"Creep" is the Grammy-winning first single by American R&B

Contemporary R&B

Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...

 group TLC

TLC (band)

TLC is an American musical trio whose repertoire spanned R&B, hip-hop, soul, funk, and new jack swing. Originally consisting of singer Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, rapper-singer Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes and singer Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas it found success in the 1990s while also enduring a series of spats...

 from their second studio album CrazySexyCool

CrazySexyCool

CrazySexyCool is the second studio album by American R&B group TLC, released by LaFace Records on November 15, 1994 in North America...

, released on October 31, 1994 by LaFace Records

LaFace Records

LaFace Records is an American record label, owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment.-Company history:LaFace was formed in 1989 as a joint venture between the producing duo Antonio "L.A." Reid & Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, and Arista Records. The combined nicknames of the duo's successful...

. The single became their first number-one single and fourth top-ten single on the Billboard Hot 100

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

, and remained at number one on the chart for four weeks, eventually becoming the second best-selling single of 1995

1995 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1995.- January–February :*January 18 – Jerry Garcia crashes his rented BMW into a guard rail near Mill Valley, California, USA, but is not injured in the accident....

, behind Madonna

Madonna (entertainer)

Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...

's "Take a Bow". TLC won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals

Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals

The Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded between 1970 and 2011. From 1967 to 1969 and in 1971 the award included instrumental performances...

, and Dallas Austin

Dallas Austin

Dallas Austin is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician, based in Atlanta, Georgia. Some of his most notable clients include Michael Jackson, TLC, Boyz II Men, Pink, Monica, Madonna, Gwen Stefani, Stacie Orrico, Another Bad Creation, Fishbone, Sugababes, Anastacia, Namie Amuro, Kim...

 was nominated for Best R&B Song. It was the 3rd most successful Hot 100 Single of 1995, according to Billboard's Year End Charts. "Creep" was ranked third on Spin

Spin (magazine)

Spin is a music magazine founded in 1985 by publisher Bob Guccione Jr.-History:In its early years, the magazine was noted for its broad music coverage with an emphasis on college-oriented rock music and on the ongoing emergence of hip-hop. The magazine was eclectic and bold, if sometimes haphazard...

's Top 20 Singles of the '90s & #7 on nuTsie's Top 100 Greatest R&B Songs of the 1990s. It contains a sample of "Hey Young World

Hey Young World

"Hey Young World" was the second single released from Slick Rick's debut album, The Great Adventures of Slick Rick. It was released in 1989 as the follow-up to Slick Rick's popular "Children's Story" and was both written and produced by Slick Rick himself...

" by Slick Rick

Slick Rick

Richard Walters , better known by his stage name Slick Rick is a Grammy-nominated English-American rapper...

.

Song information

The lyrics are taken from the perspective of a woman who is aware of her boyfriend's infidelity and in turn cheats on him in an effort to appease her need for affection. A cover version of the song was released by alternative rock band The Afghan Whigs

The Afghan Whigs

The Afghan Whigs were a soul-influenced American rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio. PopMatters described the band as "beyond simple genre categorization, and though lauded by the music press, never got their just due."-Band history:...

.
In the documentary "The Last Days of Left Eye", TLC member Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes said she was 100% against the release of Creep as a single, and threatened to wear black tape over her mouth in the music video.

Music video

There were three music videos made for this song between June and August 1994, with the third video being released on September 16, 1994. The video features each girl individually in front of a color background wearing silky pajamas, though it was only Chilli who had two different pajamas that were grey and pink, with T-Boz in blue and Left Eye in red. There are other scenes featuring T-Boz singing into a microphone with Omar Lopez, a previous dancer for Janet Jackson, with an open shirt, playing trumpet behind her and flirting with her.
There are also, black and white shots of them rehearsing dance moves, being silly and hanging out. Most of the fashions in the video represent early 1990s fashion, such as flannel shirts, baggy pants and sweatshirts tied around the waist. This video shows TLC becoming more mature compared to their prior album.

Creep

US CD Single

1. "Creep" (L.P. Version) (4:29)
2. "Creep" (Instrumental L.P. Version) (4:47)

US 12" vinyl

• A1. "Creep" (Album Version) (4:27)
• A2. "Creep" (Jermaine's 'Jeep' Mix) (5:09)
• B1. "Creep" (Instrumental Album Version) (4:47)
• B2. "Creep" (Jermaine's Acappella Mix) (5:09)

US CD Maxi-Single

1. "Creep" (Album Version) (4:28)
2. "Creep" (Jermaine's Jeep Mix) (5:09)
3. "Creep" (Untouchables Mix) (5:22)
4. "Creep" (Super Smooth Mix) (5:22)
5. "Creep" (DARP Mix) (4:50)
6. "Creep" (Untouchables Instrumental) (5:18)

Creep '96

12" single

• A1. Creep (Maxx Remix) - 5:12
• A2. Creep (Jermaine's Jeep Mix) - 5:13
• B1. Creep (Tin Tin Out Remix) - 8:35
• B2. Waterfalls (DARP Remix)- 4:32

CD maxi single

1. "Creep (Radio Edit - Original Version) - 4:28
2. "Waterfalls" (Single Edit) - 4:21
3. "Creep" (Maxx Remix) - 5:11
4. "Creep" (Tin Tin Out Remix) - 8:35

Official versions

• Radio Edit
• DARP Mix*
• Jermaine's Jeep Mix
• Smooth Mix*
• Super Smooth Mix*
• Untouchables Mix*
• Untouchables Instrumental
• Maxx Remix
• Tin Tin Out Remix

* - includes a rap by Left Eye.

Creep '96

The second version of the single released in 1996 contained four versions of the song, the original, the Untouchables Remix featuring the late Left Eye's verse, the Maxx Remix and the Tin Tin Out Remix. It also contains the single version of "Waterfalls".

Peak positions

Chart (1994–1995)	Peak position
U.S. United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...  Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...	1
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B Singles & Tracks Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...	1
New Zealand New Zealand New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...  Singles Chart	2
UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...	6
Australian Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...	9
French France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...  Singles Chart	23
Swiss Switzerland Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....  Singles Chart	26
Eurochart Hot 100 Singles	43
Swedish Sweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....  Singles Chart	56
Dutch Netherlands The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...  Top 40 Singles	19
German Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...  Singles Chart	39

End of year charts

End of year chart (1995)	Position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	3

End of decade charts

Chart (1990–1999)	Position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	21

See also

• R&B number-one hits of 1994 (USA)
  R&B number-one hits of 1994 (USA)
  These are the Billboard magazine R&B singles chart number one hits of 1994:-Chart history:-Chart comparisons:*Three songs reached number-one on the Billboard Hot 100/pop chart...
  
  
• R&B number-one hits of 1995 (USA)
  R&B number-one hits of 1995 (USA)
  These are the Billboard magazine R&B singles chart number one hits of 1995:-Chart history:-Chart comparisons:*Five songs reached number-one on the Billboard Hot 100/pop chart: "Creep," "This Is How We Do It," "You Are Not Alone," "Fantasy" and "Exhale ."*Six songs reached number-one on the...
  
  
• List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1995 (U.S.)