Motownphilly

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1991 single by Boyz II Men

title: "Motownphilly" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1990-songs", "1991-debut-singles", "boyz-ii-men-songs", "motown-singles", "music-videos-shot-in-the-united-states", "new-jack-swing-songs", "songs-about-philadelphia", "song-recordings-produced-by-dallas-austin", "songs-written-by-dallas-austin", "songs-written-by-michael-bivins", "songs-written-by-nathan-morris", "songs-written-by-shawn-stockman", "south-street"] description: "1991 single by Boyz II Men" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motownphilly" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary 1991 single by Boyz II Men ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox song"]

Field	Value
name	Motownphilly
cover	MotownphillyB2M.jpg
caption	US 12-inch vinyl single
type	single
artist	Boyz II Men
album	Cooleyhighharmony
released	April 1991
* Soul<ref name	"Pitchfork Staff 2022"
* new jack swing<ref name	"Pitchfork Staff 2022"
* doo-wop<ref name	"Pitchfork Staff 2022"
length	3:56
label	Motown
producer	Dallas Austin
next_title	It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday
next_year	1991
misc
::

Soul
new jack swing
doo-wop | length = 3:56 | label = Motown | writer =
Dallas Austin
Michael Bivins
Nathan Morris
Shawn Stockman | producer = Dallas Austin | next_title = It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday | next_year = 1991 | misc = "Motownphilly" is the debut single by American vocal harmony group Boyz II Men, released in April 1991 by Motown as the first single from their debut album, Cooleyhighharmony (1991). Co-written and produced by Dallas Austin, the song was a success, peaking at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100. Michael Bivins, who co-wrote the song, provides a guest rap during the bridge. The song's title is a portmanteau of two of the group's main musical influences: 1960s Motown and 1970s Philly soul.

The accompanying music video for the song was filmed in various locations in the group's hometown of Philadelphia. Among the locations are Penn's Landing along the Delaware River and Geno's Steaks at 1219 S 9th Street. Two new jack swing groups, Another Bad Creation and Bell Biv DeVoe, are mentioned in the lyrics. They appear briefly in the video, as does Sudden Impact, a short-lived R&B group organized by Bivins. Additionally, Questlove appears briefly as a drummer, due to his previous relationship with the group from high school.

Critical reception

Dele Fadele from NME wrote, "Floating on a cloud through the chequered history of soul, yet inherently modern, Boyz II Men are plotting the new musical map. From Detroit to Philadelphia, this is East Coast style and sass in abundance, mixing and matching MFSB strings, House synth-bass, raps and the ghost of several songs rolled into one. Somewhere in the ever-shifting mix you learn their tale and, if I were Bell Biv DeVoe, I'd prepare to be usurped."

Track listings

US vinyl, 12-inch :A1: "Motownphilly" (12-inch version) – 4:47 :A2: "Motownphilly" (LP version) – 3:52 :B: "Motownphilly" (instrumental) – 5:50
US CD maxi

"Motownphilly" (12-inch version Edit) – 4:47
"Motownphilly" (LP version) – 3:52
"Motownphilly" (quiet storm) – 4:06
"Motownphilly" (12-inch A) – 5:50
"Motownphilly" (12-inch dub) – 4:08

UK vinyl, 7-inch :A: "Motownphilly" (7-inch radio version) – 3:50 :B: "Motownphilly" (Philly instrumental) – 3:50
UK vinyl, 12-inch :A: "Motownphilly" (12-inch extended club mix) – 5:35 :B1: "Motownphilly" (7-inch radio version) – 3:50 :B2: "Motownphilly" (Philly instrumental) – 3:50 :B3: "Motownphilly" (dub mix) – 4:08
Germany CD maxi

"Motownphilly" (12-inch version) – 5:50
"Motownphilly" (7-inch main) – 3:20
"Motownphilly" (12-inch dub) – 4:09
"Motownphilly" (quiet storm) – 4:06

Charts

Weekly charts

::data[format=table title="Weekly chart performance for "Motownphilly""] | Chart (1991–1993) | Peak position | Canada Retail Singles (The Record) | Canada Contemporary Hit Radio (The Record) | Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) | UK Airplay (Music Week) | UK Dance (Music Week) | UK Club Chart (Music Week) | Zimbabwe (ZIMA) | |---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---| | 38 | | | | | | | | | | 34 | | | | | | | | | | 48 | | | | | | | | | | 7 | | | | | | | | | | 28 | | | | | | | | | | 81 | | | | | | | | | | 1 | | | | | | | | | ::

Year-end charts

::data[format=table title="Year-end chart performance for "Motownphilly""]

Chart (1991)	Position	US Billboard Hot 100	US Hot R&B Singles (Billboard)
11
23
::

Certifications

Release history

::data[format=table title="Release history for "Motownphilly""]

Region	Date	Format(s)
April 1991		Motown
July 29, 1991
August 21, 1991	Mini-CD
December 7, 1992
::

References

Pitchfork Staff. (September 27, 2022). "The 250 Best Songs of the 1990s".
Now, Chris Bungo Studios Filming Locations Then and. "Chris Bungo Studios Filming Locations Then and Now".
Fadele, Dele. (November 9, 1991). "Singles".
Lwin, Nanda. (2000). "Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide". Music Data Canada.
(January 16, 1993). "Eurochart Hot 100".
(16 January 1993). "Top 50 Airplay Chart".
(December 26, 1992). "Top 60 Dance Singles".
(November 21, 1992). "The Record Mirror Club Chart".
- Zimbabwe. Kimberley, C. ''Zimbabwe: singles chart book''. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
(December 21, 1991). "1991 The Year in Music & Video: Top Pop Singles".
(December 21, 1991). "The Year in Music: 1991 – Top R&B Singles".
(July 28, 1991). "New Release Summary – Product Available from : 29/07/91: Singles".
"モータウンフィリー {{!}} ボーイズ・II・メン". [[Oricon]].
(December 5, 1992). "New Releases: Singles".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::