Retro Video of the Week: "Motownphilly" by Boyz II Men

In the latest edition of "damn, I feel old," this Friday will mark the 30th anniversary of the release of Boyz II Men's debut album, Cooleyhighharmony.  Though they were from Philadelphia, the group named the album after Cooley High, a now-closed Chicago public high school not too far from the now-closed infamous Cabrini-Green housing projects that boasted such diverse alums as legendary soul singer Jerry Butler and the hilariously effervescent clown-faced serial killer John Wayne Gacy. 

The album was a huge success, reaching #3 on the Billboard album chart and #1 on the Billboard R&B album chart.  It has gone on to sell 9 million copies in the U.S. alone, becoming the first of four consecutive multiplatinum albums in the U.S for the group.  All six of the singles released from the album charted on the Billboard Hot 100, with five in the Top 20 and four in the Top 3.  They were, in chart-topping order, "End of the Road" (#1), "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" (#2), "Motownphilly" (#3), "In The Still of the Nite (I'll Remember)" (#3), "Uhh Ahh" (#16), and "Please Don't Go" (#49).

Of those, my favorite -- and favorite Boyz II Men song, period -- is "Motownphilly," which was the group's first single, setting the course for their massive success in the '90s.  The title was a juxtaposition of their record label and their hometown -- where they were from, where they were, and a signal of where they were going.  The song is a new jack swing classic, with friend and Bell Biv DeVoe member Michael Bivins (who co-wrote the song) providing the rap bridge and making an appearance in the video.  After all, Boyz II Men, ABC, and BBD were the East Coast family.  I don't dance, but this is one of the few songs that can get me to do the cabbage patch and the running man without the aid of hard alcohol.