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.
My Prerogative
New Edition Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's love
Love... Get busy
Everybody's talkin all this stuff about me (now now)
Why don't they just let me live (oh oh oh)
I don't need permission
Make my own decisions (oh)
That's my prerogative
They say I'm crazy
I really don't care
That's my prerogative
They say I'm nasty
But I don't give a damn
Gettin girls is how I live
Some ask me questions
Why am I so real
But they don't understand me
I really don't know the deal
About a brother
Trying hard to make it right
Not long ago
Befo' I win this fight
Sing!
Everybody's talkin all this stuff about me
Why don't they just let me live (tell me why)
I don't need permission
Make my own decisions (oh)
That's my prerogative
It's my prerogative
(It's my prerogative)
It's the way that I wanna live (it's my prerogative)
I can do just what I feel (it's my prerogative)
No one can tell me what to do (it's my prerogative)
Cause what I'm doin
I'm doin for you now
Don't get me wrong
I'm really not zooped
Ego trips is not my thing
All these strange relationships
Really gets me down
I see nothin wrong
With spreadin myself around
Sing!
Everybody's talkin all this stuff about me (yeah)
Why don't they just let me live (tell me why)
I don't need permission (i don't need)
Make my own decisions (my own decisions)
That's my prerogative
It's my prerogative
(It's my prerogative)
I can do what I wanna do (it's my prerogative)
Truly live my life (it's my prerogative)
I'm doin it just for you (it's my prerogative)
Tell me, tell me
Why can't I live my life (live my life)
Without all of the things that people say (oh oh)
Yo tell it, kick it like this
Oh no no
I can do what I wanna do
Me and you
Together, together, together, together, together
Everybody's talkin all this stuff about me (everybody's talkin)
Why don't they just let me live (why)
(Why don't they just let me live girl)
I don't need permission (i don't need permission)
Make my own decisions
That's my prerogative
Everybody's talkin all this stuff about me (everybody's talkin)
Why don't they just let me live
(Why don't they just let me live)
I don't need permission (i don't need)
Make my own decisions (my own decisions)
That's my prerogative
The lyrics to New Edition's song My Prerogative are a declaration of independence and a refusal to conform to society's expectations. The singer asserts that he does not need anyone's permission to make his own decisions and live his life his way, even in the face of criticism from others. He acknowledges that people may think he's crazy or nasty and question his authenticity, but he refuses to let their opinions influence him. The singer also acknowledges that he enjoys the attention of women and is not ashamed of his promiscuous behavior, declaring that he sees nothing wrong with spreading himself around. Overall, the song is a defiant rejection of social norms and a celebration of personal autonomy.
Line by Line Meaning
It's love
Love is the theme of the song
It's love
Love is the subject matter of the song
Love... Get busy
The song is urging people to get active and pursue love
Everybody's talkin all this stuff about me (now now)
People are gossiping about the singer
Why don't they just let me live (oh oh oh)
The singer wants the gossipers to leave him alone and stop telling him how to live his life
I don't need permission
The singer does not require anyone's approval to do what he wants
Make my own decisions (oh)
The singer is responsible for the choices he make
That's my prerogative
The choice of how to live his life is entirely up to the singer
They say I'm crazy
People think the singer is insane
I really don't care
The singer is not bothered by other people's opinions of him
They say I'm nasty
People think the singer is vulgar
But I don't give a damn
The singer does not care about what other people think of him
Gettin girls is how I live
The singer enjoys the company of women
Some ask me questions
People inquire about the singer's behavior
Why am I so real
They want to know why the singer is true to himself
But they don't understand me
The singer's answers do not make sense to the inquirers
I really don't know the deal
The singer is not sure how to make people understand him
About a brother
The singer is referring to himself in a brotherly way
Trying hard to make it right
The singer is working to do what feels right to him
Not long ago
The singer made this decision recently
Befo' I win this fight
The singer made this decision before he overcame the challenges he faced
Sing!
The singer is encouraging the audience to sing along
It's the way that I wanna live (it's my prerogative)
The singer wants to live his life his way
I can do just what I feel (it's my prerogative)
The singer will act according to his desires
No one can tell me what to do (it's my prerogative)
The singer will not follow anyone's orders
Cause what I'm doin
The singer's actions
I'm doin for you now
The singer is doing what he does for the sake of someone else
Don't get me wrong
The singer does not want to be misunderstood
I'm really not zooped
The singer is not trying to be someone he is not
Ego trips is not my thing
The singer does not have a big ego
All these strange relationships
The singer is not interested in unconventional romantic relationships
Really gets me down
The singer finds these relationships depressing
I see nothin wrong
The singer does not find anything illegal or immoral about his behavior
With spreadin myself around
The singer is comfortable flirting with many women
I can do what I wanna do
The singer is free to act according to his desires
Truly live my life
The singer is living life in a way that feels authentic to him
Tell me, tell me
The singer is requesting that someone communicate with him
Why can't I live my life (live my life)
The singer wants to know why he cannot act according to his desires
Without all of the things that people say (oh oh)
The singer is tired of hearing what others think of him
Yo tell it, kick it like this
The singer is telling someone to start singing
Oh no no
The singer is expressing fear or disbelief
Me and you
The singer and a romantic partner
Together, together, together, together, together
The singer and his partner are united
Lyrics ยฉ BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Teddy Riley, Gene Griffin, Bobby Brown
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Redaxe83
2024 anybody ๐
@Nicolette8380
๐๐๐๐
@pezzyartz383
Yeasss
@elbanoriega5182
I'm 67 and love, love this video..
@truckabob
always
@shaddyraddy92
Greetings from the future!
@motherof2wifeof18
This song got my ass beat! I told my mother "I'll do my homework when I felt like because it was 'My 'Prerogative." Every time I hear this, I think about that beat down....I'm 40 now
@kanuri
๐
@tkaitv8184
K Bouie no way ๐๐
@motherof2wifeof18
@@tkaitv8184 I have a "southern" mother, so she didn't play getting smart at the mouth!