"Deep Inside" is a song by the 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 by Blige, Tara Geter and Kevin Deane for her fourth studio album, ''

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also call ...

'' (1999), while production was led by Deane. The song features a sample of piano playing from

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

's "

Bennie and the Jets "Bennie and the Jets" (also titled "Benny & the Jets") is a song written by English musician Elton John and songwriter Bernie Taupin, and performed by John. The song first appeared on the '' Goodbye Yellow Brick Road'' album in 1973. "Bennie and ...

" (1974). John and co-writer

Bernie Taupin Bernard John Taupin (born 22 May 1950) is an English songwriter, singer and visual artist. He is best known for his long-term collaboration with musician Elton John, a songwriting partnership that is one of the most successful in history. Ta ...

are also credited as songwriters. The song was released as the second US single from ''Mary'', and the third single elsewhere. Like the preceding single, "

All That I Can Say "All That I Can Say" is a song by American recording artist Mary J. Blige. It was composed by fellow R&B singer and close friend Lauryn Hill, who also sang backing vocals, for Blige's fourth studio album ''Mary'' (1999). Released as the album's le ...

" (1999), it was a moderate success in the United States, peaking at number fifty-one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In the United Kingdom, it failed to reach the

UK top 40 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 ...

. The music video for "Deep Inside" has Blige and her dancers performing to the song "Sincerity", which appears on the deluxe edition of the ''Mary'' album in the United States and the United Kingdom single of "Deep Inside".

Music video

The music video was shot on October 8, 1999, in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

and was directed by

Marcus Raboy Marcus Raboy (born November 30, 1965) is an American film and music video director. Since the early 1990s, Raboy has amassed a large number music video credits directing music videos for Mary J. Blige, Dixie Chicks, Rihanna, Luther Vandros ...

. Another version of the music video has Elton John playing the piano. "Deep Inside" was premiered on November 10, 1999, on

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

during a season finale of the adults-only animated TV show, '' Beavis and Butt-head''. In the beginning, Blige steps on the stage, wearing a blonde glitter dress, before the screen fades out, flashing back all of the music videos that starred Blige herself, including "

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 w ...

", " Seven Days", "

Everything Everything, every-thing, or every thing is all that exists; the opposite of nothing, or its complement. It is the totality of things relevant to some subject matter. Without expressed or implied limits, it may refer to anything. The universe i ...

", " Be Happy", "

I'm Goin' Down "I'm Goin' Down" is a rock song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen. It was released on August 27, 1985 by Columbia Records as the sixth single from his 1984 album '' Born in the U.S.A.'' The song was record ...

", " You Bring Me Joy", "

Real Love Real Love may refer to: Film and television * ''Real Love'' (film), a film by Claire Burger Music Albums * ''Real Love'' (Derek Johnson album) * ''Real Love'' (Dolly Parton album), or the title song (see below) * ''Real Love'' (Lisa Stansf ...

" and "

I Can Love You "I Can Love You" is a song by American recording artist Mary J. Blige. It was written by Blige along with her sister LaTonya Blige-DaCosta, Rodney Jerkins, and Lil' Kim for her third album, ''Share My World'' (1997), with Jerkins producing the son ...

". The next scene begins with two security guards blocking the red carpet and Blige begins singing. After the first verse, she stands on the red carpet waving her hands at the whole audience taking pictures of her. She steps inside the tour bus looking in the mirror at herself, pushing her hand singing the hook. In the next scene, Blige walks out of a 1997

Dodge Caravan The Dodge Caravan (and the long-wheelbase Dodge Grand Caravan) is a series of minivans that was manufactured by Chrysler from the 1984 to 2020 model years. The Dodge version of the Chrysler minivans, the Caravan was marketed as both a passenger ...

, talking off a hoodie being exposed. Then she walks away from an electrical fence with a bronze-raccoon coat and a white tank. She stands in a

Harlem Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Harl ...

neighborhood with the

Manhattan Bridge The Manhattan Bridge is a suspension bridge that crosses the East River in New York City, connecting Lower Manhattan at Canal Street with Downtown Brooklyn at the Flatbush Avenue Extension. The main span is long, with the suspension cables ...

mocking her 15 feet away. The next scene starts with black-suited dancers and Blige in a red suit dancing to her song "Sincerity". After the song ends, they clearly dance to "Deep Inside", with Blige singing loudly by herself. She looks at the screen screaming her quote "MJB" at the end of the song, where the Manhattan Bridge is shown.

Track listings

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the ''Mary'' liner notes. *Mary J. Blige – executive producer, writer *Kirk Burrowes – executive producer *Kevin Deane – writer *Tara Geter – writer *

– writer (sample) *

– writer (sample)

Charts

Release history

References

{{authority control 1999 singles Mary J. Blige songs Songs with music by Elton John Songs written by Mary J. Blige Songs with lyrics by Bernie Taupin 1998 songs MCA Records singles Music videos directed by Marcus Raboy