
Mary came in and she and I tweaked some of the lines and tightened the record up lyrically to fit her. Cox commented on the production of "Be Without You": "I did the whole track and Jason co-composed the bridge with me, and Johnta wrote the lyrics and the melody. In addition, the song features three engineers and was mixed by David Pensado. Cox played all instruments, helped by Young Smoke, as well as Ron Fair, who also did the additional vocal arrangements and string arrangements. It was co-written by Blige along with Bryan-Michael Cox, Jason Perry and Johnta Austin, and co-produced by Cox and Young Smoke. The song follows a chord progression of Dm – B ♭ maj7 – C – Dm – Gm 7 – C – A7, and Blige's vocals span from F 3 to D 5. "Be Without You" is a contemporary R&B and hip hop soul song written in the key of D minor with a tempo of 73 beats per minute. Problems playing this file? See media help. Blige's "Be Without You" from The Breakthrough The song was nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year and won the Best R&B Song and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance categories at the 2007 Grammy Awards.

Blige's most successful singles to date, peaking at number three on the Billboard Hot 100.

In March 2017, Billboard ranked "Be Without You" as the most successful R&B/Hip-Hop Song of all time. Ranking among the most played songs on US radio in the year 2006, the single was certified double-platinum by the RIAA in 2007. It was released as the album's first official single on November 14, 2005. Production was helmed by Cox and Young Smoke, while vocal production was overseen by Ron Fair and Blige.

It was written by Johnta Austin, Bryan Michael Cox, Jason Perry and Blige for her seventh studio album, The Breakthrough (2005). " Be Without You" is a song by American recording artist Mary J.
