II (Boyz II Men album)
Encyclopedia
II is the second studio album by boy band Boyz II Men
, released in August 1994 on Motown Records
. It contained the #1 singles "I'll Make Love To You
" and "On Bended Knee
", the latter of which replaced the former at the top of the Billboard Hot 100
, making the group the third artist to replace themselves at #1 in the US
after Elvis Presley
and The Beatles
and the first to achieve the feat in 30 years.
"I'll Make Love to You" also spent 14 weeks at the top of the Hot 100 making them the first artist to achieve consecutive double digit runs at the top, with their prior single "End of the Road
" topping the charts for 13 weeks and also equaled the record set by Whitney Houston
's "I Will Always Love You
" for the longest run at the top, a record which they held previously with "End of the Road". Other singles released achieved major success, including "Water Runs Dry
", which reached #2, and "Thank You
", which reached #21. "Vibin'", however, only reached #52.
The spoken track produced by Tim & Bob
"Khalil (Interlude)" is a tribute to their road manager Khalil Roundtree who was shot in Chicago, Illinois while the band was opening for MC Hammer
's Too Legit to Quit
tour.
with 350,000 copies sold. It spent a total of 5 weeks at #1 and was the third best-selling album in 1995 in the United States and sold 12 million copies in the United States.
It didn't make a huge impact in the UK
, where it only made #17 on the albums chart. A Spanish language
version, II: Yo Te Voy a Amar, was also issued. The album also won Best R&B Album at the 37th Grammy Awards
.
Boyz II Men
Boyz II Men is an American R&B vocal group best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are the most successful R&B group of all time, having sold more than albums worldwide. In the 1990s, Boyz II Men found fame on Motown Records as a quartet, but original member Michael McCary...
, released in August 1994 on Motown Records
Motown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
. It contained the #1 singles "I'll Make Love To You
I'll Make Love to You
"I'll Make Love to You" is a 1994 number-one hit single by R&B group Boyz II Men for the Motown label. The song, which was written by Babyface, was the lead single from their second album II. It was at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for 14 weeks, from August 27 to November 26, 1994...
" and "On Bended Knee
On Bended Knee
"On Bended Knee" is a 1994 number-one hit single by Boyz II Men for the Motown label.Written and produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the single is notable for having replaced the previous Boyz II Men single, "I'll Make Love to You", as the top song on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States...
", the latter of which replaced the former at the top of the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, making the group the third artist to replace themselves at #1 in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
after Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
and The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
and the first to achieve the feat in 30 years.
"I'll Make Love to You" also spent 14 weeks at the top of the Hot 100 making them the first artist to achieve consecutive double digit runs at the top, with their prior single "End of the Road
End of the Road
"End of the Road" is a 1992 Grammy Award-winning, number-one song recorded in May 1992 by Boyz II Men for the Motown label. Written and produced by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Antonio "L.A." Reid and Daryl Simmons. It is Boyz II Men's most successful single and replaced Diana Ross and Lionel...
" topping the charts for 13 weeks and also equaled the record set by Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
's "I Will Always Love You
I Will Always Love You
"I Will Always Love You" is a song written by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton in 1973, who first released the song as a single in 1974.-Dolly Parton version:...
" for the longest run at the top, a record which they held previously with "End of the Road". Other singles released achieved major success, including "Water Runs Dry
Water Runs Dry
"Water Runs Dry" is a 1995 single by Boyz II Men for the Motown label, written and produced by Babyface. The single, number four from the album II, reached number 2 in the United States, and number 24 in the UK...
", which reached #2, and "Thank You
Thank You (Boyz II Men song)
"Thank You" is a New jack swing song released by American R&B/soul-singing group, Boyz II Men in 1995. "Thank You" was co-produced by Dallas Austin and Boyz II Men, it was released as the third single from Boyz II Men's second studio album, II...
", which reached #21. "Vibin'", however, only reached #52.
The spoken track produced by Tim & Bob
Tim & Bob
Tim & Bob aka Funktwons, are Grammy Award-winning songwriting musicians and a Hip-hop/R&B pop production duo. Tim & Bob have discovered and or worked on some of the biggest artists in the music industry and has helped develop the Atlanta music scene as it is widely known for today...
"Khalil (Interlude)" is a tribute to their road manager Khalil Roundtree who was shot in Chicago, Illinois while the band was opening for MC Hammer
MC Hammer
Stanley Kirk Burrell , better known by his stage name MC Hammer , is an American rapper, entertainer, business entrepreneur, dancer and actor. He had his greatest commercial success and popularity from the late 1980s until the mid-1990s...
's Too Legit to Quit
Too Legit to Quit
The cassette tape version of this album is considerably longer, with the addition of four songs . After "Find Yourself a Friend" there follows "Rollin' On " . After "Gaining Momentum" is "Burn It Up" . The last two songs on the album are then "Addams Groove" and "Street Soldiers "...
tour.
Reception
The album debuted at #1 in the Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
with 350,000 copies sold. It spent a total of 5 weeks at #1 and was the third best-selling album in 1995 in the United States and sold 12 million copies in the United States.
It didn't make a huge impact in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, where it only made #17 on the albums chart. A Spanish language
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
version, II: Yo Te Voy a Amar, was also issued. The album also won Best R&B Album at the 37th Grammy Awards
Grammy Awards of 1995
The 37th Grammy Awards were presented March 1, 1995. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year.-Award winners:*Record of the Year**Bill Bottrell & Sheryl Crow for "All I Wanna Do"*Album of the Year...
.
Track listing
- "Thank YouThank You (Boyz II Men song)"Thank You" is a New jack swing song released by American R&B/soul-singing group, Boyz II Men in 1995. "Thank You" was co-produced by Dallas Austin and Boyz II Men, it was released as the third single from Boyz II Men's second studio album, II...
" (Michael S. McCary, Nathan Morris, Wanya Morris, Shawn Stockman, Dallas Austin) – 4:34 - "All Around the World" (James Harris III, Terry Lewis, Michael S. McCary, Nathan Morris, Wanya Morris, Shawn Stockman, Daddy-O) – 4:56
- "U Know" (Michael S. McCary, Nathan Morris, Wanya Morris, Shawn Stockman, Tim Kelley, Bob Robinson) – 4:46
- "Vibin'" (Michael S. McCary, Nathan Morris, Wanya Morris, Shawn Stockman, Tim Kelley, Bob Robinson) – 4:26
- "I Sit Away" (Tony Rich) – 4:34
- "Jezzebel" (Wanya Morris, Shawn Stockman, The Characters: Troy Taylor & Charles Farrar) – 6:06
- "Khalil (Interlude)" (Nathan Morris, Shawn Stockman Tim Kelley, Bob Robinson) – 1:41
- "Trying Times" (Wanya Morris, Tim Kelley, Bob Robinson) – 5:23
- "I'll Make Love to YouI'll Make Love to You"I'll Make Love to You" is a 1994 number-one hit single by R&B group Boyz II Men for the Motown label. The song, which was written by Babyface, was the lead single from their second album II. It was at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for 14 weeks, from August 27 to November 26, 1994...
" (Babyface) – 4:07 - "On Bended KneeOn Bended Knee"On Bended Knee" is a 1994 number-one hit single by Boyz II Men for the Motown label.Written and produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, the single is notable for having replaced the previous Boyz II Men single, "I'll Make Love to You", as the top song on the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States...
" (James Harris III, Terry Lewis) – 5:29 - "50 Candles" (Shawn Stockman, Tim Kelley, Bob Robinson) – 5:06
- "Water Runs DryWater Runs Dry"Water Runs Dry" is a 1995 single by Boyz II Men for the Motown label, written and produced by Babyface. The single, number four from the album II, reached number 2 in the United States, and number 24 in the UK...
" (Babyface) – 3:22 - "YesterdayYesterday (song)"Yesterday" is a song originally recorded by The Beatles for their 1965 album Help!. The song first hit the United Kingdom top 10 three months after the release of Help!. The song remains popular today with more than 1,600 cover versions, one of the most covered songs in the history of recorded...
" (Paul McCartney, John Lennon) – 3:07 - "Falling" (Brian McKnightBrian McKnightBrian McKnight is an American singer-songwriter, arranger, producer, and R&B/Pop musician. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays nine instruments: piano, guitar, bass guitar, drums, percussions, trombone, tuba, flugelhorn and trumpet....
& Brandon BarnesBrandon BarnesBrandon Barnes is an American musician and producer from Denver, Colorado. He is best known as the drummer for the punk rock band, Rise Against. Barnes is the only member of the band who is not straight edge.-Biography:...
) – 4:09
Charts
| Chart (1994) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
4 |
| Dutch Albums Chart | 7 |
| German Albums Chart | 18 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart | 1 |
| Swedish Albums Chart | 20 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 21 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
17 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
1 |
| U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
1 |
End of decade charts
| Chart (1990–1999) | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 13 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | August 30, 1994 | Motown Records Motown Records Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit... |
Cassette, CD | |
| United Kingdom | September 12, 1994 | Motown Records | Cassette, CD |
See also
- List of best-selling albums in the United States
- List of number-one albums of 1994 (U.S.)
- List of number-one albums of 1995 (U.S.)
- List of number-one R&B albums of 1994 (U.S.)