Don't Be Cruel

The title track to Bobby Brown's second solo album, "Don't Be Cruel" was written by the team of Babyface (aka Kenneth Edmonds), L.A. Reid, and Daryl Simmons. Babyface and Reid, who were the producers of the track, keyed into late '80s new jack swing, blending hip-hop with R&B. Brown was a great fit for this sound, since he could sing or rap, allowing for lots of little hooks in a song. The song was released as the first single from the album, and it proved a breakthrough. The single shot to #1 on the R&B chart, where Brown had been before with a track from his first album ("Girlfriend"), and four times as a member of New Edition. It also went to #8 on the Hot 100, harkening his emergence as a crossover artist. His next single, "My Prerogative," hit #1 on both the Hot 100 and R&B chart.

The song is about a girl who doesn't appreciate her man and treats him badly. He works hard to give her the finer things in life, but she's never satisfied. There are three rap interludes in the song, which hash out the details of the story and even provide her name: Jackie. We learn that despite his best efforts, Brown has never been able to extract any gratitude from her, and even though he loves her, he knows he's a catch and is willing to let her go. The song ends with an ultimatum: treat me like another girl would, or you're gone.

The line, "There's a lot of girls out there that won't say no" made its way into the popular lexicon, as it summarized the message of this song: treat me right or another girl will. The rapper Positive K says it in his 1993 hit "I Got A Man."