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End of the Road

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B-side
  
Remix

Length
  
5:48

Genre
  
R&B

Released
  
June 30, 1992 (1992-06-30)

Format
  
CD single, CD maxi, 7" single

Recorded
  
Spring 1992, Philadelphia

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

Contents

The song achieved overwhelming domestic and international success.

In the United States, "End of the Road" spent a then record breaking 13 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Whitney Houston would later break this record in the same year, with "I Will Always Love You", spending fourteen weeks at #1. Boyz II Men would later match, and break Houston's record, with two of their future releases:

  • "I'll Make Love to You" (1994 – 14 weeks at #1);
  • "One Sweet Day" (Duet with Mariah Carey) (1995 to 1996 – 16 weeks at #1).

    • Internationally, "End of the Road" reached #1 in Australia, United Kingdom and the Hot 100 Eurochart, among others.

    Due to the success of the single, Boyz II Men's debut album Cooleyhighharmony was re issued in 1992 and 1993 to include the song.

    At the 1993 Grammy Awards, "End of the Road" was nominated for two Grammys, winning both: Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, and Best R&B Song.

    "End of the Road" is considered one of the most successful songs of all time. It was the #1 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. It is also ranked at #50 on Billboard's "All Time Top 100 Songs"

    The song has been certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipments of over one million units in the United States.

    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.

    "End of the Road" debuted at #53 on the Billboard Hot 100 on July 18, 1992. Within 4 weeks, it reached #1, holding the position for 13 consecutive weeks from August 15, 1992 - November 7, 1992. It also spent four weeks atop of the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

    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)

    • Cover versions

    The song has been covered by several artists, including Me First and the Gimme Gimmes on their album Take a Break, We Are Scientists in concert, Gladys Knight on the live medley from her album Just for You, and the Backstreet Boys during their concerts in 1996. It was also performed by guitarist Paul Jackson Jr. on his 1993 album A River In The Desert.

    Bassist Michael Manson covered the song from his 2008 album "Up Front". Marcela Morelo recorded a Spanish version of the song in her 2009 album "Otro plan". South Korean boy group U-KISS did an a cappella version of the hit song. Westlife covered this on a cappella. In addition, Boyz II Men included a Spanish-language version ("Al final del camino") on their Spanish-language compilation Evolución.

    During the series finale of the sitcom A Different World, Whitley led everyone in singing "End of the Road" at hers and Dwayne's farewell party as they prepared to leave for Tokyo.

    American Idol season ten contestant Stefano Langone performed the song during Idol Goes to the Movies week.

    An a cappella version was re-recorded for Boyz II Men's 2007 album, Motown: A Journey Through Hitsville USA. Another re-recorded version appears on Boyz II Men's 2011 album, Twenty.

    A reggae cover was recorded by Frankie Paul in 1996 for his Jet Star album, Reggae Max.

    Keyshia Cole sampled the song on her single "Trust and Believe", from her 2012 album, Woman to Woman.

    JLS sang this on their last tour, Goodbye – The Greatest Hits, and it was very emotional for fans, with lyrics being very relatable.

    In Muppets Most Wanted, the song is covered by the Gulag prisoners.

    During Amos Lee's Mountains of Sorrow, Rivers of Song tour Amos treats his fans to his soulful version.

    Other uses

  • The song is often used as a "last song" before a radio station changes formats, most recently on October 3, 2016, when KAGM in Albuquerque, New Mexico, played it before flipping from rhythmic contemporary as "Wild 106.7" to modern adult contemporary as "106.7 The River".
  • The song was used in an episode of The O.C., "The Rainy Day Women," where Seth is depressed in his bedroom over Summer.
  • The song was used in the episode of Fresh Off The Boat, "Boy II Man", aired on September 29, 2015.

    • Awards and nominations

    1993 Grammy Awards

  • 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)

    • References

    End of the Road Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA