Thinkin' Back

"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.

"Thinkin' Back"
Single by Color Me Badd
from the album C.M.B.
Released	January 22, 1992 (1992-01-22)
Recorded	1991
Genre	Contemporary R&B pop
Length	5:21
Label	Giant Reprise
Songwriter(s)	Bryan Abrams Mark Calderon Troy Taylor Lee Kevin Thornton Sam Watters
Producer(s)	Royal Bayyan Hamza Lee
Color Me Badd singles chronology
"All 4 Love" (1991) "Thinkin' Back" (1992) "Slow Motion" (1992)

"Thinkin' Back" was another successful single, but did not perform as well as its 3 preceding songs (all which were top 2 hits, and performed strongly worldwide). On the US Billboard Hot 100, the song reached number #16 on April 4, 1992, and lasted 20 weeks on the chart. It also peaked at #31 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart lasting 9 weeks on the chart, and #35 in Canada, while not charting anywhere else internationally.

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.^[1] 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."^[2]

Track listings

• US vinyl, 12, promo"^[3]
• 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"^[4]
• 1 Thinkin' Back (Album Version) 5:23
• 2 Thinkin' Back (XXX Version) 4:39

• US CD, single, promo"^[5]
• 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"^[6]
• 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"^[7][8]
• 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)^[9][10]

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1992) Peak position Canada Top Singles (RPM)[11] 35 US Billboard Hot 100[12] 16 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[13] 31

Year-end charts Chart (1992) Position US Billboard Hot 100[14] 89