| Don't Be Cruel | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 20, 1988 | |||
| Recorded | October 1987 – April 1988 | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 47:08 | |||
| Label | MCA | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| Bobby Brown chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Don't Be Cruel | ||||
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| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [1] |
| The Village Voice | B+[2] |
Don't Be Cruel is the second studio album by American singerBobby Brown. It was released in the United States on June 20, 1988, byMCA Records. MCA changed producers for this album and had Brown work with hit-making songwriting and production duoBabyface andL.A. Reid. Brown dedicated the album to his deceased best friend James "Jimbo" Flint who was stabbed to death when Brown was aged 11.[3]Don't Be Cruel incorporatesnew jack swing,R&B,funk,dance andsoul.[4]
Don't Be Cruel peaked at number one on the USBillboard 200 and included five top 10Billboard Hot 100 hits, with "My Prerogative" being a US number-one hit. Three of the singles also reached number one onBillboard's Hot R&B Songs chart. "My Prerogative" was also the second-biggest single of 1989, ranking at number two on theBillboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1989. The album also spent a total of 11 non-consecutive weeks atop theBillboard R&B Albums chart over the course of 1988 and 1989. Internationally, it reached number one in Ireland and the top five in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
At the32nd Grammy Awards, Brown wonBest Male R&B Vocal Performance for "Every Little Step".[5]Don't Be Cruel received extremely positive reviews from music critics. It was far more successful than Brown's debut album, spending a total of six weeks on top of theBillboard 200 and being thebest-selling album of 1989 in the United States. On April 28, 1995, it was certified7× Platinum by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[6] The album sold over 12 million copies worldwide in total. In 2015,Billboard rankedDon't Be Cruel at number 82 on its list of the Greatest of All TimeBillboard 200 Albums.[7]
The album received a 2-CD deluxe edition release commemorating its 35th anniversary on June 16, 2023 by Iconoclassic Records.[8] This deluxe edition was subsequently removed from sale, for undisclosed reasons.[9]
Brown changed producers for this album, and worked extensively with hit-making songwriting and production duoBabyface andL.A. Reid. Alex Henderson ofAllMusic writes:
Don't Be Cruel was to Bobby Brown whatControl was toJanet Jackson – a tougher, more aggressive project that shed his "bubblegum" image altogether and brought him to a new artistic and commercial plateau. With "My Prerogative" and the title song, Brown became a leader ofnew jack swing – a forceful, high-tech blend of traditional soul singing and rap/hip-hop that's also associated withGuy and Brown'sNew Edition colleagues,Bell Biv DeVoe.[1]
All five singles released from the album reached the top 10 of theBillboard Hot 100. "Don't Be Cruel" was released as the lead single. The second single, "My Prerogative", earned Brown his first number one on theBillboard Hot 100. "My Prerogative" also reached number two on theYear-EndBillboard Hot 100 Singles of 1989. Three of the singles also reached number one onBillboard's Hot R&B Songs chart.
All singles except "Roni" were certifiedGold by theRIAA.[10]
Don't Be Cruel debuted at number 74 on theBillboard 200 on July 23, 1988. It wasn't until six months later that the album reached number one, starting a six-week non-consecutive run at number one, from January 21, 1989 – February 4, 1989 and February 18, 1989 – March 4, 1989. Its reign at number one was interrupted for one week byGuns N' Roses'Appetite for Destruction.
The album also spent a total of 11 non-consecutive weeks atop theBillboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart over the course of 1988 and 1989. It spent an eight-week non-consecutive run at number one from September–November 1988, and then returned to number one four months later in March 1989.
Don't Be Cruel was the best-selling album of 1989 in the United States, and finished number one on theBillboard Year-End album chart.[11] Eventually the album sold 12 million copies worldwide in less than a decade.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Cruel Prelude" |
| 0:37 | |
| 2. | "Don't Be Cruel" |
|
| 6:48 |
| 3. | "My Prerogative" |
|
| 4:51 |
| 4. | "Roni" |
|
| 5:58 |
| 5. | "Rock Wit'cha" |
|
| 4:49 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "Every Little Step" |
|
| 3:57 |
| 7. | "I'll Be Good to You" |
|
| 4:25 |
| 8. | "Take It Slow" |
| Larry White | 5:23 |
| 9. | "All Day All Night" |
| Larry White | 4:40 |
| 10. | "I Really Love You Girl" |
|
| 5:10 |
| 11. | "Cruel Reprise" |
|
| 0:19 |
| Total length: | 47:08 | |||
Credits adapted fromAllMusic.[1]
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[22] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
| Canada (Music Canada)[23] | 3× Platinum | 300,000^ |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[24] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[25] | 2× Platinum | 600,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[26] | 7× Platinum | 7,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
