“End of the Road” by Boyz II Men

“End of the Road” is being relayed by an individual(s) who has apparently been dumped by his significant other. Moreover, it can be deduced via certain junctures in the song that she is seeing someone else. In fact at one point she was even “with that other fella” while she and the singer were still together. But all of that is ultimately besides the main issue at hand. For what Boyz II Men are basically doing is begging her to come back.

The title of the song is a metaphor pointing to the idea that they two of them have verily broken up. In other words, the “end of the road” is synonymous with their relationship having already run its course. But again, the singer refuses to accept their separation as such. So they (the vocalists) are hoping to mend the romance and even make it better the second time around than it was in the first.

When did Boyz II Men release “End of the Road”?

The Boyz originally released this classic on 30 June 1992 as part of the soundtrack to the 1992 Eddie Murphy film “Boomerang”. In that particular instance it was issued by LaFace Records, who are recognized as the primary label behind the track.

Then in 1992/1993 it was featured on the reissue of Boyz II Men’s debut album, “Cooleyhighharmony”, which was published by Motown Records.

1993 is the year in which the US reissue of “Cooleyhighharmony” came out. And that particular edition featured a Spanish rendering of “End of the Road”, which is entitled “Al Final del Camino”.

A Monumental Hit Song!

“End of the Road” is one of the biggest hits in history and helped establish Boyz II Men as one of the greatest R&B groups ever. For instance, it broke a Billboard Hot 100 record, which had previously been set way back in 1956,  by spending 13 weeks at number 1.  And accordingly Billboard ranked it as the top song for the entirety of 1992.

FYI: The record in question (which the Boyz broke) was initially held by Elvis Presley’s “Hound Dog“.

Additionally the track topped music charts in a handful of other nations, including the UK. And it charted very impressively in a host of nations the world over.  

Moreover “End of the Road” attained Platinum status in the United States. And it took home a couple of Grammy Awards in 1993, specifically in the categories of Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal (granted to Boyz II Men) and Best R&B Song (granted to the track’s writers).

“End of Road” Writing Credits

The writers and producers of End of the Road are Daryl Simmons alongside his regular collaborators, LA Reid and Babyface (i.e. the founders of LaFace Records).

And the emotion which comes across in the lyrics are indeed real, as both Daryl and Babyface penned it inspired by their own personal experiences with divorce.

It was originally Babyface, who himself is a Grammy Award-winning vocalist himself, who was going to sing “End of the Road”. However it was ultimately decided that it be given to Boyz II Men. At the time they were in the midst of the tour. So under a time constraint, they were actually able to record their vocals in three hours’ time.