Don't Be Cruel

Don't Be Cruel is the second studio album by American singer Bobby Brown. It was released in the United States on June 20, 1988, by MCA Records. MCA changed producers for this album and had Brown work with hit-making songwriting and production duo Babyface and L.A. Reid. Brown dedicated the album to his deceased best friend James "Jimbo" Flint who was stabbed to death when Brown was aged 11. Don't Be Cruel incorporates new jack swing, R&B, funk, dance and soul. Don't Be Cruel peaked at number one on the US Billboard 200 and included five top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hits, with "My Prerogative" being a US number-one hit. Three of the singles also reached number one on Billboard's Hot R&B Songs chart. "My Prerogative" was also the second-biggest single of 1989, ranking at number two on the Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1989. The album also spent a total of 11 non-consecutive weeks atop the Billboard 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 the 32nd Grammy Awards, Brown won Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for "Every Little Step". 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 the Billboard 200 and being the best-selling album of 1989 in the United States. On April 28, 1995, it was certified 7× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album sold over 12 million copies worldwide in total. In 2015, Billboard ranked Don't Be Cruel at number 82 on its list of the Greatest of All Time Billboard 200 Albums.

Girl, the only thing that matters in my life Is that I'm down for you and treat you right You've got no call to treat me cold as ice Oh oh, girl As long as I've been givin' my love to you You should be givin' me your love, too But you just keep on actin' just like a fool You know it ain't cool Uh don't be cruel 'Cause I would never be that cruel to you Uh no, oh oh, no Uh don't be cruel Uh girl, you need to change your attitude Uh no, oh Uh don't be cruel Hey yo' Kimmy what's up with this attitude I thought I was bein' real good to you I treat you sweet, take you out at night But you never say thanks girl that ain't right I bought you diamonds even gave you pearls I took you for a cruise all around the world I treat you high post but you play me close If I want to drink up you won't even toast Girl, I work so hard for you from 9 to 5 So you could have the finer things in life Since you're the kind that's never satisfied Oh oh, girl As long as I've been givin' my heart to you You should be givin' me your heart, too But you just keep on actin' just like a fool You know it ain't cool Uh don't be cruel 'Cause I would never be that cruel to you Uh no, oh oh, no Uh don't be cruel Uh girl, you need to change your attitude Uh no, oh Uh don't be cruel From fancy cars to diamond rings I've just about given you everything There's really not much I won't do for you I bought you 12 yellow roses and candy, too I like be up front and never play the back But the way you treat me girl is like a heart attack I'm real troop trooper and with all the times That you were by my side diggin' dollars outta crock Oh oh, girl As long as I've been givin' my love to you You should be givin' me your love, too But you just keep on actin' just like a fool You know it ain't cool It just ain't cool! Ow! Don't be cruel Uh, uh, uh Uh, uh, uh We used to hang out tough just kickin' around We discovered a love that had never been found You gave me your heart I gave you my mind But a true love affair we could never find Although I want you bad I could let you go 'Cause there's a lot of girls out there that won't say no But due to fact that I want you, Jackie I want you more than human eyes can see But you had to start givin', tryin' to make a killin' Thought about the dollars I make and you were willin' To be with me Bobby B., but with a bad attitude I can't compete Now you know my name, now I know your game You want to be with me you got to be the same way That another girl would be and if you want to be with me Uh don't be cruel 'Cause I would never be that cruel to you Uh no, oh oh, no Uh don't be cruel Uh girl, you need to change your attitude Uh no, oh Uh don't be cruel 'Cause I would never be that cruel to you Uh no, oh oh, no Uh don't be cruel Uh girl, you need to change your attitude Uh no, oh We used to hang out tough just kickin' around We discovered a love that had never been found You gave me your heart I gave you my mind But a true love affair we could never find Although I want you bad I could let you go 'Cause there's a lot of girls out there that won't say no But due to fact that I want you, Jackie I want you more than human eyes can see But you had to start givin', tryin' to make a killin' Thought about the dollars I make and you were willin' To be with me Bobby B., but with a bad attitude I can't compete Now you know my name, now I know your game You want to be with me you got to be the same way That another girl would be and if you want to be with me Uh don't be cruel 'Cause I would never be that cruel to you Uh no, oh oh, no Uh don't be cruel Uh girl, you need to change your attitude Uh no, oh Uh don't be cruel