Waterfalls – TLC | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning

Chart Performance: Pop (#1 for 7 weeks) & R&B (#4); 1995

Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne

1995 was the year of TLC. The only female group to reach #1, they locked up the top slot twice for a total of 11 weeks. Despite the impressive success of their 1992 debut, Ooooooohhh…On The TLC Tip, and three crossover singles, could they follow it up? All doubt was erased two and a half years later with the release of CrazySexyCool, and the instant radio and fan acceptance of Creep.

Creep topped both the Pop and R&B charts, spending a remarkable five months in the Top 10. The follow-up, Red Light Special, shared the Top 10 with Creep, then Waterfalls took over.

For co-writer Marqueze Etheridge Waterfalls just flowed from him one day in the studio, and Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins breezed through her vocal. All told, TLC tunes resided in the Top 10 for 46 weeks in 1995, and CrazySexyCool sold 11 million copies in the U.S. alone, then won a Grammy for Best R&B Album.

This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.

Produced by:

• Organized Noize

Lyrics Written by:

• Marqueze Etheridge
• Lisa Lopes
• Organized Noize

Awards:

• “Waterfalls” won four awards at the 1995 MTV Video Music Awards, including Video of the Year, Best Group Video, Best Art Direction, and Viewers’ Choice
• “Waterfalls” was nominated for two Grammy Awards at the 38th Annual Grammy Awards in 1996 for Record of the Year and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal