"Understanding" is a song by American R&B group Xscape. Written by

Manuel Seal Manuel L. Seal, Jr. (born September 26, 1960) is an American multi-instrumentalist, record producer, composer, singer, songwriter, vocal coach, and arranger. His credits include artists as Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson, Usher, TLC, Aretha Frankli ...

, the song was released as the group's second single from the group's 1993 debut album '' Hummin' Comin' at 'Cha''. The song reached number eight on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and spent two weeks at number one on the

Hot R&B Singles The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

chart.. It is the first single from the group to feature all four group members on lead vocals.

Release and reception

Released in December 1993, "Understanding" entered the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart the following month, and reached its peak of number eight in February 1994. The single spent 14 weeks in the top 40 portion of the chart. The song went to number one on the

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 The Radio Songs chart (previously named Hot 100 Airplay until 2014 and Top 40 Radio Monitor until 1991) is released weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and measures the airplay of songs being played on radio stations throughout the United States acro ...

chart. In February, the single was certified gold in the United States. The song also reached number 24 in New Zealand. The "Understanding"

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

entered the most-played weekly charts at MTV and

BET Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los ...

in late 1993, and the video reached number one on The Box for the week ending January 29, 1994. When recording the 1995 album '' Off the Hook'', group member Kandi Buruss compared "Understanding" favorably to "

Just Kickin' It "Just Kickin' It" is a song by American R&B group Xscape. Written by Jermaine Dupri and Manuel Seal, the song was released as Xscape's first single from the group's 1993 debut album, '' Hummin' Comin' at 'Cha''. The single became the group's m ...

", 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 Tameka Dianne Cottle Harris (born July 14, 1975), known professionally by her nickname Tiny, is an American singer-songwriter. She rose to fame in the 1990s as a member of the multi-platinum R&B vocal group Xscape. She received a Grammy Award ...

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

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

External links

"Understanding" lyrics
{{Xscape 1993 singles Xscape (group) songs Songs written by Manuel Seal 1993 songs Columbia Records singles Contemporary R&B ballads Soul ballads 1990s ballads