Bobby Brown - Don't Be Cruel (Anniversary Celebration)

UK album release date: June 20th 1988
UK album chart peak: #3
US album chart peak: #1

Buy Don't Be Cruel here (Amazon UK)

By the time summer 1988 rolled around, I was immersed in a world of female teen singers whose songs had dominated the charts for months (Debbie Gibson, Kylie Minogue, Tiffany et al). I was more than happy with this frothy blend of melodic pop but when something different came along, it really made me sit up and take notice. Enter Bobby Brown and his dazzling second album, Don't Be Cruel. His swaggering beats, assertive lyrics and audacious instrumentals were a thrilling alternative to the pop which was the soundtrack to the first half of that year. Graduating from vocal harmony group New Edition, Bobby ripped up the rule book with Don't Be Cruel, taking the lead from legendary pop disrupters such as Madonna, Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson. In fact, Don't Be Cruel was to Bobby Brown what Control was to Janet Jackson – a tougher, more aggressive project that shed his bubblegum image altogether and brought him to a new artistic and commercial plateau. The songs contained within helped Bobby became a leader of new jack swing – a forceful, high-tech blend of traditional soul singing and rap/hip-hop that's also associated with Guy and Brown's New Edition colleagues, Bell Biv DeVoe. It was nothing short of exhilarating. Although released in 1988, it wasn't the massive juggernaut of hits until early 1989 when it topped charts around the world. Here, via the singles, is the story of its success...

• Don't Be Cruel ~ Babyface and Reid (along with Darryl Simmons) struck gold with this doozy of a song. Definitely right song, right artist, right time. Bobby took this tale of lusty longings and made it sound impeccably cool. The single edit was a good 90 seconds shorter than the album mix (shaving out the dance break) but still kept the essence of the narrative. It took a while but it eventually reached the US top 10 (and top 15 here in the UK). A new musical tour de force had arrived.
• My Prerogative ~ the airplay had barely cooled on the Don't Be Cruel but this song could not be contained as an album track. The second single accelerated at breathtaking pace, becoming Bobby's statement of purpose for this stage of his career. Punchy, street-savvy beats, with sexually energetic melodies and a poppy chorus made this utterly irresistible. I thought it was such a liberating anthem. I was such a people pleaser that I didn't know I could march to the beat of my own drum. This planted the seed. No wonder it was such a massive worldwide smash.
• Roni ~ things slowed down a little on this smooth as silk romantic ballad. Babyface sure knows how to write a heartfelt slowie, whilst young Mr Brown sang it with powerful emotion. At the time of its single release I didn't think it was an obvious smash, but it was a charming grower that gave him a third top ten US hit. Don't overlook it for his flashier songs.
• Every Little Step ~ Choosing this peppy r'n'b dance groove as single number four was a smart move - a template which the likes of Bruno Mars would replicate years later. There must be a temptation to release strong album tracks early on in the campaign, but saving this for almost a year after the album came out lit up the summer of 1989. It instantly was one of this timely yet timeless songs which celebrated life, celebrated love and made you say, dance - ya know it! Plus, the video was brilliant in its simplicity.
• On Our Own ~ and the jams continue. Summer 89 continued to be too hot to handle thanks to this sizzling non-album track from Ghostbusters II (the best of the Ghostbusters). There was a real tangible buzz about this track, the first new Bobby song since his soaring success. It encapsulated everything that had come before in terms of singles from DBC, a crowning triumph for the newly throned king of swing. It is still my favourite Bobby Brown song, the perfect blend of pop, soul and rap. Could easily chart even today (though can someone edit out Donald Trump from the video please?)
• Rock Witcha ~ The final single from Don't Be Cruel was also a promotional tool for a remix album, Dance... Ya Know It. It was reswizzled slightly to make the single version a seductive, quiet storm epic. A whopping sixth top ten hit for Bobby in the States and a fitting coda to a phenomenal album campaign