The year was 1992. An infantile Zayn Javed Malik, barely six months old, could have had no idea how wildly successful he would one day become, basking in the glory of the successes Simon Cowell’s visionary pastiche would afford him. By the same token, he could have had no idea the impact his decision to leave a modern day Beatles would have on the droves of devastated devotees and thirty-something bloggers worldwide. This throwback is for him.

While the five lads of One Direction were but tender seedlings of the international heart-melters they’d blossom into, Boyz II Men, arguably one of the biggest boy bands this planet has ever experienced, was turning out hits left and right. It seemed the early 90’s was their vocal playground with an impressive debut in “Motownphilly” and the bedroom favorite “I’ll Make Love To You” garnering them immediate celebrity. But it was the poignant break-up ballad “End of the Road” that skyrocketed the Philadelphia foursome into the digital stratosphere. Coupling awe-inspiring harmonies with the climactic, high-note smashing run it’s easy to see how this R&B mainstay would top the charts for an astonishing 13 weeks and become the group’s most successful song to date.

Today, in these trying and uncharted post-Zayn waters, it serves as a cathartic exercise in letting go and moving on. So grab the Kleenex and begin to mend: