"Motownphilly" is a song by American vocal harmony group

Boyz II Men Boyz II Men (pronounced ''boys to men''), also known as B2M, is an American vocal harmony group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, best known for emotional ballads and a cappella harmonies. They are currently a trio composed of baritone Nathan ...

, released as their first single from their debut album, ''

Cooleyhighharmony ''Cooleyhighharmony'' is the debut studio album by American R&B group Boyz II Men. It was first released in the United States by Motown Records on April 30, 1991. The album was mainly written by Boyz II Men members Nathan Morris, Wanya Morris an ...

''. The single was a success, peaking at number three on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

Michael Bivins New Edition is an American R&B/Pop group from the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1978 by Bobby Brown. Their name is taken to mean a 'new edition' of the Jackson 5. The group reached its height of popularity in the 198 ...

, who co-wrote the song, provides a guest rap during the bridge. The song title etymology involves a combination of two of the group's main musical influences: 1960s

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''mot ...

and 1970s

Philly soul Philadelphia soul, sometimes called Philly soul, the Philadelphia sound, Phillysound, or The Sound of Philadelphia TSOP, is a genre of late 1960s–1970s soul music characterized by funk influences and lush instrumental arrangements, often featu ...

. The accompanying

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

for the song was filmed in various locations in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

, the group's home city in December 1990. Two

new jack swing New jack swing, new jack, or swingbeat is a fusion genre of the rhythms and production techniques of hip hop and dance-pop, and the urban contemporary sound of R&B. Spearheaded by producers Teddy Riley and Bernard Belle, new jack swing was mo ...

groups,

Another Bad Creation Another Bad Creation (sometimes called ABC for short) Overview )))"> allmusic ((( Another Bad Creation > Overview ))) Retrieved November 7, 2007. Demetrius and Marliss ("Red" and "Mark", respectively) Pugh, as well as Adrian "G.A." (General Austi ...

and

Bell Biv DeVoe Bell Biv DeVoe, also known as BBD, is an American music group from Boston, Massachusetts, formed from members of New Edition, consisting of Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins and Ronnie DeVoe. The band is best known for their debut album, the multi-pl ...

(of which Bivins was a member), are mentioned in the first verse: "Boyz II Men, ABC, BBD, the East Coast Family." Both groups appear briefly in the video, as does Sudden Impact, a short-lived R&B group organized by Bivins.

Track listings

* US vinyl, 12-inch :A1: "Motownphilly" 2-inch version4:47 :A2: "Motownphilly" P version3:52 :B: "Motownphilly" nstrumental5:50 * US CD maxi # "Motownphilly" 2-inch version Edit4:47 # "Motownphilly" P version3:52 # "Motownphilly" uiet storm4:06 # "Motownphilly" 2-inch A5:50 # "Motownphilly" 2-inch dub4:08 * UK vinyl, 7-inch :A: "Motownphilly" -inch radio version3:50 :B: "Motownphilly" hilly instrumental3:50 * UK vinyl, 12-inch :A: "Motownphilly" 2-inch extended club mix5:35 :B1: "Motownphilly" -inch radio version3:50 :B2: "Motownphilly" hilly instrumental3:50 :B3: "Motownphilly" ub mix4:08 * Germany CD maxi # "Motownphilly" 2-inch version5:50 # "Motownphilly" -inch main3:20 # "Motownphilly" 2-inch dub4:09 # "Motownphilly" uiet storm4:06

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

In popular culture

The song was featured during the

2016 Democratic National Convention The 2016 Democratic National Convention was a presidential nominating convention, held at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, from July 25 to 28, 2016. The convention gathered delegates of the Democratic Party, the majo ...

, as the convention took place in Philadelphia, the city that the song is named for. The song has also been featured in several films and television series including ''

House Party 2 ''House Party 2'' is a 1991 American comedy film and the sequel to the 1990 film '' House Party'' released by New Line Cinema. The film returns most of the cast of the first film such as Kid 'n Play and Full Force, along with new cast members su ...

'', ''

Full House ''Full House'' is an American television sitcom created by Jeff Franklin for ABC. The show is about widowed father Danny Tanner who enlists his brother-in-law Jesse Katsopolis and childhood best friend Joey Gladstone to help raise his three da ...

'' (in the 1991 episode "Gotta Dance"), ''

Kids Incorporated ''Kids Incorporated'' (also known as ''Kids Inc.'') is an American children's television program that began production in the mid-1980s and continued airing well into the early 1990s. It was largely a youth-oriented program with musical performan ...

'' (covered by the titular group in the 1992 episode "The Commercial"), '' Hangin' with Mr. Cooper'' (in both the 1992

pilot episode A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other distr ...

and the 1995 episode "Talent Show"), and ''

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia ''It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia'' is an American sitcom created by Rob McElhenney and developed by McElhenney and Glenn Howerton that premiered on August 4, 2005 on FX and later FXX beginning with the ninth season in 2013. It stars Charlie ...

'' (covered in the 2013 episode "The Gang Gets Quarantined",Archived a
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and th
Wayback Machine
in which the main characters repeatedly rehearse an

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without Musical instrument, instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differ ...

version of the song in order to try to win a spot opening for Boyz II Men in concert while an flu epidemic is sweeping Philadelphia).

References

{{Authority control 1990 songs 1991 debut singles Boyz II Men songs Culture of Philadelphia Motown singles New jack swing songs 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