Don't Leave Me

"Don't Leave Me"
Single by Blackstreet
from the album Another Level
Released 1997
Recorded 1996
Genre R&B
Label Interscope
Writer(s) Teddy Riley
Chauncey Hannibal
Roosevelt Harrell
Karen Anderson
Bunny DeBarge
Producer Teddy Riley

"Don't Leave Me" is a single by R&B group Blackstreet, produced by R&B producer and New Jack Swing legend Teddy Riley. Following the path of Tupac's "I Ain't Mad At Cha" a single released after his death in September 1996, "Don't Leave Me" was the second song released as a hit single to implement the melody of "A Dream", an underground album track from the Motown family group by DeBarge featured on their 1983 LP, In A Special Way[1] that otherwise would not have been as well-recognized without these songs of the late 1990s that implemented the melody. The popularity of the DeBarge melody that resulted from the Tupac and BLACKstreet songs gave way to "A Dream" making its way to the big screen by having a special rendition implemented in dance audition scene of the 1997 20th Century Fox film Soul Food.

Charts success

The song did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100 or the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs 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/Hip-Hop Airplay charts at #12 and #1, respectively. It went to #1 in New Zealand and #6 in the UK.

Music video

The music video, in correlation to the track itself, received little airplay in the USA, but did remain prevalent in the UK & New Zealand.

References