"Fill Me In" is the debut solo single of British singer Craig David. It was released on 3 April 2000 as the lead single from his debut studio album, Born to Do It (2000). The song debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart on 9 April 2000. "Fill Me In" was then released in the United States on 22 May 2001 and peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100. According to the Official Charts Company, it was the 10th-best-selling single of 2000 in the UK, having sold 573,000 copies.
The track contains a sample from an Artful Dodger bootleg remix of BBMak's "Still on Your Side".[3] A second part of "Fill Me In" is featured on the US edition of Born to Do It.
Content
The narrator tells a story of trying to spend time with the girl next door, but her parents remain suspicious about what she is doing.[4] The song is a commentary on the "helicopter parenting" that was becoming more prominent in the early 2000s. In the hook, the parents ask if their daughter can fill them in on what is going on in her life.
Chart performance
After his success with Artful Dodger, David's first solo hit debuted at number one in the UK top 40 on the week of 15 April 2000.[5] "Fill Me In" topped the charts during a week in which all of the top six positions were new entries. After one week atop the chart, "Fill Me In" dropped to number two for two weeks, replaced at number one by Fragma's "Toca's Miracle". The single logged 10 weeks inside the top 40. On 28 December 2009, when BBC Radio 1 presenter Nihal revealed "The Official Top 100 Songs of the Decade", "Fill Me In" was at number 93.[6]
The single was released in the United States on 22 May 2001.[7] On 30 June, "Fill Me In" entered the Billboard Hot 100 top 40 at number 28.[8] The song climbed into the top 20 the following week, remaining there until October and peaking at number 15 on 1 September. In total, David remained 23 weeks inside the US top 40 before leaving on 8 December.
Music video
There are different versions of the music video released in the United Kingdom and in the United States. The UK music video, directed by Max & Dania, has David telling a story about how he tried many times to romance his girlfriend who lived next door to him but each of his attempts to be alone with his girlfriend failed as his girlfriend's parents always interrupted and he had to hide before they left again. According to an interview on his first Greatest Hits album, the girl in the UK music video is a South African woman whose identity has never been known. The US version, directed by Darren Grant, has a different video and this time David's girlfriend is mixed race.
In 2017, Canadian house music production and DJ duo Loud Luxury released a remix of the song which featured Ryan Shepherd.[62] In 2022, the song was certified Gold in Canada.[63]
^Fill Me In (UK CD2 liner notes). Craig David. Wildstar Records. 2000. CXWILD28.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Fill Me In (UK cassette single sleeve). Craig David. Wildstar Records. 2000. CAWILD28.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Fill Me In (Japanese CD single liner notes). Craig David. Telstar Records. 2000. VICP-35050.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Fill Me In (European CD single liner notes). Craig David. Wildstar Records. 2000. 0111206 WST.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Fill Me In (European maxi-CD single liner notes). Craig David. Wildstar Records. 2000. 0111205WST.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Fill Me In (Australian CD single liner notes). Craig David. Addiction Records. 2000. ADICT092CD.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)