"Thinkin' Back" is an R&B and pop song by American music group Color Me Badd from their debut album, C.M.B. (1991). It was released as the fifth single (fourth in North America) in January 1992. The song is about a deteriorating relationship, and while the protagonist's partner did them wrong, they are still lonely, and want to turn back time to go back to when their relationship was in a good place.
On the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, the song reached number 16 on April 4, 1992, and lasted 20 weeks on the chart. It peaked at number 31 on the Hot R&B Singles chart during 9-week run on the chart, and number 35 in Canada.
Music video The music video was directed by Marcus Nispel, and was filmed/produced by Portfolio Artists Network. It was shot in black and white, and was edited to coincide with the conceptual theme in the video regarding the passage of time, as each edit aligned with the beats of the music. It received strong recurring play and support on MTV, and to a lesser extent BET, which helped the performance of the song.
Critical reception Larry Flick from Billboard wrote, "Those Badd boys show no sign of cooling off, thanks to this lush, R&B-powered ballad. Spotlight is on group's tightly woven harmonies and song's romantic lyrics. Another multiformat hit from the "C.M.B." album."
Track listings US vinyl, 12", promo A1 Thinkin' Back (Radio Edit) 3:49 A2 Thinkin' Back (XXX Version) 4:39 B1 Thinkin' Back (Album Version) 5:22 B2 Thinkin' Back (A Cappella) 5:22
US vinyl, 7" 1 Thinkin' Back (Album Version) 5:23 2 Thinkin' Back (XXX Version) 4:39
US CD, single, promo 1 Thinkin' Back (Radio Edit) 3:49 2 Thinkin' Back (XXX Version) 4:39 3 Thinkin' Back (More Radio Edit) 3:44
US CD, single, promo 1 Thinkin' Back (Edited Master) 3:56 2 Thinkin' Back (A Cappella) 4:08 3 Thinkin' Back (Album Version) 5:26 4 Thinkin' Back (Pop Mix With Piano) 6:54
US cassette, single A Thinkin' Back (Album Version) 5:22 B Thinkin' Back (XXX Version) 4:39
Personnel Producer – Hamza Lee, Royal Bayyan Written by Color Me Badd, Hamza Lee, Troy Taylor (9)(10)
Charts
Weekly charts Chart (1992)Peakposition
Year-end charts Chart (1992)PositionUS Billboard Hot 10089
References