On How Life Is Explained

On How Life Is
Type:	studio
Artist:	Macy Gray
Cover:	Macy Gray - On How Life Is.png
Genre:	R&B soul neo soul
Label:	Epic Clean Slate
Producer:	Andrew Slater
Next Title:	The Id
Next Year:	2001

On How Life Is is the debut studio album by American singer and songwriter Macy Gray. It was released on July 1, 1999, by Epic Records and Clean Slate. Produced by Andrew Slater, it became Gray's best-selling album to date, selling 3.4 million copies in the United States and seven million copies worldwide.^{[1] [2]}

The album's second single, "I Try", became an international success, topping the charts in Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand,^{[3] [4]} while reaching number five on the US Billboard Hot 100.^[5] The song also won a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 2001.^[6]

Critical reception

On How Life Is was met with highly positive reviews from music critics upon its release, with many praising Gray's songwriting and vocal performance. Q rated the album four out of five stars, calling it a "confident, bluesy soul debut [...] with a lived-in sound – as if Rod Stewart were a girl."

Track listing

Sample credits

• "Do Something" contains a sample of "Git Up, Git Out" by OutKast and "Funky for You" by Nice & Smooth.
• "I've Committed Murder" contains a sample of "Live Right Now" by Eddie Harris and an interpolation of "(Where Do I Begin?) Love Story" by Francis Lai & His Orchestra.
• "A Moment to Myself" contains a sample of "Human Beat Box" by The Fat Boys, excerpts of "The Wildstyle" by Time Zone, and a sample of "Entropy (Hip Hop Reconstruction from the Ground Up)" by DJ Shadow & the Groove Robbers.

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of On How Life Is.^[7]

Musicians

• Macy Gray – lead vocals, vocal arrangements ; backing vocals
• Dawn Beckman – backing vocals
• Musiic Galloway – backing vocals
  • Jeremy Ruzumna – backing vocals ; organ ; piano ; electric piano, Moog ; Farfisa, clavinet ; Rhodes ; Optigan, Chamberlin David Wilder – backing vocals ; bass
• Jinsoo Lim – guitar
• Arik Marshall – guitar
• Lenny Castro – percussion
• Matt Chamberlain – percussion ; drums
• Darryl Swann – backing vocals, guitar ; programming ; vocal arrangements
• DJ Kiilu – turntables ; programming
• Jon Brion – Chamberlin ; synths ; guitar ; piano ; orchestra bells ; vibes ; marimba ; Optigan
  • Patrick Warren – vibes ; Chamberlin ; synths ; Rhodes, Wurlitzer Dion Derek Murdock – bass
• Sy Smith – backing vocals
• Bendrix Williams – guitar
• Rami Jaffee – synths ; piano, Optigan, Chamberlin
• Blackbyrd McKnight – guitar
• Gabriel Moses – guitar
• Steve Baxter – horn
• Charlie Green – horn
• Michael Harris – horn
• Miles Tackett – guitar
• Greg Richling – bass
• David Campbell – string arrangement
• Jay Joyce – guitar
• Ngozi Inyama – sax solo

Technical

• Andrew Slater – production
• Dave Way – recording, mixing
• Darryl "D-Style" Swann – additional engineering
• Howard Willing – first assistant engineer
• Dave Reed – second assistant engineer
• Kevin Dean – second assistant engineer
• Jeff Walch – second assistant engineer
• Michelle Forbes – second assistant engineer
• Sherry Sutcliff – production coordination

Artwork

• Stéphane Sednaoui – photography
• Hooshik – art direction, design
• Frank Harkins – art direction

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1999–2000)	Peak position
Australian Urban Albums (ARIA)^[8]	1
Canadian R&B Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)^[9]	1
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)^[10]	13
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)	1
European Albums (Music & Media)^[11]	5
Irish Albums (IFPI)^[12]	3
Japanese Albums (Oricon)^[13]	61
Portuguese Albums (AFP)^[14]	9

Year-end charts

Chart (1999)	Position
European Albums (Music & Media)^[15]	95
UK Albums (OCC)^[16]	10

Chart (2000)	Position
Australian Albums (ARIA)^[17]	7
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)^[18]	22
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)^[19]	47
Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)^[20]	12
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)^[21]	10
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[22]	96
European Albums (Music & Media)^[23]	14
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[24]	59
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)^[25]	5
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[26]	25
UK Albums (OCC)^[27]	28
US Billboard 200^[28]	21
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[29]	32

Chart (2001)	Position
Canadian R&B Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)^[30]	63
UK Albums (OCC)^[31]	192

Decade-end charts

Release history

Region	Date	Label
Japan	July 1, 1999	Sony
United States	July 27, 1999	Epic	^[33]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Macy Gray – Biography . . July 24, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080512230615/http://www.vh1.com/artists/az/gray_macy/bio.jhtml . May 12, 2008.
2. Web site: Peters . Mitchell . Macy Gray Signs with APA . . August 13, 2013 . April 25, 2019.
3. Web site: Macy Gray – I Try . australian-charts.com . July 24, 2015.
4. Web site: Search the charts . The Irish Charts . December 1, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160911214421/http://irishcharts.ie/search/placement?page=1&placement%5Bartist%5D=Macy+Gray . September 11, 2016 . dead.
5. Macy Gray Chart History: Hot 100 . Billboard . December 1, 2018.
6. Skanse . Richard . Steely Dan, U2 Top Grammys . Rolling Stone . February 22, 2001 . December 1, 2018.
7. On How Life Is . liner notes . . . 1999 . 494423 2.
8. ARIA Urban Chart – Week Commencing 12th February 2001 . . 572 . 18 . February 12, 2001 . August 3, 2020 . National Library of Australia.
9. Web site: R&B : Top 50. Jam!. May 22, 2000. January 27, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20000523214517/http://www.jamshowbiz.com:80/JamMusicCharts/RANDB.html. May 23, 2000.
10. Top National Sellers . . 17 . 18 . April 29, 2000 . 9 . 29800226 . World Radio History.
11. Hits of the World . Billboard . 112 . 16 . April 15, 2000 . 57 . 0006-2510 . Google Books.
12. Top National Sellers . Music & Media . 16 . 49 . December 4, 1999 . 13 . 29800226 . World Radio History.
13. Web site: http://www.oricon.co.jp/music/release/d/106314/1/ . ja:オン・ハウ・ライフ・イズ/メイシー・グレイ . On How Life Is / Macy Gray . ja . . October 5, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121018070626/http://www.oricon.co.jp/music/release/d/106314/1/ . October 18, 2012.
14. Top National Sellers . Music & Media . 17 . 13 . March 25, 2000 . 13 . 29800226 . World Radio History.
15. Year in Focus – European Top 100 Albums 1999 . Music & Media . 17 . 1 . January 1, 2000 . 11 . 29800226 . World Radio History.
16. Web site: End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 1999 . Official Charts Company . July 24, 2015.
17. Web site: ARIA Charts – End Of Year Charts – Top 100 Albums 2000 . . September 13, 2011.
18. Web site: Jahreshitparade Alben 2000 . de . austriancharts.at . July 24, 2015.
19. Web site: Jaaroverzichten 2000 – Albums . nl . Ultratop . September 13, 2011.
20. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20040812032100/http://www.jamshowbiz.com/JamMusicCharts/2000_1.html. August 12, 2004. Canada's Top 200 Albums of 2000. Jam!. March 24, 2022.
21. Web site: Års Hitlister 2000 . da . . June 5, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20021220141922/http://www.musik.org/publikationer/aarshitlister.htm . December 20, 2002.
22. Web site: Jaaroverzichten – Album 2000. dutchcharts.nl. April 3, 2021.
23. Year in Focus – European Top 100 Albums 2000 . Music & Media . 17 . 52 . December 23, 2000 . 9 . 29800226 . World Radio History.
24. Web site: Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts – 2000 . de . Offizielle Deutsche Charts . July 24, 2015.
25. Web site: Top Selling Albums of 2000 . . August 20, 2017.
26. Web site: Swiss Year-End Charts 2000 . swisscharts.com . July 24, 2015.
27. Web site: End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2000 . Official Charts Company . July 24, 2015.
28. Billboard 200 Albums – Year End 2000 . Billboard . July 24, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180526051757/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2000/top-billboard-200-albums . May 26, 2018 . live.
29. R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2000 . Billboard . December 1, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180508104317/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2000/top-r-and-b-hip-hop-albums . May 8, 2018 . live.
30. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20021122000500/http://www.jamshowbiz.com/JamMusicCharts/2001_r&b.html. January 8, 2002. November 22, 2002. Canada's Top 200 R&B; albums of 2001. Jam!. January 22, 2023.
31. Web site: UK Year-End Charts 2001 . . 6 . July 24, 2015.
32. Web site: Decade End Charts – Billboard 200 Albums . Billboard.biz . 2009 . September 13, 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110308064204/http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/charts/decadeendcharts/2009/billboard-200-albums . March 8, 2011.
33. Web site: Macy Gray: On How Life Is . Amazon (US) . December 1, 2018.