"Motownphilly" is a song by American vocal harmony group
Boyz II Men
Boyz II Men (pronounced ''boys to men''), also known as B2M, is an American vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are currently a trio composed of baritone Natha ...
, released as their first single from their debut album, ''
Cooleyhighharmony''. The single was a success, peaking at number three on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100.
Michael Bivins, who co-wrote the song, provides a guest rap during the bridge. The song title etymology involves a combination of two of the group's main musical influences: 1960s
Motown
Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''mot ...
and 1970s
Philly soul.
The accompanying
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devi ...
for the song was filmed in various locations in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, the group's home city in December 1990. Two
new jack swing
New jack swing, new jack, or swingbeat is a fusion genre of the rhythms and production techniques of hip hop and dance-pop, and the urban contemporary sound of R&B. Spearheaded by producers Teddy Riley and Bernard Belle, new jack swing was ...
groups,
Another Bad Creation
Another Bad Creation (sometimes called ABC for short) allmusic ((( Another Bad Creation > Overview ))) Retrieved November 7, 2007. Demetrius and Marliss ("Red" and "Mark", respectively) Pugh, as well as Adrian "G.A." (General Austin) Witcher. The ...
and
Bell Biv DeVoe (of which Bivins was a member), are mentioned in the first verse: "Boyz II Men, ABC, BBD, the East Coast Family." Both groups appear briefly in the video, as does Sudden Impact, a short-lived R&B group organized by Bivins.
Track listings
* US vinyl, 12-inch
:A1: "Motownphilly"
2-inch version4:47
:A2: "Motownphilly"
P version3:52
:B: "Motownphilly"
nstrumental5:50
* US CD maxi
# "Motownphilly"
2-inch version Edit4:47
# "Motownphilly"
P version3:52
# "Motownphilly"
uiet storm4:06
# "Motownphilly"
2-inch A5:50
# "Motownphilly"
2-inch dub4:08
* UK vinyl, 7-inch
:A: "Motownphilly"
-inch radio version3:50
:B: "Motownphilly"
hilly instrumental
Hilly may refer to:
* a place with hills
* a place with hill country
People Surname
* Francis Billy Hilly (born 1948), Solomon Islands politician
* Jed Hilly, American musician
* Pat Hilly (1887–1953), American baseball player
Given name
* ...
3:50
* UK vinyl, 12-inch
:A: "Motownphilly"
2-inch extended club mix5:35
:B1: "Motownphilly"
-inch radio version3:50
:B2: "Motownphilly"
hilly instrumental
Hilly may refer to:
* a place with hills
* a place with hill country
People Surname
* Francis Billy Hilly (born 1948), Solomon Islands politician
* Jed Hilly, American musician
* Pat Hilly (1887–1953), American baseball player
Given name
* ...
3:50
:B3: "Motownphilly"
ub mix4:08
* Germany CD maxi
# "Motownphilly"
2-inch version5:50
# "Motownphilly"
-inch main3:20
# "Motownphilly"
2-inch dub4:09
# "Motownphilly"
uiet storm4:06
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
In popular culture
The song was featured during the
2016 Democratic National Convention, as the convention took place in Philadelphia, the city that the song is named for. The song has also been featured in several films and television series including ''
House Party 2'', ''
Full House
''Full House'' is an American television sitcom created by Jeff Franklin for ABC. The show is about widowed father Danny Tanner who enlists his brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis and childhood best friend Joey Gladstone to help raise his thr ...
'' (in the 1991 episode "Gotta Dance"), ''
Kids Incorporated'' (covered by the titular group in the 1992 episode "The Commercial"), ''
Hangin' with Mr. Cooper'' (in both the 1992
pilot episode
A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other dist ...
and the 1995 episode "Talent Show"), and ''
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
''It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia'' is an American sitcom created by Rob McElhenney and developed by McElhenney and Glenn Howerton that premiered on August 4, 2005 on FX and later FXX beginning with the ninth season in 2013. It stars Charlie ...
'' (covered in the 2013 episode "The Gang Gets Quarantined",
[Archived a]
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine
in which the main characters repeatedly rehearse an
a cappella version of the song in order to try to win a spot opening for Boyz II Men in concert while an
flu epidemic
An influenza pandemic is an epidemic of an influenza virus that spreads across a large region (either multiple continents or worldwide) and infects a large proportion of the population. There have been six major influenza epidemics in the last ...
is sweeping Philadelphia).
References
{{Authority control
1990 songs
1991 debut singles
Boyz II Men songs
Culture of Philadelphia
Motown singles
New jack swing songs
Song recordings produced by Dallas Austin
Songs written by Dallas Austin
Songs written by Michael Bivins
Songs written by Nathan Morris
Songs written by Shawn Stockman