Songoftheday 11/26/21 -All I am, All I'll be Everything in this world All that I'll ever need

 

 

"I Do (Cherish You)" - 98 Degrees

from the album 98 Degrees and Rising (1998)

Billboard Hot 100 peak: #13 (two weeks)

Weeks in the Top-40: 16

 

Today's song comes from the boy-band 98 Degrees, who's second album 98 Degrees and Rising had already scored a pair of top ten pop hits with "Because Of You" and "The Hardest Thing".  The third single pulled from the record would be a pop remake of a song that was a country radio hit a year before for Mark Wills, who had a top-40 crossover hit himself in the spring of 1999 with "Wish You Were Here". "I Do (Cherish You)" was written by Keith Stegall with Dan Hill, who had two top ten pop hits of his own with "Sometimes When We Touch" and "Can't We Try". But opposed to those blockbuster breakup songs, this was on the other schmaltzy side of the spectrum, with the greeting card lyrics promising a forever love that are written specifically to be played at wedding receptions. And as a boyband this eternal romance promise however unrealistic at that young age certainly gave their audience what they wanted, with nothing meaty to have to really think about. The music video for it drives the wedding message home in a way even Wills didn't...

98 Degrees' version of "I Do" became their fourth top-40 pop hit in September of 1999. The song matched "The Hardest Thing" as their biggest hit on the Adult Contemporary (or "easy listening") radio chart at #4, while popping on the older-skewing Adult Top-40 format list at #36. It also got to #5 on Billboard magazine's Rhythmic Airplay chart at #5, and Mainstream Pop countdown at #7. Internationally, the single was a top-40 hit in Canada (#11) and Australia (#23). 98 Degrees will be back to the series. 

(4/10)

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As I mentioned, Mark Wills first recorded "I Do" and released it as the lead single from his Wish You Were Here album. The song spent two weeks at #2 on Billboard's Country Singles chart, and made it to #72 on the crossover Hot 100 in June of 1998. It strikes a much gentler tone and between Wills' warm voice and waltz-time tempo it's a much better version of the song (I'd give it a 7/10)...

 

 

Back to the boys live on Good Morning America performing "I Do" and their Christmas hit "This Gift" on this very day in 1999 (they actually start singing over five minutes in)...

and lastly in concert at Epcot in 2018...

Up tomorrow: This country woman is hitting the personal ads.