Y’all knew this one was coming. This song is so important to the 90s R&B movement. I know Mary is still searching for her “Real Love” in this song, and she ain’t giving up hope! In the bridge she flat out says “If I stay strong maybe I’ll find my real love!” Followed by one of the best runs ever in life.

This list legit could not exist without “Real Love”. It was a no brainer. Honestly it’s the first song that I thought of when I decided to compile the list. From the minute those piano keys come in at the very beginning and Mary starts her “Oooooh”s, you’re fully invested. A lot of folks will have you thinking that this was MJB’s first single, but it wasn’t! This was the follow-up to “You Remind Me”. “Real Love” is just that good that it kind of stole the previous track’s thunder a bit.

If there’s one thing Mary knows how to do, it’s emote. She knows how to make you feel your feelings deeply. There’s the running joke in our community that you know when Mary been through a breakup you about to get a QUALITY album. Some will even go as far as to say they don’t like “Happy Mary”. Well I love ALL the Marys and “Real Love” started the love affair.

I wanted to be like Mary. I had the Jersey and the bike shorts, I wore my hair in the top bun with the part in the middle and the two pieces of hair hanging down framing my face, and let’s not get started on how my room was FILLED with her posters. “Real Love” is the bop of bops. It comes on and it’s 1992 all over again. “Real love, I’m searching for a real loooove… ” simple words, simple sentiment, enormous impact.