Retro Video of the Week: "I'll Make Love To You" by Boyz II Men

This Saturday marks the 20th anniversary of the release of Boyz II Men's sophomore album, II.  To call this album huge would be an understatement.  When looking at the success of the group's debut album, CooleyHighHarmony -- which went up to #3 on Billboard's album charts and spawned four Top 3 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 -- any group would be hard-pressed to top that kind of success, but Boyz II Men did just that with II.  

The album has gone platinum 12 times in the US, and it topped the Billboard album charts on four separate occasions between September 1994 and March 1995.  It contained two #1 hits. "I'll Make Love To You" was replaced at #1 by "On Bended Knee," putting Boyz II Men in the company of Elvis Presley and The Beatles as the only musical acts to replace themselves at the top of the Billboard Hot 100.  On top of the two #1 songs, it also featured a #2 ("Water Runs Dry"), a #21 ("Thank You"), and a #56 ("Vibin'").

If that wasn't enough, "I'll Make Love To You" spent 14 weeks at #1 (starting today in 1994), tying Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" for the longest run at #1 at that time and making Boyz II Men the first group to have two songs that stayed at #1 for ten or more weeks ("End of the Road" was their previous one, coming in at a paltry 13 weeks at #1).  Interesting tidbit:  they broke their own record a little over a year later when their collaboration with Mariah Carey, "One Sweet Day," stayed at #1 for 16 weeks and was later given the honor of the #1 song of the '90s on Billboard's End-of-Decade chart.  

My favorite song off the album is probably "Thank You," but I had to go with "I'll Make Love To You" as my video selection.  This brings up various awkward memories of slow dancing at high school dances, but it's a classic slow jam and, well, it is Hump Day.  So, get out there and make some love, people, but dammit, wear a rubber or at least make sure both of you are disease-free and one of you is sterile.