Don't Leave Me (Blackstreet song)
1997 single by Blackstreet
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"Don't Leave Me" is a song by American R&B group Blackstreet, produced by Teddy Riley and released in February 1997 as the third single from their second album, Another Level (1996). It contains a sample of the DeBarge song "A Dream".[1] "Don't Leave Me" features Eric Williams, Mark Middleton, and Chauncey Hannibal on lead vocals. It topped the New Zealand Singles Chart for two weeks in May 1997 and reached No. 6 in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the song peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart.
| "Don't Leave Me" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Blackstreet | ||||
| from the album Another Level | ||||
| Released | February 18, 1997 | |||
| Genre | R&B | |||
| Length | 5:20 | |||
| Label | Interscope | |||
| Songwriters |
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| Producers |
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| Blackstreet singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Don't Leave Me" on YouTube | ||||
Critical reception
Pan-European magazine Music & Media noted that after the success of "No Diggity", "Riley & Co. switch to ballad mode with this well constructed song, which has already met with approval across Europe." Stephan Hampe, head of music at RSH, a CHR network covering northern Germany commented, "I think this is going to break Blackstreet in a big way in Germany, because it is the kind of great song that really stands out". He added, "while No Diggity received a warm welcome too, it remained largely confined to the quarters traditionally inhabited by the R&B fraternity over here. This record however, has the potential to appeal to a much broader audience, so we put in powerplay rotation (32 plays a week) because we want to familiarize our audience quickly with this song."[2]
David Finlan from Experience said that the song "is slightly depressing, because it is about a man trying to keep his girlfriend from breaking up with him. This song hits home because everybody has been through a breakup and as we all know, they are not fun."[3] Malaysian newspaper New Straits Times noted "the fantastic four-part harmony interplay" on "Don't Leave Me".[4] A reviewer from People Magazine stated that Blackstreet "pours on the heartache and late-night yearning".[5] David Fricke from Rolling Stone felt "the turn-ons" in songs like "Don't Leave Me", "are as banal as the titles suggest."[6] James L. Brown from USC Today described it as "a slow bump and grind ballad".[7]
Chart performance
The song did not chart on the US Billboard Hot 100 or the Hot R&B Singles chart due to Billboard rules at the time preventing songs not released as physical singles from charting. However, the song peaked on the Hot 100 Airplay and Hot R&B Airplay charts at No. 12 and No. 1, respectively.[8][9] Internationally, it went to No. 1 in New Zealand and No. 6 in the United Kingdom.[10][11] In the former country, it stayed at No. 1 for two weeks in May 1997 and earned a Gold sales certification from Recorded Music NZ,[12] finishing the year as the 12th-most-successful single.[13]
Music video
The official music video for the song was directed by Michael Martin.[14]
Track listings
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Don't Leave Me" (radio edit) | 4:24 |
| 2. | "Don't Leave Me" (album version) | 5:10 |
| 3. | "No Diggity" (Das Diggity radio) | 4:25 |
| 4. | "No Diggity" (Teddy Riley Jungle Remix) | 8:03 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Don't Leave Me" (album version) | 5:10 |
| 2. | "No Diggity" (Das Diggity radio) | 4:25 |
| 3. | "No Diggity" (Teddy Riley jungle mix) | 8:03 |
| 4. | "No Diggity" (BJ Das radio) | 4:20 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Don't Leave Me" (radio edit) | 4:24 |
| 2. | "No Diggity" (Das Diggity radio) | 4:25 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Don't Leave Me" (radio edit) | 4:22 |
| 2. | "No Diggity" (Teddy Riley jungle mix) | 8:02 |
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[12] | Gold | 5,000* |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[43] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
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* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
Release history
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | February 18, 1997 | Rhythmic contemporary radio | Interscope | [44] |
| United Kingdom | April 14, 1997 |
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[45] |