Leavin' (Tony! Toni! Toné! song)

"Leavin'" is a song by American R&B group Tony! Toni! Toné! It was released on April 12, 1994,[3] as the fourth single from their 1993 album Sons of Soul. The optimistic, upbeat song features turntable scratches and a sample of A Tribe Called Quest's 1990 song "If the Papes Come". Music critics found the song's style and group member Raphael Wiggins' singing reminiscent of Smokey Robinson.

"Leavin'"
Single by Tony! Toni! Toné!
from the album Sons of Soul
ReleasedApril 12, 1994 (1994-04-12)
Recorded1993
GenreSoul,[1] pop[2]
Length3:57 (radio edit)
5:57 (album version)
LabelWing, Mercury, Polygram[2]
Songwriter(s)John Smith, Raphael Wiggins, Q-Tip (musician), Ali Shaheed Muhammad
Producer(s)Tony! Toni! Toné!
Tony! Toni! Toné! singles chronology
"(Lay Your Head on My) Pillow"
(1994)		 "Leavin'"
(1994)		 "Slow Wine"
(1994)

"Leavin'" charted at number 82 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at number 41 on the Hot R&B Singles. It attained its highest charting in New Zealand, where it peaked at number 30. The song also appeared on the soundtrack to the 1994 film Beverly Hills Cop III.[4]

Music and lyrics

Tony! Toni! Toné! recorded the song for their third album Sons of Soul, which was recorded and released in 1993.[5] The song was produced by the group and written by group member Raphael Wiggins and guitarist John "Jubu" Smith.[2]

"Leavin'" has an upbeat mood,[2] a light, affectionate tone,[1] soulful vocals, and sweeping string arrangements.[6] Musically, it exemplifies the group's incorporation of traditional soul styles on Sons of Soul.[1] It also features snippets of turntable scratches.[6] It contains a sample of "If the Papes Come" by A Tribe Called Quest.[7] Billboard observes "an overall summery feel" on "Leavin'" and calls it "a smile-inducer for pop and urban outlets."[2] Gil Griffin of The Washington Post writes that the "sensual" song "evokes Temptations-style optimism" and that its strings and blues guitar riffs recall Smokey Robinson's 1967 song "I Second That Emotion".[8] Laura Zucker of The Sacramento Bee compares Saadiq's falsetto singing on "Leavin'" to that of Robinson.[1]

Music video

A music video for "Leavin'" was released in April 1994. It featured elaborate graphics and showed the group in alternating settings, including a lush country meadow, a hillside vista, and an urban hub at night, the latter of which featured lurid peep show marquees and pimps watching their prostitutes. Michael Saunders of The Boston Globe finds the video analogous to the group's musical fusion of classic and contemporary styles on Sons of Soul, writing that it "attempts to capture that merger visually with high-tech graphics, with a slinky soundtrack powering the mood."[9]

Track listings
Cassette single
No.TitleLength
1."Leavin'" (edit)3:57
2."Leavin'" (album version)5:16
CD single
No.TitleLength
1."Leavin'" (edit)3:57
2."Leavin'" (album version)5:16
3."(Lay Your Head on My) Pillow" (radio edit)3:32
4."If I Had No Loot" (album version)4:01

Personnel

Credits adapted from CD single (PolyGram #855763-2).[10]

Charts
Chart (1994) Peak
position
New Zealand (RIANZ)[11] 30
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[12] 82
U.S. Hot R&B Singles (Billboard)[13] 41
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References
  1. Zucker, Laura (November 5, 1993). "From Tonies to Townies – Hot Soul Stars Tony! Toni! Tone! Warm Up for a National Tour in Their Hometown". The Sacramento Bee. p. TK14. Retrieved July 24, 2011.
  2. Flick, Larry, ed. (April 9, 1994). "Single Reviews". Billboard. New York. 106 (15): 51. Retrieved April 11, 2012.
  3. "Leavin' - Tony! Toni! Toné! : Releases". Allmusic. Archived from the original on January 27, 2013. Retrieved January 27, 2013.
  4. "Beverly Hills Cop III (1994) - Soundtracks". IMDb. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  5. Punter, Jennie (November 25, 1993). "Tony Toni Tone runs on vintage '70s rhythm R & B inspired trio opens for Janet Jackson under the 'Dome". Toronto Star. Toronto. Entertainment section, p. WO.4. Retrieved April 28, 2012.
  6. "Tony Toni Tone – Sons of Soul". Upscale: The Successful Black Magazine: 93. 1993.
  7. "Beverly Hills Cop III (1994) – Soundtracks". Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Archived from the original on August 20, 2012. Retrieved April 22, 2012.
  8. Griffin, Gil (June 23, 1993). "Recordings; 2 Hip-Hop Trios, Back With Brio". The Washington Post: C.07. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  9. Saunders, Michael. "The soul of hip-hop". The Boston Globe. Living section, p. 90. Retrieved May 9, 2012.
  10. Leavin' (CD single). Tony! Toni! Toné!. PolyGram Records. 1994. 855763-2.CS1 maint: others (link)
  11. "Discography Tony! Toni! Toné!". charts.nz. Hung Medien. Retrieved April 24, 2012.
  12. "Tony! Toni! Toné! – Awards". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on August 20, 2012. Retrieved April 13, 2012.
  13. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R and B/Hip-Hop Singles, 1942–2004 (5th ed.). Record Research Inc. p. 708. ISBN 0-89820-160-8.
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