"Hangin' Tough" is a 1989 single from New Kids on the Block.
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 recognisable and commonly
appears on Greatest Hits albums, which includes a guitar solo.
The song was used in the 1989 film
The Wizard.
US /UK / Netherlands Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM
UK Vinyl, 12", 45 RPM
UK Maxi-CD
UK Vinyl, 12"
[1]
Joey McIntyre discusses "Hangin' Tough" - RetroRewind
interview
The New Kid's producer and writer Maurice Starr wrote this
with the tough time the boy band had getting things off the
ground in mind. He recalled in 1000 UK #1 Hits by Jon Kutner
and Spencer Leigh: "We needed a song that symbolized what we
had been through, so I came up with this title, Hangin'
Tough."
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)".