"Creep" is a song recorded by American singing group TLC for their second studio album, CrazySexyCool (1994). Dallas Austin, who tried to write the track from a "female perspective", wrote and produced it. It is based on member Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins's experience with infidelity. The lyrics portray the singers as women who cheat on their unfaithful lovers for "some affection". This context was controversial within the group, and strongly opposed by member Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, who threatened to wear black tape over her mouth on its accompanying music video.
LaFace and Arista Records released the song as the album's lead single on October 31, 1994, and it gained both critical acclaim and commercial success. Music critics praised Austin's work and TLC's new musical direction, and commercially "Creep" became the group's first number one on the United States Billboard Hot 100. It topped the chart for four consecutive weeks and was later certified platinum in sales. Following its European debut/re-issue in early 1996, the song reached the top ten in the United Kingdom and New Zealand and the top forty in other countries. Included in the remixes was a new rap verse written by Lopes which warns listeners of safe sex issues. "Creep" appeared on many best-of lists and received a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.
The trio contacted Matthew Rolston to film a music video after seeing his work for Salt-N-Pepa. The resulting video was later deemed one of the most iconic pop videos of all time, notably for the famous satin pajamas costumes and the choreography. With changes in both musical style and image, the song marked a major reinvention in TLC's career. They performed it during several live concerts and television events, and the track being used in films and TV series, and covered and sampled by artists including American rock band The Afghan Whigs and singer Zendaya.
Development and lyrical content
After releasing their successful debut album Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip (1992), TLC began working on their second release called CrazySexyCool in 1993, and continued to work on the project through September 1994. One of the album's tracks, "Creep", was based on member Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins' experience. She recalled it for Billboard:
Watkins shared this with the group's long-time writer-producer Dallas Austin. She had known him, and they had shared stories since they were teenagers. "We thought that was a good relationship to talk about because a lot of people don't admit that's how they feel – that their man's playing on them and they want to be with him so they seek attention elsewhere, but they really want to be with their guy", she added.
Austin wrote "Creep" from a female perspective, and thought Watkins would be its perfect lead singer. This was a new songwriting experience for him, as he was "talking about stuff guys didn't know girls did". The "female point-of-view" on the track was something the trio appreciated because as a group they portrayed themselves as feminists, and the song reflects that perspective. On the 2013 VH1 biopic CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story, however, the track also appeared to have been inspired by Austin's infidelity to then-girlfriend, member Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas.
Latoya Peterson of Spin observed that feminism was being loudly maligned in music at the time of the song's release, and as a result more female artists like TLC, Salt-N-Pepa and Tori Amos began to "overtly defend themselves". The group denied being inspired by Radiohead's 1992 track with the same name. Andy Greene of Rolling Stone pointed out that the group took the term "creep" in a different direction from Radiohead's track or Stone Temple Pilots' 1993 single, because TLC's song is about getting revenge on a cheating guy by having an affair. The idea, however, was considered quite "controversial". According to Thomas, the theme did not come as much of a shock for them:
Despite this, member Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes was opposed to it. She threatened to wear black tape over her mouth in the song's music video to express her disagreement with its message, and its selection as CrazySexyCool lead single, and in part because of the group's history of advocating for safe sex. "I was like 'If a girl is gonna catch her man cheating,' this was my thing, 'instead of telling her to cheat back, why don't we tell her [to] just leave?'" Watkins stated that Lopes was especially worried that her then-boyfriend, Andre Rison, might get the wrong idea, even though the song was not based on their relationship.
In the end, Lopes capitulated, saying: "If some people can creep, and in their minds, they can feel better by going out doing the same thing... Fine. I'm just not one of those people." The rapper later added a new rap verse on remixed versions of the song, which talks about the consequences of cheating. Watkins stated that Lopes initially intended for the rap to be included in the original version of the song, but Watkins and Austin disagreed with the rap and opted to have it removed.
Thomas thought the song and the video's choreography routine were "cool" enough to distract people from its lyrical content and "just sing along".
Jon Parales of The New York Times stood by the song's concept: "The women sing about infidelity, revenge, status and power plays, not as victims but as contenders; when they're cheated on, they cheat, too." The Guardians Carol Cooper described the track as reflecting the darker side of TLC's "giddy hedonism".
Musical style and composition
"Creep" is a R&B song influenced by funk, jazz, soul and boom bap; a distinctive sound for the trio whose earlier works had a new jack swing sound. The A.V. Club David Anthony pointed out that the mid-1990s R&B "renaissance" in music, and Lopes's stint in rehab, re-invented TLC's musical direction and brought a stronger focus on pop elements to CrazySexyCool. Similar to their past works, "Creep" includes hip hop samples—particularly two 1989 singles, Slick Rick's "Hey Young World" and Shinehead's "Who the Cap Fits"—a heavy beat, with "forthright sex talk" lyrics with a kind of "playful sensuality" and "street aggression". According to The Telegraph, the group delivered it with an "empowered" attitude with Prince-style eroticism. Its production was built on a "deep" and "infectious" groove, around a wafting "late night"-style trumpet sample with quietly "jiggling" funk guitar and scratching sounds—all adding depth to the subversively "poppy" vocal chorus and accentuating the song's "slinky" hooks. Michael Arceneaux of Complex called the track a "darker, mellower, and far jazzier" sound than any of its predecessors, which was "perfect" for Watkins's alto voice.
Musically, "Creep" is set in the time signature of common time with a moderate tempo of 96 beats per minute. It was composed in the traditional verse–chorus form in C minor with Watkins and Thomas's vocals ranging from the chords of C4 to F5. "Yes, it's me again/And I'm back", Watkins introduces herself while opening the track in a "husky" voice. She then repeats the lines "oh-I, oh-I, oh-I", which was compared by Spin Terry Sutton to Watkins finding "a spiritual instruction in vowel sounds" before starting the song's first verse. In the first verse, the singer counts her relationship's "twenty-second [sic] of loneliness" and expresses how she still loves her boyfriend while acknowledging that he has cheated on her. Moving on to the song's bridge, she suddenly uses a lower register to "nonchalantly" reveal: "I'll never leave him down, though I might mess around/It's only cause I need some affection." "So I creep/Yeah/And I'll just keep it on the down low." She lowers the key and sings the hook as if she is "confessing to a chosen few."
Opening the second verse, Watkins again counts her "twenty-third of loneliness" and still talks of her love for her partner despite signs of a broken romance. After repeating the chorus, Watkins "sweetly" explains the reason that she is cheating: she needs some attention from her lover. She ends the track with the lines "I creep around because I need attention/I don't mess around with my affection" while fading out with the heavy beat and the horn sample. Billboard Larry Flick said that Watkins's vocals were "tightly woven" and "rife with raspy grit", which provided a nice contrast to the song's horn sample and funk guitars.
Release and remixes Watkins recalled that LaFace Records' co-founder Antonio "L.A." Reid "flipped out" when he first heard "Creep" and the track became CrazySexyCool first single on October 31, 1994, despite Lopes's disagreement with the choice. Many producers contributed their remixes to the song's release, including Austin and his "DARP Mix". Jermaine Dupri—who was working closely with TLC and had expressed his admiration for the song—collaborated with Shannon Houchins to create "Jermaine's Jeep Mix". Austin's and Untouchables' mixes featured a newly-written rap verse by Lopes, with a noteworthy lyric which warns: "Prenatal HIV is often sleeping in a creeping cradle." Nate Jones from People wrote of the Lopes lyric, saying it was another reminder of the trio's commitment to address social issues in their music.
In the United Kingdom, the single was originally released on January 9, 1995. The following year, in the UK and some European countries, it was re-issued or debuted as "Creep '96" on January 13, 1996, composed of mixes by Dupri, Maxx, Tin Tin Out, and a single-edit of "Waterfalls" (replaced by its "DARP Mix" on the vinyl version). In Japan, a mini-CD single was issued on December 16, 1994. Internationally, "Creep" appeared on most TLC compilations over the years, notably Now & Forever: The Hits (2003), The Very Best of TLC: Crazy Sexy Hits (2006) and 20 (2013)."Creep" appeared on these three compilations: For the 2013 Japanese compilation TLC 20: 20th Anniversary Hits, Watkins and Thomas re-recorded "Creep", and a few other tracks, to celebrate the group's twenty years in the music industry.
Critical reception "Creep" received widespread critical acclaim. Music critic Robert Christgau, AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine and Time magazine each declared the track one of CrazySexyCool best. Steve Baltin from Cash Box noted, "Infused with a slight bit of drama in the intro, 'Creep' just slinks through the airwaves, slithering into listeners’ minds where it wraps itself tightly, thanks to its low vocals and enticing backbeat. A monster hit." "In many ways, TLC at least musically, were best when they were the most subtle", commented Complex Michael Arceneaux, who found the track's content "refreshing" for displaying women who "muddy up right and wrong in a relationship". From the same publication, Benjamin Chesna and Edwin Ortiz credited the song with making infidelity sound "empowering" while praising Austin's "silky smooth production", adding: "[Watkins] forced you into the arms of another lady, now you just have to keep it on the down low". Simon Price from Melody Maker felt it "have hooks you could hang your coat on". Another Melody Maker editor, Andrew Mueller, named it Single of the Week. Ralph Tee from Music Weeks RM Dance Update said, "It's not the anthem that 'Ain't Too Proud To Beg' was, but is still a quality mid-pacer with catchy tooting trumpet riff, scratch and static effects and cool laid-back vocals." Pan-European magazine Music & Media wrote, "Don't pass by such new jill swing of the highest calibre." Slant Magazine editor Sal Cinquemani was reviewing the greatest-hits album 20 when he observed that both girls' "finest" singles, 'Creep' and 'Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg', had them "proudly flipping accepted modes of female sexual behavior and consent on their heads". Idolator journalist Robbie Daw explained the song's "staying power" was because it is a "provocative" track that dared to expose the "taboo, down-low" aspects of a relationship.