"Seven Days" is a song by American singer

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 and produced by Malik Pendleton for her third studio album '' Share My World'' (1997). The song is supported with a guitar solo from American guitarist

George Benson George Washington Benson (born March 22, 1943) is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career at the age of 19 as a jazz guitarist. A former child prodigy, Benson first came to prominence in the 1960s, play ...

. Lyrically, "Seven Days" talks about a woman going through a dilemma in a relationship with a man who had been her best friend before a truth or dare? game led to them experiencing a relationship that has left Blige and the man in question at a crossroads of how to address each other. The song was released as the album's fourth and final single by

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group. Pre-history MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 w ...

on March 20, 1998. "Seven Days" peaked at number three on the US

R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay (previously known as Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay) is a chart published by ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the top R&B and hip hop songs in the United States, based on audience impressions from a panel of radio stations monitored ...

and number 71 US Radio Songs, also reaching number 22 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. Blige gave a memorable performance of "Seven Days" at the 25th American Music Awards, again with a guitar solo from Benson.

Critical reception

Larry Flick from '' Billboard'' wrote that the song "casts the Queen of

Hip-Hop Soul Hip hop soul is a subgenre of contemporary R&B music, most popular during the early and mid 1990s, which fuses R&B or soul singing with hip hop musical production. The subgenre had evolved from a previous R&B subgenre, new jack swing, which ha ...

as a woman trying to reconcile a foray into forbidden love, a role she plays to the hilt." He added, "Her diva chops are as sharp as ever as she whips through the track's bluesy

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

sound with palpable grit and drama. Producer Malik Pendleton presides over a flawless remix during which Blige breaks it down for a spoken passage that would make

Millie Jackson Mildred Virginia Jackson (born July 15, 1944) is an American R&B and soul recording artist. Beginning her career in the early 1960s, three of Jackson's albums have been certified gold by the RIAA for over 500,000 copies sold. Jackson's songs o ...

proud. There's also a version of the song featuring

floating one of his trademark

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

guitar solos. Pick a version—and play it over and over and over again."

Music video

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 promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

was produced to promote the single and premiered in September 1997. It was directed by Steve Willis and features

towards the end playing a guitar. Throughout the video, Blige sings in many places; many scenes where she is singing include in the car in which she is driving down the street, in the bed, in her bedroom, and in her condo. Her love interest is featured prominently throughout the video with her as well especially in the scenes where they are sitting on opposite sides of the bed or while watching television where two people are kissing.

Track listings

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{Mary J. Blige singles 1998 singles Mary J. Blige songs 1990s ballads Contemporary R&B ballads Soul ballads MCA Records singles