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 managerKhalil Roundtree who was shot in Chicago, Illinois while the band was opening for MC Hammer'sToo Legit to Quit tour.
Reception
| [hide] Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Robert Christgau |  [2] |
The album debuted at #1 in the Billboard 200 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 was a hugely successful album there.
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.
[edit]Track listing
- "Thank You" (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 You" (Babyface) – 4:07
- "On Bended Knee" (James Harris III, Terry Lewis) – 5:29
- "50 Candles" (Shawn Stockman, Tim Kelley, Bob Robinson) – 5:06
- "Water Runs Dry" (Babyface) – 3:22
- "Yesterday" (Paul McCartney, John Lennon) – 3:07
- "Falling" (Brian McKnight & Brandon Barnes) – 4:09
[edit]Charts
Chart (1994) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart | 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 | 17[3] |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums | 1 |
[edit]End of decade charts
| Chart (1990-1999) | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200[4] | 13 |
| Preceded by The Lion King (soundtrack) by Various artists From the Cradle by Eric Clapton Monster by R.E.M. The Hits by Garth Brooks | Billboard 200 number-one album September 17–30, 1994 October 8–14, 1994 October 29 - November 4, 1994 March 11–17, 1995 | Succeeded by From the Cradle by Eric Clapton Monster by R.E.M. Murder Was the Case by Various artists Greatest Hits by Bruce Springsteen |
[edit]Release history
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | August 30, 1994 | Motown Records | Cassette, CD | |
| United Kingdom | September 12, 1994 | Motown Records | Cassette, CD |
[edit]See also
[edit]References
- ^ http://www.allmusic.com/album/r203236
- ^ http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?id=182
- ^ http://www.chartstats.com/albuminfo.php?id=12716
- ^ Geoff Mayfield (December 25, 1999). "1999 The Year in Music Totally '90s: Diary of a Decade - The listing of Top Pop Albums of the '90s & Hot 100 Singles of the '90s". Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
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BOYZ II MEN LYRICS
Send "On Bended Knee" Ringtone to your Cell 
"On Bended Knee"
Darlin' I can't explain
Where did we lose our way
Girl it's drivin' me insane
And I know I just need one more chance
To prove my love to you
If you come back to me
I'll guarantee
That I'll never let you go
Can we go back to the days our love was strong
Can you tell me how a perfect love goes wrong
Can somebody tell me how to get things back
The way they use to be
Oh God give me a reason
I'm down on bended knee
I'll never walk again until you come back to me
I'm down on bended knee
So many nights I dream of you
Holding my pillow tight
I know I don't need to be alone
When I open up my eyes
To face reality
Every moment without you
It seems like eternity
I'm begging you, begging you come back to me
Can we go back to the days our love was strong
Can you tell me how a perfect love goes wrong
Can somebody tell me how to get things back
The way they use to be
Oh God give me a reason
I'm down on bended knee
I'll never walk again until you come back to me
I'm down on bended knee
Gonna swallow my pride
Say I'm sorry
Stop pointing fingers the blame is on me
I want a new life
And I want it with you
If you feel the same
Don't ever let it go
You gotta believe in the spirit of love
It can heal all things
We won't hurt any more
No I don't believe our love's terminal
I'm down on my knees begging you please
Come home
Can we go back to the days our love was strong
Can you tell me how a perfect love goes wrong
Can somebody tell me how to get things back
The way they use to be
Oh God give me a reason
I'm down on bended knee
I'll never walk again until you come back to me
I'm down on bended knee
Wanna build a new life
Just you and me
Gonna make you my wife
Raise a family
