II (Boyz II Men album)

II is the second studio album (discounting their Christmas album) - hence the title - by American R&B quartet Boyz II Men, released on August 30, 1994, on Motown Records.[1] It contained the No. 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 No. 1 in the United States after Elvis Presley and The Beatles and the first to achieve the feat in 30 years.

II
Studio album by
Boyz II Men
ReleasedAugust 30, 1994
RecordedDecember 1993—May 1994
Studio
Kajem Studios, Studio 4 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Doppler Studios, D.A.R.P. Studios, Studio LaCoCo in Atlanta, Georgia
The Enterprises, Encore Studios in Burbank, California
Flyte Tyme Studios in Edina, Minnesota
Larrabee Sound Studios, Skip Saylor Recording, Lighthouse Studios in Los Angeles, California
Backroom Studios in Glendale, California
Granny's House Studios in Reno, Nevada
Genre
Length57:38
LabelMotown
Producer
Boyz II Men chronology
Christmas Interpretations
(1993)		 II
(1994)		 The Remix Collection
(1995)
Singles from II
  1. "I'll Make Love to You"
    Released: July 26, 1994
  2. "On Bended Knee"
    Released: November 1, 1994
  3. "Thank You"
    Released: February 7, 1995
  4. "Water Runs Dry"
    Released: April 11, 1995

"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 No. 2, and "Thank You", which reached No. 21. "Vibin'", however, only reached No. 52.[1]

The spoken track "Khalil (Interlude)" is a tribute to their road manager Khalil Rountree who was shot in Chicago, Illinois while the group was opening for MC Hammer's Too Legit to Quit tour.[1] II became the inaugural winner of the Grammy Award for Best R&B Album, first presented at the 37th Grammy Awards in 1995.

According to producer Bob Robinson of the duo Tim & Bob, he and his partner Tim Kelley were asked by Boyz II Men to produce most of II. However, Motown Records then-president Jheryl Busby did not feel comfortable with the idea of two unknown producers dominating a second album from a group that was one of the biggest acts in the world at the time.[1] As a result, Busby brought in Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and Babyface to deliver hit singles for the project. Busby insisted on "I'll Make Love to You" being the first single, despite objections from the group- who felt there were songs that could have been much stronger singles.[1] The song became one of Boyz II Men's biggest hits.

Over 20 songs were recorded for II, but most of them never made the final track listing.[1] Two of the songs Tim & Bob produced—"Now That We're Done" and "Can I Touch You"—ended up on 112's 1996 self-titled debut.[1]

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Robert Christgau(3-star Honorable Mention)(3-star Honorable Mention)(3-star Honorable Mention)[3]
Entertainment WeeklyA[4]
Rolling Stone(favorable)[5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[6]

The album debuted at No. 1 in the Billboard 200 with 350,000 copies sold. It spent a total of five weeks at No. 1 and was the third best-selling album in 1995 in the United States and sold 12 million copies in the United States.

It did not make a huge impact in the United Kingdom, where it only made No. 17 on the UK 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. The album was ranked #495 on the September 22, 2020 edition of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[7]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Thank You"Michael S. McCary, Nathan Morris, Wanya Morris, Shawn Stockman, Dallas AustinBoyz II Men, Austin4:37
2."All Around the World"James Harris III, Terry Lewis, McCary, N. Morris, W. Morris, Stockman, Daddy-OJimmy Jam & Terry Lewis4:56
3."U Know"McCary, N. Morris, W. Morris, Stockman, Tim Kelley, Bob Robinson, Curtis MayfieldBoyz II Men, Tim Kelley & Bob Robinson4:46
4."Vibin'"McCary, N. Morris, W. Morris, Stockman, Kelley, RobinsonTim Kelley & Bob Robinson4:28
5."I Sit Away"Tony RichL.A. Reid, Rich4:35
6."Jezzebel"W. Morris, Stockman, Troy Taylor, Charles FarrarThe Characters6:07
7."Khalil (Interlude)"N. Morris, StockmanTim Kelley & Bob Robinson1:41
8."Trying Times"W. Morris, Kelley, RobinsonW. Morris, Tim Kelley & Bob Robinson5:23
9."I'll Make Love to You"BabyfaceBabyface3:56
10."On Bended Knee"Harris III, LewisJimmy Jam & Terry Lewis5:30
11."50 Candles"Stockman, Kelley, RobinsonStockman, Tim Kelley & Bob Robinson5:08
12."Water Runs Dry"BabyfaceBabyface3:21
13."Yesterday"Paul McCartney, John LennonBoyz II Men3:09
International bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
14."Fallin'"Brian McKnight, Brandon BarnesMcKnight4:09

Notes

Charts

Certifications
Certifications and sales for II
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[36] 2× Platinum 140,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[37] 5× Platinum 500,000^
France (SNEP)[38] Platinum 300,000*
Japan (RIAJ)[39] Gold 100,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[40] Gold 50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[41] Platinum 15,000^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[42] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[43] Gold 100,000*
United States (RIAA)[44] 12× Platinum 12,000,000^
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[45] Platinum 1,000,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history
Release dates for II
Region Date Label Format
United States August 30, 1994 Motown Cassette, CD
United Kingdom September 12, 1994

See also

References
  1. Williams, Chris (16 July 2011). "Boyz II Men's II LP revisited with Bob Robinson (of Tim & Bob) | Return To The Classics". soulculture.com. Soul Culture. Archived from the original on 20 December 2014. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
  2. Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "II". AllMusic. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
  3. "CG: Artist 182". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 2012-01-11.
  4. "II Review". Entertainment Weekly. September 9, 1994. p. 83. Retrieved 2012-06-30.
  5. Evans, Paul (1994-12-29). "Boyz II Men: II : Music Reviews". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2008-06-20. Retrieved 2012-06-30.
  6. Brackett, Nathan; Christian Hoard (2004). The Rolling Stone Album Guide. New York City, New York: Simon and Schuster. p. 100. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8. rolling stone boyz ii men album guide.
  7. "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. 2020-09-22. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
  8. "Australiancharts.com – Boyz II Men – II". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  9. "Dutchcharts.nl – Boyz II Men – II" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  10. "Hits of the World – Eurochart". Billboard. October 22, 1994. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
  11. "Billboard". 1995-02-04.
  12. "Offiziellecharts.de – Boyz II Men – II" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  13. "ボーイズ・Ii・メンのアルバム売上ランキング".
  14. "Charts.nz – Boyz II Men – II". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  15. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  16. "Swedishcharts.com – Boyz II Men – II". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  17. "Swisscharts.com – Boyz II Men – II". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
  18. "Boyz II Men | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart.
  19. "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
  20. "Boyz II Men Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  21. "Boyz II Men Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  22. Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: albums chart book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
  23. "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 1994". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  24. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 2686". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
  25. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1994". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  26. "Tops De L'annee: Top Albums 1994". SNEP (in French). Archived from the original on January 7, 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
  27. "Top Selling Albums of 1994". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  28. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1994". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  29. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1994". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  30. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 2839". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
  31. "1995 Year in Review" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 52. December 23, 1994. p. 14. Retrieved May 25, 2022 – via World Radio History.
  32. "Tops De L'annee: Top Albums 1995". SNEP (in French). Archived from the original on October 29, 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
  33. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1995". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  34. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1995". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
  35. 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.
  36. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1995 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved July 17, 2021.
  37. "Canadian album certifications – Boyz II Men – II". Music Canada. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
  38. "French album certifications – Boyz II Men – II" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
  39. "Japanese album certifications – ボーイズIIメン – II" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved July 15, 2012. Select 1994年9月 on the drop-down menu
  40. "Dutch album certifications – Boyz II Men – II" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved December 8, 2020. Enter II in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1995 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  41. "New Zealand album certifications – Boyz II Men – II". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
  42. Sólo Éxitos 1959–2002 Año A Año: Certificados 1979–1990 (in Spanish). Iberautor Promociones Culturales. 2005. ISBN 8480486392.
  43. "British album certifications – Boyz II Men – II". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
  44. "American album certifications – Boyz II Men – II". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  45. "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 1996". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
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