New Kids on the Block is an American boy band from Dorchester, Massachusetts. The band consists of brothers Jonathan and Jordan Knight, Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, and Danny Wood. New Kids on the Block enjoyed success in the late 1980s and early 1990s and have sold more than 80 million records worldwide, and are often credited for paving the way for future boy bands such as Take That, Backstreet Boys and NSYNC. They won two American Music Awards in 1990 for Favorite Pop/Rock Band, Duo, or Group and Favorite Pop/Rock Album. In 1991, they performed the halftime show at Super Bowl XXV, a first for a popular music group.
"Sympathy for the Devil" is a song by English rock band the Rolling Stones. The song was written by Mick Jagger and credited to the Jagger–Richards partnership. It is the opening track on the band's 1968 album Beggars Banquet. The song has received critical acclaim and features on Rolling Stone magazine's "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list, being ranked number 106 in the 2021 edition.
"Dancing in the Street" is a song written by Marvin Gaye, William Stevenson, and Ivy Jo Hunter. It first became popular in 1964 when recorded by Martha and the Vandellas whose version reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for two weeks, behind "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" by Manfred Mann and it also peaked at No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart. It is one of Motown's signature songs and is the group's premier signature song.
"December, 1963 " is a song originally performed by the Four Seasons, written by original Four Seasons keyboard player Bob Gaudio and his future wife Judy Parker, produced by Gaudio, and included on the group's album Who Loves You (1975).
Hangin' Tough is the second studio album by American boy band New Kids on the Block, released on August 12, 1988, by Columbia Records. It is widely regarded as the group's breakthrough album, gaining positive reviews for their musical transition from bubblegum pop to urban contemporary, blended with popular rock music. The group's label had planned to end their contract when their 1986 debut garnered little commercial and critical attention, which nearly led to their breakup. However, Maurice Starr, the group's producer, diligently persuaded the label to let them record a second album.
"Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)" is a song by American soul group the Delfonics, co-written by producer Thom Bell and lead singer William Hart. It was released as a single in 1969 on the Philly Groove record label and appeared on their self-titled third album the following year. The song reached number three on the Billboard R&B chart and number ten on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1970. Overseas, the song peaked at number 22 on the UK Singles Chart in and number 81 in Australia. The Delfonics won a Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for the song in 1971.
"I'll Be Loving You (Forever)" is a 1989 ballad song from New Kids on the Block, released as the third single from the group's second album, Hangin' Tough. The lead vocals were sung by Jordan Knight. It was the group's first single to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100, while peaking at number five in the UK.
"Cover Girl" is a 1989 single from New Kids on the Block. The lead vocals were sung by Donnie Wahlberg. The fifth and final single from their multi-platinum second studio album Hangin' Tough (1988), it peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 on the week of November 4, being held off from the top spot by Roxette's "Listen to Your Heart". The song became the fifth consecutive top 10 single from the album on the Billboard Hot 100, making NKOTB the first teen act to gain such chart success.
"Higher Ground" is a song written by Stevie Wonder which first appeared on his 1973 album Innervisions. The song reached number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 1 on the US Hot R&B Singles chart. Wonder wrote and recorded the song in a three-hour burst of creativity in May 1973. The album version of the song contains an extra verse and runs 30 seconds longer than the single version. The unique wah-wah clavinet sound in the song was achieved with a Mu-Tron III envelope filter pedal. The bass line is provided by a Moog synthesizer and using overdubs, Wonder played all instruments on the track, including drums and percussion.
"You Got It" is a song from American singer Roy Orbison's 22nd studio album, Mystery Girl (1989). The song was released posthumously on January 3, 1989, after Orbison's death from a heart attack on December 6, 1988. The song was issued with "The Only One" as the B-side and was later released with "Crying". The single reached number nine on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Adult Contemporary chart, returning Orbison to the top 10 for the first time in 25 years. "You Got It" also reached number three on the UK Singles Chart and entered the top five in 10 other countries. Although it is an Orbison solo single, Orbison's fellow Traveling Wilburys bandmates Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne co-wrote the song and played instruments on the record.
"Too Close" is a song by American R&B group Next featuring uncredited vocals from Vee of Koffee Brown. It contains a sample of "Christmas Rappin" by Kurtis Blow and was released on January 27, 1998, as the second single from their debut album, Rated Next (1997). The song reached number one on the US Hot 100 and R&B charts, topping the former for five non-consecutive weeks, and has gone platinum, making it their biggest and best-known hit.
"Footloose" is a song co-written and recorded by American singer-songwriter Kenny Loggins. It was released in January 1984 as the first of two singles by Loggins from the 1984 film of the same name. The song spent three weeks at number one, March 31—April 14, 1984, on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Loggins' only chart-topper, and was the first of two number-one hits from the film. Billboard ranked it at the No. 4 song for 1984.
"Waiting for a Girl Like You" is a 1981 power ballad by the British-American rock band Foreigner released as the second single from the album 4 (1981) and was co-written by Lou Gramm and Mick Jones. The opening motif was written by Ian McDonald and the distinctive synthesizer theme was performed by the then-little-known Thomas Dolby.
"You'll Never Stop Me Loving You" is the debut single of English pop singer Sonia. Written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman, the song was included on Sonia's debut album, Everybody Knows (1990). The single became Sonia's only number-one single on the UK Singles Chart and reached number 10 on the US Billboard Dance Club Play chart.
"Automatic" is a song recorded by American vocal group the Pointer Sisters for their tenth studio album Break Out (1983). The song was released by the Planet label on January 13, 1984, as the second single from the album. It was written by Brock Walsh and Mark Goldenberg.
"As Long as You Follow" is a song by British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac. Performed by Christine McVie and written alongside her then-husband, Eddy Quintela, the song was one of two new tracks on the band's 1988 greatest hits album, along with "No Questions Asked". Lead guitarist Rick Vito singled out the guitar solo on "As Long as You Follow" as his best work with Fleetwood Mac.
"Games" is a song by American boyband New Kids on the Block, released as the first single from their first compilation/remix album, No More Games/The Remix Album (1990). Employing hip-hop samples with riffs sung by Jordan Knight, and defensive rhymes by Donnie Wahlberg, the song was a dramatic departure from their previously clean cut sound. It also includes shout-outs to Donnie's brother Mark Wahlberg and his group Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. The song features a chorus section taken from the movie the wizard of Oz, namely the West witch's soldiers chant: oh ee oh, oh oh. The accompanying music video for "Games" received heavy rotation on MTV Europe.
"The Right Stuff" is a song by American singer and actress Vanessa Williams, released as the first single from her 1988 debut studio album of the same name. The crossover single was very successful and became a top-five hit on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, as well as making the Billboard Hot 100. "The Right Stuff" also went to number one on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart for one week. It peaked at number 71 on the UK Singles Chart and re-entered the charts in 1989, this time peaking at number 62 with a remixed version. At the 31st Grammy Awards in 1989, the song received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, but lost to Anita Baker's "Giving You The Best That I Got".
"U Don't Know Me" is a song written and produced by English electronic music duo Basement Jaxx. The Bellrays' lead singer Lisa Kekaula, who has previously appeared on Basement Jaxx's 2004 single "Good Luck", also co-wrote and contributed the song's main vocal. "U Don't Know Me" was described as a rock song with "kiss-off" lyrics that were similar to "Good Luck". On 13 June 2005 XL released the track as the second single from their greatest hits album The Singles. Later editions of the compilation replaced the album version with the "JaxxHouz Radio edit" which was also featured in the song's video.
"On a Roll" is a song recorded by American singer Miley Cyrus under the moniker "Ashley O", the character in the Black Mirror episode "Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too". It is an adaptation of the 1989 Nine Inch Nails song "Head Like a Hole". The episode was originally released on June 5, 2019, and the song was released as a promotional digital single by RCA Records and The Null Corporation on June 14, 2019. The B-side, "Right Where I Belong", is based on the 2005 Nine Inch Nails song "Right Where It Belongs". Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor approved of the adaptations, and released Black Mirror-themed merchandise to coincide with the episode's release. The song was ranked 28th on the 100 Best Songs of 2019 list by Billboard. The song was not released to radio in the US.
