"Hangin' Tough" is a song by American
boy band
A boy band is a vocal group consisting of young male singers, usually in their Teenage, teenage years or in their twenties at the time of formation. Generally, boy bands perform love songs marketed towards girls and young women. Many boy bands ...
New Kids on the Block
New Kids on the Block (also initialized as NKOTB) is an American boy band from Dorchester, Massachusetts. The band consists of brothers Jonathan and Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood. New Kids on the Block had ...
, released as a single in 1989 through
. It was the fourth single from the group's
second album of the same name (1988). The lead vocals are sung by
Donnie Wahlberg
Donald Edmond Wahlberg Jr. (born August 17, 1969) is an American singer, actor and producer. He is a founding member of the boy band New Kids on the Block. Outside music, he has starred in the TV drama series ''Blue Bloods (TV series), Blue Bloo ...
.
"Hangin' Tough" peaked at 1 on the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart on September 9, 1989, and topped the
UK Singles Chart, where it became the first new No. 1 single of the 1990s yet the lowest-selling No. 1 hit up to that point.
It is their only No. 1 single in Ireland and reached the top 10 in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.
Background
There are two distinct renditions of the song: the original album version, which includes a
keyboard
Keyboard may refer to:
Text input
* Keyboard, part of a typewriter
* Computer keyboard
** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping
** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware
Music
* Mus ...
solo; and the remixed version, which is arguably more recognizable and is commonly included on ''Greatest Hits'' albums. The remixed version features a
guitar
The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...
solo and heavier instrumentation.
Track listings
US, UK, and Dutch 7-inch vinyl
:A. "Hangin' Tough" (7-inch remix) – 3:54
:B. "
Didn't I (Blow Your Mind)" – 4:24
UK 12-inch vinyl
:A1. "Hangin' Tough" (Tougher Mix) – 3:32
:B1. "Hangin' Tough" (LP version) – 4:16
:B2. "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind)" – 4:24
UK maxi-CD
# "Hangin' Tough" (7-inch remix) – 3:54
# "Hangin' Tough" (Tougher Mix) – 3:32
# "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind)" – 4:24
UK 12-inch vinyl
:A1. "Hangin' Tough" (Tougher Mix) – 3:32
:A2. "What'cha Gonna Do (About It)" – 3:54
:B1. "Hangin' Tough" (LP version) – 4:16
:B2. "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind)" – 4:24
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications and sales
In other media
• The song was used in
Regular Show
''Regular Show'' (known as ''Regular Show in Space'' during its Regular Show season 8, eighth season) is an American animated sitcom created by J. G. Quintel for Cartoon Network. It ran from September 6, 2010, to January 16, 2017, over the cours ...
Season 2, episode 7 “High Score”.
References
External links
Joey McIntyre discusses "Hangin' Tough"- RetroRewind interview
Official video
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hangin' Tough (Song)
1989 singles
Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
Columbia Records singles
New Kids on the Block songs
Song recordings produced by Maurice Starr
Songs written by Maurice Starr
UK singles chart number-one singles