Sunday Song - "Motownphilly" by Boyz II Men

Since I can't make the Boyz II Men concert that's coming to the D in August, I'm giving the "Boyz" a tribute here.

I would LOVE to see these old school guys live. As an alto singer, they are my harmony heroes (well, on the man front at least!) and I don't even care if many of their hits are over a decade old -- they are timeless!

Motownphilly is one of my favorite song's of theirs. Maybe it's because they reference Motown or maybe it's because Cooleyhighharmony was one the first cassette tapes I ever bought with my own piggy bank money. I have many fond memories of this song -- one being doing the M.C. Hammer and Roger Rabbit on the boat to Bob-Lo Island (R.I.P.) when I was just six years old.

And who can forget the music video??? It is def one of the best of the '90's. Gotta love that Philly style!

Here's the scoop on the song, according to a fun Web site I came across -- http://www.songfacts.com/:

In the US, this was Boyz II Men's first single. It confused DJs for a few reasons: many didn't know how to pronounce the band name, and some thought the song was called Boyz II Men and the group was named Motownphilly, since the words "Boyz II Men" are in the lyrics and the chorus states, "Motownphilly back again."

The song tells of the group's dreams and how they were discovered. The song includes a rap by Michael Bivens explaining how they sang to him one day. Bivens was a former member of New Edition who was part of Bell Biv Devoe, who were a very popular group at the time.

The lyrics talk about the "East Coast Family." "ABC" is the group Another Bad Creation and "BBD" is Bell Biv Devoe. ABC and BBD weren't around a few years later, but Boyz II Men were wildly successful. (thanks, Andy - Arlington, VA)

The title implies that Boyz II Men were bringing the Motown sound to Philadelphia. Motown is a legendary record label from Detroit featuring black artists. (really? j/k. We're proud they signed with Detroit record label Motown Records!)

All I know is that these BOYZ can sing and beat out any modern day boy band! Be sure to listen to their latest album, Motown: A Journey Through Hitsville, U.S.A. It's absolutely gorgeous -- especially their rendition of Stevie Wonder's "Ribbon In The Sky" and the Commodores "Easy."

They may not be from Motown originally...but we're surely happy to have adopted such a wonderful group!