TLC rejected ...Baby One More Time

Tlc turned down the chance to record Britney Spears' breakout mega hit ...Baby One More Time because they were not comfortable with the lyrics.

Tionne 'T-Boz' Watkins reveals the girl group was offered the Max Martin and Rami Yacoub song before it was snapped up by Spears as her debut single back in 1999, but the singers rejected the track because it didn't fit their sound.

Recalling the offer, she tells MTV News, "I was like, 'I like the song but do I think it's a hit? Do I think it's TLC? I'm not saying 'hit me baby'.' No disrespect to Britney. It's good for her. But was I going to say, 'Hit me baby one more time'? Hell no!"

The song became a chart smash around the world, selling more than 10 million copies and catapulting Spears to superstardom at 18, but Watkins insists she has no regrets about the missed opportunity because it just wasn't right for TLC.

She continues, "It worked for her, I'm happy for her, I like Britney. Every song isn't good for each artist, and when you're a real artist you know what you believe in and what you really want to sing. So, I'm clear that it was a hit, but I'm also clear that it wasn't for TLC."