Britney Spars’s ‘…Baby One More Time’ single cover

Did you know that Britney Spears’ smash hit debut single, “…Baby One More Time”, was initially offered to TLC?

Written and produced by Max Martin, “…Baby One More Time” was first offered to TLC for their Fan Mail album. However, the trio declined the tune, thus paving the way for Spears to launch her own career with the song. Yet, was it really the right move by the group? Let’s look at the stats.

“…Baby One More Time” topped the Billboard Hot 100 as well as charts in almost every major music market across the globe. The song was so huge that Spears became an instant sensation and her debut album of the same name was propelled to 14x platinum status in the US with a reported 30 million copies sold worldwide.

TLC’s Fan Mail, on the other hand, was only certified 6x platinum but the RIAA but it did generate the Hot 100 #1 anthems “No Scrubs” and “Unpretty”. Additionally, the album, which is regarded as an R&B classic, earned the group a Grammy Award nomination for Album of the Year.

Looks like Spears and TLC had victories with and without “…Baby One More Time”. Watch the video for the song below:

Now you know!