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.
Kickback
New Edition Lyrics
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Shook in a ice cold sweat
Curious of what real love feels like
It hasn't hit me yet, it hasn't hit me yet
You'll reach that stage in your life
You wonder what love will be
My mama told me that would be our find
?Baby, you don't have to wonder
Just kickback and love will come
Love will tap you on the shoulder
Kickback and love will grow?
I see the look that's in a young girls eye
As I watch TV
This thing called love, I've got to try
Leave this script for me
It's time to learn all about
True love without a doubt
Can't fight the feeling when it comes around
You will know when the girl you found, mama said
?Baby, you don't have to wonder
Kickback and love will come
Love will tap you on the shoulder
Girl, kickback and love will grow?
My mama said, ?Kickback and love will flow?
Mama said, ?Kickback and love will grow?
Now I'm kinda young and I don't understand
What it is about love that attracts a man
Could it be you got to be of age
Or tell me Mike, is love just a stage?
Love, when does it come, how, when and why?
Does it bring happiness, does it make you cry?
My mother told me, one day I'll know
Just kickback and love will grow
Baby, you don't have to wonder
Just kickback and love will come
Love will tap you on the shoulder
Kickback and love will grow
Baby, you don't have to wonder
Just kickback and love will come
Love will tap you on the shoulder
Kickback and love will grow
Baby, you don't have to wonder
"Kickback," by New Edition, is a song about the journey of finding love. The song speaks to the fear and uncertainty of not knowing what real love feels like. The lyrics suggest that love will come in due time and that one doesn't have to go searching for it but rather it will tap them on the shoulder, so to speak. In the first verse, the songwriter is restless in the middle of the night, gripped by the fear of not knowing what love feels like. The person is curious but is yet to have the said experience. It's only until the mother steps in and assures the songwriter that they will experience the love they've been curious about in due time. The mother, in her wisdom, encourages her child to sit back and let love find them.
The second verse speaks about what the writer views from the outside looking in; a young girl watching TV and imagining experiencing true love. The songwriter, now having been encouraged by their mother, sees the importance of trying and figuring out love for themselves. The bridge takes a shift in perspective, as another member of the group wonders when and how love comes about. The lyrics suggest that love is ageless and will come at the right time. The song ends with the reassurance that love is sure to come when the person in question is ready.
Line by Line Meaning
I grabbed my pillow in the middle of the night
In the middle of the night, I woke up because of my curiosity of how real love feels like
Shook in a ice cold sweat
The uncertainty of how undivulged love feels like shook me to an extent that I broke out in cold sweat
Curious of what real love feels like
I am inquisitive of knowing how true love feels like
It hasn't hit me yet, it hasn't hit me yet
I haven't experienced real love yet
You'll reach that stage in your life
At a definite age, you will experience love
You wonder what love will be
At this point in time, you can't help but think how true love will feel like
My mama told me that would be our find
My mother told me that love will eventually come for me too
You will find love in reality, she said
According to my mother, I will surely find love someday
I see the look that's in a young girls eye
I observe the eagerness and anxiousness in the eyes of teenage girls
As I watch TV
While watching television
This thing called love, I've got to try
I am eager to experience love myself
Leave this script for me
I want to discover love at my own pace and in my own unique way
It's time to learn all about
It's time to grapple with the true love concept without a doubt
True love without a doubt
True love that is unarguable
Can't fight the feeling when it comes around
I can't deny the feeling of love when it eventually comes
You will know when the girl you found, mama said
My mother believes when I discover the girl for me, I will figure it out
Now I'm kinda young and I don't understand
I'm still young and don't fully grasp the concept of love
What it is about love that attracts a man
I don't know what aspects of love specifically draws a man's attention yet
Could it be you got to be of age
I wonder if age is a critical factor in experiencing love
Or tell me Mike, is love just a stage?
I'm inquisitive to know Mike's (or anyone knowledgeable in love) opinion on whether love is just a phase
Love, when does it come, how, when and why?
I want to know the when, how, and why of love
Does it bring happiness, does it make you cry?
I wonder if love brings both joy and tears to those that experience it
My mother told me, one day I'll know
My mother has faith that one day I'll comprehend the true nature of love
Just kickback and love will grow
Relax and let love manifest itself into a beautiful entity
My mama said, 'Kickback and love will flow'
My mother said that love will eventually come for me.
Mama said, 'Kickback and love will grow'
Again, she emphasized that waiting and being patient will yield real love eventually.
Baby, you don't have to wonder
You don't have to be anxious about finding love
Love will tap you on the shoulder
Love will manifest itself unexpectedly
Kickback and love will grow
Kickback and wait until love blossoms
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: RICKY K. TIMAS, VINCENT E. BRANTLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind