Songoftheday 6/16/18 - Let's go to the mall baby I'll pick you up around noon lady, don't you worry bout' a thing 'cause I got all the answers girl...
from the album Born Into The 90's (1992)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #39 (one week)
Weeks in the Top-40: 1
Today's song of the day comes from R&B singer Robert (R.) Kelly, who grew up in Chicago, where he attended school near the University of Chicago and put together his first group MGM, who were winners of the televised talent show Big Break, but after a bombed single never went anyplace before breaking up. Recruiting backup singers Andre Boykins, Earl Robinson, and Ricky Webster to form "Public Announcement", Kelly recorded their debut album Born Into The 90s. The first single from the record was the new jack swing exercise "She's Got That Vibe", which climbed all the way to #7 on Billboard's R&B chart, and became their first minor pop hit at #59 (it also got to #57 in the UK). The second single from their album, the slow jam "Honey Love", would serve as their big pop breakthrough, after topping the R&B charts with its smooth flow, as it were, though knowing Kelly's sexual history as it's been rumored makes for an uncomfortable watch of the music video, especially the visual when he asks for what he wants (to a young Halle Berry for that matter) at the 2:16 mark...
"Honey Love" landed Kelly (and really, this was really Kelly's show) his first top-40 pop hit in July of 1992. The song spent two weeks at #1 on Billboard's R&B chart as well. Internationally, the single was a minor hit in the Netherlands at #52 ("She's Got That Vibe" went all the way to #15 in that country).
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Here's R. Kelly and Public Announcement appearing live on Showtime At The Apollo to perform "Honey Love"...
And lastly, in concert in 1993...
Up tomorrow: Philly singers break a pop record at the finish line.
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