FEATURE:
Groovelines
TLC - Waterfalls
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I am currently writing…
features about Paul McCartney, as it is his eightieth birthday in June. As part of this run, I looked at his album, McCartney II (1980). One of the best songs on that album, Waterfalls, inspired one of the best songs of the 1990s. TLC’s Waterfalls, whilst not a cover of the McCartney song, does definitely nod to his track. The line “Don’t go chasing waterfalls” is directly taken from Macca’s song. Written by Marqueze Etheridge and Organized Noize with a verse by TLC's Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopes, it was TLC’s third single from their second album, CrazySexyCool (1994). One of the definite anthems and iconic tracks from a phenomenal album, I wanted to spend more time looking inside Waterfalls. It addresses the illegal drug trade and HIV/AIDS. One of the first number-one song to refer to AIDS in one of its verses, Waterfalls is a very important and historic song. So much more than a mere Pop song, it makes you think and sing along. It is also sad that one of its writers, Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopes, is not with us to see the song’s success. We sadly lost in her in April 2002. Twenty years after her passing, I know she would be proud to see how Waterfalls has taken off and become such an iconic track! I will end with a bit concerning the critical reception to the TLC smash. Before that, The Guardian spoke with TLC’s two surviving and current members, Tionne ‘T-Boz’ Watkins and Rozonda ‘Chilli’ Thomas about Waterfalls back in 2018:
“Rozonda ‘Chilli’ Thomas, singer
Anything that’s self-destructive, that’s chasing a waterfall. We wanted to make a song with a strong message – about unprotected sex, being promiscuous, and hanging out in the wrong crowd. The messages in Waterfalls hit home. I think that’s why it’s our biggest hit to date.
When it first went to radio, nobody got it. They didn’t understand what we were talking about. It needed the video to bring the words to life. Even I don’t think I really fell in love with the song until I saw it. The moment I did, I knew it would be a hit.
The timing was perfect. Organized Noize produced the track. They’d been working with Outkast and Goodie Mob and that funky, soulful sound that was their signature. CeeLo Green sang backing vocals – way before he was a big star. P Diddy did some interludes on the album, CrazySexyCool, too. But obviously, once our voices got on there, it became a TLC record.
The song made us much more relevant – not just a fun girl group. We were bringing awareness to subjects people were nervous talking about. It was groundbreaking for us: from then on, we were seen as the real deal.
We definitely wanted to be role models. We felt like a lot of females didn’t have other females pulling for them – so every song we put out was a girl-power song. We told it from a woman’s point of view. Women liked that and men respected it.
Aids is still out there. You still have bullying. You still have drugs. But you have to continue to bring awareness so that people can become more responsible and want to do the right things. You can never have too many records like Waterfalls.
Tionne ‘T-Boz’ Watkins, singer
I always loved what you’d call alternative music. Nirvana, Kurt Cobain, Duran Duran, Billy Idol. Bennie and the Jets by Elton John was my thing. I was born in Iowa and moved to Atlanta when I was a child. Every time I tell people I’m from Iowa, they go: “There’s black people there?” I actually have a T-shirt that says: “Yes, there are black people in Iowa.”
I wanted Waterfalls to be our version of alternative music. When I heard an early version, I thought: “My god, this is perfect.” It was so left of what we’d done on our first album. It was amazeballs. When we had finished recording it, we played it for Clive Davies, the big kahuna at the label. He was the boss of Arista, which distributed our label La Face. He didn’t like it. He said it was too deep. He didn’t think people would bump up the street to it.
So went to LA Reid, who ran LaFace. We bought a giant poster and wrote on it: “Please believe in us, we’ll make the best video ever.” He went against Clive and put up the money. We called in to direct the video. The first time he showed us the concept – which showed a kid getting killed selling drugs and a guy contracting HIV – we started crying. Aids was an epidemic at the time. Not long after the song came out, I was doing a book-signing and a man came up to me and held my hand. “I didn’t kill myself because of you,” he said. “I felt like nobody understood. But I felt like you guys understood how people can end up in my situation.”
We filmed the video in the lake where they shot Jaws. I was so worried about falling in
The day before recording, I’d been in a car with Lisa [“Left Eye” Lopes, who was killed in a car accident in 2002]. We saw a beautiful rainbow. That’s how her rap starts: “I seen a rainbow yesterday.” She’d been through a lot with the house burning down, she’d been locked up in the centre for drug and alcohol treatment. That was serious, what she said was real. It was for herself and everyone else who had been down the wrong path, chased the wrong things. And she really did see that rainbow – and it made her feel good about life and remember how precious it is. That song still has meaning 25 years on.
I will never forget the day we filmed that video. I can’t swim. It was 6am and I’m on this little plastic thing in the middle of 80,000 tonnes of water, in the lake where they shot Jaws at Universal Studios. That’s why my feet are planted. I do not move. I was so worried about falling in.
When we showed the video to Clive, he was like: “I knew it would be great!” And we were looking at him like: “What? Hush up!” We eventually fired people and got out of our deal. We were so underpaid. We made a lot of people wealthy. Being a black woman in the industry means you have so much going against you.
I’m not fearful about anything. If I believe in something and want to to talk about it, then that’s what we’re doing. I’m just happy that we were able to succeed in what we set out to do – make a difference”.
Before wrapping up, it is worth noting what critics thought of Waterfalls. Today, undoubtedly, it is one of the greatest songs ever, Its endurance, legacy and popularity is undeniable! This Wikipedia article collates critical reception and reaction to Waterfalls:
“Waterfalls" received critical acclaim from music critics. Bill Lamb from About.com stated that "slinky, gently insistent backing horns and guitar combine with smooth, languid vocals to create an instant R&B classic." Lamb noted that the song is "a disturbing commentary on street violence and its impact on the lives of young black men." Daryl McIntosh from Albumism said it is "a rare example of perfect production, poignant songwriting, and flawless vocal delivery." McIntosh added, "The lyrics offer cautionary tales of the allure of street life and uncontrolled sexual exploration. Interwoven by the melodic chorus". Christine Werthman from Complex wrote that "Waterfalls" "is drenched in water-droplet synth notes, live drums, rising horns, and a bass line that walks wherever it pleases." She noted that "it's a heavy song, but the warnings in the verses are buoyed by a rich, singable chorus, which certainly helped it get radio play." Entertainment Weekly described it as a "Prince-inspired ballad" that "hint[s] at the artistic greatness TLC might achieve if freed from commercial concerns." Music Week gave it four out of five, calling it "yet another radio-friendly hit", adding that "TLC swap wackiness for a more mature affair". James Hamilton from the magazine's RM Dance Update deemed it a "slinkily croaking and coing girls' US smash rolling slow sombrely worded message song". Nigel Butler of Sputnikmusic compared it to esteemed artists such as Sly and the Family Stone, Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder. Butler wrote, "The arrangement and instrumentation is absolutely fantastic - if a bunch of great melodies had an orgy, the result would something a little like this - and the lyrics are the best on an album that maintains a shockingly high standard of songwriting. Left-Eye drops the album's best rap on this track too."
The song was nominated for two Grammys at the 1996 Grammy Awards: Record of the Year and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. Billboard named it No. 11 on their list of 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time. It was also ranked 13th in VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the Past 25 Years and 8th on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 1990s. In 2010, Billboard awarded the song the top position of summer songs in 1995”.
One of those tracks that is not just a relic of the 1990s, Waterfalls is a timeless work that will continue to be discussed and loved generations from now. Even though it has its origins in a Paul McCartney song from his 1980 album, McCartney II, it is very much TLC’s baby. There is no doubt that the awesome Waterfalls is…
A true masterpiece.