Waterfalls (TLC song)

"Waterfalls"
Single by TLC
from the album CrazySexyCool
ReleasedMay 1995 (US)
July 1995 (UK)
Genre
Length4:40 (album version)
4:19 (single edit)
3:32 (no rap edit)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Organized Noize
TLC singles chronology
"Red Light Special"
(1995) 		"Waterfalls"
(1995) 		"Diggin' on You"
(1995)
Music video
"Waterfalls" on YouTube

"Waterfalls" is a song by American hip-hop group TLC, released by LaFace and Arista as the third single from their second album, CrazySexyCool (1994), in May 1995 in the United States, followed by a United Kingdom release on July 24, 1995.[4]

Often considered one of the group's signature songs,[5][6] along with "No Scrubs", "Waterfalls" was an international hit, topping the charts in many countries. The song spent seven weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving the group their second US No. 1; it was the No. 2 song of the year on the Billboard 1995 year-end chart. "Waterfalls" also peaked at No. 1 in New Zealand, Switzerland and Zimbabwe while reaching the top 10 in several other countries, including Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom. "Waterfalls" received critical acclaim, earning two Grammy nominations at the 38th Annual Grammy Awards in 1996 for Record of the Year and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.

The song addresses the illegal drug trade, promiscuity, and HIV/AIDS. Jarett E. Nolan of BMG noted that "Waterfalls" was the first number-one song to refer to AIDS in one of its verses.[7] The song's music video, directed by F. Gary Gray, reflected its socially conscious lyrics via a million-dollar budget and became an MTV staple that boosted the song's success, staying atop the MTV Video Monitor chart for over a month (and making TLC the first act to do so) and winning four MTV Video Music Awards in 1995, including Video of the Year (making them the first African-American act to receive the trophy).

  1. ^ Werthman, Christine (August 1, 2017). "The Best 90s R&B Songs". Complex. Retrieved September 11, 2017.
  2. ^ "TLC's 'CrazySexyCool' at 20: Classic Track-by-Track Album Review". Billboard. November 15, 2014. Archived from the original on September 5, 2023. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference billboard500bestpopsongs was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. July 22, 1995. p. 31.
  5. ^ Sanchez, Charles (August 11, 2023). "Almost 30 Years Later, Discovering the Power of TLC's 'Waterfalls'". TheBody. Archived from the original on August 15, 2023. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "Billboard". August 12, 1995 – via Google Books.