Red Light Special

"Red Light Special"
Single by TLC
from the album CrazySexyCool
B-side "My Secret Enemy"
Released February 21, 1995
Format CD
Recorded Fall 1994
Music Grinder Studios
(Los Angeles, California)[1]
Genre
Length 5:04
Label
Writer(s) Babyface
Producer(s) Babyface
TLC singles chronology
"Creep"
(1994)		 "Red Light Special"
(1995)		 "Waterfalls"
(1995)

"Red Light Special" is the second single released by TLC from the album CrazySexyCool. TLC saw yet another commercial success with the song, as it reached #1 on Billboard's Rhythmic Top 40 chart, and #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, being held back from the top position by Montell Jordan's "This Is How We Do It". The song became TLC's fifth top-ten single. It also reached #3 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

Music video

The music video was directed by Matthew Rolston and is set in a brothel. The male actors in the video are portrayed as prostitutes and Left-Eye is dressed as a pimp while Chilli & T-Boz portray customers who part take in a game of strip poker. A young Boris Kodjoe is featured as one of the male prostitutes. T-boz is seen being caressed by a man in a room. Chilli is seen dancing with the guitar player. There are also black and white solo shots of the girls singing.

Track listing

  1. "Red Light Special" (Radio Edit) - 4:40
  2. "Red Light Special" (L.A.'s Flava Mix) - 4:28
  3. "Red Light Special" (Album Version) - 5:02
  4. "Red Light Special" (Gerald Hall Remix) - 5:09
  5. "My Secret Enemy" - 5:36
  1. "Red Light Special" (Radio Edit) - 4:40
  2. "Red Light Special" (Alternate Radio Edit) - 4:31
  3. "Red Light Special" (Album Version) - 5:02
  4. "Red Light Special" (Album Instrumental) - 5:02
  1. "Red Light Special" (L.A.'s Flava Mix - Extended Version)
  2. "Red Light Special" (Album Version)
  3. "Red Light Special" (Gerald Hall's Remix)
  4. "Red Light Special" (Acappella)
  5. "Red Light Special" (Instrumental)
  6. "My Secret Enemy"

My Secret Enemy - B-Side

For the CD single of Red Light Special, Lopes produced a brilliant and darkly confessional B-side called My Secret Enemy. On this relatively obscure track, Lopes explored the Rison incident – and her own conflicted feelings about it – with astonishing depth and style. It is such an exciting departure from the work the group has done with established producers that you start to feel that TLC’s album output thus far only hints at the women’s true capabilities..

“
”

— Carol Cooper, Rolling Stone[2]

The Red Light Special single came with a B-side rap track titled 'My Secret Enemy', led by group rapper Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopes. Despite not making TLC's album CrazySexyCool, the song is highly praised by long-time TLC fans and kept up with the group's more matured style. Its lyrical content focuses on Lisa’s coverage in the media and her relationship with Andre Rison. Lopes went on to say that the song came out directly after the incident that saw her accidentally set fire to Rison's Atlanta mansion. "It happened right after that incident and I was feeling like I needed a way out," said Lopes of the track.[3]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1995) Peak
position
Australian Singles Chart[4] 53
Scottish Singles Chart[5] 64
UK Singles Chart[6] 18
UK R&B Singles Chart[7] 5
US Billboard Hot 100[8] 2
US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip Hop Singles & Tracks 3
US Billboard Rhythmic Top 40 1
US Billboard Pop Songs 11

Year-end charts

Chart (1995) Position
US Billboard Hot 100[9] 28

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
New Zealand (RMNZ)[10] Gold 7,500*
United Kingdom (BPI)[11] Silver 200,000^
United States (RIAA)[12] Gold 700,000[13]

*sales figures based on certification alone

References

  1. ↑ http://www.vibe.com/article/triple-x-making-tlcs-red-light-special
  2. ↑ "TLC's T-Boz: 'A lot of people have made money off of us, and we haven't'". 1995. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  3. ↑ http://cybertlc.world/wordpress/left-eyes-final-chat-the-dear-lie-video-sucked-my-secret-enemy-reincarnation-more/
  4. ↑ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988-2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  5. ↑ "Official Charts > TLC". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 2015-11-09.
  6. ↑ "Official Charts > TLC". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 2015-11-09.
  7. ↑ "Official Charts > TLC". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 2015-11-09.
  8. ↑ "Billboard > Artists/TLC > Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2015-11-09.
  9. ↑ "Billboard Top 100 - 1995". Retrieved 2010-08-27.
  10. ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – TLC – Red Light Special". Recorded Music NZ.
  11. ↑ "British single certifications – TLC – Red Light Special". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Red Light Special in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Silver in the field By Award. Click Search
  12. ↑ "American single certifications – TLC – Red Light Special". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
  13. ↑ "Best-Selling Records of 1995". Billboard. BPI Communications. 108 (3): 56. January 20, 1996. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved May 5, 2015.


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