third album, ''

Share My World ''Share My World'' is the third studio album by American R&B singer Mary J. Blige, released by MCA on Earth Day, April 22, 1997. The album became Blige's first to open at number one on the US ''Billboard'' 200 album chart. Moreover, it is her ...

'' (1997), with Jerkins producing the song and Lil Kim having featured vocals. In addition, the song also features a sample of the song "Queen Bitch," a track from Kim's debut album '' Hard Core'' (1996), co-written by Carlos Broady and Nashiem Myrick. "I Can Love You" was released as the second single from ''Share My World'' in the US, where it reached number 28 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

Release and reception

"I Can Love You" was issued as a commercial single in America, unlike the first single "

Love Is All We Need "Love Is All We Need" is a song by American singer Mary J. Blige, with a guest rap from Nas. It was written by Blige, James Harris III, Terry Lewis, and Nasir Jones for Blige's third studio album, ''Share My World'' (1997), while production was ...

". Ultimately, it peaked at number two on the

R&B singles chart The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 p ...

and number twenty-eight on the American pop chart. In the UK, the song was released as the

b-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

to " Missing You".

Critical reception

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the music ...

from ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' wrote, " R&B radio has already deemed this second single from the gorgeous ''

'' as a deserved smash—now it's time for pop programmers to do the same. Like its predecessor, "Love Can Turn Around", this jam cruises at an uplifting jeep-funk pace, with Miss Blige getting sultry over layers of soothing love chants tightly arranged by producer-of-the-moment

. The result is a wickedly catchy jam that will sooth a brow fevered by the ongoing spree of factory-like

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

that crowds the airwaves. Top 40 will probably focus on the snug rap-free edit, though the more airy and expansive album version has a guest rhyme by

that's quite cute and well worth a listen."

Music video

The accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

for "I Can Love You" was shot in May 1997 and directed by Kevin Bray. Shot at a house and forest, It features Mary, Kim, and other people that are partying and having fun.

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the ''Share My World'' liner notes. * Mary J. Blige – lead vocals, background vocals * LaTonya Blige-DaCosta – background vocals *

–

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

– additional vocals

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{Authority control 1997 singles Mary J. Blige songs Lil' Kim songs Song recordings produced by Rodney Jerkins Songs written by Rodney Jerkins Songs written by Mary J. Blige Songs written by Lil' Kim MCA Records singles 1997 songs