Like the Jackson 5 before them, New Edition became a pop phenomenon, and were big enough to have Madonna as an opening act during their early days.
The group parted company with Starr in 1984; Starr responded by promptly creating the group New Kids on the Block, essentially New Edition with Caucasian teenagers. After the split the boys still received success from singles such as "Cool It Now, Mr. Telephone Man", and "Count Me Out". Around 1986, Bobby Brown was voted out of the group, due to behavioral problems during concerts, He went on to pursue a solo career in 1987 but did not find success in his solo ventures until 1988. Brown was replaced by former solo child star Johnny Gill who would become an official member that same year. The group's sound also evolved at this time from bubblegum pop-styled R&B to smoother, more adult music. The new material, primarily produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, had a strong new jack swing feel. The first album recorded with Gill, Heart Break, had numerous R&B hits, including "If It Isn't Love", "Can You Stand The Rain", "N.E. Heart Break", and "Boys To Men" (which later lent its name to the Philadelphia-based group Boyz II Men).
New Edition essentially broke up in 1989, with Bell, Bivins, and DeVoe forming the popular hip hop group Bell Biv DeVoe, Ralph Tresvant beginning his solo career and Gill restarting his solo career, with more success this time. In 1991, the group had a semi-reunion of sorts when they recorded a remix of the Bell Biv DeVoe track "Word To The Mutha!" in which all six members performed and appeared in the music video.
In 1996, the reunion became complete, as all six former members reunited for the Home Again album. Although the album featured the hit singles "Hit Me Off" and "I'm Still In Love With You", the ensuing tour would prove disastrous for the group. By the middle leg of the tour in 1997, Bobby Brown and Mike Bivins left, due to egos clashing and a less-than-harmonious time with the other members. The band canceled the tour and went on indefinite hiatus soon afterward.
The band reformed again in 2002 without Bobby Brown and released an album on Bad Boy Records entitled "One Love". They are currently working in the studio with plans to release another album with all six members in 2008.
A Little Bit Of Love
New Edition Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Woo, ooh, ooh, ooh
You say you want to be the one I need
You say you want to be the one for me
You say you want to be the one I need
But then you go and act so crazy
You say you want to be the one I hold
You say you never want to let me go
But then you go and leave me lonely
If you want to make things right
Love can make a way
If you want to take the time
Act like what you say, yeah
A little bit of love is all it takes
A little bit of love goes a long, long way
A little bit of love is all it takes
A little bit of love is lovely
A little bit of love is all it takes
A little bit of love goes a long, long way
A little bit of love is all it takes
A little bit of love is lovely
You want to be the one who makes me shy
The one who makes me laugh and makes me cry
You want to be the one to change my life
Then maybe you should treat me kindly
You want to make believe you never left
You want to make believe I never wept
You said you'd never ever leave again
Oh, baby, won't you quit pretendin'
If you want to make things right
Love can make a way
And if you want to take the time
Act like what you say, yeah
A little bit of love is all it takes
A little bit of love goes a long, long way
A little bit of love is all it takes
A little bit of love is lovely
A little bit of love is all it takes
A little bit of love goes a long, long way
A little bit of love is all it takes
A little bit of love is lovely, oh
Oh
Oh, if you want to make things right
Love can make a way
And if you want to take the time
Act like what you say, yeah
A little bit of love is all it takes
A little bit of love goes a long, long way
A little bit of love is all it takes
A little bit of love is lovely
A little bit of love is all it takes
A little bit of love goes a long, long way
A little bit of love is all it takes
A little bit of love is lovely
A little bit of love is all it takes
A little bit of love is all it takes (Little bit of love)
A little bit of love is all it takes
A little bit of love is all it takes
Girl, you got to make things right
A little bit of love is all it takes
Girl, we got to take our time
A little bit of love is all it takes
A little bit of love is all it takes
A little bit of love is all it takes
A little bit of love goes a long, long way
A little bit of love is all it takes
A little bit of love is lovely
A little bit of love is all it takes
A little bit of love goes a long, long way
The lyrics of New Edition’s “A Little Bit Of Love” delve into the complexities of a romantic relationship in which one partner wavers between expressing commitment and acting distant. The opening lines reveal that the other partner is aware of this behavior, but still wants to believe in the connection. The repeated lines, “You say you want to be the one I need / But then you go and act so crazy,” showcase the confusion that results from mixed signals. The other partner makes promises of never letting go, but then disappears, leaving their significant other lonely.
The chorus of “A Little Bit Of Love” is a message of hope for the relationship: “If you want to make things right / Love can make a way / If you want to take the time / Act like what you say, yeah / A little bit of love is all it takes / A little bit of love goes a long, long way / A little bit of love is all it takes / A little bit of love is lovely.” The lyrics suggest that with effort and consistency, a small amount of love can go a long way in repairing a relationship.
Overall, “A Little Bit Of Love” is a ballad that addresses the importance of honest communication and follow-through in a relationship. It encourages partners to take accountability for their actions and prioritize treating each other with kindness and respect.
Line by Line Meaning
You say you want to be the one I need
You express your desire to be the one I depend on for emotional, romantic and other needs.
You say you want to be the one for me
You want to fulfill my romantic and emotional needs and desires.
You say you want to be the one I need
You reinforce the desire to be a dependable and supportive partner.
But then you go and act so crazy
You behave irrationally or unpredictably, contradicting your earlier commitments.
You say you never want to let me go
You declare your intention to keep me in your life and not lose me.
You say you want to be the one I hold
You want to be the one with whom I share physical intimacy and closeness.
You say you never want to let me go
You reiterate your desire to hold on to me and maintain our connection.
But then you go and leave me lonely
You depart and leave me feeling isolated and emotionally distant.
If you want to make things right
If you want to restore our relationship and make it work,
Love can make a way
Love can provide the means to reconcile and mend the issues.
If you want to take the time
If you are willing to invest the effort and resources,
Act like what you say, yeah
Demonstrate through your actions that you mean what you claim and are dependable.
A little bit of love is all it takes
A small amount of affection and caring can go a long way in mending our relationship.
A little bit of love goes a long, long way
Even if it is just a little bit, love can have a significant impact on our relationship.
A little bit of love is lovely
A modest display of love is beautiful and desirable.
You want to be the one who makes me shy
You desire to be the one who can evoke unpredictable emotions or reactions from me.
The one who makes me laugh and makes me cry
You wish to be the one who can bring me joy and sadness.
You want to be the one to change my life
You aspire to influence my life and be significant in it.
Then maybe you should treat me kindly
If you want to have that kind of influence on my life, perhaps you should treat me with respect and care.
You want to make believe you never left
You try to act like you never left me and nothing has changed.
You want to make believe I never wept
You pretend like I never cried or felt sad because of your absence.
You said you'd never ever leave again
You explicitly promised not to leave me again, ever.
Oh, baby, won't you quit pretendin'
Stop pretending and be honest and authentic with me.
Girl, you got to make things right
You need to take the lead and correct the issues in our relationship.
Girl, we got to take our time
We both need to be patient and thoughtful in our efforts to improve our relationship.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Ricky K. Timas, Vincent E. Brantley
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
David Vega
When this song came out I bought the record for my girl. Today, 31 years later, we're still together and love listening to it. Nothing like 80's music.
Kenneth Luwugge
I was broke at the time but I would have done the same
TheRetroWoman80
Aww. That's dope.
Carla Lampley
God bless you both.
Latisha Turner
So sweet 💜
Sampson Tendai Mutsago
Beautiful story
Kool Keith
Straight classic. New Edition will always be first class.
Tim McCreary
best boy band ever!!!!
Zombie Rofl
Underrated song period.
tashaun taylor
2022 babyyy