Let It Flow (song)

{{Infobox song | name = Let It Flow | cover = Toni Braxton - You're Makin' Me High (The Remix) and Let It Flow.png | alt = | caption = Artwork that commercializes "[[You're Makin' Me High|You're Makin' Me High (The Remix)]]"/"Let It Flow" | type = single | artist = [[Toni Braxton]] | album = [[Waiting to Exhale: Original Soundtrack Album]] ''and'' [[Secrets (Toni Braxton album)|Secrets]] | A-side = "[[You're Makin' Me High]]" | released = May 21, 1996 | recorded = 1995 | studio = * [[Record Plant|The Record Plant]] (Hollywood, CA) * The Tracken Place (Beverly Hills, CA) * [[The Hit Factory]] (New York City, NY) | venue = | genre = [[Contemporary R&B|R&B]] | length = 4:21 | label = [[LaFace Records|LaFace]] | writer = [[Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds|Babyface]] | producer = Babyface | prev_title = [[I Belong to You (Toni Braxton song)|I Belong to You]]/[[How Many Ways (Toni Braxton song)|How Many Ways]] | prev_year = 1994 | title = | title2 = [[You're Makin' Me High]] | next_title = [[Un-Break My Heart]] | next_year = 1996 | misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|lIjJ5mvjjiA|"Let It Flow" by Toni Braxton}}}} }}

"'''Let It Flow'''" is a song by American singer [[Toni Braxton]]. Written and produced by [[Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds|Babyface]], the song was originally recorded for, and included on, the [[Waiting to Exhale: Original Soundtrack Album|soundtrack]] to the 1995 motion picture ''[[Waiting to Exhale]]''.

"Let It Flow" was released as a [[A-side and B-side#Double A-side|double A-side]] with "[[You're Makin' Me High]]", the [[lead single]] from Braxton's second studio album, ''[[Secrets (Toni Braxton album)|Secrets]]'' (1996). At the time the single was issued, "Let It Flow" was already receiving strong radio [[airplay (radio)|airplay]] in the United States, and the two tracks eventually topped the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] and [[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs]] charts.

==Music video== The music video for "Let It Flow" directed by [[Herb Ritts]] features water imagery throughout. Braxton is shown singing while surrounded by men painted blue facing away from her, and this is interspersed with shots of the men behind and in front of screens of water flowing. She is also shown singing while sitting on a white float in the middle of a still body of water.

==Reception== The double-A side single debuted at number seven on the Hot 100 and number two on the Hot R&B Singles chart, the issue dated June 8, 1996, becoming Braxton's highest-debuting single.<ref name="bb960608hot100">{{cite magazine | author = Jerry McKenna | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=rQkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA117 | title = Hot 100 Singles Spotlight: Lucky Seven | magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] | date = June 8, 1996 | access-date = August 30, 2010}}</ref><ref name="bb960608rnb">{{cite magazine | author = Theda Sandiford-Waller | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=rQkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA23 | title = Theda Sandiford-Waller's Rhythm Section: Clive's Angels | magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] | date =June 8, 1996 | access-date = August 30, 2010}}</ref> It eventually topped the Hot 100 chart for a week, and the Hot R&B Singles chart for two weeks, which was her first number one single on both charts.<ref name="bb960629rnb">{{cite magazine | author = Theda Sandiford-Waller | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=pgkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA25 | title = Theda Sandiford-Waller's Rhythm Section: High Time | magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] | date =June 29, 1996 | access-date = August 30, 2010}}</ref><ref name="bb96072701">{{cite magazine | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=xAcEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA104 | title = ''Billboard'' Hot 100 Singles chart listing for the week of July 27, 1996 | magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] | date = July 27, 1996 | access-date = August 30, 2010}}</ref><ref name="bb96072702">{{cite magazine | author = Fred Bronson | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=xAcEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA110 | title = Chart Beat; Hot 100 Makes Lisa Loeb's Day | magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] | date = July 27, 1996 | access-date = August 30, 2010}}</ref> Due to its staying power on the Hot R&B Singles chart, it was the #1 R&B Single on the 1996's ''Billboard'' year-end charts.<ref name="1996bma">{{cite magazine | author = J.R. Reynolds | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=tQkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA81 | title = Morissette Leads Billboard Awards | magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] | date = December 14, 1996 | access-date = August 30, 2010}}</ref><ref name="1996bbyearend04">{{cite magazine | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=sQkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=RA1-PA15 | title = ''Billboard'' 1996 The Year in Music, Year-End Chart listing of Hot R&B Singles Artists & Hot R&B Singles | magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] | date = December 28, 1996 | access-date = August 26, 2010}}</ref> The single sold over 1,500,000 copies in the United States and was certified Platinum by the RIAA on July 17, 1996.<ref name="1996bestsellingrecords">{{cite magazine | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=IA8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA61 | title = Best-selling Records of 1996 | magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] | date = January 18, 1997 | access-date = August 29, 2010}}</ref><ref name="youremakinmehighriaa">{{cite web | url = https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=me%20high&artist=toni%20braxton&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=2010&sort=Artist&perPage=25 | title =RIAA certification for "You're Makin' Me High/Let It Flow" single | publisher = The [[Recording Industry Association of America]] | date = July 17, 1996 | access-date = August 27, 2010}}</ref>

Just as soon as the soundtrack was released, the song received critical acclaim, being chosen as one of the best tracks on the album by critics. [[Stephen Holden]], the music critic of the ''[[New York Times]]'', called it "small pop coup" and added "Braxton snaps out the words with a choked intensity, her dark, grainy contralto conveying a potent mixture of fury and sensuality."<ref name="nytimes holden">{{cite news | author = Stephen Holden | author-link = Stephen Holden | url = https://www.nytimes.com/1995/12/03/movies/recordings-view-holding-nothing-in-on-love.html | title = RECORDINGS VIEW;Holding Nothing In on Love | work = the [[New York Times]] | date = December 3, 1995 | access-date = August 30, 2010}}</ref>

== Personnel and credits ==

Credits adapted from album liner notes.<ref>Toni Braxton – Secrets (CD liner notes) - LaFace Records 73008-26020-2</ref>

{{col-begin}} {{col-2}} * [[Toni Braxton]]: lead vocals, background vocals * [[Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds]]: writer, producer, keyboards, guitar, programming * Reggie Griffin: guitar * Brad Gilderman: recording {{col-2}} * Jon Gass: mixing * [[Paul Boutin (sound engineer)|Paul Boutin]], Larry Schalit, Robbes Stieglietz, Kyle Bess: assistant engineers * Randy Walker: midi programming * Ivy Skoff: production coordinator {{col-end}}

== Charts == {{col-begin}} {{col-2}}

===Weekly charts=== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" |+Weekly chart performance for "Let It Flow" !Chart (1996) !Peak<br>position |- {{singlechart|Billboardhot100|1|artist=Toni Braxton|song=Let It Flow|accessdate=December 28, 2022|rowheader=true}} |- {{singlechart|Billboardadultcontemporary|9|artist=Toni Braxton|song=Let It Flow|accessdate=December 28, 2022|rowheader=true}} |- ! scope="row"|US [[Hot Dance Singles Sales]] (''Billboard'')<ref>{{cite magazine|url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=toni braxton|chart=Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales}} |title=Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales |access-date=2008-10-11 |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130630053509/http://www.billboard.com/artist/430180/toni%2Bbraxton/chart?f=360 |archive-date=June 30, 2013 }}</ref> |align="center"|2 |- {{singlechart|Billboardrandbhiphop|1|artist=Toni Braxton|song=Let It Flow|accessdate=December 28, 2022|rowheader=true}} |} {{col-2}}

===Year-end charts=== {|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |+Year-end chart performance for "Let It Flow" !Chart (1996) !Position |- ! scope="row"|US ''Billboard'' Hot 100<ref>{{cite web|url=http://longboredsurfer.com/charts.php?year=1996 |title=Billboard Top 100 - 1996 |access-date=2010-08-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090301121523/http://longboredsurfer.com/charts.php?year=1996 |archive-date=March 1, 2009 }}</ref> |align="center"|9 |- !Chart (1997) !align="center"|Position |- ! scope="row"|US ''Billboard'' Hot 100<ref>{{cite web|url=http://longboredsurfer.com/charts.php?year=1997 |title=Billboard Top 100 - 1997 |access-date=2010-08-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090611194337/http://longboredsurfer.com/charts.php?year=1997 |archive-date=2009-06-11 }}</ref> |align="center"|98 |}

===Decade-end charts=== {|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |+Decade-end chart performance for "Let It Flow" !Chart (1990–1999) !Position |- ! scope="row"|US ''Billboard'' Hot 100<ref name="1990sbb">{{cite book | author = Geoff Mayfield | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=9w0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=RA1-PA4 | title = 1999 The Year in Music Totally '90s: Diary of a Decade - The listing of Top Pop Albums of the '90s & Hot 100 Singles of the '90s | publisher = [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] | date = December 25, 1999 | access-date = October 15, 2010}}</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|68 |} {{col-end}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==See also== * [[R&B number-one hits of 1996 (USA)]] * [[Hot 100 number-one hits of 1996 (United States)]] * [[Number-one dance hits of 1996 (USA)]]

[[Category:1990s ballads]] [[Category:1995 songs]] [[Category:1995 singles]] [[Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles]] [[Category:Music videos directed by Herb Ritts]] [[Category:Pop ballads]] [[Category:Contemporary R&B ballads]] [[Category:Songs written for films]] [[Category:Songs written by Babyface (musician)]] [[Category:Toni Braxton songs]] [[Category:Song recordings produced by Babyface (musician)]] [[Category:LaFace Records singles]]