"Weak"
Single by SWV
from the album It's About Time
B-side
ReleasedApril 16, 1993 (1993-04-16)[1]
Length
  • 4:51 (album version)
  • 4:21 (single version)
LabelRCA
Songwriter(s)Brian Alexander Morgan
Producer(s)Brian Alexander Morgan
SWV singles chronology
"I'm So into You"
(1992) 		"Weak"
(1993) 		"Right Here/Human Nature"
(1993)
Music video
"Weak" on YouTube

"Weak" is a song by American R&B vocal trio SWV from their debut studio album, It's About Time (1992). It was written and produced by Brian Alexander Morgan, who composed the lyrics based on a young person falling in love for the first time.[2] Inspired by his crush on singer Chanté Moore,[3] Morgan originally wrote the song for Charlie Wilson, but he later decided to give the song to SWV. Morgan revealed that Coko did not like the song and gave him attitude during the recording of the single.[4]

"Weak" was released as the third single from the album. It topped the US Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks in July 1993 and sold over one million copies domestically and was awarded a platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It also topped the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart for two weeks. Outside the US, the single reached number six on the New Zealand Singles Charts and number 33 on the UK Singles Chart. Billboard ranked the song at number 72 on their list of the "100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time".[5]

Critical reception

Pan-European magazine Music & Media described "Weak" as a "lush ballad".[6]

Track listing

  1. "Weak" (R-N-B mix) – 4:44
  2. "Weak" (Bam Jam extended Jeep mix) – 6:00
  3. "SMV" (In the House) – 2:58
  4. "I'm So into You" – 4:38

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[1] 3× Platinum 3,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "American single certifications – SWV – Weak". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  2. ^ Frederick, Brendan. "Interview: Brian Alexander Morgan, the '90s Mastermind Behind SWV, on His History & Return to Music". complex.com. Complex Magazine. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
  3. ^ Frederick, Brendan (September 22, 2014). "Interview: Brian Alexander Morgan, the '90s Mastermind Behind SWV, on His History & Return to Music". Complex. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  4. ^ Greene, Andy. "The WTF Comeback of SWV". rollingstone.com. Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
  5. ^ "100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time: Critics' Picks". Billboard. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  6. ^ "New Releases: Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. June 12, 1993. p. 11. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
  7. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 273.
  8. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2200." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  9. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 27. July 3, 1993. p. 35. Retrieved July 3, 2020.
  10. ^ "European Dance Radio" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 35. August 28, 1993. p. 21. Retrieved November 5, 2021.
  11. ^ "SWV – Weak". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  12. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  13. ^ "Top 60 Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. June 26, 1993. p. 28. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  14. ^ "SWV Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  15. ^ "SWV Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  16. ^ "SWV Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  17. ^ "SWV Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  18. ^ "SWV Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  19. ^ "Billboard Top 100 – 1993". Billboardtop100of.com. Retrieved August 6, 2019.
  20. ^ "1993 Year End Chart: R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  21. ^ "Hot 100 Singles of the '90s". Billboard. Vol. 111, no. 52. December 25, 1999. p. YE-20. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
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