"Diggin' on You" is a song by Americangirl groupTLC, from the group's secondstudio album,CrazySexyCool (1994). The song was written and produced byBabyface. It was released byLaFace andArista Records on October 10, 1995, as the fourth and finalsingle from their album. Apopballad, the song consists of a guitar,synthesizer anddrum machine. The lyrics depict a relationship between a male and female during a summer afternoon.
"Diggin' on You" received generally positive reviews frommusic critics, many of whom praised the production. The song peaked at number five on the USBillboard Hot 100, number six on the AustralianARIA Singles Chart, and at number 18 on theUK Singles Chart. It wascertified gold in the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. An accompanying music video was released in October 1995, and is directed byF. Gary Gray. It features TLC performing at a live concert inLas Vegas. "Diggin' on You" has beencovered by several artists, while the music video introduction wassampled onJay-Z's 2002 song "Hovi Baby".
"Diggin' on You" was written and produced by American musicianBabyface.[1][2] The song was recorded at The Music Grinder Studios inHollywood, California,[3] from 1993 to September 1994, during production ofTLC's secondstudio album,CrazySexyCool (1994).[4] It was sent tocontemporary hit radio in the United States on October 10, 1995,[5] and released as asingle in the United Kingdom on October 23, 1995.[6] "Diggin' on You" was the fourth and final single to be released fromCrazySexyCool.[7][8] Thecover art was photographed by Arnold Turner.[9]
Writing forThe Guardian, Ross Jones praised Babyface's "sultry" production on "Diggin' on You" and opined thatmonks would be "comely" intrigued by TLC's "dirty phone-call" vocals.[19] Chuck Arnold ofPhiladelphia Daily News stated that the song is one of three tracks onCrazySexyCool to be "radio-ready",[2] while Langston Wertz Jr. ofThe Charlotte Observer and Cheryl Jackson ofThe Tampa Tribune considered "Diggin' on You" to be "sexy (and memorable)" and "laid-back" respectively.[20][21]Mark Frith fromSmash Hits gave it two out of five, saying it "just doesn't do anything for me. It's nice in a summery way but the real TLC chart action won't happen until the re-release of 'Creep' at the beginning of next year."[22]
Tee gave the song's remixes a four out of five rating and considered Mackintosh's mix to be "the best".[18] While reviewing the European12-inch single of "Diggin' on You",James Hamilton ofRecord Mirror describedEddie F's remix as "slinky rolling" accompanied by the TLC members' "husk[y]" and "[coo]ing" vocals, Soulshock's production as "delicately weaving", Mackintosh's mix as "chunk[y]" and "jiggling", and the Going Home Dub as "repetitive stuttery cantoring".[23]
In the United States, "Diggin' on You" peaked at number five on theBillboard Hot 100 chart dated December 30, 1995, where it remained for 20 weeks.[24] The song received a goldcertification by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on January 3, 1996, for selling 500,000 copies in the US.[25] In Australia, "Diggin' on You" debuted at number 36 on theARIA Singles Chart dated January 21, 1996. It peaked at number six on the chart dated March 10, 1996,[26] and was certified gold for sales of 35,000 track-equivalent units in the country.[27] The song peaked at number eight on theNew Zealand Singles Chart dated November 26, 1995, and charted for 10 weeks.[28] It received a gold certification byRecorded Music NZ (RMNZ), for sales of 5,000 track-equivalent units in New Zealand.[29] In the United Kingdom, "Diggin' on You" bowed at number 18 on theUK Singles Chart dated November 4, 1995, where it remained for five weeks.[30] On theIrish Singles Chart, the song debuted on the chart dated November 2, 1995. It peaked at number 21 and charted for four weeks.[31]
An accompanying music video for "Diggin' on You" aired onMTV 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.[32] It was directed byF. Gary Gray, who returned from directing the video for TLC's previous song "Waterfalls" during the same year.[33] The video begins with the group arriving at aLas Vegas concert via helicopter, which opens withfanfare and uses the song's video version.[8] They perform in front of a loud audience, with the members' appearance described byBillboard writerBrett Atwood as "larger-than-life". The music video was filmed atMGM Grand Las Vegas andMadison Square Garden during TLC's tour, which Gray acknowledged that the venues' restrictions impacted filming and consequently stifled his creativity.[33]
The "Diggin' on You" music video introduction wassampled onJay-Z's 2002 song "Hovi Baby", which was produced byJust Blaze.[8] American musicianSevyn Streeter performed acover version of "Diggin' on You" as ana cappella onYouTube, which Da'Shan Smith ofBillboard declared as "soft-rock&B". Smith additionally compared "Diggin' on You" to Streeter's 2013 song "It Won't Stop", noting that both contain lyrics regarding "an endless infatuation with a lover".[34] In 2017, Canadian producerKaytranada released a2-step club remix of the song on hisSoundCloud account, which was considered "irresistible" byPaper writer Sandra Song,[35] and "breezy" by Max Mohenu ofVice.[36]Kelly Clarkson performed a cover of "Diggin' on You" onThe Kelly Clarkson Show episode dated March 29, 2021, where she was accompanied by a band and performed atop a purple and yellow-lit set.[37]
^abArnold, Chuck (December 2, 1994)."Discs".Philadelphia Daily News. p. 88.Archived from the original on January 16, 2022. RetrievedJanuary 16, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^abFlick, Larry (November 4, 1995). "Singles – Diggin' on You".Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 44. p. 94.
^Kapobianco, Ken (January 5, 1995)."Crazy Sexy Cool".The Boston Globe. p. 97.Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. RetrievedJanuary 16, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^abTee, Ralph (October 7, 1995)."hot vinyl"(PDF).Record Mirror. p. 10.Archived(PDF) from the original on May 13, 2021. RetrievedMay 13, 2021 – via Music Week.
^Jones, Ross (October 21, 1995)."Reviews".The Guardian. p. 149.Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. RetrievedJanuary 16, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^Jackson, Cheryl (December 9, 1994)."Records".The Tampa Tribune. p. 86.Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. RetrievedJanuary 16, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^abHamilton, James (November 4, 1995)."dj directory"(PDF).Record Mirror. p. 15.Archived(PDF) from the original on May 15, 2021. RetrievedMay 16, 2021 – via Music Week.
^Wertz Jr., Langston (October 15, 1995)."Is Howard video too nasty to air?".The Charlotte Observer. p. 82.Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. RetrievedJanuary 16, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^abAtwood, Brett (October 14, 1995). "TLC Video Director Gray Has Waterfalls Of Offers".Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 41. p. 82.
^Diggin' on You (back cover). TLC. United States: LaFace Records. 1995. 73008-24120-1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Diggin' on You (back cover). TLC. United States: LaFace Records. 1995. 73008-24119-4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Diggin' on You (back cover). TLC. United States: LaFace Records. 1995. 73008-24125-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Diggin' on You (back cover). TLC. United Kingdom: LaFace Records. 1995. 74321 31924 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Diggin' on You (back cover). TLC. Europe: LaFace Records. 1995. 74321 31925 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Diggin' on You (back cover). TLC. Europe: LaFace Records. 1995. 74321 31924 1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
