Motownphilly
1991 single by Boyz II Men
"Motownphilly" is the debut single by American vocal harmony group Boyz II Men, released in April 1991 by Motown as the first single from their debut album, Cooleyhighharmony (1991). Co-written and produced by Dallas Austin, the song was a success, peaking at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100. Michael Bivins, who co-wrote the song, provides a guest rap during the bridge. The song's title is a portmanteau of two of the group's main musical influences: 1960s Motown and 1970s Philly soul.
The accompanying music video for the song was filmed in various locations in the group's hometown of Philadelphia. Two new jack swing groups, Another Bad Creation and Bell Biv DeVoe, are mentioned in the lyrics. They appear briefly in the video, as does Sudden Impact, a short-lived R&B group organized by Bivins. Additionally, Questlove appears briefly as a drummer, due to his previous relationship with the group from high school.
01Critical reception
Dele Fadele from NME wrote, "Floating on a cloud through the chequered history of soul, yet inherently modern, Boyz II Men are plotting the new musical map. From Detroit to Philadelphia, this is East Coast style and sass in abundance, mixing and matching MFSB strings, House synth-bass, raps and the ghost of several songs rolled into one. Somewhere in the ever-shifting mix you learn their tale and, if I were Bell Biv DeVoe, I'd prepare to be usurped."
02Track listings
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03Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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04Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA) | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
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^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
05Release history
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | April 1991 |
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Motown | |
| Australia | July 29, 1991 |
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| Japan | August 21, 1991 | Mini-CD | ||
| United Kingdom | December 7, 1992 |
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Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Motownphilly”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- MotownphillyB2M.jpg by Motown, Fair use
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