Boyz II Men replaced themselves at #1 with “On Bended Knee”
Jam & Lewis wrote it, and on December 3, 1994 it knocked the group's own 14-week #1 off the top of the Hot 100.
By late 1994, Boyz II Men had the kind of problem other groups dream about. "I'll Make Love to You" had been #1 on the Hot 100 for 14 weeks. The answer was another Boyz II Men song. Released in the US on November 1, 1994, "On Bended Knee" took its place at the top on December 3.
- US release
- Nov 1, 1994 · Motown
- Writers/Producers
- Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis
- Hot 100 #1
- From Dec 3, 1994 · 6 weeks total
- Album
- II
That made Boyz II Men the first act to replace themselves at #1 since the Beatles in 1964. "On Bended Knee" held the top for two weeks, gave way to Ini Kamoze's "Here Comes the Hotstepper" for two, then came back on December 31 for four more. That's six weeks in all, until TLC's "Creep" took over on January 28, 1995.
Jam & Lewis at full power
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis wrote and produced it as a masterclass in tension: four voices taking turns begging for one more chance, building to the stacked-harmony climax that defined the group. Billboard's Larry Flick praised its "tight harmonies, white-knuckled lead vocals, a slow and grinding urban groove." The video, directed by Lionel C. Martin and filmed in New Orleans, paired the group with Kim Fields, Renée Jones, Lark Voorhies and Victoria Rowell.
It was the second single from II, which won the first-ever Grammy for Best R&B Album at the 37th Grammy Awards in 1995. Five years later, Jam & Lewis produced "The Best Man I Can Be," another ballad about a man trying to do better. Some blueprints are worth keeping in the vault.
