| "Hangin' Tough" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by New Kids on the Block | ||||
| from the album Hangin' Tough | ||||
| Released | July 3, 1989 | |||
| Format | CD single, 12" maxi single | |||
| Recorded | 1988 | |||
| Genre | new jack swing | |||
| Length | 3:54 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Writer(s) | Maurice Starr | |||
| Producer | Maurice Starr | |||
| Certification | Platinum (RIAA) | |||
| New Kids on the Block singles chronology | ||||
|
||||
"Hangin' Tough" is a 1989 single from New Kids on the Block. The lead vocals were sung by Donnie Wahlberg. The fourth single from the group's second album of the same name, it peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart on September 9, 1989. It also topped the UK singles chart and the song also became the first number one single of the 1990s.
There are two distinct versions of the song: The original album version which includes a keyboard solo and the remixed version, which is arguably more recognizable and commonly appears on Greatest Hits albums, which includes a guitar solo. The song was used in the 1989 film The Wizard as well as the Regular Show episode "High Score". Alvin and the Chipmunks covered the song for their 1991 album The Chipmunks Rock the House.
Contents |
US /UK / Netherlands Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM
UK Vinyl, 12", 45 RPM
UK Maxi-CD
UK Vinyl, 12"
| Chart (1989) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart |
|
| Canadian Singles Chart |
|
| Dutch Singles Chart |
|
| German Singles Chart |
|
| Irish Singles Chart |
|
| New Zealand Singles Chart |
|
| Norwegian Singles Chart |
|
| UK Singles Chart |
|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 |
|
| Preceded by "Cold Hearted" by Paula Abdul |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single September 9, 1989 (1 week) |
Succeeded by "Don't Wanna Lose You" by Gloria Estefan |
| Preceded by "Do They Know It's Christmas" by Band Aid II |
Irish Singles Chart January 18, 1990 (1 week) |
Succeeded by "Nothing Compares 2 U" by Sinéad O'Connor |
| Preceded by "Do They Know It's Christmas" by Band Aid II |
UK number one single January 7, 1990 (2 weeks) |
Succeeded by "Tears on My Pillow" by Kylie Minogue |
==Reception
This flopped in the UK when it was first released and only reached the top after being re-released the following year in lieu of the success of "You Got It (The Right Stuff)".
Most recently, in 2010, Matthew Wilkening of AOL Radio ranked the song at #24 on the list of the 100 Worst Songs Ever, stating, "As badass as [these boys] are, remember when they went all street and became NKOTB?" while featuring the music video for their next song called "Games" and calling it "[e]ven tougher".[1]
Joey McIntyre discusses "Hangin' Tough" - RetroRewind interview
|
||||||||||||||||||||