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.
Don't Be Cruel
New Edition Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Is that I'm down for you and treat you right
You've got no cause to treat me cold as ice
Oh, girl
As long as I've been giving my love to you
You should be giving me your love too
But you just keep on actin' just like a fool
Don't be cruel
Cuz' I would never be that cruel to you
A no, oh a nooo
Don't be cruel
Girl you need to change your attitude
A no, oh
Don't be cruel
Hey yo cutie what's up with this attitude?
I thought I was bein' real good to you
I treat you sweet take you out at night
But you never say thanks, girl that ain't right
I bought you diamonds even gave you pearls
I took you for a cruise all around the world
I treat you high post, but you play me close
And if I put a drink up, you won't even toast
Girl, I work so hard for you from 9 to 5
So you could have the finer things in life
Since you're the kind that's never satisfied
Oh, girl
As long as I've been giving my heart to you
You should be giving me your heart too
But you just keep on actin' just like a fool
You know it ain't cool
Don't be cruel
Cuz' I would never be that cruel to you
A no, oh a nooo
Don't be cruel
Girl you need to change your attitude
A no, oh
Don't be cruel
From fancy cars to diamond rings
I've just about given you everything
There's really not much I won't do for you
I bought you 12 yellow roses and candy too
I like to be up front, and never play the back
But the way you treat me girl it's like a heart attack
I'm a real troop-trooper aiming for the top
And with you by my side big dollars I'll clock
Oh, girl
As long as I've been giving my love to you
You should be giving me your love too
But you just keep on actin' just like a fool
You know it ain't cool
It just ain't cool
Don't be cruel
A no, oh
We used to hang out tough
Just kickin' around
We discovered a love that had never been found
You gave me your heart, I gave you my mind
But a true love affair we could never find
Although I want you bad, I can let you go
Cuz' there's a lot of girls out there that won't say no
Roll to the fact that I want you Jackie
I want you more than human eyes can see
But you had to start illin', tryin' to make a killin'
Though about the dollars I make,
And you were willin'
To be with me, Bobby B.
But with a bad attitude I can't compete
Now you know my name, now I know your game
You wanna be with me,
You gotta be the same way that another girl would be
And if you wanna be with me
Don't be cruel
(Don't be, don't be)
Cuz' I would never be that cruel to you
(Don't be, don't be)
The lyrics of New Edition's "Don't Be Cruel" tell the story of a man trying to understand why his partner is treating him poorly despite all the love and effort he has put into the relationship. He expresses that the only thing that matters to him is being there for her and treating her right, and he wishes that she would reciprocate the love he has been giving her. He feels that her attitude towards him is unwarranted and unfair, and that she is acting foolishly. He urges her not to be cruel to him because he would never be that way to her.
The singer explains that he has been doing everything possible to make her happy, from giving her diamonds and pearls to taking her on trips around the world. He works hard all day so that she can have the finer things in life. Despite all of this, she still treats him poorly and shows no appreciation for his efforts. He expresses his frustration and confusion over why she is acting this way towards him.
In the final verse, the singer suggests that they used to have something special and that they were "kickin' around" and discovered a love "that had never been found". However, their love affair was never able to fully materialize due to her cruel behavior. He urges her to change her attitude if she wants to be with him and says that he would never treat her the way she has been treating him.
Line by Line Meaning
Girl, the only thing that matters in my life,
Is that I'm down for you and treat you right
You've got no cause to treat me cold as ice
I love you and all that's important to me is treating you with kindness and respect. You have no reason to be unkind to me.
As long as I've been giving my love to you
You should be giving me your love too
But you just keep on actin' just like a fool
You know it ain't cool
I've been giving you my love for a long time now, and I deserve your love in return. Your behavior towards me is foolish and hurtful.
Don't be cruel
Cuz' I would never be that cruel to you
A no, oh a nooo
Don't be cruel
Girl you need to change your attitude
A no, oh
Don't be cruel
Please don't purposefully hurt me because I would never do that to you. You need to change your attitude towards me to improve our relationship.
Hey yo cutie what's up with this attitude?
I thought I was bein' real good to you
I treat you sweet take you out at night
But you never say thanks, girl that ain't right
Why are you acting this way towards me, honey? I've been treating you really well, taking you out and always being sweet. It's not right that you never show gratitude.
I bought you diamonds even gave you pearls
I took you for a cruise all around the world
I treat you high post, but you play me close
And if I put a drink up, you won't even toast
I've given you luxurious gifts such as diamonds and pearls, and we went on a trip together. I treat you like a queen, but you keep me at arm's length. Even when I offer you a drink, you won't even toast with me.
Girl, I work so hard for you from 9 to 5
So you could have the finer things in life
Since you're the kind that's never satisfied
I work hard all day, every day, just so you can have nice things. But you're the kind of person who is never content.
From fancy cars to diamond rings
I've just about given you everything
There's really not much I won't do for you
I bought you 12 yellow roses and candy too
I've given you everything from fancy cars to diamond rings, and there's not much else I wouldn't do for you. I even bought you 12 yellow roses and candy to show my love.
I'm a real troop-trooper aiming for the top
And with you by my side big dollars I'll clock
I'm a hard-working person who is striving for success, and with you as my partner, we can achieve great financial success together.
We used to hang out tough
Just kickin' around
We discovered a love that had never been found
You gave me your heart, I gave you my mind
But a true love affair we could never find
We used to be close friends and discovered a love that we both hadn't experienced before. You gave me your heart and I gave you my mind, but we could never make a true love relationship work.
Although I want you bad, I can let you go
Cuz' there's a lot of girls out there that won't say no
Roll to the fact that I want you Jackie
I want you more than human eyes can see
Even though I desire you deeply, I can let you go because there are other girls out there who would love to be with me. Know that I want you, Jackie. I want you more than words can express.
But you had to start illin', tryin' to make a killin'
Though about the dollars I make,
And you were willin'
To be with me, Bobby B.
But with a bad attitude I can't compete
But you started acting up and trying to use me for money. You were willing to be with me, Bobby Brown, only for the money, but with your bad attitude, I can't compete.
Now you know my name, now I know your game
You wanna be with me,
You gotta be the same way that another girl would be
And if you wanna be with me
Now that you know who I am and where I stand, I also know what you're after. If you want to be with me, you have to treat me the same way other girls would.
It just ain't cool
Don't be cruel
A no, oh
Your behavior towards me is unkind, and it's not acceptable. Please don't hurt me intentionally.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: TERENCE REID, FALAWNA INGRAM, SEAN RICHARD MARSHALL, GARY SPRIGGS, KELVIN FRANKLIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@broccolihart1
He was on top of his game at this stage of his career.....untouchable.
@beckystarrski
+broccolihart71 Yup! Awesome huh?!
@b.cortez2097
+broccolihart71 No doubt!!!
@3deepp1
+broccolihart71 So True!!! i saw the "King of Stage " tour here in Chicago, in April of 1989, with Karyn White, and Levert, when B.Brown, entered the stage from the sky, sitting on a Throne, it was on one of my top 5 concerts, ever!!!
@broccolihart1
Robert Jefferson that's awesome...even when he did his cameo appearance in the Martin Lawrence movie "A thin line between love & hate" you could totally tell that, he missed the spotlight and the ladies were still jockin' hard.
@3deepp1
+broccolihart71 That was a funny ass movie!!! i think when Bobby, had the auditions , for the club in that movie he was dancing, to Zapp's " Heartbreaker"
@greendrama
This STILL bangs. That kick drum, snare and bass line is timeless.
@ValleyGyrlTV
The production genius of Babyface and LA Reid! 🥰
@fatimangara4538
The brother is definitely talented ❤luv Bobby
@patkeeler6645
& His moves 😮❤❤