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.
I'm Leaving You Again
New Edition Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I thought I'll tell you when.
I know how you must feel,
But if you're love's for real.
You'll try to understand
That I'm in popular demand.
When we first met,
You said you understood
And that you'd still keep loving me.
Now it seems you've changed your mind
Each and every time.
Girl, one day we will meet
You just wait and see.
As of today, it has to be this way.
Oh, oh, oh.
Girl, I'm leaving you again
And I thought I'll tell you when.
I know how you must feel,
But if you're love's for real.
You'll try to understand
That I'm in popular demand.
Girl, I wish
That there was a way
For you and I to stay together
Forever and a day.
Girl, I would give you all of my love
And place no one above.
And girl, one day we will meet.
You just wait and see.
But as of today, it has to be this way.
Oh, oh, oh.
Girl, I'm leaving you again
And I thought I'll tell you when.
I know how you must feel,
But if you're love's for real.
You'll try to understand
That I'm in popular demand.
Oh, girl, please tell me
Is there a way
For you and I to stay together
Forever and a day.
Oh, oh, oh, oh, please tell me
Will you still love me
Regardless to the way I leave
'Cause that's the way it has to bee beee.
Oh.
Ah.
Shoop shoop shoobop.
Means I'm never gonna give you up.
Shoop shoop shoobop.
Means I'm never gonna give you up.
Shoop shoop shoobop.
Means I'm never gonna give you up.
Shoop shoop shoobop.
Means I'm never gonna give you up.
Shoop shoop shoobop.
Means I'm never gonna give you up.
The lyrics to New Edition's "I'm Leaving You Again" tell the story of a man who is leaving his lover yet again. He acknowledges that the situation causes her pain, but he believes that if her love is true, she will understand that he is in popular demand and must go. He also expresses a wish to find a way for them to be together forever, but acknowledges that as of now, leaving again is the only way. The song's repetitive refrain, "Shoop shoop shoobop, means I'm never gonna give you up," could be interpreted as a promise that despite the separations, his love for her will never waver.
One potential interpretation of the song is that it reflects the challenges of maintaining a relationship in the face of career success. The lyrics suggest that the man is in high demand due to his popularity, which may be a reference to the pressures placed on musicians in the spotlight. The repeated refrain of "never gonna give you up" could speak to the tension between the desire for love and connection and the demands of fame and success.
Another interpretation could be that the song expresses a sense of inevitability - the man feels compelled to leave even as he wishes he could stay. The refrain, with its upbeat melody and seemingly upbeat message, could be seen as a way of masking the sadness and disappointment inherent in the situation.
Overall, "I'm Leaving You Again" is a complex song that expresses the difficulties of love and commitment in the face of external pressures and internal conflicts.
Line by Line Meaning
Girl, I'm leaving you again
I'm breaking up with you again
And I thought I'll tell you when.
I didn't plan on telling you, but I changed my mind
I know how you must feel,
I understand how this makes you feel
But if you're love's for real.
If your love is true and sincere
You'll try to understand
You'll make an effort to comprehend my decision
That I'm in popular demand.
I'm in demand and my career comes first
When we first met,
At the start of our relationship
I told you how it would be.
I explained what my profession requires
You said you understood
You claimed to comprehend
And that you'd still keep loving me.
You promised to continue loving me
Now it seems you've changed your mind
Now it appears you've had a change of heart
Each and every time.
Every time we go through this
Girl, one day we will meet
Someday we will see each other again
You just wait and see.
Wait and find out
As of today, it has to be this way. Oh, oh, oh.
For the time being, we must go our separate ways
Girl, I wish
I hope
That there was a way
That a solution existed
For you and I to stay together
For us to remain in a relationship
Forever and a day.
For all time
Girl, I would give you all of my love
I would provide you with all my affection
And place no one above.
And prioritize no one higher
Oh, girl, please tell me
I need to know
Is there a way
Exists a possibility
Will you still love me
Will your feelings for me remain
Regardless to the way I leave
Even though I keep leaving you
'Cause that's the way it has to bee beee.
Because it's what I have to do for my career
Shoop shoop shoobop.
Vocalization without a specific meaning
Means I'm never gonna give you up.
Means I will always love you
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: RALPH TRESVANT, RICARDO BELL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ron Haywood
When we first met
I told you how it would be
And you said you understood
And that you'd still be loving me
Now it seems you're changing your mind
Each and every time
Girl one day you'll be with me
You just wait and see
But as of today
It has to be this way
Girl I'm leaving you again
And I thought I'd tell you when
I know how you must feel
But if your love's for real
You'll try to understand
That I'm in popular demand
Girl I wish
That there was a way
For you and I to stay together
Forever and a day
Girl I would give you all of my love
And place no one above
And girl one day you'll be with me
You just wait and see
But as of today
It has to be this way
Girl I'm leaving you again
And I thought I'd tell you when
I know how you must feel
But if your love's for real
You'll try to understand
That I'm in popular demand
So girl please tell me
Is there a way
For you and I to stay together
Forever and day
Please tell me
Will you still love me
Regardless to the way I leave
Cause that's the way it has to be
Shoop Shoop Shoo-bop
Means I'm never gonna give you up
Knott's Bear-y Tales Preserved + Dark Rides
I love that synth in the beginning. Its got that perfect sound that only the 1980s can do
Ayden_Chadway
@Anjanetta Carbbins exactly
Anjanetta Carbbins
@Ayden_Chadway Ciara
Ayden_Chadway
You know who samples this right?
Cassie Laylee
This album was and still is sick ..Whoever was writing for these boys was doing the damn thing
Ayden_Chadway
They got that Ciara and Bow Wow check
kellkoolguy
@iam the interstellar the beyonder of free thinking he produced "Mr. Telephone Man"
diamondgirl
And the production!
Robin Light
@iam the interstellar the beyonder of free thinking wasn't just him
Mr. Consistent
@Frederick Reese nah Maurice Starr wrote the hits.