II (Boyz II Men album)

II is the third studio album and second non-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
Released	August 30, 1994 (Release history)
Recorded	December 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	R&B, pop, soul, hip hop soul
Length	57:31
Label	Motown
Producer	Dallas Austin, Babyface, Boyz II Men (also exec.), Jheryl Busby (exec.), Tim & Bob, The Characters, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Brian McKnight, L.A. Reid, Tony Rich
Boyz II Men chronology
Christmas Interpretations (1993) II (1994) The Remix Collection (1995)
Singles from II
"I'll Make Love to You" Released: July 26, 1994 "On Bended Knee" Released: November 1, 1994 "Thank You" Released: February 7, 1995 "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 Roundtree who was shot in Chicago, Illinois while the band 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
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Entertainment Weekly	A[3][4]
Robert Christgau	[5]
Rolling Stone	(favorable)[6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[7]

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.[8]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Thank You"	Michael S. McCary, Nathan Morris, Wanya Morris, Shawn Stockman, Dallas Austin	Boyz II Men, Austin	4:34
2.	"All Around the World"	James Harris III, Terry Lewis, McCary, N. Morris, W. Morris, Stockman, Daddy-O	Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis	4:56
3.	"U Know"	McCary, N. Morris, W. Morris, Stockman, Tim Kelley, Bob Robinson, Curtis Mayfield	Boyz II Men, Tim Kelley & Bob Robinson	4:46
4.	"Vibin'"	McCary, N. Morris, W. Morris, Stockman, Kelley, Robinson	Tim Kelley & Bob Robinson	4:26
5.	"I Sit Away"	Tony Rich	L.A. Reid, Rich	4:34
6.	"Jezzebel"	W. Morris, Stockman, Troy Taylor, Charles Farrar	The Characters	6:06
7.	"Khalil (Interlude)"	N. Morris, Stockman	Tim Kelley & Bob Robinson	1:41
8.	"Trying Times"	W. Morris, Kelley, Robinson	W. Morris, Tim Kelley & Bob Robinson	5:23
9.	"I'll Make Love to You"	Babyface	Babyface	4:07
10.	"On Bended Knee"	Harris III, Lewis	Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis	5:29
11.	"50 Candles"	Stockman, Kelley, Robinson	Stockman, Tim Kelley & Bob Robinson	5:06
12.	"Water Runs Dry"	Babyface	Babyface	3:22
13.	"Yesterday"	Paul McCartney, John Lennon	Boyz II Men	3:07

International bonus track

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
14.	"Fallin'"	Brian McKnight, Brandon Barnes	McKnight	4:09

Notes

• "Thank You" contains a sample from "La-Di-Da-Di", performed by Doug E. Fresh, and written by Richard Walters and Douglas Davis.
• "All Around the World" contains samples from "Kid Capri" by Daddy-O.
• "U Know" contains a sample from "Don't Change Your Love", performed by The Five Stairsteps.
• "Jezzebel" contains a sample of "Hootie Mack" by Bell Biv Devoe.

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1994) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[9] 4 Canadian Albums (RPM) 3 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[10] 7 European Albums Chart (Billboard)[11] 16 French Albums (SNEP)[12] 1 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[13] 18 Japanese Albums (Oricon)[14] 9 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[15] 1 Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[16] 13 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[17] 20 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[18] 21 UK Albums (OCC)[19] 17 US Billboard 200[20] 1 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[21] 1 Zimbabwe Albums (ZIMA)[22] 3

Year-end charts Chart (1994) Position Australian Albums (ARIA)[23] 14 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[24] 98 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[25] 40 US Billboard 200[26] 22 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[27] 10 Chart (1995) Position US Billboard 200[28] 3 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[29] 4 Decade-end charts Chart (1990–1999) Position US Billboard 200[30] 13

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[31]	2× Platinum	140,000^^
Canada (Music Canada)[32]	5× Platinum	500,000^^
France (SNEP)[33]	Platinum	300,000^*
Japan (RIAJ)[34]	Gold	100,000^^
Netherlands (NVPI)[35]	Gold	50,000^^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[36]	Platinum	15,000^^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[37]	Gold	50,000^^
United Kingdom (BPI)[38]	Gold	100,000^^
United States (RIAA)[39]	12× Platinum	12,000,000^^
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[40]	Platinum	1,000,000^*
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

Release history

Region	Date	Label	Format
United States	August 30, 1994	Motown	Cassette, CD
United Kingdom	September 12, 1994

See also

• List of best-selling albums in the United States
• List of number-one albums of 1994 (U.S.)
• List of number-one albums of 1995 (U.S.)
• List of number-one R&B albums of 1994 (U.S.)

References

1. Williams, Chris. "Boyz II Men's II LP revisited with Bob Robinson (of Tim & Bob) | Return To The Classics". soulculture.com. Soul Culture. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
2. Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "II". AllMusic. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
3. "II Review". Entertainment Weekly. September 9, 1994. p. 83. Retrieved 2012-06-30.
4. "Boyz II Men - II CD Album". CDUniverse.com. Retrieved 2012-06-30.
5. "CG: Artist 182". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 2012-01-11.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. Rolling Stone (2020-09-22). "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
9. "Australiancharts.com – Boyz II Men – II". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
10. "Dutchcharts.nl – Boyz II Men – II" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
11. "Hits of the World – Eurochart". Billboard. October 22, 1994. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
12. "Billboard". 1995-02-04.
13. "Offiziellecharts.de – Boyz II Men – II" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
14. http://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/artist/154394/ranking/cd_album/
15. "Charts.nz – Boyz II Men – II". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
16. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
17. "Swedishcharts.com – Boyz II Men – II". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
18. "Swisscharts.com – Boyz II Men – II". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
19. "Boyz II Men – II". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2012-01-11.
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. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1994". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
25. "Top Selling Albums of 1994". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
26. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1994". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
27. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1994". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
28. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1995". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
29. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1995". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2020.
30. 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.
31. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia’s Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 40.
32. "Canadian album certifications – Boyz II Men – II". Music Canada. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
33. "French album certifications – Boyz II Men – II" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
34. "Japanese album certifications – Boyz II Men – Boyz II Men" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Retrieved July 15, 2012.
35. "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.
36. "New Zealand album certifications – Boyz II Men – II". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
37. Sólo Éxitos 1959–2002 Año A Año: Certificados 1979–1990 (in Spanish). Iberautor Promociones Culturales. 2005. ISBN 8480486392.
38. "British album certifications – Boyz II Men – II". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 25, 2012. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type II in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
39. "American album certifications – Boyz II Men – II". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 8, 2020. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
40. "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 1996". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved July 25, 2012.