How Boyz II Men’s ‘End of the Road’ wrestled the No. 1 record from Elvis Presley

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] didn’t like it at first. He was just saying, ‘Uh, it’s all right,’ ” Boyz II Men’s Shawn Stockman told The Post. “And we were like, ‘Man, you are crazy. It’s 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 remained atop the chart for 13 consecutive weeks, breaking a longstanding record held by Elvis Presley’s “Hound Dog”/“Don’t Be Cruel” single. Indeed, it was an endless road for the old-school soul ballad, ultimately leading Boyz II Men’s debut album “Cooleyhighharmony” to go nine-times platinum.

Boyz II Men at “American Bandstand’s 40th Anniversary Special” in 1992.Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images

The titanic tune was also one of the hits featured on the all-star soundtrack of Eddie Murphy’s classic romantic comedy “Boomerang.” Babyface — who wrote and produced much of the soundtrack with his “End of the Road” collaborators L.A. 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.”

Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, James Taylor and Boyz II Men.KMazur/WireImage

Babyface had such a special feeling about the song, he almost couldn’t 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.

Halle Berry and Eddie Murphy in 1992’s “Boomerang.” ©Paramount/Courtesy Everett CollectionMurphy, Grace Jones, Robin Givens and Eartha Kitt in a scene from 1992’s “Boomerang.”Getty Images

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 group’s 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 didn’t have time to fan out upon first meeting Babyface 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.”

Boyz II Men at the 8th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in 1993.FilmMagic, IncBoyz II Men found the path to record-breaking success with “End of the Road” 30 years ago.Corbis via Getty Images

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 Houston’s “I Will Always Love You,” which was No. 1 for 14 weeks, before Boyz II Men tied it with another Babyface ballad, “I’ll Make Love to You,” in 1994. Then “One Sweet Day” — Boyz II Men’s 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 X’s “Old Town Road,” which ruled the singles chart for 19 weeks in 2019.

Boyz II Men’s Wanya Morris (from left), Nathan Morris and Shawn Stockman.Chris Martin

Still, when it comes to timeless classics, “End of the Road” beats “Old Town Road.” Even though it’s hard for Babyface to play favorites among his many hits, it holds a special place in his heart. “It’s 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, it’ll stay there.”

And “End of the Road” remains a staple of every single Boyz II Men concert. “If we don’t do it, we’re gonna get booed,” said Morris.

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