Understanding (song)
{{for|other songs of this name|Understanding (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Understanding
| cover = XscapeUnderstanding.jpg
| border = yes
| type = single
| artist = Xscape
| album = Hummin' Comin' at 'Cha
| released = December 21, 1993
| recorded = 1993
| genre = {{hlist|R&B|hip hop soul}}
| length = 5:40
| label =
| writer = Manuel Seal
| prev_title = Just Kickin' It
| prev_year = 1993
| next_title = Love on My Mind
| next_year = 1994
| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|HR5J5jUDcnA|"Understanding"}}}}
}}
"Understanding" is a song by American R&B group Xscape. Written by Manuel Seal,
{{cite magazine
| date=1994-05-07
| last=Bronson
| first=Fred
| title=Write Stuff
| magazine=Billboard
| publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.
| volume=106
| issue=19
| page=74
| issn=0006-2510}}
the song was released in December 1993, by Sony and Columbia Records, as the group's second single from their debut album, Hummin' Comin' at 'Cha (1993). The song reached number eight on the US Billboard Hot 100 and spent two weeks at number one on the Hot R&B Singles chart.. It is the first single from the group to feature all four group members on lead vocals.
{{cite magazine
| date=1995-06-03
| last=Reynolds
| first=J.R.
| title=Xscape Cultivates Mature Sound
| magazine=Billboard
| publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.
| volume=107
| issue=22
| page=15
| issn=0006-2510}}
Release and reception
Released in December 1993, "Understanding" entered the US Billboard Hot 100 singles chart the following month, and reached its peak of number eight in February 1994.
{{cite book
| last=Whitburn
| first=Joel
| title=The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits
| edition=8th
| publisher=Billboard Books (Nielsen Business Media, Inc.)
| page=691
| location=New York
| date=2004
| isbn=978-0-8230-7499-0}}
The single spent 14 weeks in the top 40 portion of the chart. The song went to number one on the Hot R&B Singles chart, where it spent two weeks at the top. In other Billboard charts, the song reached number seven on the Hot 100 Singles Sales chart and number 15 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart. In February, the single was certified gold in the United States and has since been certified Platinum in March 2023.
{{cite web
|url = http://riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=&artist=xscape&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2009&sort=Artist&perPage=25
|archive-url = https://archive.today/20130201094803/http://riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=&artist=xscape&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2009&sort=Artist&perPage=25
|url-status = dead
|archive-date = 2013-02-01
|title = Gold & Platinum Search Results - Xscape
|publisher = RIAA
|access-date = 2009-11-11
}}
The song also reached number 24 in New Zealand.
{{cite web
| url = http://www.ultratop.be/en/showitem.asp?interpret=Xscape&titel=Understanding&cat=s
| title = Xscape - 'Understanding'
| publisher = Ultratop
| access-date = 2009-11-11}}
The "Understanding" music video, directed by Otis Sallid, entered the most-played weekly charts at MTV and BET in late 1993, and the video reached number one on The Box for the week ending January 29, 1994.
{{cite magazine
| date=1994-02-05
| title=Billboard Video Monitor
| magazine=Billboard
| publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc.
| volume=106
| issue=6
| page=36
| issn=0006-2510}}
When recording the 1995 album Off the Hook, group member Kandi Buruss compared "Understanding" favorably to "Just Kickin' It", the group's previous single. "I felt like I could sing 'Just Kickin' It' in my sleep. Songs like 'Understanding', which was more vocally complex, had real feeling to it and that's what we wanted more of on our next album." Fellow group member Tameka Cottle noted that the appeal of the song "was really universal."
Track listings
- CD/cassette single
- "Understanding" (radio version)
- "Understanding" (remix)
- "Understanding" (Sexual Healing Mix)
- "With You" (LP version)
- 7" vinyl single
- "Understanding" (LP version) - 5:40
- "Just Kickin' It" (remix) - 3:44
Charts
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
=Weekly charts=
{{col-2}}
=Year-end charts=
| class="wikitable sortable"
!Chart (1994) !Position |
| US Billboard Hot 100{{cite web|url=http://longboredsurfer.com/charts.php?year=1994|title=Billboard Top 100 - 1994|access-date=August 27, 2010|archive-date=March 1, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090301121519/http://longboredsurfer.com/charts.php?year=1994|url-status=dead}}
|align="center"|58 |
| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard){{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1994/hot-r-and-and-b-hip-hop-songs|title=Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 1994|magazine=Billboard|access-date=March 30, 2021}}
|align="center"|19 |
{{col-end}}
Certifications
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|artist=Xscape|title=Understanding|award=Platinum|type=single|relyear=1993|certyear=2023|accessdate=March 13, 2023}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true|nosales=yes|noshipments=yes}}
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.mtv.com/lyrics/xscape/understanding/7753846/lyrics.jhtml "Understanding" lyrics]{{dead link|date=January 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}
{{Xscape}}
Category:Songs written by Manuel Seal
Category:Columbia Records singles