Just Be Good to Me

Last updated

"Just Be Good to Me"
The S.O.S Band- Just Be Good to Me.jpg
Single by The S.O.S. Band
from the album On the Rise
B-side "Just Be Good to Me (Instrumental Version)"
Released1983
RecordedJune 1983
Studio Master Sound Studio
(Atlanta, Georgia)
Genre
Length
  • 9:10 (album version)
  • 4:10 (radio edit)
Label Tabu
Songwriter(s)
  • James Harris III
  • Terry Lewis
Producer(s) Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
The S.O.S. Band singles chronology
"Groovin' (That's What We're Doin')"
(1983)
"Just Be Good to Me"
(1983)
"Tell Me If You Still Care"
(1983)

"Just Be Good to Me" is a song by the S.O.S. Band, written and produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis for their fourth studio album, On the Rise (1983). [3] "Just Be Good to Me" was released as the lead single from On the Rise in March 1983, by Tabu Records.

Contents

Production

The song's percussion and beats were produced using a Roland TR-808 drum machine. [4] [5]

Critical reception

Daryl Easlea of Record Collector called "Just Be Good to Me" a "barnstorming electro-soul anthem". [6] Amy Hanson of AllMusic described the song as "showstopping". [7]

Charts

Covers and samples

The song has subsequently been covered by several artists, including Deborah Cox (whose version reached number eight on the US Hot Dance Club Play chart), Mariah Carey (who performed it live on her 1993 Music Box Tour and 1996 Daydream Tour), Shayne Ward (who recorded it for his 2007 album Breathless ), and Faithless in 2008 in a collaboration with Dido. In 2008, Australian artist Seany B released a version of this song, retitled as "B Good 2 Me". [19] [20] Cher Lloyd performed it on series seven of The X Factor . In 2011, the song was performed by Simone Battle on series one of The X Factor (US) .

Tupac also sampled the track during the making of his 1995 album Me Against the World for track number 7, "Heavy in the Game" featuring Lady Levi and Richie Rich. The song was also sampled by rapper Silkk the Shocker for his 1998 single "Just Be Straight with Me", which also features Destiny's Child. Norman Cook, later known as Fatboy Slim, was involved with a very successful UK version with his band Beats International, who took the song to number one as "Dub Be Good to Me", which features a backing track consisting mainly of a sample of the Clash's "The Guns of Brixton". In 2010, Professor Green and Lily Allen released a cover reminiscent of Beats International's version titled "Just Be Good to Green". [19] [21]

In 2014, Usher quoted part of the lyrical melody in the song "She Came to Give It to You". In 1991, MC Lyte also referenced the song on her track "Poor Georgie" from the album Act Like You Know. In 2018, Cyantific released the album Bloodline which contains "Wild Child" featuring lyrics from the song. [22] [23]

In 2006, the song was remixed by the band Karmah with a mash-up of a sample of "Every Breath You Take" by the Police.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beats International</span> British dance music band

Beats International were a British dance music band and hip-hop collective, formed in the late 1980s by Norman Cook based in Brighton, East Sussex, England, after his departure from the Housemartins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">These Boots Are Made for Walkin'</span> Song by Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra

"These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" is a hit song written by Lee Hazlewood and recorded by American singer Nancy Sinatra. It charted on January 22, 1966, and reached No. 1 in the United States Billboard Hot 100 and in the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The S.O.S. Band</span> American R&B and electro-funk group

The S.O.S. Band is an American R&B and electro-funk group who gained fame in the 1980s. They are best known for the songs "Take Your Time ", "Just Be Good to Me", and "The Finest".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rapture (Blondie song)</span> 1981 single by Blondie

"Rapture" is a song by American rock band Blondie from their fifth studio album Autoamerican (1980). Written by band members Debbie Harry and Chris Stein, and produced by Mike Chapman, the song was released as the second and final single from Autoamerican on January 12, 1981, by Chrysalis Records. Musically, "Rapture" is a combination of new wave, disco and hip hop with a rap section forming an extended coda.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SOS (ABBA song)</span> 1975 single by ABBA

"SOS" is a song by Swedish pop group ABBA. It was released in June 1975 as the fifth single from their self-titled 1975 album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fernando (song)</span> 1975 song

"Fernando" is a song written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, from the Swedish musical group ABBA. The song was written for their fellow group member Anni-Frid Lyngstad and was included on her 1975 album Frida ensam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Just Can't Get Enough (Depeche Mode song)</span> 1981 single by Depeche Mode

"Just Can't Get Enough" is a song by English electronic music band Depeche Mode. It was their third single, released on 7 September 1981, a month before the release of their debut studio album, Speak & Spell. It was recorded during the summer of that year at Blackwing Studios, and was the band's first single to be released in the United States, on 18 February 1982. A riff-driven synth-pop song, "Just Can't Get Enough" was the final single to be written by founding member Vince Clarke, who left the band in November 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">My Sharona</span> 1979 single by the Knack

"My Sharona" is the debut single by the Knack. The song was written by Berton Averre and Doug Fieger, and it was released in 1979 from their debut album, Get the Knack. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, where it remained for six weeks, and was number one on Billboard's 1979 Top Pop Singles year-end chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SOS (Rihanna song)</span> 2006 single by Rihanna

"SOS" is a song by Barbadian singer Rihanna, and included in her second studio album, A Girl like Me (2006). It was released on February 14, 2006, through Def Jam Recordings as the lead single of the album. "SOS" was written by J. R. Rotem and E. Kidd Bogart, with additional credit assigned to Ed Cobb for inspiration built around a sample of Soft Cell's 1981 recording of "Tainted Love". This song was written by Cobb in 1965, later influencing the creation of "SOS". Production of the dance-pop, hip hop and R&B song was handled by Rotem. Critical reception of "SOS" was generally positive, with the majority of music critics praising the inclusion of the "Tainted Love" sample. Some critics compared "SOS" to Rihanna's debut single, "Pon de Replay".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)</span> 1966 song by Cher

"Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" is the second single by American singer-actress Cher from her second album, The Sonny Side of Chér (1966). It was written by her husband Sonny Bono and released in 1966. It reached No. 3 in the UK Singles Chart and No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 for a week (behind "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration" by The Righteous Brothers), eventually becoming one of Cher's biggest-selling singles of the 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luv Me, Luv Me</span> 1998 single by Shaggy

"Luv Me, Luv Me" is a song by Jamaican-American reggae singer Shaggy. It was first released in 1998 with Janet Jackson credited as a featured artist. The song was re-recorded in 2000 with Samantha Cole's vocals after Jackson's label withheld the song from being included on Shaggy's next album. It was released in 2001 as the third official single from his 2000 album Hot Shot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pass the Dutchie</span> 1982 single by Musical Youth

"Pass the Dutchie" is a song performed by British-Jamaican band Musical Youth, taken from their debut studio album, The Youth of Today (1982). It was produced by Toney Owens from Kingston, Jamaica. The single peaked at the top of the UK Singles Chart. Outside the United Kingdom, "Pass the Dutchie" topped the charts in at least five other countries, including Australia, Canada and Ireland, as well as peaking within the top ten of the charts in Iceland and the United States. The single sold over five million copies worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dub Be Good to Me</span> 1990 single by Beats International

"Dub Be Good to Me" is a song by British dub group Beats International featuring singer Lindy Layton, released on 24 January 1990 by Go! Beat Records as the first single from their debut album, Let Them Eat Bingo (1990). It was written by frontman Norman Cook and interprets the SOS Band's 1983 hit "Just Be Good to Me", which it is named after. It also samples the songs "The Guns of Brixton" by the Clash, the Once Upon a Time in the West theme by Ennio Morricone, and "Jam Hot" by Johnny Dynell.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You Needed Me</span> 1978 single by Anne Murray

"You Needed Me" is a song written by Randy Goodrum, who describes it as being about "unconditional undeserved love". It was a number-one single in the United States in 1978 for Canadian singer Anne Murray, for which she won a Grammy Award. In 1999, Irish pop band Boyzone recorded a hit cover of the song that reached number one on the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One in Ten</span> 1981 single by UB40

"One in Ten" is a song by British reggae band UB40, released in July 1981 as a single from their second album Present Arms. It became the band's fourth top-ten hit, peaking at number seven on the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">When You Look Me in the Eyes</span> Song by Jonas Brothers

"When You Look Me in the Eyes" is a song by the American pop rock band Jonas Brothers. The song was released as the fourth and final single from their self-titled second album, Jonas Brothers, on December 28, 2007. In the United Kingdom, it was released as a double-A side with "Burnin' Up".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You Don't Love Me (No, No, No)</span> 1994 single by Dawn Penn

"You Don't Love Me " is a song by Jamaican recording artist Dawn Penn, released in February 1994 by Big Beat as the first single from her first studio album, No, No, No (1994). The song's lyrics are credited to Penn, Bo Diddley and Willie Cobbs, and production was handled by Steely & Clevie.

<i>On the Rise</i> 1983 studio album by The S.O.S. Band

On the Rise is the fourth album by the R&B band the S.O.S. Band, released by Tabu Records on July 1, 1983. It was produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and Gene Dozier.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">S.O.S. (Let the Music Play)</span> 2009 single by Jordin Sparks

"S.O.S. " is a song performed by American R&B and pop recording artist Jordin Sparks. It is the second single from her second studio album titled, Battlefield. The song was released first in New Zealand on August 14, 2009 and was sent to US radio on September 29, 2009. It was released in the United Kingdom on October 12, 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dancin' (on a Saturday Night)</span> 1973 single by Barry Blue

"Dancin' (on a Saturday Night)" is a song written by Lynsey de Paul and Barry Blue, that was recorded by Blue and released as a single in 1973 on Bell Records. Blue's backing band of session musicians were well known in the industry and one year later the drummer, John Richardson, joined the Rubettes.

References

  1. O’Donnell, Mallory (April 21, 2006). "The Singles Jukebox – Jam and Lewis". Stylus Magazine . Retrieved October 25, 2014.
  2. 1 2 Molanphy, Chris (September 27, 2019). "State of the World Edition". Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast). Slate . Retrieved October 8, 2023.
  3. "Flyte Time Official Bio". Flytetyme.com. Archived from the original on May 20, 2010. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  4. 808 (documentary film)
  5. "The 808 Drum Machine Changed Music. These 10 Songs Prove It". December 9, 2016.
  6. Waring, Charles. "SOS BAND - SOS BAND ON THE RISE: EXPANDED EDITION". recordcollectormag.com. Record Collector.
  7. Hanson, Amy. On the Rise > review at AllMusic . Retrieved May 27, 2012.
  8. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (Illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 262. ISBN   0-646-11917-6.
  9. "The S.O.S. Band – Just Be Good To Me" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  10. "IRE Charts Search > The S.O.S. Band". Irish Recorded Music Association . Retrieved May 5, 2012.
  11. "Nederlandse Top 40 – The S.O.S. Band" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  12. "The S.O.S. Band – Just Be Good To Me" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  13. "The S.O.S. Band – Just Be Good To Me". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  14. "SOS Band: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  15. "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard . October 7, 1983. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  16. "( On the Rise > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles )". allmusic. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
  17. "Kent Music Report No 548 – 31 December 1984 > National Top 100 Singles for 1984". Kent Music Report . Retrieved January 12, 2022 via Imgur.com.
  18. "End of Year Charts 1984". Recorded Music NZ . Retrieved May 17, 2022.
  19. 1 2 "The SOS Band: Just Be Good To Me". secondhandsongs.com.
  20. "iTunes - Music - B Good 2 Me - EP by Seany B". Itunes.apple.com. February 2, 2008. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
  21. "The S.O.S Band: Just Be Good To Me". the-breaks.com.
  22. "Wild Child". Discogs. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  23. Cyantific – Wild Child , retrieved May 30, 2019