In the summer of 1995, you could not escape it. “Waterfalls” floated out of car windows, shopping-mall speakers and every pop and R&B station in the country, with that warm horn line and a chorus everyone could sing. Only when you listened closely did you notice how serious the verses were.
That mix of a sunny hook and a hard message is what made TLC’s biggest hit so special. In this 90s Throwback feature, we look back at how the song was made, the groundbreaking million-dollar video, its record-setting chart run, and why it still means so much to the people who grew up with it.
▶️ Please scroll down for the video. You’ll find it at the very end of the article!
A Pop Song With Something to Say
“Waterfalls” was written by TLC’s Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes together with Marqueze Etheridge and the Atlanta production team Organized Noize, who also produced it. Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas sing the verses and chorus, and Left Eye delivers the rap. Listen for a familiar voice in the background, too: CeeLo Green, who grew up with the group in Atlanta, sang backing vocals.
The lyrics tell two cautionary stories. In one, a mother watches her son drift into the drug trade. In the other, a young man takes a risk in love and pays for it with HIV. The chorus, “don’t go chasing waterfalls,” is the advice that ties them together: stick to what you know and do not move too fast. T-Boz said it was important to get the message across “without seeming like preaching.”
According to BMG, it was the first No. 1 song to refer to AIDS. If the opening line sounds a little familiar, you have a good ear. Paul McCartney released a different song called “Waterfalls” in 1980 that begins with a very similar warning, and he later noted the resemblance with some amusement.
Left Eye’s Verse
Left Eye’s rap is the most personal part of the record. She later said it reflected problems she was dealing with at the time, and her lines about dreams and believing in yourself are the emotional turning point of the song. After her death in 2002, the lyrics to her verse were engraved on her casket.
TLC in the Mid-90s
By 1995, TLC was already one of the biggest groups in America. The trio from Atlanta had broken out in 1992 with baggy clothes, bright colors and playful hits. Their second album, CrazySexyCool, released in late 1994, showed a more grown-up side. “Creep” had already gone to No. 1, and “Red Light Special” was a hit, too.
It is easy to forget how close “Waterfalls” came to not being a single at all. Arista president Clive Davis reportedly disliked the song at first, and the group had to ask their mentor L.A. Reid to convince him to release it and pay for a big video. That decision changed everything.
The Video: A Million Dollars and a Message
Directed by F. Gary Gray, who released his first feature film, Friday, that same year and much later made Straight Outta Compton, the “Waterfalls” video had a budget of about $1 million and was filmed at Universal Studios Hollywood. It acts out both verses like short films.
In the first story, a teenager played by Shyheim ignores his mother’s pleas to stop selling drugs. Her spirit stands silently in front of him, begging him to stop, before he is shot on a street corner. In the second, a couple decides not to use protection, and the man slowly sees the first signs of illness in the mirror. Both stories end with the characters fading away, a simple image that hit viewers hard.
TLC Made of Water
Between the stories, TLC appear as shimmering, liquid figures dancing on the surface of the ocean and in front of a real waterfall. The effects were created by Homer & Associates using motion capture, the same technique the company had used for Peter Gabriel’s “Steam” video and the 1992 film The Lawnmower Man.
The group helped shape the concept. Chilli imagined the trio as water spirits, inspired by James Cameron’s film The Abyss. T-Boz came up with the storylines, and Left Eye pictured TLC traveling through space, which Gray turned into the trio arriving straight from the sky.
Filming the ocean scenes was not as calm as it looks. T-Boz, who could not swim, later said the trio stood on a wobbly plastic platform. “I thought I was gonna fall in,” she recalled, explaining that is why her feet stay planted wide and never move.
Making MTV History
The video became an MTV staple, and TLC became the first act to stay at the top of MTV’s Video Monitor chart for more than a month. At the 1995 MTV Video Music Awards, it won four awards: Video of the Year, Best Group Video, Best R&B Video and the Viewer’s Choice award. TLC became the first African-American act to win Video of the Year, a milestone that built on the doors opened a decade earlier by videos like Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean.”
Chart Success and Awards
Released on May 29, 1995, as the third single from CrazySexyCool, “Waterfalls” spent seven weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was TLC’s second U.S. No. 1 and finished as the No. 2 song of 1995 on Billboard’s year-end chart. It also went to No. 1 in New Zealand and Switzerland and reached the top 10 in Australia, Canada and the U.K.
At the 1996 Grammy Awards, it was nominated for Record of the Year and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. That same night, TLC won Best R&B Album for CrazySexyCool and Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for “Creep.” The album went on to be certified Diamond by the RIAA, making TLC the first girl group to reach that level.
Why “Waterfalls” Still Matters
Many 90s hits sound like their era. “Waterfalls” sounds like its era and like right now. The worries in the lyrics have not gone away, and the gentle way the song delivers them still feels kind rather than preachy.
The critics agree. Billboard ranked it No. 11 on its list of the 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time, VH1 placed it No. 8 on its 100 Greatest Songs of the ’90s, and in 2022 The Guardian named it the greatest TLC song of all.
For many fans, it is also a song about Left Eye. Her final performance with TLC was “Waterfalls,” at MTV’s 20th anniversary celebration on August 1, 2001. She died in a car crash in Honduras on April 25, 2002.
Listening Tips: Where to Go Next
- Start with the full album version. Some radio edits drop Left Eye’s rap, and the song is not complete without it.
- Play CrazySexyCool (1994) from start to finish. It is one of the best R&B albums of the decade.
- Songs to try next: “Creep,” “Red Light Special” and “Diggin’ on You,” all from the same album.
- For a greatest-hits set: TLC’s collection 20 (2013) gathers the big singles in one place.
- Watch the story: the 2013 VH1 film CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story dramatizes the group’s rise.
- Hear a surprise cover: Bette Midler recorded “Waterfalls” for her album It’s the Girls!
Fun Facts About “Waterfalls”
- The smooth bass line was improvised by LaMarquis “ReMarqable” Jefferson.
- In 2010, Billboard named “Waterfalls” the top summer song of 1995.
- Entertainment Weekly ranked it No. 32 on its list of The 100 Greatest Summer Songs.
- At the 2013 American Music Awards, TLC performed it with Lil Mama, who rapped Left Eye’s verse as a tribute.
“Waterfalls” Quick Facts
| Artist | TLC |
| Written by | Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes, Marqueze Etheridge and Organized Noize |
| Produced by | Organized Noize |
| Album | CrazySexyCool (1994) |
| Single release | May 29, 1995 (LaFace/Arista) |
| Billboard Hot 100 peak | No. 1 for seven weeks (1995) |
| Video director | F. Gary Gray |
| MTV Video Music Awards | 4 wins in 1995, including Video of the Year |
| Grammy nominations | Record of the Year, Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal (1996) |
| Album certification | Diamond (RIAA) |
Sources
- “Waterfalls” (TLC song) on Wikipedia (citing Billboard, MTV, The Guardian and band interviews)
- CrazySexyCool on Wikipedia (RIAA Diamond certification, Grammy wins)
- TLC (group) on Wikipedia
Photo Credits
- Featured image: Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas performing in Toronto, 2016 by The Come Up Show, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Featured image: TLC at the Throwback Bash, TD Echo Beach, Toronto, 2016 by The Come Up Show, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Featured image: Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins performing in Toronto, 2016 by The Come Up Show, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- In-article image: T-Boz on stage at TD Echo Beach, Toronto, 2016 by The Come Up Show, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- In-article image: TLC on stage at TD Echo Beach, Toronto, 2016 by The Come Up Show, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- In-article image: View over the Universal Studios Hollywood backlot by Rob Young, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
