Songoftheday 9/16/17 - All summer long we've been together and I never felt so good, 'cause when I'm with you you're such a good time...
from the album Hi-Five (1990)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #1 (one week)
Weeks in the Top-40: 17
Today's song of the day comes from the vocal soul group Hi-Five, who came together in Waco, Texas in the late-1980s. They released their debut album in 1990, with the new jack swing jam "I Just Can't Handle It" as the first single. Although it climbed to #10 on Billboard's R&B chart, the single missed the pop Hot 100 altogether. That changed with their second release, "I Like The Way (The Kissing Game)". Written by Teddy Riley and Bernard Bell (the pair also penned "I Just Can't Handle It") along with Dave Way, the record was much smoother and boy-band-ish, like older New Edition, and mainstream radio took ahold, and the video puts lead singer Tony Thompson in focus...
"I Like The Way" became Hi-Five's first and biggest pop hit, climbing all the way to #1 on the American Hot 100 in May of 1991. The single also was their first to top the R&B list, staying there for two weeks, and even crossed over to Billboard's Adult Contemporary (or "easy listening") chart at #42. Internationally, the record just missed the top 40 in the UK (#43) and Germany (#41).
(Click below to see the rest of the post)
Here's Hi-Five making an appearance at Live At The Apollo to promote the single...
...and again on a BET concert show (where it's so obvious that besides Tony they weren't New Edition...)
Up tomorrow: Latin freestyle singer is eternally in love.
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