"Water Runs Dry"
Single byBoyz II Men
from the albumII
Released	April 11, 1995
Genre	R&B
Length	3:22
Label	Motown
Songwriter(s)	Babyface
Producer(s)	Babyface
Boyz II Men singles chronology
"Thank You" (1995) "Water Runs Dry" (1995) "Vibin'" (1995)
Music video
"Water Runs Dry" onYouTube

"Water Runs Dry" is a song by Americanvocal harmony groupBoyz II Men, written and produced byBabyface.^[1] The single was released in April 1995 byMotown as the fourth single from their third album,II (1994), reaching number two on the USBillboard Hot 100 and number four in Canada. It also contains a version of the group's previous number one hit from the same album, "I'll Make Love to You". A Spanish version, "No dejemos que muera el amor", was also recorded and peaked at number 10 on the USLatin Pop Airplay chart.

Pan-European magazineMusic & Media wrote, "This may be another ballad-and one with great harmonies—but it is not as sugary as its forerunners. Besides, there's more of a beat behind it, and a delightfully lazy wah guitar."^[2]

In a 2019 interview withthe Recording Academy, Boyz II Men memberNathan Morris said the music video was one of his two favorites out of all the videos the group had ever made.^[3] Directed byWayne Isham, it was filmed atWhite Sands National Park in New Mexico.^[4]

The music video features a woman (played byTyra Banks) walking through a desert setting and holding a glass ball. The camera zooms in on the ball to reveal an aerial view, from a helicopter, of Boyz II Men standing atop a sand dune inside the ball. Shots of a string orchestra and guitarist playing along are interspersed throughout as the group sings the song. Clips of both the woman and the group walking and running across the dunes are also shown. Some scenes feature a rippling effect that mimics water. The video ends with the woman holding the glass ball once again and the camera zooming out to show her watching the group walk away inside it.

In a brief throwback-to-1995 piece,Essence magazine jokingly commented that the video "has more white-on-white sets than, well, theEssence Festival", but also said that it was "full of more 90s goodness" and concluded with "We love it".^[5] Pop culture websiteVulture listed the outfits worn in the video by Boyz II Men as one of the forty "matchiest" of their careers, stating that the group's clothes, like their music, were "always harmonious".^[6]

The music video received twoMTV VMA nominations forBest Cinematography andBest R&B Video at the1995 MTV Video Music Awards but did not win.^[7] It was additionally nominated forBest R&B/Soul Single – Group, Band or Duo at the1996 Soul Train Music Awards,^[8] but lost toTLC's "Waterfalls.^[9]

Boyz II Men performed an acoustic rendition of "Water Runs Dry" at the1995 MTV Movie Awards.^[10] They later headlined the "Budweiser Superfest" concert series that ran from July through August of that year,^[11] and performed the song as part of the setlist for each show.^[12][13][14] In 2018, the group was one of the opening acts forBruno Mars on five dates (between September–October) of the second North-American leg of his24K Magic World Tour,^[15] and performed the song during their appearances.^[16]

Credits are adapted fromTidal.^[19]

• Boyz II Men – primary vocals
• Babyface – songwriting, production
• Colin Heldt – immersive mix engineering
• Reggie Hamilton – string arrangement

In 1998, contemporaryjazz guitaristChuck Loeb covered the song for his albumThe Moon, the Stars and the Setting Sun.^[51]

American cover bandBoyce Avenue released an acoustic version of the song in 2010.^[52]

Contemporary Christian groupThe Katinas covered the song for their 2013 albumLove Chapter.^[53]

American singerKelly Clarkson performed a stripped-down version of the song, accompanied by only a guitarist, on the June 7, 2021, episode of her daytime televisiontalk showThe Kelly Clarkson Show, during the "Kellyoke"^[a] segment.^[55]

• 1994 songs
• 1995 singles
• Boyz II Men songs
• Motown singles
• Music videos directed by Wayne Isham
• Song recordings produced by Babyface (musician)
• Songs written by Babyface (musician)

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