Mary J. Blige has released the powerful “See What You’ve Done” song from the new documentary Belly of the Beast. The song opens up with enticing piano chords as Mary J. sings words strung together by co-writers Nova Wav and DJ Camper. On the song, the legendary singer passionately croons about maintaining strength until the fight is over:
“What’s goin’ on? We got strength but no power, and all we’ve ever wanted was what’s ours. Then one day we wake up and everything has changed. Who can I blame? Who’s gonna carry the shame? After all of this pain, I’ll never be this same. Why I, I cry, oh why? But while I still got time. I’ll just keep on fightin’. ’Cause it ain’t over ‘til it’s over.
Belly of the Beast is an Erika Cohn that film focuses on the sterilization of women in California prisons. It arrived virtually on Friday, with purchases supporting select theaters in wake of Covid-19. It will have its television debut on PBS on November 23rd.
“I was so moved by the film and Kelli Dillon’s story,” Mary J. Blige said about the song. “I immediately knew I wanted to be involved, so I teamed up with Nova Wav and DJ Camper to write a song that would amplify the voices of women in prison. No one has the right to make decisions about a woman’s body without her consent and ‘See What You’ve Done’ is an indictment, a testimony, a call to be strong, and an anthem for a movement whose work isn’t done yet.”
In 2018, Nine-time Grammy Award-winner Mary J. Blige made history as the first person in the Academy Awards’ history to be nominated for an acting performance and an original song in the same year for her work on the critically-acclaimed film Mudbound. In addition to being nominated for Best Supporting Actress, she also received a nomination for Best Original Song for “Mighty River” from the film’s soundtrack.
Listen to the new “See What You’ve Done” song below.