How Boyz II Men broke Elvis Presley’s No. 1 record 30 years ago

When Boyz II Men first heard their signature smash End of the Road, they weren’t all in Cooleyhighharmony about the song.

In fact, the demo sung by writer and producer Babyface fell flat with one member of the Grammy-winning group.

Nate [Morris] didnt like it at first. He was just saying, Uh, its all right, Boyz II Mens Shawn Stockman told The Post. And we were like, Man, you are crazy. Its better than all right. We gon do this record!

And the rest was truly history 30 years ago: After End of the Road” ascended to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on Aug. 15, 1992, it remains atop the chart for 13 consecutive weeks, breaking a longstanding record held by Elvis Presleys Hound Dog/Don’t Be Cruel single. Indeed, it was an endless road for the old-school soul ballad, ultimately leading Boyz II Mens debut album Cooleyhighharmony to go nine-times platinum.

The titanic tune was also one of the hits featured on the all-star soundtrack of Eddie Murphys classic romantic comedy Boomerang. Babyface who wrote and produced much of the soundtrack with his End of the Road collaborators LA Reid and Daryl Simmons took inspiration from the movie.

I had to write a song for a scene, said Babyface. But Reggie [Hudlin, the director] ultimately used it somewhere else in the film.

Babyface had such a special feeling about the song, he almost couldnt let go of it. I went like, Wow, I almost want to keep this for myself.

But the singer and hitmaker for everyone from Whitney Houston and TLC to Madonna and Mary J. Blige thought that the four-part harmonies of Boyz II Men then a quartet, now a trio would take End of the Road to the perfect place. It had this Motownphilly kind of sound that old-school kind of sound, he said.

At the time, Boyz II Men were riding high on the breakout success of Cooleyhighharmony, which did not feature End of the Road when it was originally released in April 1991. But the Philly groups then-manager Michael Bivins of New Edition and Bell Biv DeVoe fame thought that the song could take them to an even higher level when he played the demo for them at his home.

The Boyz were in the middle of a tour with MC Hammer when they made a quick trip back to Philadelphia to record End of the Road.

We really only had one day to get it done, said Morris, adding that they didnt have time to fan out upon first meeting baby face at the studio. We just wanted to knock out the song, so we were definitely turning our focus to that. But we got a chance to work with Babyface for the first time, so it was great.

About five hours later, the magic was made. And, 13 weeks after End of the Road first hit No. 1, a record was broken. Boyz II Men were once again on tour when they found out the history-making news about the song.

When we found out that it broke Elvis record, we were in London about to perform, recalled Stockman. And we were so beat and so tired that when they told us, we were like, Oh, cool.

The record would then be broken again in 1993 by Whitney Houstons I Will Always Love You, which was No. 1 for 14 weeks, before Boyz II Men tied it with another Babyface ballad, Ill Make Love to You, in 1994. Then One Sweet Day Boyz II Mens 1995 collaboration with Mariah Carey broke the record yet again in 1996 after its 16-week reign. And now, the record is owned by Lil Nas Xs Old Town Road, which ruled the singles chart for 19 weeks in 2019.

Still, when it comes to timeless classics, End of the Road beats Old Town Road. Even though its hard for Babyface to play favorites among his many hits, it holds a special place in his heart. Its at the top of the list for sure, said Babyface, who is releasing Girls Night Out, an album of collaborations with female R&B artists, in October. You know, itll stay there.

And End of the Road remains a staple of every single Boyz II Men concert. If we dont do it, were gonna get booed, said Morris.

You can’t ask for anything more from a song, added Stockman. Its developed an immortality. We want to have those types of records that will outlive us.