Today’s song, which poignantly tackles both drug abuse and HIV ― making it the first number one single to mention the disease ― was nominated for two Grammys, won two Soul Train Awards and won the MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year, making this trio the first black artists to nab that honor.
This 90’s powerhouse was already a household name in 1995 thanks to a string of monster hits including “Ain’t Too Proud To Beg” and “Creep.” But when Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins, Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas filmed the video for today’s song, they had a hunch they had a career-defining hit on their hands. And that hunch was right!
The water themed video was groundbreaking at the time. When they were standing on the water, it looked like they were actually in the ocean but it was just this little soundstage. Many people didn’t know that it was the exact same soundstage at Universal Studios where they shot ‘Jaws.’
This group is the best-selling American girl group of all time, with 85 million records sold, and they are the second best selling girl group worldwide, after the Spice Girls.
The three girls that make up today’s trio made a few headlines during their heyday. They lived very extravagant lifestyles and were already filing for bankruptcy as a band the year this song came out.
One of them started dating Usher when he was 14 and she was 21(that was Chili). Another was dating NFL star Andre Rison and during a fight with him tried to burn his sneakers in the tub and ended up burning down the entire mansion (that was Left Eye).
The third of the trio stayed out of the tabloids instead focusing on her health. She revealed a year after today’s song was released that she was diagnosed as a child with sickle cell anemia and spent many years in and out of the hospital. She later became a spokesperson for the American Sickle Cell Disease Association of America.
The rapper in the group Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes died in a car accident in Honduras in 2002. On her casket they engraved the lyrics to this song.
TBoz, Left Eye & Chili