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 and Shawn Stockman and extensively produced by Dallas Austin. Cooleyhighharmony's title is a tribute to a real high school in Chicago: Cooley Vocational High School.[2]
| Cooleyhighharmony | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio albumby | ||||
| Released | April 30, 1991 | |||
| Studio | Doppler Studios, Atlanta, Georgia; Studio 4, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Soundworks, New York City | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 40:25 | |||
| Language | English | |||
| Label | Motown | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Boyz II Men chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Cooleyhighharmony | ||||
| ||||
| Alternate covers | ||||
Cooleyhighharmony (reissue)
| ||||
The album debuted at number 58 on the US Billboard 200 and eventually peaked at number 3. Its original version produced the US Billboard Hot 100 Top 5 singles, "Motownphilly" and "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday".
Cooleyhighharmony was re-released internationally in 1992 (1993 in the US) with remixes and the inclusion of two hit singles: the worldwide hit single "End of the Road" from the Boomerang soundtrack and "In the Still of the Nite (I'll Remember)" which was initially recorded for the TV mini-series The Jacksons: An American Dream.
Cooleyhighharmony has been certified nine times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of over 9 million units in the US.[3]
In 2009, a two-disc digitally remastered special edition of the album was released, containing remixes as well as two previously unreleased songs.[4]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [5] |
| Robert Christgau |  [6] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B−[7] |
| Los Angeles Times |  [8] |
| Record Collector | [9] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [10] |
| The Windsor Star | B[11] |
AllMusic editor Andy Kellman rated Cooleyhighharmony four and a half stars out of five. He called the album "a brisk 40-minute set built for front-to-back listening, though the sequencing is more natural with the "adagio" and "allegro" halves switched up. For many of those responsible for its multi-platinum status, it is the album of the early '90s."[5] In a mixed review, Amy Linden from Entertainment Weekly wrote: "Reversing the usual sequence, the album starts with slow jams and saves the faster jams for last, which only serves to highlight how routine the slow stuff is. Don't they know that you start the party kickin', then get down to the grinding?"[7]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Please Don't Go" | Nathan Morris | Dallas Austin | 4:26 |
| 2. | "Lonely Heart" | N. Morris | Austin | 3:42 |
| 3. | "This Is My Heart" |
| Austin | 3:23 |
| 4. | "Uhh Ahh" |
| Austin | 3:51 |
| 5. | "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" |
| Austin | 2:51 |
| 6. | "Motownphilly" |
| Austin | 3:55 |
| 7. | "Under Pressure" |
| Austin | 4:13 |
| 8. | "Sympin'" |
| Austin | 4:23 |
| 9. | "Little Things" | Troy Taylor | The Characters | 4:01 |
| 10. | "Your Love" | Taylor | The Characters | 5:50 |
| Total length: | 40:25 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Al Final del Camino" |
| K. C. Porter | 5:51 |
| 2. | "Please Don't Go" | N. Morris | Austin | 4:26 |
| 3. | "Lonely Heart" | N. Morris | Austin | 3:42 |
| 4. | "This Is My Heart" |
| Austin | 3:23 |
| 5. | "Uhh Ahh" (sequel version) |
|
| 4:15 |
| 6. | "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" |
| Austin | 2:48 |
| 7. | "In the Still of the Night (I'll Remember)" | Parris | Boyz II Men | 2:51 |
| 8. | "Motownphilly" (remix – radio edit) |
|
| 3:59 |
| 9. | "Under Pressure" |
| Austin | 4:13 |
| 10. | "Sympin'" (remix – radio edit) |
| Rico Anderson | 3:59 |
| 11. | "Little Things" | Taylor | The Characters | 4:01 |
| 12. | "Your Love" | Taylor | The Characters | 5:50 |
| 13. | "Motownphilly" (original album version) |
| Austin | 3:55 |
| 14. | "Sympin'" (original album version) |
| Austin | 4:23 |
| 15. | "Uhh Ahh" (original album version) |
| Austin | 3:51 |
| 16. | "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" (Radio Version) |
|
| 3:06 |
| 17. | "End of the Road" |
|
| 5:50 |
| Total length: | 64:23 | |||
In 2009, a two-disc digitally remastered special edition of the album was released by Hip-O Select Records. It contains the 1993 reissue version of the album, plus additional remixes and two previously unreleased tracks.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Please Don't Go" | 4:26 |
| 2. | "Lonely Heart" | 3:42 |
| 3. | "This Is My Heart" | 3:23 |
| 4. | "Uhh Ahh" | 3:51 |
| 5. | "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" | 2:51 |
| 6. | "Motownphilly" | 3:55 |
| 7. | "Under Pressure" | 4:13 |
| 8. | "Sympin'" | 4:23 |
| 9. | "Little Things" | 4:01 |
| 10. | "Your Love" | 5:50 |
| 11. | "End of the Road" | 5:50 |
| 12. | "In the Still of the Night (I'll Remember)" | 2:51 |
| 13. | "Uhh Ahh" (sequel version) | 4:15 |
| 14. | "Motownphilly" (remix – radio edit) | 3:59 |
| 15. | "Sympin'" (remix – radio edit) | 3:59 |
| 16. | "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" (radio version) | 3:06 |
| 17. | "Al Final del Camino" ("End of the Road" Spanish version) | 5:51 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Just a Cover" (previously unreleased) | Taylor | The Characters | 5:24 |
| 2. | "Can't Be Liked" (previously unreleased) | Taylor | The Characters | 5:50 |
| 3. | "Motownphilly" (12" version) | 5:39 | ||
| 4. | "Motownphilly" (12" dub) | 4:09 | ||
| 5. | "Motownphilly" (Quiet Storm Mix) | 4:06 | ||
| 6. | "Under Pressure" (Groovy Remix) (previously unreleased in the US) |
| Austin | 6:23 |
| 7. | "Under Pressure" (extended remix) (previously unreleased in the US) |
| Austin | 6:32 |
| 8. | "Sympin'" (Remix) | 5:00 | ||
| 9. | "Sympin'" (remix – radio edit without rap) | 4:17 | ||
| 10. | "Uhh Ahh" (remix) | 4:50 | ||
| 11. | "Uhh Ahh" (sequel version – with French girl) | 4:50 | ||
| 12. | "Uhh Ahh" (sequel version – a cappella) | 4:50 | ||
| 13. | "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" (gospel version with dedication) | 4:15 |
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Cooleyhighharmony.[12]
Technical
Additional personnel
Mixing locations
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[31] | 2× Platinum | 140,000^ |
| Canada (Music Canada)[32] | Platinum | 100,000^ |
| Japan (RIAJ)[33] | Gold | 100,000^ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[34] | Platinum | 15,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[35] | Gold | 100,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[36] | 9× Platinum | 9,000,000^ |
| Summaries | ||
| Asia | — | 700,000[37] |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Region | Date | Format | Label | Edition(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | April 30, 1991 |
|
Motown | Standard |
| November 16, 1993 | US reissue | |||
| May 26, 2009 | Expanded |
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