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Boyz II Men's songs for the end of the road
This weekend, they were on X Factor. But today, the R&B singers are with us, talking about the tracks that inspired them and what it takes to become their tenderoni
Monday November 5, 2007
Guardian Unlimited
Boyz ll Men members Shawn Stockman, Wanya Morris and Nathan Morris in New York. Photograph: Stuart Ramson/AP
Forever My Lady, Jodeci
Jodeci and Boyz II Men had a friendly rivalry because we were the two leading male R&B groups during the mid-90s. Radio stations would play our songs back to back. We were always getting asked about each other. But the truth is we respect Jodeci enormously and they kept us on our toes. We used to hang out together after shows, so there was never any beef. It wasn't until we released End of the Road that Boyz II Men escaped that rivalry because we proved ourselves as a group. Well, Forever My Lady is like their End of the Road; it is their defining hit. It remains one of the greatest written, emotionally felt songs of that time.
Click here to download from iTunes.
Thriller, Michael Jackson
Who doesn't like this song? Who doesn't like this album? It was revolutionary. Jackson was a pioneer of styles and the themes he played with were unheard of. Even in video he was breaking new ground. Surely everyone remembers the first time they saw the video to Thriller, how scary it was, how there was nothing quite like it. Jackson doesn't get enough credit for the ideas he came up with and how he made his songs come to life.
Click here to download from iTunes
Can You Stand the Rain? New Edition
The influence New Edition had on Boyz II Men was huge because before them we were just this a cappella group relying on our voices. Then we noticed New Edition had the choreographed moves and the outfits and we realised you needed that kind of style to take you to the next level. We used to sing Can You Stand the Rain? to practice our harmonies, and we would sing it all the time, in train stations, walking down the street and eventually, we released our own cover version. It's that good.
Click here to download from iTunes.
Roni, Bobby Brown
While we're on the subject of New Edition we have to talk about Bobby Brown. He WAS New Edition. Boyz II Men were teenagers when Roni came out and we understood exactly what he was talking about - that when you find that special girl you make her your tenderoni. For us, this record captures what was happening in the late 80s in our lives so specifically: partly singing, mainly looking for a tenderoni. Bobby was on top of his game with this song. It's Roni with cheese.
Click here to download from iTunes.
Whip Appeal, Babyface
Babyface is just the most incredible writer and producer of songs. For us, his music owns the 90s. Man, this song coined a phrase where we lived! Whip Appeal means the power of a woman to change everything in your life and the minute you meet her you just go with it because she has that thang, thang, thang.
Click here to download from iTunes.
Groove Me, Guy
Guy, and more specifically Teddy Riley, introduced a whole new genre: New Jack Swing. It was about beautiful chords, beautiful harmonies and, in the case of Guy, crazy vocals from Aaron Hall. Groove Me is bigger than just a great record; it changed the game. Without this record, there would be no R&B as we know it, no Rodney Jerkins and no Timbaland.
Click here to download from iTunes.
Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg, TLC
There's not enough that can be said about TLC, but we'll try. For a start, they wore condoms on their clothes! And they sang about sex in a playful way, but in masterful way too, which is tricky for women to pull off. And they weren't girly girls, they wore baggy pants and crazy glasses. But TLC were still feminine. They were liberated women who weren't ashamed to sing that they Ain't Too Proud to Beg, and that's sexy.
Click here to download from iTunes.
Visions of Love, Mariah Carey
This was the very first single she released. It was a song that made people notice her. Her voice and her beauty were so strong and pronounced that when this came out, it made you do a double take. Obviously everyone has periods in their career where they hit a downward slope, it's just that some people have to live through it in the public eye. But you can't hold talent down and when you listened to her last album, The Emancipation of Mimi, you knew Mariah had found her niche again.
Click here to download from iTunes.
Sexual Healing, Marvin Gaye
This song was shocking because you just did not hear the word sexual on the radio. Sexy, maybe, but not sex-u-al. But then Marvin Gaye sang it with such conviction and class you couldn't help but feel the vibration of his meaning. We used to practice this song in front of our grandmas and think: "Can I get away with this?" But I guess it's like a six-year-old at a Boyz II Men concert hearing I'll Make Love To You. It's just music.
Click here to download from iTunes.
Boyz II Men members Shawn Stockman, Nathan Morris and Wanya Morris spoke to Rosie Swash.
· Boyz II Men's Motown: A Journey Through Hitsville USA will be released on November 13.
Boyz II Men's songs for the end of the road
This weekend, they were on X Factor. But today, the R&B singers are with us, talking about the tracks that inspired them and what it takes to become their tenderoni
Monday November 5, 2007
Guardian Unlimited
Boyz ll Men members Shawn Stockman, Wanya Morris and Nathan Morris in New York. Photograph: Stuart Ramson/AP
Forever My Lady, Jodeci
Jodeci and Boyz II Men had a friendly rivalry because we were the two leading male R&B groups during the mid-90s. Radio stations would play our songs back to back. We were always getting asked about each other. But the truth is we respect Jodeci enormously and they kept us on our toes. We used to hang out together after shows, so there was never any beef. It wasn't until we released End of the Road that Boyz II Men escaped that rivalry because we proved ourselves as a group. Well, Forever My Lady is like their End of the Road; it is their defining hit. It remains one of the greatest written, emotionally felt songs of that time.
Click here to download from iTunes.
Thriller, Michael Jackson
Who doesn't like this song? Who doesn't like this album? It was revolutionary. Jackson was a pioneer of styles and the themes he played with were unheard of. Even in video he was breaking new ground. Surely everyone remembers the first time they saw the video to Thriller, how scary it was, how there was nothing quite like it. Jackson doesn't get enough credit for the ideas he came up with and how he made his songs come to life.
Click here to download from iTunes
Can You Stand the Rain? New Edition
The influence New Edition had on Boyz II Men was huge because before them we were just this a cappella group relying on our voices. Then we noticed New Edition had the choreographed moves and the outfits and we realised you needed that kind of style to take you to the next level. We used to sing Can You Stand the Rain? to practice our harmonies, and we would sing it all the time, in train stations, walking down the street and eventually, we released our own cover version. It's that good.
Click here to download from iTunes.
Roni, Bobby Brown
While we're on the subject of New Edition we have to talk about Bobby Brown. He WAS New Edition. Boyz II Men were teenagers when Roni came out and we understood exactly what he was talking about - that when you find that special girl you make her your tenderoni. For us, this record captures what was happening in the late 80s in our lives so specifically: partly singing, mainly looking for a tenderoni. Bobby was on top of his game with this song. It's Roni with cheese.
Click here to download from iTunes.
Whip Appeal, Babyface
Babyface is just the most incredible writer and producer of songs. For us, his music owns the 90s. Man, this song coined a phrase where we lived! Whip Appeal means the power of a woman to change everything in your life and the minute you meet her you just go with it because she has that thang, thang, thang.
Click here to download from iTunes.
Groove Me, Guy
Guy, and more specifically Teddy Riley, introduced a whole new genre: New Jack Swing. It was about beautiful chords, beautiful harmonies and, in the case of Guy, crazy vocals from Aaron Hall. Groove Me is bigger than just a great record; it changed the game. Without this record, there would be no R&B as we know it, no Rodney Jerkins and no Timbaland.
Click here to download from iTunes.
Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg, TLC
There's not enough that can be said about TLC, but we'll try. For a start, they wore condoms on their clothes! And they sang about sex in a playful way, but in masterful way too, which is tricky for women to pull off. And they weren't girly girls, they wore baggy pants and crazy glasses. But TLC were still feminine. They were liberated women who weren't ashamed to sing that they Ain't Too Proud to Beg, and that's sexy.
Click here to download from iTunes.
Visions of Love, Mariah Carey
This was the very first single she released. It was a song that made people notice her. Her voice and her beauty were so strong and pronounced that when this came out, it made you do a double take. Obviously everyone has periods in their career where they hit a downward slope, it's just that some people have to live through it in the public eye. But you can't hold talent down and when you listened to her last album, The Emancipation of Mimi, you knew Mariah had found her niche again.
Click here to download from iTunes.
Sexual Healing, Marvin Gaye
This song was shocking because you just did not hear the word sexual on the radio. Sexy, maybe, but not sex-u-al. But then Marvin Gaye sang it with such conviction and class you couldn't help but feel the vibration of his meaning. We used to practice this song in front of our grandmas and think: "Can I get away with this?" But I guess it's like a six-year-old at a Boyz II Men concert hearing I'll Make Love To You. It's just music.
Click here to download from iTunes.
Boyz II Men members Shawn Stockman, Nathan Morris and Wanya Morris spoke to Rosie Swash.
· Boyz II Men's Motown: A Journey Through Hitsville USA will be released on November 13.
