"Fortunate"
Single by Maxwell
from the album Life Soundtrack
ReleasedMarch 3, 1999
Recorded1998
GenreNeo soul
Length4:59
LabelColumbia, Rockland, Interscope
Songwriter(s)Robert Kelly
Producer(s)R. Kelly
Maxwell singles chronology
"Matrimony: Maybe You"
(1998) 		"Fortunate"
(1999) 		"Let's Not Play the Game"
(1999)

"Fortunate" is a neo soul song from the 1999 motion picture Life and was released on the film's soundtrack. The song was written, composed, produced and arranged by R. Kelly and recorded by Maxwell. "Fortunate" was awarded Best R&B Single of the Year at the Billboard Music Award and Best R&B/Soul Single (Male) at Soul Train Music Awards. Maxwell was nominated for a Grammy for Best R&B Male Vocalist and also nominated for a Blockbuster Entertainment Awards for Favorite Song of the Year.

The song, Maxwell's biggest hit to date, spent eight weeks at number one on the US R&B chart and peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100. It is his first number-one R&B hit, eventually followed by "Pretty Wings" in 2009.

According to R. Kelly, Maxwell didn't want to sing "Fortunate". Instead, he wanted to sing the song "Life" - which Kelly gave to K-Ci & JoJo. Kelly rejected Maxwell's idea because he felt that the neo-soul singer wouldn't have been believable singing a song from the perspective of a prison inmate.[1]

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for "Fortunate"
Chart (1999) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[2] 52
US Billboard Hot 100[3] 4
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[4] 1

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for "Fortunate"
Chart (1999) Position
US Billboard Hot 100[5] 24

Certifications

Certifications for "Fortunate"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[7] Gold 800,000[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ Keith, Murphy (11 April 2013). "Q&A: R. Kelly – The Mind Of A Mad Genius". vibe.com. SpinMedia. Retrieved 2015-01-05.
  2. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 180.
  3. ^ "Maxwell Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  4. ^ "Maxwell Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  5. ^ "Billboard Top 100 - 1999". Archived from the original on 2009-07-09. Retrieved 2010-08-28.
  6. ^ "Best-Selling Records of 1999". Billboard. Vol. 112, no. 4. BPI Communications Inc. January 22, 2000. p. 63. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  7. ^ "American single certifications – Maxwell – Fortunate". Recording Industry Association of America.
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