The Diary of Alicia Keys

The Diary of Alicia Keys is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Alicia Keys. It was released on November 21, 2003, by J Records. Almost entirely written and produced by Keys, the album is a concept album functioning as her auditory diary, primarily dealing with relationship complexities. Musically, it is predominantly a soul, R&B, contemporary classical, and hip-hop record.

While touring in support of her debut studio album Songs in A Minor (2001), Keys began writing songs for The Diary of Alicia Keys, conceiving it as an intimate record devoid of featured artists. Recording sessions commenced following the Songs in A Minor Tour's culmination in December 2002, and continued even into the international promotional tour ahead of the album's release in November 2003. Keys' then-partner and frequent collaborator Kerry Brothers Jr. largely contributed to the album, while other contributors included Timbaland, Easy Mo Bee, Kanye West, and Dre & Vidal, with whom Keys collaborated for the first time. Furthermore, Keys eschewed the neo soul style of Songs in A Minor in favor of 1960s–1970s-influenced traditional soul for The Diary of Alicia Keys.

The Diary of Alicia Keys received widespread acclaim from music critics, who generally agreed that it refuted expectations of a sophomore slump, while praising Keys' artistic maturity and vocal performance. A substantial commercial success, it debuted atop the US Billboard 200, with first-week sales of 618,000 units, and became one of the best-selling albums of 2003 and 2004, both nationally and globally. The album yielded four singles, three of which—"You Don't Know My Name", "If I Ain't Got You", and "Diary"—reached the top 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and were among biggest hits of 2004 in the US. To further promote The Diary of Alicia Keys, Keys embarked on the Verizon Ladies First Tour (2004), co-headlined with Beyoncé and Missy Elliott, and the Diary Tour (2004–2005).

The Diary of Alicia Keys earned Keys nominations for numerous industry awards, and won her a second Grammy Award for Best R&B Album, among other awards. In retrospective commentaries, a multitude of critics stated that the album solidified Keys' status in the music industry, and extended her critical and commercial success past her debut. By the release of its successor As I Am (2007), The Diary of Alicia Keys had sold over eight million copies worldwide. In 2020, it was certified quintuple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for combined sales and album-equivalent units of five million in the US. In commemoration of its 20th anniversary, the album was reissued as The Diary of Alicia Keys 20 in December 2023, and won a Grammy Award for Best Immersive Audio Album.

Background and development

Alicia Keys' debut studio album Songs in A Minor was released on June 26, 2001, by J Records. A fusion of classical music, traditional and modern styles of soul, and contemporary R&B, it received widespread critical acclaim, being hailed as an auspicious and accomplished debut. Preceded by the US Billboard Hot 100 number-one single "Fallin'", It earned Keys five Grammy Awards at the 44th Annual Grammy Awards (2002), which tied Keys with Lauryn Hill as the female artist with most Grammy Awards won in a single ceremony. The album is widely regarded as an immensely influential record of its era, and is credited with propelling Keys to global prominence, placing her at the forefront of neo soul.

One of the best-selling albums of 2001 and 2002, Songs in A Minor had sold over 10 million copies worldwide by November 2003. Keys, however, felt confident due to her experience from the creation of Songs in A Minor.

Writing and recording

thumb|left|The death of [[Aaliyah (pictured) inspired Keys to write "If I Ain't Got You".|alt=Aaliyah in Berlin, May 2000]]

Keys began writing songs for what would become The Diary of Alicia Keys as early as 2001, with "If I Ain't Got You" being among the first songs written. As Christina Aguilera asked Keys to write a song for her fourth studio album Stripped (2002), Keys considered proffering "If I Ain't Got You" to her, but was persuaded otherwise by J Records' then-executive vice president of artists and repertoire (A&R) Peter Edge; Keys ultimately wrote "Impossible" for Aguilera. Initial recording sessions took place at the Kampo Studio in New York City, as Keys refrained from recording at locations frequently used by her contemporaries in order to concentrate solely on her work. "Samsonite Man" and "Nobody Not Really", which would ultimately become the album's closing tracks, were the first tracks recorded, and were used as guidelines for the remainder of the production. Both versions were co-produced by D'Wayne Wiggins. which Keys declared "some of the best music ever created". Critic Mark Anthony Neal observed how the album's traditional soul-oriented sound transcended the neo soul style of Songs in A Minor, The intro "Harlem's Nocturne" fuses classical piano with hip-hop drums. "Dragon Days", which is built upon artificial classic rock guitar licks created through a keyboard, while Keys' then-manager Jeff Robinson characterized it as a gospel recording.

Lyrical themes

The Diary of Alicia Keys is a concept album, constructed as Keys' auditory diary. "Dragon Days" depicts Keys as a damsel in distress, equating longing for a distant lover to days which "drag on". Intimacy is the theme of "Diary", which encourages closeness and candor with a romantic partner, and "Slow Down", which follows a protagonist desiring to delay consummation. The titular character of "Samsonite Man" is an itinerant lover, Bonus track "Streets of New York (City Life)" is an affectionate ode to New York City. Promotional efforts for the album would not commence until October, with Keys appearing on the cover of the October 30, 2003-dated issue of Rolling Stone alongside Missy Elliott and Eve. At a worldwide launch at the Criterion Theatre in London on November 3, Keys performed "You Don't Know My Name", "Streets of New York (City Life)", "Diary", "If I Ain't Got You", and "If I Was Your Woman"/"Walk on By". The promotional tour continued across Europe until November 13. being selected over the crossover-appealing "If I Ain't Got You" in order to market the album to Keys' core, urban contemporary-oriented audience first. Keys continued promoting the album by performing at the Vibe Awards on November 20, at AOL Broadband Rocks! Live on December 1, on Good Morning America on December 2, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on December 4 and 5, as well as appearing on Primetime and The Oprah Winfrey Show. Despite initial contemplations of releasing "Heartburn" as the second single from The Diary of Alicia Keys, "If I Ain't Got You" was released on February 23, 2004. It became Keys' second consecutive Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs number one, touring across the US until April 21. After the tour's conclusion, Keys continued promoting the album with televised performances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on May 3, and Today on May 7.

To promote The Diary of Alicia Keys internationally, Keys performed "You Don't Know My Name", "If I Ain't Got You" and "Karma" on the May 14, 2004-dated episode of Later... with Jools Holland in the UK, held a concert in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on May 28, and performed at various festivals across Europe throughout the summer. "Diary" was released as the album's third single on May 24, becoming Keys' fourth consecutive Billboard Hot 100 top-10 hit by peaking at number eight. performing the latter at the BET Awards 2004 on June 29, and with Stevie Wonder at the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards on August 29, as well as performing "Heartburn" at Fashion Rocks on September 8. A double-disc special edition of The Diary of Alicia Keys was made available in select countries outside North America in September, while a video album of the same title, featuring behind-the-scenes footage chronicling the album's production and release, was released in the US on November 16. Keys headlined the Wall of Hope concert on the Great Wall of China on September 25, and commenced the Diary Tour in October, initially touring Asia and Oceania. "Karma" was released as the album's fourth and final single on November 1, peaking at number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100; According to the year-end Billboard Hot 100 for 2004, "If I Ain't Got You" was the chart's third biggest hit of the year, while "You Don't Know My Name" and "Diary" were both placed within the top 40. Keys performed "If I Ain't Got You" at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards on February 13, 2005, before expanding the Diary Tour to North America from February 23 to April 24, 2005.

Critical reception

On release, The Diary of Alicia Keys received widespread critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 based on reviews from mainstream critics, it holds an average score of 71, based on 17 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Multiple journalists declared that the album fulfilled the high expectations set by the critical success of Songs in A Minor, while USA Today and Mark Anthony Neal in PopMatters opined that The Diary of Alicia Keys displayed Keys' artistic progression. The magazine subsequently listed the album as the ninth best of 2003, while The Washington Times proclaimed it second best.

Writing in The New York Times, Jon Pareles stated that with The Diary of Alicia Keys, Keys testified the tenacity of songwriting in soul music, noting Keys' lyrical progression since her debut. Tom Horan of The Daily Telegraph also hailed Keys' lyricism, concluding that she "summons up a wisdom and worldliness that is extraordinary in someone so young". Similarly, Rob Sheffield called the album "an assured, adult statement, steeped in the complicated love life and musical dreams of an ambitious young woman" in Rolling Stone. Mojo described the record as "an hour of heartful, artful singing enhanced by dense, yet fuss-free arrangements".

In less laudatory commentaries on The Diary of Alicia Keys, multiple critics emphasized the loss of invigoration throughout its second half. In Entertainment Weekly, David Browne said the latter part of the album "drifts into a narcotized semi-slumber of one earnest, samey retro-soul piano ballad after another", Laura Sinagra of The Village Voice felt that the album's songs lack hooks and other "surface content", instead sounding like unfinished vocal sketches. Neal said that only "fleeting glimpses" of Keys' actual sensibilities are shown, perceiving the album as recorded to appeal to mainstream audiences, thus lacking cohesion. Alexis Petridis, writing in The Guardian, found it creatively safe and marred by "anodyne slow numbers studded with knowing references to old records". Uncut and Ethan Brown in New York lambasted Keys' lyricism; the former described it as filled with a "litany of cliche and hackneyed need-a-man" wailing, while Brown wrote that the album "collapses under the weight of one song about heartbreak after another". indicating "a bad record whose details rarely merit further thought".

The Diary of Alicia Keys and its tracks received nominations for a myriad of industry awards. At the 35th NAACP Image Awards (2004), it was nominated for Outstanding Album, while Keys won for Outstanding Female Artist. The album was also nominated for Favorite Soul/R&B Album at the American Music Awards of 2004, with Keys winning Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist. At the 47th Annual Grammy Awards (2005), the album won Keys her second Grammy Award for Best R&B Album, also being nominated for Album of the Year; "You Don't Know My Name" won for Best R&B Song, while "If I Ain't Got You" was nominated for Song of the Year and won for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. The Diary of Alicia Keys also won the 2005 Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul Album – Female, and was nominated for the 2005 Teen Choice Award for Choice Music – Album. Internationally, it earned Keys nominations for the 2004 Edison Award for International Singer, and the 2004 MOBO Award for Best Album.

In a retrospective review published via AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine described The Diary of Alicia Keys as "a seamless piece of work, a sultry slow groove that emphasizes her breathy, seductive voice and lush soulfulness". He nonetheless referred to it as inferior to Songs in A Minor, In The Great Rock Discography (2004), Martin C. Strong reflected on The Diary of Alicia Keys showcasing Keys' "sophistication way beyond her years", calling it a "flawless marriage of classic and contemporary black music, pure pop and singer-songwriter self examination". In 2007, The Diary of Alicia Keys was ranked at number 129 on both New York Daily Newss listing of top 200 albums of all time", and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's "Definitive 200". It was also included on the 2020 edition of Rolling Stones 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, at number 277; the publication's staff hailed it as an improvement from its predecessor, and concluded that, despite drawing influences from Aretha Franklin and Nina Simone, it was inherently Keys' endeavor. In August 2025, the album was ranked at number 69 on Billboards list of Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums of the 21st Century.

Commercial performance

In the US, The Diary of Alicia Keys debuted atop the Billboard 200 chart dated December 20, 2003, becoming her second consecutive number-one debut. Its first-week sales of 618,000 units marked the third largest, and the largest for a female artist, of 2003. In its second week, the album descended to number two on the Billboard 200, selling 324,000 copies. It returned to the summit in its third week, with sales of 370,000 units, surpassing one million copies sold, before descending to number two again, a position on which it spent three consecutive weeks. Charting for a total of 87 weeks, the album is Keys' longest-charting on the Billboard 200. leaping towards the chart's summit the following week, after its first full sales-tracking week, and spending six consecutive weeks atop the chart. Its performance on the Billboard charts earned Keys a multitude of nominations at the 2004 Billboard Music Awards, including those for Billboard 200 Album of the Year, R&B/Hip-Hop Album of the Year, and R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Artist of the Year, while Keys won for Female Artist of the Year. Based on its performance on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, The Diary of Alicia Keys was also nominated for the 2004 Billboard/American Urban Radio Networks R&B/Hip-Hop Award for Top R&B/Hip-Hop Album. It placed fourth and second on the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums year-end charts for 2004, respectively. In August 2020, it was certified quintuple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and album-equivalent units of five million in the country. being certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) in February 2004, for shipments of 100,000 units in the country. It was the 14th best-selling album in the world of 2003,

Legacy

thumb|upright|left|Keys in 2025|alt=Keys smiling against yellow background

The Diary of Alicia Keys is widely considered to have refuted expectations of a sophomore slump for Keys. Ahead of its release, Robert Hilburn of Los Angeles Times hailed Keys' performance on the record as a "liberating break from the calculated, anonymous tone of most commercial R&B and pop these days". Upon the release of Keys' third studio album As I Am (2007), Chrissy Iley of The Sunday Times remarked that The Diary of Alicia Keys "confirmed her place in musical history", while Angus Batey of The Times elaborated that it laid foundations for "a career that may yet emulate the legends that her music echoes", namely Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, and Prince. In March 2004, it was announced Keys planned to write a book inspired by The Diary of Alicia Keys, which was soon revealed to be a collection of her poems and lyrics titled Tears for Water. The book was released that November, accompanied by a poetry slam-themed release party hosted by Craig Grant, and featuring Kanye West, Mos Def, and Common. An autobiography titled The Diary of Alicia Keys was also announced for fall 2005, In September 2004, Keys disclosed her intention to record an MTV Unplugged-inspired live album counterpart to The Diary of Alicia Keys, stating: "I love getting into the studio, but it's when you get on that stage, for me, it really translates to the people just how passionate I am about the words that I write." Keys' MTV Unplugged concert at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in July 2005 was recorded for the live album Unplugged (2005). However, instead of being a live version of The Diary of Alicia Keys, the album comprised tracks from both of her studio albums, as well as previously unreleased material. By the release of As I Am, Keys had extensively traveled to Africa as a global ambassador of Keep a Child Alive, a nonprofit organization supporting AIDS-affected communities, and made her acting debut in Smokin' Aces (2006), followed by a supporting role in The Nanny Diaries (2007). As I Am replicated the success of its predecessors, becoming Keys' fourth consecutive US Billboard 200 number-one album, following Unplugged, registering largest first-week sales of Keys' career with 742,000 units sold.

Keys' eighth studio album Keys (2021) included "Is It Insane", a track originally written and recorded for The Diary of Alicia Keys; Keys deemed it unfit for latter and attempted to adjust it into each of her subsequent albums, before including it on Keys. On November 2, 2023, it was announced that The Diary of Alicia Keys would be re-released to include nine bonus tracks, in commemoration of its 20th anniversary. One of the bonus tracks, "Golden Child", which derived from a Tears for Water poem of the same title and was recorded in 2003, was made available for digital consumption the same day. The expanded edition, titled The Diary of Alicia Keys 20, was released on December 1. Keys promoted it with a concert at Webster Hall in New York on the same date, performing the album in its entirety.

Track listing

Notes

signifies a co-producer.
signifies an additional producer.
Limited edition pressings include a bonus DVD with behind-the-scenes footage.
Urban Outfitters exclusive vinyl pressings of The Diary of Alicia Keys 20 include a bonus 7-inch vinyl, instead of the bonus tracks. The 7-inch vinyl contains "Streets of New York (City Life)" and its instrumental.
"Karma" contains excerpts from Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77 by Johannes Brahms.
"You Don't Know My Name" contains excerpts and a sample from "Let Me Prove My Love to You" by The Main Ingredient.
"If I Was Your Woman"/"Walk on By" is a cover of "If I Were Your Woman" by Gladys Knight & the Pips, and contains excerpts from "Walk On By" by Isaac Hayes.
"Streets of New York (City Life)" contains a sample from "N.Y. State of Mind" by Nas.

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the liner notes.

Sanford Allen – concertmaster (tracks 5 and 9), violin (tracks 5 and 9)
Alli – art direction, design
Ayako – makeup
Burt Bacharach – songwriting (track 4)
J. R. Bailey – songwriting (track 5)
Elijah Baker – bass (track 7)
Julien Barber – viola (track 9)
Katreese Barnes – background vocals (tracks 6 and 9)
Pablo Batista – percussion (tracks 14 and 15)
Tony Black – engineering (all tracks), mixing (tracks 1, 10, 12, and 15)
Richard Brice – viola (tracks 5 and 9)
Kurt Briggs – violin (track 5)
Kerry Brothers Jr. – digital programming (tracks 1, 2, 6–9, 11, and 12), drums (track 14), engineering (tracks 8 and 12), instrumentation (track 2), production (tracks 1, 2, and 8), songwriting (tracks 2, 7, 9, and 11)
Avril Brown – violin (tracks 5 and 9)
Stockley Carmichael – background vocals (track 7)
Fred Cash, Jr. – bass (tracks 6 and 14)
Robert Chausow – viola (track 5)
Ray Chew – string arrangement (tracks 5 and 9), string conducting (tracks 5 and 9)
Hal David – songwriting (track 4)
Dre & Vidal – instrumentation (track 10), production (track 10), songwriting (track 10)
Ronnie Drayton – guitar (track 8)
Vincent DiLorenzo – additional engineering (track 10)
Darryl Dixon – horns (track 6)
Peter Edge – executive production
Russell Elevado – mixing (track 9)
Marisol Espada – cello (track 9)
Michael Evans – production coordination (track 3)
Barry Finclair – viola (tracks 5 and 9)
Easy Mo Bee – digital programming (track 4), production (track 4)
Eileen Folson – cello (track 5)
Alan Ford – mixing assistance (track 12)
Dan Gautreau – engineering assistance (tracks 3 and 11)
Onree Gill – Hammond B3 (track 8), Rhodes (tracks 14 and 15)
L. Green – background vocals (tracks 6, 14, and 15), songwriting (track 13)
Sharief Hobley – guitar (track 5)
Andricka Hall – background vocals (track 9)
Stanley Hunte – violin (tracks 5 and 9)
Paul John – drums (track 15)
Gloria Jones – songwriting (track 4)
Steve Jordan – drums (track 6)
Mel Kent – songwriting (track 5)
Alicia Keys – background vocals (1–10, 12, 14, and 15), clavinet (track 1), executive production, instrumentation (tracks 8 and 9), keyboards (tracks 9 and 11), piano (tracks 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 11, and 13–15), piano synthesizers (track 8), production (tracks 1 and 3–15), Rhodes (tracks 1, 9, and 12), songwriting (tracks 1–3 and 5–15), string arrangement (track 9), synthesizers (tracks 11–13), vocals (all tracks)
Kumasi – additional synthesizers (track 13), digital programming (track 13), production (track 13)
Gwendolyn Laster – violin (track 9)
Chris LeBeau – art department production
John Legend – background vocals (track 5)
Harold Lilly – background vocals (track 5), songwriting (tracks 5 and 10)
Manny Marroquin – mixing (tracks 2, 5–8, 11, 13, and 14)
Hugh McCracken – guitar (track 6)
Clarence McMurray – songwriting (track 4)
Melissa Meell – cello (track 9)
Lori Miller – violin (track 5)
Walter Millsap III – engineering (track 3), songwriting (track 3)
Ann Mincieli – additional engineering (tracks 5, 7–11, 13, and 14)
Cindy Mizelle – background vocals (tracks 6 and 9)
Candice Nelson – songwriting (track 3)
Caryl Paisner – cello (track 5)
Jermaine Paul – background vocals (track 7)
William E. Pettaway, Jr. – production coordination (track 3)
Marion Pinheiro – violin (tracks 5 and 9)
Herb Powers, Jr. – mastering
Ricky Quinones – guitar (tracks 14 and 15)
Artie Reynolds – bass (track 5)
Maxine Roach – viola (tracks 5 and 9)
Jeff Robinson – executive production, management
Steve "Styles" Rodriguez – bass (tracks 11, 14, and 15)
Joe Romano – horns (tracks 2 and 6)
Erika Rose – background vocals (tracks 3, 14, and 15), songwriting (tracks 3, 13, and 14)
Tim Christian Riley – piano (track 7)
Warwick Saint – photography
Pam Sawyer – songwriting (track 4)
Al Schoonmaker – copying (tracks 5 and 9)
John "Jubu" Smith – guitar (track 7)
Taneisha Smith – background vocals (track 15), songwriting (tracks 2 and 15)
George Spivey – turntables
Denise Stoudmire – background vocals (track 3)
Dale Stuckenbruck – violin (tracks 5 and 9)
Timbaland – production (track 3), songwriting (track 3)
Nicole Tucker – hair
Rabeka Tuinei – mixing assistance (track 14)
Peter VanDerwater – viola (track 9)
Pat Viala – mixing (track 4)
Wouri Vice – styling assistance
Arcell Vickers – organ (tracks 6, 14, and 15)
Alexander Vselensky – violin (tracks 5 and 9)
David Watson – flute (track 15), horns (tracks 2 and 6), saxophone (track 15)
Willie Weeks – bass (track 9)
Kanye West – production (track 5), songwriting (track 5)
Carl "Rev" Wheeler – organ (track 7), Wurlitzer (track 7)
Artie White – guitar (tracks 11 and 13)
D'wayne Wiggins – bass (track 4), guitar (track 7), production (track 4), sitar (track 4)
Ken Williams – songwriting (track 5)
Jessica Wilson – background vocals (track 3)
Patti Wilson – styling
Xin Zhao – violin (track 5)

Charts

Weekly charts

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|+ 2003–2005 weekly chart performance

! scope="col"| Chart (2003–2005)

! scope="col"| Peak position

! scope="row"| Australian Urban Albums (ARIA)

! scope="row"|Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)

| 15

! scope="row"|Canadian R&B Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)

| 1

! scope="row"| European Top 100 Albums (Billboard)

| 5

! scope="row"| Greek International Albums (IFPI)

| 8

! scope="row"| Irish Albums (IRMA)

| 37

! scope="row"| Japanese Albums (Oricon)

| 19

! scope="row"| Scottish Albums (OCC)

| 33

! scope="row"| Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)

| 32

! scope="row"| UK R&B Albums (OCC)

| 1

Monthly charts

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|+ 2003 monthly chart performance

! scope="col"| Chart (2003)

! scope="col"| Peak position

! scope="row"| South Korean International Albums (RIAK)

| 7

Year-end charts

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|+ 2003 year-end chart performance

! scope="col"| Chart (2003)

! scope="col"| Position

! scope="row"| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)

| 58

! scope="row"| French Albums (SNEP)

| 122

! scope="row"| UK Albums (OCC)

| 75

! scope="row"| Worldwide Albums (IFPI)

| 14

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|+ 2004 year-end chart performance

! scope="col"| Chart (2004)

! scope="col"| Position

! scope="row"| Australian Albums (ARIA)

| 82

! scope="row"| Australian Urban Albums (ARIA)

| 10

! scope="row"| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)

| 58

! scope="row"| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)

| 99

! scope="row"| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)

| 5

! scope="row"| French Albums (SNEP)

| 23

! scope="row"| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)

| 52

! scope="row"| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)

| 22

! scope="row"| UK Albums (OCC)

| 72

! scope="row"| US Billboard 200

| 4

! scope="row"| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)

| 2

! scope="row"| Worldwide Albums (IFPI)

| 49

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|+ 2005 year-end chart performance

! scope="col"| Chart (2005)

! scope="col"| Position

! scope="row"| Australian Albums (ARIA)

| 63

! scope="row"| Australian Urban Albums (ARIA)

| 9

! scope="row"| US Billboard 200

| 84

! scope="row"| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)

| 45

Decade-end charts

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|+ 2000s decade-end chart performance

! scope="col"| Chart (2000–2009)

! scope="col"| Position

! scope="row"| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)

| 48

! scope="row"| US Billboard 200

| 55

! scope="row"| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)

| 196

All-time charts

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|+ All-time chart performance

! scope="col"| Chart

! scope="col"| Position

! scope="row"| US Billboard 200 (Women)

| 100

Certifications

! scope="row"| United Kingdom

| rowspan="2"| J

! scope="row"| United States

| December 2, 2003

! scope="row"| Japan

| December 3, 2003

| rowspan="2"| Standard

| CD

| rowspan="3"| BMG

! scope="row"| Australia

| September 6, 2004

| rowspan="3"| Special

| rowspan="3"| CD + enhanced CD

| rowspan="3"| Sony BMG

! scope="row"| Various

| rowspan="2"| December 1, 2023

| rowspan="2"| 20

! scope="row"| Europe

The Diary of Alicia Keys

Background and development

Writing and recording

Lyrical themes

Critical reception

Commercial performance

Legacy

Track listing

Notes

Personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

All-time charts

Certifications

See also

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

External links