When Can I See You

This article is about the song by Babyface. For the song by Owl City, see When Can I See You Again?

"When Can I See You"
US CD single
Single by Babyface
from the album For the Cool in You
Released	May 20, 1994
Recorded	1993
Genre	R&B pop [1]
Length	3:49
Label	Epic
Songwriter(s)	Kenneth Edmonds
Producer(s)	Antonio Reid Kenneth Edmonds Daryl Simmons
Babyface singles chronology
"Rock Bottom" (1994) "When Can I See You" (1994) "Dream Away" (1994)
Music video
"When Can I See You" on YouTube

"When Can I See You" is the fifth single from American musician Babyface's third album, For the Cool in You (1993). It was written by Babyface, and co-produced by him with Antonio Reid and Daryl Simmons. Released in May 1994, by Epic Records, the song became Babyface's highest-charting single on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at No. 4. The song also peaked at No. 6 on the US R&B chart and at No. 35 on the UK Singles Chart. The song was also included on his greatest hits collection, released in 2000. ^[2]

The song earned him his first performance Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. ^[3]

Critical reception

Larry Flick from Billboard magazine wrote, "Just when you think you've heard the best possible single from Babyface's lush For the Cool in You collection, a more potent entry is presented. This time, he reels in his acrobatic delivery and offers a delicate, stirring performance over a spare acoustic pop arrangement. Album version of the track derives its motion from a subtle folk-like percussion, though a fleshier remix is included for R&B radio. Pick either mix, and play it like crazy." ^[1]

Music video

The accompanying music video for "When Can I See You" was directed by Randee St. Nicholas and filmed in Los Angeles. It was produced by John Hopgood and Michael Trim directed photography on the Planet Pictures production. ^[4]

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1994) Peak position Australia (ARIA) [5] 31 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [6] 9 Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40) [7] 32 UK Singles (OCC) [8] 35 US Billboard Hot 100 [9] 4 US Adult Contemporary ( Billboard ) [10] 10 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs ( Billboard ) [11] 6 US Pop Airplay ( Billboard ) [12] 4 US Cash Box Top 100 2

Year-end charts Chart (1994) Position US Billboard Hot 100 [13] 26 US Cash Box Top 100 [14] 10

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [15]	Gold	500,000^
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Flick, Larry (June 11, 1994). "Single Reviews: Pop" (PDF). Billboard . p. 65. Retrieved May 21, 2025.
2. Basham, David (2000-10-20). "News - Articles - 1425090 - 20001020". Mtv.com. Archived from the original on July 15, 2001. Retrieved 2010-03-26.
3. Jet - Google Books. Johnson Publishing Company. 1995-01-23. Retrieved 2010-03-26.
4. "Music Video: Production Notes" (PDF). Billboard . June 18, 1994. p. 38. Retrieved May 21, 2025.
5. "Babyface – When Can I See You". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
6. "Babyface – When Can I See You". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
7. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 Vikan 22.9.-28.9. '94". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). September 22, 1994. p. 16. Retrieved April 1, 2025.
8. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
9. "Babyface Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
10. "Babyface Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
11. "Babyface Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 31, 2017.
12. "Babyface Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 18, 2025.
13. "Billboard Top 100 - 1994" . Retrieved November 23, 2021.
14. "The Cash Box Year-End Charts: 1994". Cash Box . Archived from the original on October 10, 2012.
15. "American single certifications – Babyface – When Can I See You". Recording Industry Association of America.