"Cool It Now" is a 1984 hit single by American group

New Edition New Edition is an American R&B/Pop group from the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1978 by Bobby Brown. Their name is taken to mean a 'new edition' of the Jackson 5. The group reached its height of popularity in the 198 ...

, and is the first single from their eponymous second album, ''

''. In the US, the song entered the Hot Black Singles chart on September 1, 1984. The song peaked at number 4 in January 1985 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. Lyrically, the song depicts a guy professing his

love Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest Interpersonal relationship, interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of ...

for a girl, despite growing concerns from his friends.

Overview

With the group now signed to

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group. Pre-history MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 wit ...

, "Cool It Now" (and the album from which it came) was given more extensive and widespread promotion than any single from their previous album (which had been released through a smaller, independent label), and helped bring the group a bigger fan base. The song was the group's first top 10 pop single, peaking at number four on the pop chart, and their second number one R&B hit. The song is notable for a midsection rap recited by lead singer

Ralph Tresvant Ralph Edward Tresvant (born May 16, 1968) is an American singer, songwriter, actor and record producer, best known as the lead singer of R&B group New Edition. As a solo artist, Tresvant released the album '' Ralph Tresvant'' (1990). In 2008, he ...

, which calls out the rest of the group: "

Ronnie Ronnie may refer to: *Ronnie (name), a unisex pet name and given name * "Ronnie" (Four Seasons song), a song by Bob Gaudio and Bob Crewe *"Ronnie," a song from the Metallica album '' Load'' *Ronnie Brunswijkstadion, an association football stadium ...

Bobby Bobby or Bobbie may refer to: People * Bobby (given name), a list of names * Bobby (actress), from Bangladesh * Bobby (rapper) (born 1995), from South Korea * Bobby (screenwriter) (born 1983), Indian screenwriter * Bobby, old slang for a constabl ...

Ricky Ricky may refer to: Places *Říčky (Brno-Country District), a village and municipality in the Czech Republic *Říčky v Orlických horách, a village in the north of the Czech Republic * Rickmansworth, a town in England sometimes called "Ricky" ...

, and

Mike Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and docume ...

." In later years, the rap has been changed to include "Johnny" for the last member to join,

Johnny Gill Johnny Gill Jr. (born May 22, 1966) is an American singer and actor. He is the sixth and final member of the R&B/ pop group New Edition and was also a member of the supergroup called LSG, with Gerald Levert and Keith Sweat. Gill has released ...

, either including his name as a fifth name called out or replacing "Bobby". Ralph Tresvant provided lead vocals, singing about wanting to let himself fall in love despite his friends telling him to "cool it now." There are two rap interludes in this song. The first finds Michael Bivins and Ronnie DeVoe trading lines, telling Ralph Tresvant to take it slow. Later in the song, Tresvant raps his retort, letting them know he appreciates their input but will ignore it at his own risk.

Robbers on High Street Robbers on High Street were an American rock band from Brooklyn, New York, which formed in 2002. The band released three studio albums across their ten years together. History Robbers on High Street began performing publicly during the summer of ...

recorded a cover of the song for

Engine Room Recordings Engine Room Recordings is an independent record label with a roster of indie rock and alternative rock musicians. Beyond marketing and distribution for its artists, the label does booking and artist management. Engine Room Recordings is part of ...

' compilation album '' Guilt by Association Vol. 2'', which was released in November 2008.

Personnel

*Engineer – John Wood, Taavi Mote, Vincent Brantley *Producer, Bass, Guitar,

LinnDrum The LinnDrum, also referred to as the LM-2, is a drum machine manufactured by Linn Electronics between 1982 and 1985. About 5,000 units were sold. Its high-quality samples, flexibility and affordability made the LinnDrum popular; it sold far mo ...

– Rick Timas *Producer, Keyboards – Vincent Brantley *Remix – Louil Silas, Jr. *

Ronnie DeVoe Ronald Boyd DeVoe Jr. (born November 17, 1967), is an American singer, rapper, and actor known as one of the members of the R&B/pop group New Edition, and the R&B/ hip hop group Bell Biv DeVoe. He was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts. Career DeVo ...

– background vocals, rap *

Bobby Brown Robert Barisford Brown (born February 5, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter and dancer. Brown, alongside frequent collaborator Teddy Riley, is noted as one of the pioneers of new jack swing: a fusion of hip hop and R&B. Brown started h ...

– background vocals * Ricky Bell – background vocals *

Michael Bivins New Edition is an American R&B/Pop group from the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1978 by Bobby Brown. Their name is taken to mean a 'new edition' of the Jackson 5. The group reached its height of popularity in the 1980 ...

– background vocals, rap *

– lead and background vocals, rap

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control 1984 singles New Edition songs Post-disco songs 1984 songs MCA Records singles