Ooh!

{{Infobox song

| name = Ooh!

| cover = MJB_Ooh!.jpg

| border = yes

| type = single

| released = August 25, 2003

| recorded = December 2–6, 2002{{cite web|first=Tony |last=Maserati|title=Tony Maserati: Mixing Love & Life|website=soundonsound.com|url=https://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jan04/articles/maryjblige.htm|access-date=August 9, 2020}}

| studio =

| venue =

| genre = Hip hop soul{{cite web|first=Keith |last=Spera|title=Mary J. Blige touched on more than 30 songs during 90-minute New Orleans show|website=nola.com|date=19 October 2022 |url=https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/keith_spera/article_f1a2ea62-4fc1-11ed-9deb-478d3dea6b1d.html|access-date=October 29, 2022}}

| length = 4:07

| label = Geffen

| writer = *Mary J. Blige

Sean Combs
Dimitri Christo
Hamilton Bohannon
Mechalie Jamison

| producer = *Sean Combs

D-Nat

| prev_title = Love @ 1st Sight

| prev_year = 2003

| next_title = Not Today

| next_year = 2004

| misc =

{{External music video|{{YouTube|SGSDzM81NV0|"Ooh!"}}}}

}}

"Ooh!" is a song recorded by American singer Mary J. Blige for her sixth studio album Love & Life (2003). It was written by Blige, Sean Combs, Dimitri Christo, and Mechalie Jamison, while production was helmed by Combs and Christo. The song contains excerpts from Hamilton Bohannon's 1973 track "Singing a Song for My Mother", hence Bohannon is also credited as a songwriter. "Ooh!" was released as the second single from Love & Life on August 25, 2003, by Geffen Records.

A moderate commercial success, "Ooh!" peaked at number 29 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Critically acclaimed, it was nominated for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance at the 46th Annual Grammy Awards.{{Cite web |title=Mary J. Blige {{!}} Artist {{!}} GRAMMY.com |url=https://www.grammy.com/artists/mary-j-blige/779 |access-date=2023-10-10 |website=www.grammy.com}} An accompanying music video for the song was directed by Sanji, and depicts Blige fighting and dancing as different versions of herself, who all represented her inner emotions and feelings. Furthermore, a remix featuring 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks, and Young Buck also accompanied the song.

==Background==

"Ooh!" was as written by Blige along with Sean Combs, Dimitri "The Natural aka D-Nat" Christo, and Mechalie Jamison, while production was helmed by Combs and Christo. The song contains excerpts from the 1973 song "Singing a Song for My Mother" by American musician Hamilton Bohannon, itself widely known for being sampled on the 1991 hip-hop classic, "I Gotta Have It" by Ed O.G and Da Bulldogs. It was Combs who asked Blige to write over the Ed O.G. sample.{{cite web|first=Shaheem |last=Reid|url=https://www.mtv.com/news/8dcusl/mary-gets-giddy-on-ooh-states-the-facts-while-eve-attacks-on-not-today|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240226102135/https://www.mtv.com/news/8dcusl/mary-gets-giddy-on-ooh-states-the-facts-while-eve-attacks-on-not-today|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 26, 2024|title=Mary Gets Giddy On 'Ooh!,' States The Facts While Eve Attacks On 'Not Today'|website=MTV News|date=August 6, 2003|access-date=February 26, 2024}} In a 2003 interview with MTV News she commented: "Puff heard it and he sat there with his mouth open. He was [nodding his head], but he never said anything. He later said that "[That] was fire!" so we let Jimmy Iovine hear it and Jimmy was like, "I like it." Dr. Dre heard it and was like, "That's the joint right there." Then we played it for K-Gee and he just lost his mind. We played it for people all over the world when we went on the promotional tour and everything kept coming back 'Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh'."

Critical reception

BBC Music critic Keysha Davis called "Ooh!" a "hip-hop inspired club anthem. Backed by a trudging horn riff, and an instantly recognisable break-beat; [it] forms the perfect compliment for Mary's gravely vocals."{{cite web|first=Keysha |last=Davis |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/4x54/|title=BBC Review|website=BBC Music|access-date=February 26, 2024}} Elizabeth Berry Mendez from The Washington Post wrote: "With its slinky saxophone and Mary's ripe alto, "Ooh!" is the kind of dance-floor soul jam that recalls Motown's heyday."{{cite news|first=Elizabeth|last=Berry Mendez|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2003/08/27/blige-undiminished-and-exuding-love-38/0a98d4e2-6503-47b5-addb-b62d5c6a81c6/|title=Love & Life Review|newspaper=Washington Post|date=August 26, 2003|access-date=February 26, 2024}} Similarly, Billboard{{'}}s Michael Paoletta remarked that the song "recalls "Rock Steady"-era Aretha Franklin."{{cite magazine|first=Michael|last=Paoletta|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bg8EAAAAMBAJ|title=Essential Reviews|magazine=Billboard|date=September 6, 2003|access-date=February 26, 2024}} In his review of parent album Love & Life, David Browne from Entertainment Weekly noted: [The album] tried to present a more contented Blige but mainly reduced her to moaning orgasmic lines like "Ooh, what you do to me" to thudding Diddy-produced beats."{{cite magazine|first=David |last=Browne |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/Music/12/20/ew.mus.blige/|title=Review: Blige's worthy 'Breakthrough'|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|via=CNN.com|date=December 20, 2005|access-date=February 26, 2024}} BET.com called the song one of the "highlights of Blige's and Combs's reunion on 2003's Love & Life."{{Cite web |title=Mary J. Blige's 50 Best Songs – MJB's What's the 411? was released 22 years ago today|url=https://www.bet.com/photo-gallery/vzokma/mary-j-blige-s-50-best-songs/mviqtw|access-date=March 11, 2024|website=BET.com}}

Music video

Blige was initially eyeying Chris Robinson, who had helmed the music video for Love & Life{{'}}s previous single "Love @ 1st Sight," to once again direct her. Due to scheduling conflicts, Sanjeeva "Sanji" Senaka, director of her 2001 music video for "No More Drama," was eventually selected to direct the visuals for "Ooh!."{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGSDzM81NV0|title=Mary J Blige – Ooh! (Music video)|work=Access Granted|via=YouTube|access-date=February 26, 2024}} Dedicated to the soldiers in the war, it portrays Blige fighting and dancing different versions of herself, who all represented her inner emotions and feelings. "Ooh!" world premiered at the end of its making of episode on BET's Access Granted.

Track listings

{{tracklist

| headline = Promotional single{{cite web|title=Oooh! – Promo Single|website=Discogs|url=https://www.discogs.com/Mary-Ooh/release/5641004|access-date=August 9, 2020}}

| title1 = Ooh!

| note1 = Radio Edit

| length1 = 3:59

| title2 = Ooh!

| note2 = Album Version

| length2 = 4:07

| title3 = Ooh!

| note3 = Instrumental

| length3 = 4:12

| title4 = Ooh!

| note4 = A Cappella

| length4 = 3:49

}}

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Love & Life.{{cite AV media notes |title=Love & Life|publisher=Geffen Records|others=Mary J. Blige |year=2003}}

Mary J. Blige – vocals, writer
Hamilton Bohannon – writer (sample)
Dimitri "The Natural aka D-Nat" Christo – producer, writer
Sean Combs – producer, writer
Patrick Dillett – recording engineer
Mechalie Jamison – writer

Shannon Jones – background vocalist
Kandace Love – background vocalist
Tony Maserati – mixing engineer
Alex Seton – engineering assistant
Mario Winans – additional music

Charts

=Weekly charts=

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|+ Weekly chart performance for "Ooh!"

! scope="col"| Chart (2003)

! scope="col"| Peak
position

{{single chart|Billboardhot100|29|artist=Mary J. Blige|rowheader=true|access-date=March 15, 2012}}

{{single chart|Billboardrandbhiphop|14|artist=Mary J. Blige|rowheader=true|access-date=March 15, 2012}}

{{single chart|Billboardrhythmic|17|artist=Mary J. Blige|rowheader=true|access-date=March 7, 2021}}

=Year-end charts=

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" \|+ Year-end chart performance for "Ooh!" ! scope="col"\| Chart (2003) ! scope="col"\| Position
scope="row"\| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard){{cite magazine\|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2003/hot-r-and-and-b-hip-hop-songs\|title=Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2003\|magazine=Billboard\|access-date=March 7, 2021}} \| 82

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|+ Year-end chart performance for "Ooh!"

! scope="col"| Chart (2003)

! scope="col"| Position

scope="row"| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard){{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2003/hot-r-and-and-b-hip-hop-songs|title=Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2003|magazine=Billboard|access-date=March 7, 2021}}

| 82

Release history

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" \|+ Release dates and formats for "Ooh!" ! scope="col"\| Region ! scope="col"\| Date ! scope="col"\| Format(s) ! scope="col"\| Label(s) ! scope="col"\| {{abbr\|Ref.\|Reference(s)}}
scope="row"\| United States \| August 25, 2003 \| Urban contemporary radio \| Geffen \| {{center\|{{cite magazine\|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Archive-RandR/2000s/2003/RR-2003-08-22.pdf\|title=Going for Adds\|magazine=Radio & Records\|date=August 22, 2003\|page=28\|accessdate=June 2, 2024\|via=World Radio History}}}}

class="wikitable plainrowheaders"

|+ Release dates and formats for "Ooh!"

! scope="col"| Region

! scope="col"| Date

! scope="col"| Format(s)

! scope="col"| Label(s)

! scope="col"| {{abbr|Ref.|Reference(s)}}

scope="row"| United States

| August 25, 2003

| Urban contemporary radio

| Geffen

| {{center|{{cite magazine|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Archive-RandR/2000s/2003/RR-2003-08-22.pdf|title=Going for Adds|magazine=Radio & Records|date=August 22, 2003|page=28|accessdate=June 2, 2024|via=World Radio History}}}}

References

External links

{{YouTube|SGSDzM81NV0|"Ooh!" Music video}}

Category:2003 singles

Category:Mary J. Blige songs

Category:Songs written by Mary J. Blige

Category:Songs written by Sean Combs

Category:2003 songs

Category:Geffen Records singles