Songoftheday 2/1/19 - You ask me why I say why not anything is possible and anything can be, therefore tonight I'll get you hot you feel the passion you never dreamed...
from the album Hootie Mack (1993)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #38 (one week)
Weeks in the Top-40: 2
Today's song of the day comes from the New Edition break-off trio Bell Biv Devoe, who had a huge first album together with Poison, scoring five top ten R&B hits, with three of them reaching the pop Top-50. However their next single "Gangsta", which had presumably been pegged for leading off their second album, failed to reach the top 20 on either the R&B or the pop charts in America, and eventually didn't even make the final cut for their sophomore release. I took that their attempt to gain street cred with the title ended up turning off the mainstream (read: white suburban) radio station programmers, who loved the sound but not the message. The trio of Ricky Bell, Michael Bivens, and Ronnie DeVoe regrouped and put out their second disc Hootie Mack in 1993. The first single, "Above The Rim", again tried to go "street", but without that polarizing word in the title, but nevertheless missed the pop chart again, only making it to #81 on the R&B chart in Billboard magazine. The trio switched gears for their next single, the smooth quiet storm ballad "Something In Your Eyes". Written by soul star Babyface, who produced the track with L.A. Reid and Darryl Simmons, the song was apparently what pop radio wanted from them at the time, with Bell taking control of the singing...
"Something In Your Eyes" became Bell Biv Devoe's sixth and so far most recent pop Top-40 hit in the U.S. in October of 1993. The song also climbed to #6 on Billboard's R&B chart. Internationally, the single did quite well in New Zealand, peaking at #15, while being a minor hit in the UK (#60) and Australia (#73). The trio went back and reunited with their New Edition bandmates for the very successful Home Again album in 1996, but returned with another album, BBD, in 2001; however that set wasn't as well-received, only reaching #62 on the R&B albums chart and failing to have a hit single. After another lesser album with New Edition in 2004, Ricky, Ronnie, and Mike got back together for their most recent album Three Stripes in 2017, which hit #18 on the all-inclusive albums chart and claiming a top ten hit on the Adult R&B radio format chart with "Run". The follow-up, "Finally" with fellow 90's hitmakers SWV, is their most recent charting hit at #18 on that list. The trio also continue to tour with New Edition.
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Here's BBD performing on Arsenio Hall (sorry for the sound)...
And lastly, the trio live in concert with "Something In Your Eyes" along with their other big ballad, "When Will I See You Smile Again"...
Up tomorrow: Georgia alt-rock kings are in a bit of universal pain.
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