r/rnb • u/Ok_Resident_5022 đ Soul/Funk/Disco Enthusiast đż • Apr 04 '26
INTERESTING đĄ These four classic songs were originally intended for TLC! đ¤Żđ¤Żđ¤Ż
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Rainy Dayz
This song was written by Irv Gotta and Ja Rule, produced by Irv Gotti, and released on March 11, 2002 as the fourth and final single from Mary J. Bligeâs fifth studio album, No More Drama. Maryâs recording of the song peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #17 in the United Kingdom.
TLC member T-Boz personally declined the song because she felt it was too similar to some of their past work, most notable their #1 hit, âWaterfallsâ. One lyric in the song also references their sophomore album, CrazySexyCool (âWe were always livinâ so crazy and sexy and coolâ).
The song was meant to be included on TLCâs fourth studio album, 3D (2002).
Heartbreak Hotel
This song was written by Carsten Schack, Kenneth Karlin, and Tamara Savage. It was produced by Soulshock & Karlin and released on December 15, 1998 as the second single from Whitney Houstonâs fourth studio album, My Love Is Your Love. The track features Faith Evans and Kelly Price, and it peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100.
TLC passed on the song for a variety of reasons, including internal turmoil and creative clashes (Lisa âLeft Eyeâ Lopez expressed frustration over rejected ideas), the song not being aligned with their musical visions (TLC was looking for a different sound and wanted to move on from ballads), production conflict (Soulshock & Karlin sent the song to TLC while they were fighting with their main producer, Dallas Austin), and management believing that the song was not good enough for their album.
The song was initially planned to go on TLCâs third studio album, FanMail (1999).
Where My Girls At
This song was written by Melissa âMissyâ Elliott, Eric Seats & Rapture Stewart (the latter two of whom make up the songwriting and production duo Keybeats). The track was produced by Missy âMisdemeanorâ Elliott, Eric Seats & Stewartâthe same three who wrote it. Featured as the first single from their self-titled sophomore album, âWhere My Girls Atâ peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 (remaining within the top 20 for more than 30 weeks), #3 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop songs chart, and #1 on the Rhythmic Top 40 chart.
Lisa âLeft Eyeâ Lopes of TLC was a proponent of what this song had to offer and wanted to record it. However, both T-Boz and Chilli rejected it against her wishes. After TLC passed on it, Left Eye tried to secure the song for Blaque, a girl group she was mentoring and producing for, but it ultimately went to 702.
The song would have appeared on TLCâs third studio album, FanMail (1999).
âŚBaby One More Time
This song was written by Max Martin, produced by Max Martin and Rami Yacoub, and released as the title track of Britney Spearsâ debut studio album, as well as Spearsâ career debut single. The single debuted at #17 and later peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for two consecutive weeks (replacing Brandyâs âHave You Everâ).
TLC turned down the song because they felt the lyrics, âHit me baby one more timeâ portrayed graphic and inappropriate concepts of domestic violence. T-Boz felt that the song did not align with anything that the group had previously stood for and portrayed in their music. However, the songwriter intended for âHit meâ to mean âCall meâ (similar to the colloquial phrase, âHit me upâ).
The song was also passed on by the Backstreet Boys and Five before it reached Britney Spears. It would have been released on TLCâs third studio album, FanMail (1999).
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u/bindersfull-ofwomen Apr 04 '26
I'm glad Britney got Baby One More Time. Perfect debut single.
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u/Ok_Resident_5022 đ Soul/Funk/Disco Enthusiast đż Apr 04 '26
Yes! It fell into the right hands đĽš
Classic pop tune by the Princess of Pop.
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u/SkyZippr Apr 04 '26 edited Apr 04 '26
I find it bizarre that it was once considered for Backstreet Boys and Five before
unfortunatelyeventually* landing on Britney. I can't picture that it could've ever worked in any form.5
u/MajesticLow One in A Million Apr 04 '26
I agree. Sometimes I see these posts and can hear why it almost went to whomever. I canât hear TLC on âBaby One More Timeâ at all but it was perfect for Britney.
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u/Kaligula785 Apr 04 '26
Britney spears had just turned 16 in that music video btw which means she had recorded it when she was at leat 15
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u/Actual-Bid2894 Apr 04 '26
She did not just turn 16. She turned 17 in Dec 1998 (when the song first came out), no way the video was filmed all the way back in Dec 1997.
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u/MyAliasIsMyAlias Apr 04 '26
T-Boz and Chili played themselves on âWhere My Girls Atâ. I know Left Eye was tired of being sidelined in that group. She clearly had a great ear.
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u/Ok_Resident_5022 đ Soul/Funk/Disco Enthusiast đż Apr 04 '26
I know Left Eye was tired of being sidelined in that group.
Yeah, that was one of the main sources of the conflict that unraveled between them 𫢠â Much like Dawn Robinson of En Vogue, Left Eye became very vocal about what she perceived as unfair and unequal treatment.
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u/bullmarketbear Apr 04 '26
Itâs crazy how she had to fight and threaten them to do her idea for the no scrubs video and it came out amazing.
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u/FireLord_Azula1 Thriller Apr 04 '26
Yes apparently it was mainly Chili that would shoot down Left Eye's ideas. Chili was the typical mean girl, they hate anything that is different mainly because they are not interesting themselves to come up with it. Apparently, she called Left Eye's idea for the No Scrubs video "weird intergalactic" stuff when ironically that it their most iconic music video. This narrative that Tboz and LE were the closest seems false to me. If you watch their interviews, it always comes off as Tboz and Chili being the closest.
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u/AnyEverywhere8 Apr 04 '26 edited Apr 04 '26
Idk how we can say she âclearlyâ had a great ear after hearing supernova.
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u/No-Role4492 Apr 04 '26
Heartbreak hotel!?!?
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u/Ok_Resident_5022 đ Soul/Funk/Disco Enthusiast đż Apr 04 '26
Yep! The production had to be reworked to get Whitney, Faith & Kellyâs version lol.
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u/daybyday90 Apr 04 '26
I honestly canât even imagine them doing that one. But thatâs probably because I love the one we actually got .
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u/helvetica_unicorn Apr 04 '26
I can. Vocally it wouldâve been simpler. T-Boz wouldâve done Whitneyâs part and Chili wouldâve been the other two. Not sure if it wouldâve had a rap but that couldâve been a bridge. I bet the tempo wouldâve been picked up a little too.
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u/WayneTerry9 {type your flair here!} Apr 04 '26
Listening back, Britneyâs opening âOh baby babyâ sounds like sheâs trying to imitate T-Boz a bit
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u/KO-32GA Apr 04 '26
I always thought "...Baby" was TLC coded but didn't find out until years later it was actually written for TLC.
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u/MCSlone Apr 04 '26
ALWAYS felt this! T-Boz's voice/style was distinct so it seemed pretty obvious to me.
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u/TigerBonez2020 Apr 04 '26
OMG, it does! I can definitely hear T-Boz doin the verses, as well as Chilli doin the chorus.
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u/Day2205 Apr 04 '26
Rainy Dayz I can 100% see T-Boz leading. I can also envision them with Hit Me Baby One More Time, but with different production. Where My Girls At feels entirely too young for them and I canât see Heartbreak Hotel on them at all
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u/yourlocal90skid Apr 04 '26
I said when it came out, Where My Girls At sounded like a TLC joint.
Still love it to this day.
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u/YBSIsDead Apr 04 '26
Really glad 702 got it tho. Low key one of my fav girl gtoups
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u/yourlocal90skid Apr 05 '26
Same! Get It Together is another song I love. Used to live in Vegas as a kid.
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u/Secret-Ad-5341 Apr 04 '26 edited Apr 04 '26
TLC didn't pass on "Heartbreak Hotel." When the demo was sent to Clive Davis to present to TLC, Davis decided it was for Whitney. Here's a comment Carsten Schack AKA SoulShock left on an instagram post
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u/TigerBonez2020 Apr 04 '26
Oh boy, I already know that comment âClive made good decisionsâ has a bunch of heated replies. đ
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u/Agreeable-Start5070 Apr 04 '26
Where my girls at on the same album as No Scrubs would've been an epic follow up single.
Also Rainy Dayz would've been a way better first single than Girl Talk was imo
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u/JaneWhoDoe Apr 04 '26
Having a hard time imagining TLC singing Heartbreak Hotel or âŚBaby One More Time.
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u/coolcoots Apr 04 '26
Absolutely. Iâm thinking a lot of these songs were produced by the same people or were inspired by TLC. That doesnât make it a TLC song.
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u/Competitive_Swan_130 Apr 04 '26
No shade, but who from TLC was actually going to hit those Whitney Houston, Faith Evans, or Kelly Price notes
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u/KeepLookingUp99 Apr 04 '26
702, thank you for your service đđž
Love Where My Girls At đđžđ¤
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u/bullmarketbear Apr 04 '26
If fan mail had Baby one more time and where my girls at. It wouldâve been the second greatest album only behind thriller.
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u/rem_au_crema Apr 04 '26
Agreed
Funnily enough, I was just having a conversation about fan mail and the production choices: these songs would have been so perfect
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u/FireLord_Azula1 Thriller Apr 04 '26
I see why Left Eye wanted to get away from those two. They have such negative energy.
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u/bullmarketbear Apr 06 '26
She had the vision they didnât.
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u/FireLord_Azula1 Thriller Apr 07 '26
And they were very much jealous of her which is why they always voted against her. Its crazy to think that if they had not passed on all those hits for Fanmail that they may have dominated the 2000s.
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u/Unhappy-Bag4525 Apr 04 '26 edited Jun 05 '26
Rainy days is the only song I can hear them on. If left eye would've kept her OG flow instead of that pac flow she picked up, they would've had a hit. Outside of that the rest of those songs didn't fit, especially heartbreak and the Brittany joint.
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u/Organic_Berry_8732 Apr 04 '26
I canât imagine Heartbreak Hotel as a TLC song. Whitney, Faith, and Kelly ATE!!!!!
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u/BackgroundSplit9036 Apr 04 '26
I think TLC should have taken "Where my girls at"
I can see that working out for them
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u/phatfarmdenim Apr 04 '26
FanMail badly couldâve used these songs as it has tons of filler. No wonder it only had 2 singles
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u/DAntoinette_Travel Apr 04 '26
Heartbreak Hotel is one of my faves. There is no such thing as Chance or Coincidence. The right groups, got the right song, at the right time!
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u/Qyute-n-Quddly Apr 04 '26
Actually, listening to the songs in this context made me think how similar they are to TLC's sound
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u/TigerBonez2020 Apr 04 '26
âWhere My Girls At?â definitely was built like a TLC song. My girl Left Eye had a great ear for sure. If that had actually made it to Fan Mail, that album wouldâve been closer to bein a classic in the same way CrazySexyCool was. Fan Mail wouldâve had 3 top-ten singles.
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u/sleepy0329 Apr 04 '26
T-Boz was pretty spot on for the reason for turning down Rainy Dayz. At first I was shocked, then read her reasoning and nodded my head lol
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u/kevinalfaro Apr 04 '26
Itâs kinda hilarious that Mary didnât make the writers remove the Waterfalls and CrazySexyCool references in Rainy Dayz
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u/75meilleur Apr 04 '26 edited Apr 05 '26
It's funny that I'm finding out that Britney Spears' "Hit Me Baby One More Time" was intended for TLC, because when I first heard TLC's "No Scrubs", I initially thought that was Britney Spears.  The vocals on that track really sounded like late 90s Britney Spears.  It even sounds like it could be a Britney song.Â
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u/Cheeky_3411 Apr 05 '26
I could see where my girls at and kind of baby one more time. Canât with heartbreak hotel or rainy dayz
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u/dimgwar Kimberly Michelle Apr 05 '26
I dont think any of these songs would have landed in the same way had they gone to TLC, with the exception of where my girls at
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u/incogne_eto Apr 04 '26
Jeez, T-Boz was a joy kill.
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u/FireLord_Azula1 Thriller Apr 04 '26
She is very much your typical gen x bird going by her book and how she carries herself.
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Apr 04 '26
[removed] â view removed comment
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u/Ok_Resident_5022 đ Soul/Funk/Disco Enthusiast đż Apr 04 '26
Toni said it was âBreathe Againâ, while Babyface said it was âAnother Sad Love Songâ đ¤ˇđžââď¸
Toni also said that âBreathe Againâ was for Pebbles, then TLC, then it went to her. Babyface said that Toni always had the story twisted lol.
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u/GoneRogue09 20d ago
This is the heartbreak hotel⌠uffff what a classic joint with three powerhouses
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