Once Upon a Time at the Top of the Charts: Color Me Badd, “All 4 Love”

27 years ago today, Color Me Badd ascended to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for the second – and, at least of this writing, last – time in their career.

Produced by Howard Thompson, a.k.a. Howie Tee, “All 4 Love” holds the distinction of having no less than seven different songwriters credited for its composition, although there are two names in particular which will tip off most music fans that their credit is one which came about through either sampling or “borrowing” from another song: Steve Cropper and Isaac Hayes. For the record, it was a Cropper / Hayes composition entitled “Patch My Heart,” one recorded by The Mad Lads in 1966, that was utilized enough to warrant attribution. As for the other five individuals, well, you’ve got the four members of the group, and then you’ve got Howie Tee, and... Well, that added up rather quickly, didn’t it?

The third single from C.M.B. (following “I Wanna Sex You Up” and “I Adore Mi Amor”), “All 4 Love” only held the top spot for a single week: it replaced Michael Jackson’s “Black or White” to get there in the first place, after which it was supplanted by the duet of “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me” by Elton John and George Michael. While there are precious few singles which sound more of the early ‘90s than this one, it’s still an absurdly catchy pop song that may well remain in your head for hours, even days, after you hit “play.”

So what are you waiting for? Hit “play” already!