"Motownphilly" is Boyz II Men

Boyz II Men

Boyz II Men is an American R&B vocal group best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are the most successful R&B group of all time, having sold more than albums worldwide. In the 1990s, Boyz II Men found fame on Motown Records as a quartet, but original member Michael McCary...

's 1991 debut single for their debut album Cooleyhighharmony

Cooleyhighharmony

Cooleyhighharmony is the 1991 debut album by Motown group Boyz II Men. Executive produced by Michael Bivins of New Edition and Bell Biv DeVoe, the album features the hit singles "Motownphilly" and "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday", a G.C...

. The single was a success peaking at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

. Michael Bivins

Michael Bivins

Michael Lamont Bivins, a.k.a. Biv , is the founder and member of the R&B group New Edition and the hip hop group Bell Biv DeVoe...

, who co-wrote the song, provides a guest rap on the song. The group gives credit to new jack swing

New jack swing

New jack swing or swingbeat is a fusion genre spearheaded by Teddy Riley and Bernard Belle which became extremely popular from the late-1980s into the mid-1990s. Its influence, along with hip-hop, seeped into pop culture and was the definitive sound of the inventive Black New York club scene...

 groups Another Bad Creation

Another Bad Creation

Another Bad Creation were an American R&B and rap musical group from Atlanta, Georgia.-History:ABC consists of Romell “RoRo” Chapman, Chris Sellers, David Shelton and brothers Demetrius and Marliss Pugh, as well as “unofficial” member Adrian “G.A.” Witcher...

 and Bell Biv DeVoe

Bell Biv DeVoe

Bell Biv DeVoe is an American R&B musical group which branched off from New Edition. It consists of three of New Edition's previous members, Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, and Ronnie DeVoe...

 in the lyric "Boyz II Men, ABC, BBD."

The video for the song was filmed in various locations in Philadelphia, the group's home city in December 1990. It also features the two groups name-dropped in the first verse, Bell Biv DeVoe and Another Bad Creation, along with another group called Sudden Impact. Philadelphia native ?uestlove

?uestlove

Ahmir Khalib Thompson known professionally as ?uestlove or Questlove , is an American drummer, DJ, music journalist and record producer...

, later of The Roots

The Roots

The Roots is an American hip hop/neo soul band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are famed for beginning with a jazzy, eclectic approach to hip hop which still includes live instrumentals...

, also appears in the video. "Motownphilly" was also featured in the Rockstar

Rockstar Games

Rockstar Games is a major video game developer and publisher based in New York City, owned by Take-Two Interactive following its purchase of UK video game publisher BMG Interactive. The brand is mostly known for Grand Theft Auto, Max Payne, L.A...

 video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas is a 2004 open world action video game developed by British games developer Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the third 3D game in the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise, the fifth original console release and eighth game overall...

in 2004, as well as The Timekeeper

The Timekeeper

The Timekeeper was a 1992 Circle-Vision 360° film that was presented at three Disney parks around the world. It was the first Circle-Vision show that was arranged and filmed with an actual plot and not just visions of landscapes, and the first to utilize Audio-Animatronics...

movie which opened at the Magic Kingdom

Magic Kingdom

Magic Kingdom Park is one of four theme parks at the Walt Disney World Resort located near Orlando, Florida. The first park built at the resort, Magic Kingdom opened Oct. 1, 1971. Designed and built by WED Enterprises, the park's layout and attractions are similar to Disneyland in Anaheim, California...

 in 1994.

A music video appeared on The New Mickey Mouse Club. The video featured Justin Timberlake

Justin Timberlake

Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...

, Ryan Gosling

Ryan Gosling

Ryan Thomas Gosling is a Canadian actor and musician. He first came to public attention as a child star on the Disney Channel's Mickey Mouse Club and went on to appear in other family entertainment programmes including Are You Afraid of the Dark? , Goosebumps , Breaker High and Young Hercules...

, Matt Morris

Matt Morris

Matthew Christian Morris is a former Major League Baseball right-handed starting pitcher. He retired on April 30, .Morris attended Valley Central High School in New York before starring at Seton Hall University in New Jersey, he was drafted 12th overall in the June free agent draft by the St....

, Marc Warden and Dale Godboldon.

The song also appeared in the season 5 episode of Full House

Full House

Full House is an American sitcom television series. Set in San Francisco, the show chronicles widowed father Danny Tanner, who, after the death of his wife, enlists his best friend Joey Gladstone and his brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis to help raise his three daughters, D.J., Stephanie, and...

entitled "Gotta Dance." Stephanie Tanner

Stephanie Tanner (Full House)

Stephanie Judith "Steph" Tanner, is a character from the hit television sitcom Full House, played by Jodie Sweetin. The show aired from 1987 to 1995. -Character:...

 (played by Jodie Sweetin

Jodie Sweetin

Jodie Lee Ann Sweetin is an American actress, best known for her role as Stephanie Tanner on the long running television sitcom Full House.-Career:...

) and her dance group perform a dance routine featuring the song.

The song was played on the pilot episode of Hangin' With Mr. Cooper

Hangin' with Mr. Cooper

Hangin' with Mr. Cooper is an American television sitcom that originally aired on ABC from 1992 to 1997, starring Mark Curry and Holly Robinson. The show took place in Curry's hometown of Oakland, California. Hangin' with Mr. Cooper was produced by Jeff Franklin Productions, in association with...

, where a student played the song on a boombox radio.

The song title etymology involves motown-inspired R&B coming from the Philadelphia metropolis.

Track Listing

US Vinyl, 12" http://www.discogs.com/Boyz-II-Men-Motownphilly/release/414571

• A1 Motownphilly [12" Version] 4:47
• A2 Motownphilly [LP Version] 3:52
• B Motownphilly [Instrumental] 5:50

US Maxi-CD http://www.discogs.com/Boyz-II-Men-Motownphilly/release/1443202

• 1 Motownphilly [12" Version Edit] 4:47
• 2 Motownphilly [LP Version] 3:52
• 3 Motownphilly [Quiet Storm] 4:06
• 4 Motownphilly [12" A] 5:50
• 5 Motownphilly [12" Dub] 4:08

UK Vinyl, 7 http://www.discogs.com/Boyz-II-Men-Motownphilly/release/246736

• A Motownphilly [7" Radio Version] 3:50
• B Motownphilly [Philly Instrumental] 3:50

UK Vinyl, 12" http://www.discogs.com/Boyz-II-Men-Motownphilly/release/345039

• A Motownphilly [12" Extended Club Mix] 5:35
• B1 Motownphilly [7" Radio Version] 3:50
• B2 Motownphilly [Philly Instrumental] 3:50
• B3 Motownphilly [Dub Mix] 4:08

Germany Maxi-CD http://www.discogs.com/Boyz-II-Men-Motownphilly/release/1000897

• 1 Motownphilly [12" Version] 5:50
• 2 Motownphilly [7" Main] 3:20
• 3 Motownphilly [12" Dub] 4:09
• 4 Motownphilly [Quiet Storm] 4:06

Peak positions

Chart	Peak Position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	3

End of year charts

End of year chart (1991)	Position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	11