"Diggin' on You" is a song by American girl group

TLC TLC may refer to: Arts and entertainment Television * ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2 * TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network ** TLC (Asia), an A ...

, from the group's second studio album, ''

CrazySexyCool ''CrazySexyCool'' is the second studio album by American girl group TLC, released on November 15, 1994, by LaFace and Arista Records. Following the group's record deal, they released their debut album '' Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip'' in 1992 ...

'' (1994). The song was written and produced by

Babyface Babyface or Baby Face can refer to: Nicknames * Lester Joseph Gillis a.k.a. Baby Face Nelson, an infamous 1930s bank robber * Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette (1933–1971), an American hard bop and soul-jazz musician * "Baby Face", Jimmy McLarnin ...

. It was released by

LaFace LaFace Records was an American record label based in Atlanta, Georgia, that operated as a unit of Sony Music Entertainment from 2008 to 2011 and was historically a part of Bertelsmann Music Group from 1989 to 2004. It was most active and achie ...

and Arista Records on October 10, 1995, as the fourth and final single from their album. A pop

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

, the song consists of a guitar, synthesizer and drum machine. The lyrics depict a relationship between a male and female during a summer afternoon. "Diggin' on You" received generally positive reviews from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

, many of whom praised the production. The song peaked at number five on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, number six on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart, and at number 18 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. It was

certified Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...

gold in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. An accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

was released in October 1995, and is directed by

F. Gary Gray Felix Gary Gray (born July 17, 1969) is an Americans, American film director, film producer, and music video director. Gray began his career as a director on numerous critically acclaimed and award-winning music videos, including "It Was a Good ...

. It features TLC performing at a live concert in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

. "Diggin' on You" has been

covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...

by several artists, while the music video introduction was

sampled Sample or samples may refer to: Base meaning * Sample (statistics), a subset of a population – complete data set * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of so ...

on Jay-Z's 2002 song "

Hovi Baby "Hovi Baby" is a song by Jay-Z from his album '' The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse''. It was released on November 12, 2002. It was released as the second single from the album. The song is produced by Just Blaze and contains a sample of the l ...

Background and composition

"Diggin' on You" was written and produced by American musician

. The song was recorded at The Music Grinder Studios in Hollywood, California, from 1993 to September 1994, during production of

's second studio album, ''

'' (1994). It was sent to contemporary hit radio in the United States on October 10, 1995, and released as a single in the United Kingdom on October 23, 1995. "Diggin' on You" was the fourth and final single to be released from ''CrazySexyCool''. The cover art was photographed by Arnold Turner. Musically, "Diggin' on You" is a pop

, with a

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...

-pop influence. The song contains a "jeep

beat Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery (c ...

" with a "streetwise vibe", and incorporates a

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In a number of uses, one e ...

. It consists of a guitar, with Babyface's synthesizer and drum machine arrangement. Lyrically, "Diggin' on You" depicts a boy hooking up with a girl "chillin' with er

Kool-Aid Kool-Aid is an American brand of flavored drink mix owned by Kraft Heinz based in Chicago, Illinois. The powder form was created by Edwin Perkins in 1927 based upon a liquid concentrate called Fruit Smack. History Kool-Aid was invented by ...

in a park", with Lynn Ford of ''

Indianapolis News The ''Indianapolis News'' was an evening newspaper published for 130 years, beginning December 7, 1869, and ending on October 1, 1999. The "Great Hoosier Daily," as it was known, at one time held the largest circulation in the state of Indiana. ...

'' opining that it has "a romantic aura steeped in young love". Writing for the '' Star Tribune'', Chuck Campbell noted that "women ..luxuriate in falling in love" during the song. Throughout the two verses, Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins sings about encountering a man while relaxing on a summer afternoon with Kool-Aid. Watkins, Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas,

Debra Killings Debra Killings (born July 7, 1966) is an American singer and bass guitarist, notable for extensive session musician, session and background vocal work for LaFace Records and Rowdy Records-based artists such as TLC (band), TLC, Monica (singer), Mo ...

, and Bebé provide

background vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are us ...

. Several "Diggin' on You" remixes were released, which Larry Flick of '' Billboard'' commented that it ranged from a live

brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other wit ...

version with

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

-inspired

horns Horns or The Horns may refer to: * Plural of Horn (instrument), a group of musical instruments all with a horn-shaped bells * The Horns (Colorado), a summit on Cheyenne Mountain * ''Horns'' (novel), a dark fantasy novel written in 2010 by Joe Hill ...

, to a pop and house hybrid. Writing for ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper between 1954 and 1991 for pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after the '' NME'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK album chart was published in '' ...

'', Ralph Tee described C.J. Mackintosh's mix to be "slick ndsmooth" and sonically similar to

Roy Ayers Roy Ayers (born September 10, 1940) is an American funk, soul, and jazz composer, vibraphone player, and music producer. Ayers began his career as a post-bop jazz artist, releasing several albums with Atlantic Records, before his tenure at Po ...

, the Untouchables production to contain a "darker hip hop" atmosphere, and compared the tone of

Soulshock Carsten Schack (born 1968 in Gug, Denmark) and better known by his stage name Soulshock is a Danish record producer and songwriter. Beginnings Carsten Schack was born in the Aalborg suburb of Gug, the son of economics professor Bent Schack and ...

's remix to

R. Kelly Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and sex offender convicted of racketeering and multiple sex offenses. During his recording career, Kelly sold over 75 million records worldwi ...

Critical reception and commercial performance

Writing for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', Ross Jones praised Babyface's "sultry" production on "Diggin' on You" and opined that

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...

s would be "comely" intrigued by TLC's "dirty phone-call" vocals. Chuck Arnold of '' Philadelphia Daily News'' stated that the song is one of three tracks on ''CrazySexyCool'' to be "radio-ready", while Langston Wertz Jr. of ''

The Charlotte Observer ''The Charlotte Observer'' is an American English-language newspaper serving Charlotte, North Carolina, and its metro area. The Observer was founded in 1886. As of 2020, it has the second-largest circulation of any newspaper in the Carolinas. I ...

'' and Cheryl Jackson of ''

The Tampa Tribune ''The Tampa Tribune'' was a daily newspaper published in Tampa, Florida. Along with the competing ''Tampa Bay Times'', the ''Tampa Tribune'' was one of two major newspapers published in the Tampa Bay area. The newspaper also published a ''St. Pe ...

'' considered "Diggin' on You" to be "sexy (and memorable)" and "laid-back" respectively. Tee gave the song's remixes a four out of five rating and considered Mackintosh's mix to be "the best". While reviewing the European

12-inch single The twelve-inch single (often written as 12-inch or 12″) is a type of vinyl ( polyvinyl chloride or PVC) gramophone record that has wider groove spacing and shorter playing time with a 'single' or a few related sound tracks on each surfac ...

of "Diggin' on You", James Hamilton of ''Record Mirror'' described

Eddie F Edward "DJ Eddie F" Ferrell (born March 25, 1968) is an American producer, DJ, songwriter, executive and entrepreneur. He is co-founder and partner of the rap group Heavy D & the Boyz. He is also mostly known for his various work and projects ser ...

's remix as "slinky rolling" accompanied by the TLC members' "husk and " oong" vocals, Soulshock's production as "delicately weaving", Mackintosh's mix as "chunk and "jiggling", and the Going Home Dub as "repetitive stuttery cantoring". In the United States, "Diggin' on You" peaked at number five on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart dated December 30, 1995, where it remained for 20 weeks. The song received a gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on January 3, 1996, for selling 500,000 copies in the US. In Australia, "Diggin' on You" debuted at number 36 on the ARIA Singles Chart dated January 21, 1996. It peaked at number six on the chart dated March 10, 1996, and was certified gold for sales of 35,000 track-equivalent units in the country. The song peaked at number eight on the

New Zealand Singles Chart The Official New Zealand Music Chart ( mi, Te Papa Tātai Waiata Matua o Aotearoa) is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The Music ...

dated November 26, 1995, and charted for 10 weeks. It received a gold certification by Recorded Music NZ (RMNZ), for sales of 5,000 track-equivalent units in New Zealand. In the United Kingdom, "Diggin' on You" bowed at number 18 on the

dated November 4, 1995, where it remained for five weeks. On the Irish Singles Chart, the song debuted on the chart dated November 2, 1995. It peaked at number 21 and charted for four weeks.

Music video and legacy

An accompanying

for "Diggin' on You" aired on MTV in October 1995, after " Kick Your Game" was sent to radio stations and TLC's management needed another song to be promoted as its replacement. It was directed by

, who returned from directing the video for TLC's previous song "

Waterfalls A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several w ...

" during the same year. The video begins with the group arriving at a

concert via helicopter, which opens with fanfare and uses the song's video version. They perform in front of a loud audience, with the members' appearance described by ''Billboard'' writer Brett Atwood as "larger-than-life". The music video was filmed at

MGM Grand Las Vegas The MGM Grand Las Vegas is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. The MGM Grand is the largest single hotel in the world with 6,852 rooms. It is also the third-largest hotel complex in the world by number of roo ...

and Madison Square Garden during TLC's tour, which Gray acknowledged that the venues' restrictions impacted filming and consequently stifled his creativity. The "Diggin' on You" music video introduction was

on Jay-Z's 2002 song "

", which was produced by

Just Blaze Justin Gregory Smith (born January 8, 1978), known professionally as Just Blaze, is an American hip hop record producer and DJ. Born in Paterson, New Jersey, Blaze attended Rutgers University for three years before dropping out to pursue his mu ...

. American musician

Sevyn Streeter Amber Denise "Sevyn" Streeter (born July 7, 1986)S ...

performed a

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of "Diggin' on You" as an a cappella on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

, which Da'Shan Smith of ''Billboard'' declared as "soft-rock&B". Smith additionally compared "Diggin' on You" to Streeter's 2013 song "

It Won't Stop "It Won't Stop" is a song recorded by American singer Sevyn Streeter, featuring vocals from American singer Chris Brown. It was released on May 22, 2013, as the first single from her debut extended play (EP) '' Call Me Crazy, But...'', by Atlant ...

", noting that both contain lyrics regarding "an endless infatuation with a lover". In 2017, Canadian producer

Kaytranada Louis Kevin Celestin (born August 25, 1992), known professionally as Kaytranada (stylized as KAYTRANADA, shortened as KAYTRA), is a Haitian-Canadian record producer and DJ. Celestin rose to prominence after releasing a series of mixtapes, remixes, ...

released a 2-step club remix of the song on his

SoundCloud SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming s ...

account, which was considered "irresistible" by ''

Paper Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, rags, grasses or other vegetable sources in water, draining the water through fine mesh leaving the fibre evenly distrib ...

'' writer Sandra Song, and "breezy" by Max Mohenu of ''

Vice A vice is a practice, behaviour, or habit generally considered immoral, sinful, criminal, rude, taboo, depraved, degrading, deviant or perverted in the associated society. In more minor usage, vice can refer to a fault, a negative character t ...

''.

Kelly Clarkson Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. She rose to fame after winning the first season of ''American Idol'' in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA. Her debu ...

performed a cover of "Diggin' on You" on ''

The Kelly Clarkson Show ''The Kelly Clarkson Show'' is an American daytime television variety talk show hosted by American singer Kelly Clarkson. It is produced and distributed by NBCUniversal Syndication Studios and features Clarkson interviewing celebrities and seg ...

'' episode dated March 29, 2021, where she was accompanied by a band and performed atop a purple and yellow-lit set.

Track listings

CD single A CD single (sometimes abbreviated to CDS) is a music single in the form of a compact disc. The standard in the Red Book for the term ''CD single'' is an 8 cm (3-inch) CD (or Mini CD). It now refers to any single recorded onto a CD of any si ...

cassette single A cassette single (CS), also known by the trademark cassingle, or capitalised as the trademark Cassette Single, is a music single supplied in the form of a Compact Cassette. The cassette single was first introduced in 1980. History The debut ...

maxi single A maxi single or maxi-single (sometimes abbreviated to MCD or CDM) is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an A-side song and a B-side song. The first maxi singles Mungo Jerry's first single, " In the Summertime" was t ...

UK CD single European CD single European 12-inch single Remixes digital downloadReleases for the remixes: * * *

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the back cover of "Diggin' on You". * Recorded by Brad Gilderman at The Music Grinder Studios,

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...

* Assisted by Eric Fischer and Lamont Hyde * Mixed by

Dave Way Dave Way is an American producer, mixer and audio engineer based in Los Angeles, California, United States. He has worked with Fiona Apple, Sheryl Crow, Kesha, Pink, Christina Aguilera, Macy Gray, Ringo Starr, Shakira, Phoebe Bridgers, John Doe, Sa ...

Larrabee Sound Studios Larrabee Sound Studios is a recording studio complex in North Hollywood, California, originally established in 1969. Facilities Located at 4162 Lankershim Boulevard in North Hollywood, Larrabee has six studios, three tracking spaces, and a produ ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

, California * All synthesizers and

drum programming Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices and computer software, such as sequencers and workstations or hardware synthesizers, sampler and sequencers, to generate sounds of musical instruments. These ...

by Babyface * Background vocals by

T-Boz Tionne Tenese Watkins (born April 26, 1970), better known by her stage name T-Boz, is an American singer and actress. Born in Des Moines, Iowa, Watkins rose to fame in the early 1990s as a member of the girl-group TLC. She has won four Grammy ...

, Chilli,

, Bebé

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Diggin' On You 1990s ballads 1994 songs 1995 singles Arista Records singles Contemporary R&B ballads LaFace Records singles Music videos directed by F. Gary Gray Pop ballads Song recordings produced by Babyface (musician) Songs written by Babyface (musician) Soul ballads TLC (group) songs