"4 Seasons of Loneliness" is a song by

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

-based vocal quartet

Boyz II Men Boyz II Men ( ) is an American vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. Formed in 1985, they have been a trio composed of baritone Nathan Morris, tenor Wanya Morris, Wanyá Mo ...

. Written and produced by

Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III (born June 6, 1959) and Terry Steven Lewis (born November 24, 1956) are an American R&B/ pop songwriting and record production team. Their productions have received commercial success since the 1980s with var ...

, the song was issued as the first single from their fourth studio album, ''

Evolution Evolution is the change in the heritable Phenotypic trait, characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. It occurs when evolutionary processes such as natural selection and genetic drift act on genetic variation, re ...

'' (1997), on September 8, 1997. Already a success on US radio, the release of the single prompted a ''Billboard'' Hot 100 debut at number two. The following week, the song moved up to number one, becoming Boyz II Men's fifth chart-topper and, as of , the last Hot 100 number-one hit under the

Motown Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

banner. "4 Seasons of Loneliness" was also the group's last top-10 hit in both New Zealand and the United Kingdom, debuting at number two on the

New Zealand Singles Chart The Official Aotearoa Music Charts, formerly the Official New Zealand Music Chart (), is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The M ...

and number 10 on the UK Singles Chart.

Critical reception

Larry Flick from ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' stated, "The long-anticipated "Evolution" is previewed with a heart-rending ballad that underlines the act's signature harmonies with a quietly rumbling R&B groove. Producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis wisely do not fuss too much with the act's hit-making formula, which still sounds fresh after all these years - thanks mostly to the friendly and often romantic personalities the lads bring to the material. Others may be able to duplicate Boyz II Men's technical sound, but you can't manufacture vibe and personality, both of which are in ample supply here. The countdown to No. 1 starts now."

Track listings

US CD, 7-inch, and cassette single # "4 Seasons of Loneliness" (LP version) — 4:51 # "4 Seasons of Loneliness" (B II M version) — 5:30 Canadian, UK, Australian, and Japanese CD single # "4 Seasons of Loneliness" (radio edit) — 4:27 # "4 Seasons of Loneliness" (B II M version) — 5:30 # "4 Seasons of Loneliness" (instrumental) — 4:51 # "4 Seasons of Loneliness" (a cappella) — 4:41 UK cassette single # "4 Seasons of Loneliness" (radio edit) — 4:27 # "4 Seasons of Loneliness" (extended Wannya mix) — 5:30

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1997 songs 1997 singles Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Boyz II Men songs Motown singles Song recordings produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis Songs written by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis