End of the Road (Boyz II Men song)

"End of the Road" is a song by American R&B group Boyz II Men for the Boomerang soundtrack. It was released in 1992 and was written by Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Antonio L.A. Reid and Daryl Simmons.

For other uses, see End of the Road (disambiguation).
"End of the Road"
Artwork for North American retail cassette edition, also used for overseas editions
Single by Boyz II Men
from the album Boomerang (soundtrack) and Cooleyhighharmony (Reissue)
B-side"Remix"
ReleasedJune 30, 1992 (1992-06-30)
Recorded1991
GenreR&B
Length
  • 5:48 (album version)
  • 4:13 (single version)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds
  • Antonio "L.A." Reid
  • Daryl Simmons (co.)
Boyz II Men singles chronology
"Please Don't Go"
(1992)		 "End of the Road"
(1992)		 "In the Still of the Nite (I Remember)"
(1992)
Music video
"End of the Road" on YouTube

"End of the Road" achieved overwhelming domestic and international success. Also it is considered one of the most successful songs of all time. In the United States, "End of the Road" spent a then record breaking 13 weeks at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, a record broken later in the year by Whitney Houston's 14-week number one hit "I Will Always Love You"; Boyz II Men would later match Houston's record with "I'll Make Love to You", which spent 14 weeks at number one in 1994, and then reclaim the record with "One Sweet Day" (a duet with Mariah Carey), which spent 16 weeks at number one from 1995 to 1996.

"End of the Road" was the number one single of 1992 on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 Singles of 1992. It is ranked by Billboard as the sixth most successful song of the decade 1990–1999.[1] It is also ranked at number 55 on Billboard's "All Time Top 100 Songs".[2]

Internationally, "End of the Road" reached number one in Australia, United Kingdom and the Hot 100 Eurochart, among others.

"End of the Road" has been certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipments of over one million units in the United States.[3] The song also won Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and Best R&B Song at the 1993 Grammy Awards.

Release and chart performance

"End of the Road" was released on June 30, 1992. It was released as a single from the Boomerang soundtrack and did not originally appear on Boyz II Men's debut album, Cooleyhighharmony. It was released after all singles from their debut had been released, and was their fifth single overall. However, Cooleyhighharmony was re-issued in 1992 and 1993 to include "End of the Road" due to the success of the single.

"End of the Road" debuted at number 53 on the Billboard Hot 100 on July 18, 1992, jumping to number 30 the following week. The next week the song reached the top ten at number 8, and reached the top five the week after at number 4. The following week, the song peaked at number one, holding the position for 13 consecutive weeks from August 15, 1992 to November 7, 1992. On November 14, the song was finally succeeded by "How Do You Talk To An Angel" by The Heights. It also spent four weeks atop of the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

Critical reception

Larry Flick from Billboard commented, "Good to hear something new by this wonderfully talented group." He described the song as a "retrominded pop/R&B tune", adding that "those now-recognizable harmonies glide over a swaying, doo-wop melody, making the track the perfect complement to a romantic evening. Has the markings of a major multiformat smash."[4] British magazine Music Week wrote, "A superior if stylised ballad, with some classically soulful crooning and a smoothly polished finish, it looks set for major success here too. Cute acapella end adds to appeal."[5]

Track listings

Europe/UK/Australia CD

  1. End of the Road (Pop Edit) 3:39
  2. End of the Road (Radio Edit w/ Acapella End) 4:13
  3. End of the Road (LP Version) 5:50
  4. End of the Road (Instrumental) 5:16

7" single

  1. "End of the Road" (pop edit) — 3:39
  2. "End of the Road" (instrumental version) — 5:16

Cassette single

  • A side: End of the Road (LP Version)
  • B side: End of the Road (Instrumental Version)

Awards and nominations

1993 Grammy Awards[6]

  • Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal – Boyz II Men – "End of the Road" (winner)
  • Best R&B Song – Babyface, Daryl Simmons, L.A. Reid – "End of the Road" (winner)

Charts

See also

References
  1. Geoff Mayfield (December 25, 1999). 1999 The Year in Music Totally '90s: Diary of a Decade - The listing of Top Pop Albums of the '90s & Hot 100 Singles of the '90s. Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
  2. "Hot 100 55th Anniversary: The All-Time Top 100 Songs". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  3. "RIAA - Certified Awards Search - "End of the Road"]". RIAA. Archived from the original on 2012-07-13. Retrieved 2014-11-28.
  4. Flick, Larry (July 18, 1992). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. p. 72. Retrieved October 25, 2020.
  5. "Mainstream: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. August 29, 1992. p. 6. Retrieved October 2, 2020.
  6. "allmusic ((( Boomerang > Charts & Awards > GRAMMY Awards )))". Allmusic. Retrieved 2008-09-24.
  7. "Australian-charts.com – Boyz II Men – End of the Road". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  8. "Austriancharts.at – Boyz II Men – End of the Road" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  9. "Ultratop.be – Boyz II Men – End of the Road" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  10. "Top 10 Denmark" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  11. Billboard - Google Books
  12. "Lescharts.com – Boyz II Men – End of the Road" (in French). Les classement single.
  13. "Offiziellecharts.de – Boyz II Men – End of the Road". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  14. Irish Single Chart Irishcharts.ie Archived 2009-06-03 at WebCite (Retrieved April 7, 2008)
  15. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Boyz II Men - End Of The Road" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  16. "Dutchcharts.nl – Boyz II Men – End Of The Road" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  17. "Charts.nz – Boyz II Men – End of the Road". Top 40 Singles.
  18. "Norwegiancharts.com – Boyz II Men – End of the Road". VG-lista.
  19. "Swedishcharts.com – Boyz II Men – End of the Road". Singles Top 100.
  20. "Swisscharts.com – Boyz II Men – End of the Road". Swiss Singles Chart.
  21. "Boyz II Men: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  22. "Top 60 Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. September 26, 1992. p. 26. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  23. "Boyz II Men Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  24. "Boyz II Men Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  25. "Boyz II Men Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  26. "Boyz II Men Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  27. 1992 Australian Singles Chart aria.com Archived July 28, 2010, at the Wayback Machine (Retrieved August 2, 2008)
  28. "Jaaroverzichten 1992". Ultratop. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  29. Billboard - Google Books
  30. "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  31. "Single top 100 over 1992" (PDF) (in Dutch). Top40. Retrieved April 14, 2010.
  32. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1992". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  33. "End of Year Charts 1992". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  34. "Billboard Top 100 - 1992". Archived from the original on 2010-01-17. Retrieved 2009-09-15.
  35. http://www.soulsystem.it/yend.asp?date=31/12/1992
  36. "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  37. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1993". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  38. "End of Year Charts 1993". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 3, 2017.
  39. "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  40. "UK certifications, database". Bpi. Archived from the original on 17 January 2010. Retrieved 14 April 2010.
  41. RIAA Gold & Platinum Searchable Database - "End of the Road". RIAA.com. Retrieved October 27, 2009)
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