Cooleyhighharmony is the debut studio album by American R&B group Boyz II Men, released on April 30, 1991, by Motown Records. The album was primarily written by Boyz II Men members Nathan Morris, Wanya Morris, and Shawn Stockman, and produced by Dallas Austin and the Characters. Its title pays tribute to the real-life Chicago high school, Cooley Vocational High School.
Upon its release, the album debuted at number 58 on the US Billboard 200 chart, eventually peaking at number three. Its original edition produced two US Billboard Hot 100 top-five singles: "Motownphilly" and "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday".
In 1992, Cooleyhighharmony was re-released internationally (1993 in the United States) with remixes and the addition of two hit singles: the worldwide chart-topping "End of the Road", originally recorded for the Boomerang soundtrack, and "In the Still of the Nite (I'll Remember)", which had been recorded for the TV mini-series The Jacksons: An American Dream.
The album has been certified nine-times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), signifying shipments of over nine million units in the United States.
In 2009, a two-disc digitally remastered edition was released, featuring remixes and two previously unreleased tracks.
Critical reception
AllMusic editor Andy Kellman 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."
Technical
- Vida Sparks
- Dallas Austin
- Michael Bivins
- Jheryl Busby
- Dave Way
- Dennis Mitchell
- Darin Prindle
- Chris Trevett
- Steve Schwartzberg
- Jim "Jiff" Hinger
- Mark Partis
Additional personnel
- Mastering: Chris Bellman
- Mastering location: Bernie Grundman Mastering
- Creative director: Michael Bivins
- Art director: Stephen Meltzer
- Design: Kaie Wellman
- Assistant designer: Elizabeth Matbeny
- Assistant: Darrale Jones
- Administrative assistant: Dianne Johnson
- Photography: Butch Belaire
- Hair and make-up: Helene Andersson
- Stylist: Agnes Baddoo
Mixing locations
- Soundworks Studio, New York City
- Soundtract Studio, New York City
- Doppler Studios, Atlanta, Georgia
Charts
Weekly charts
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+Weekly chart performance for Cooleyhighharmony
! scope="col"| Chart (1991–1993)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
|-
|-
! scope="row"| Canadian Albums (RPM)
| 11
|-
|-
! scope="row"| European Albums Chart (Billboard)
| 30
|-
|-
! scope="row"| Japanese Albums (Oricon)
| 91
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
! scope="row"| Zimbabwe Albums (ZIMA)
| 3
|}
Year-end charts
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+1992 year-end chart performance for Cooleyhighharmony
! scope="col"| Chart (1992)
! scope="col"| Position
|-
! scope="row"| US Billboard 200
| 12
|-
! scope="row"| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)
| 10
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+19933 year-end chart performance for Cooleyhighharmony
! scope="col"| Chart (1993)
! scope="col"| Position
|-
! scope="row"| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)
| 15
|-
! scope="row"| US Billboard 200
| 53
|-
! scope="row"| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)
| 43
|}
Decade-end charts
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+Decade-end chart performance for Cooleyhighharmony
!Chart (1990–1999)
!Position
|-
! scope="row"| US Billboard 200
| 45
|}
Certifications and sales
Release history
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ Cooleyhighharmony release history
! scope="col"| Region
! scope="col"| Date
! scope="col"| Format
! scope="col"| Label
! scope="col"| Edition(s)
|-
! scope="row" rowspan="3"| United States
| April 30, 1991
| rowspan="3"|
| rowspan="3"| Motown
| Standard
|-
| November 16, 1993
| US reissue
|-
| May 26, 2009
| Expanded
|}
See also
- List of number-one R&B albums of 1991 (U.S.)