"Just Be Good to Me" is a song by the S.O.S. Band, written and produced by

Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis James Samuel "Jimmy Jam" Harris III (born June 6, 1959) and Terry Steven Lewis (born November 24, 1956) are an American R&B/pop songwriting and record production team. They have enjoyed great success since the 1980s with various artists, most ...

for their fourth studio

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

, ''

On the Rise ''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. History The album peaked at #7 on the R&B albums chart. It also reac ...

'' (1983). "Just Be Good to Me" was released as the

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

from ''On the Rise'' in March 1983, by

Tabu Records Tabu Productions was an American record label founded by Clarence Avant in 1975. The label, Tabu Records, focused on R&B and funk. Founding Avant founded the label after Sussex Records went out of business in June 1975. Tabu Record's flagshi ...

Production

The song's percussion and

beat Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery (c ...

s were produced using a

Roland Roland (; frk, *Hrōþiland; lat-med, Hruodlandus or ''Rotholandus''; it, Orlando or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the ...

TR-808 drum machine.

Critical reception

Daryl Easlea of ''

Record Collector ''Record Collector'' is a British monthly music magazine. It was founded in 1980 and distributes worldwide. History The early years The first standalone issue of ''Record Collector'' was published in March 1980, though its history stretches ba ...

'' called "Just Be Good to Me" a "barnstorming electro-soul anthem". Amy Hanson of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

described the song as "showstopping".

Covers and samples

The song has subsequently been covered by several artists, including

Deborah Cox Deborah Cox (born July 13, 1974) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Born and raised in Toronto, she began performing on television commercials at age 12, and entered various talent shows in her teenage years before ...

(whose version reached number eight on the US

Hot Dance Club Play Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...

chart),

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whi ...

(who performed it live on her 1993

Music Box Tour The Music Box Tour was the debut concert tour in 1993 by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, in support of her Diamond-certified third studio album, ''Music Box'' (1993). It is Carey's first headlining tour, visiting six cities in the United ...

and 1996 Daydream Tour),

Shayne Ward Shayne Thomas Ward (born 16 October 1984) is an English actor and singer. He rose to fame as the winner of The X Factor (British series 2), the second series of ''The X Factor (British TV series), The X Factor''. His debut single, "That's M ...

(who recorded it for his 2007 album, '' Breathless''), and

Faithless Faithless are an English band that formed in 1995, with its core members being Rollo, Sister Bliss and Maxi Jazz. Their first album, '' Reverence'', was released in 1996 and their most recent, ''All Blessed'', in 2020. They have sold millions ...

in 2008 in a collaboration with

Dido Dido ( ; , ), also known as Elissa ( , ), was the legendary founder and first queen of the Phoenician city-state of Carthage (located in modern Tunisia), in 814 BC. In most accounts, she was the queen of the Phoenician city-state of Tyre (t ...

. In 2008, Australian artist

Seany B Sean Berchik (born 2 January 1980), known professionally as Seany B, is an Australian singer, songwriter, MC, record producer and DJ, who is best known for featuring on TV Rock's 2006 hit " Flaunt It" which topped the ARIA Charts for 5 weeks and ...

released a version of this song, but called it "B Good 2 Me".

Cher Lloyd Cher Lloyd (born 28 July 1993) is an English singer. She finished fourth place in the seventh series of ''The X Factor'' in 2010. Following the seventh series finale, Lloyd was signed to Syco Music. Her debut single, " Swagger Jagger", was r ...

performed it on series seven of ''

The X Factor ''The X Factor'' is a television music competition franchise created by British producer Simon Cowell and his company Syco Entertainment. It originated in the United Kingdom, where it was devised as a replacement for ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003 ...

''. In 2011, the song was performed by

Simone Battle Simone Sherise Battle (June 17, 1989 – September 5, 2014) was an American singer. She was a finalist on ''The X Factor'' in 2011 and a member of the girl group G.R.L. from 2012 until her death in 2014. The group was best known for thei ...

on series one of ''

The X Factor (US) ''The X Factor'' is an Television in the United States, American reality television music competition show created by Simon Cowell and produced by Fremantle (company), FremantleMedia North America and Syco Entertainment, SYCOtv, a partnership be ...

''.

Tupac Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...

also sampled the track during the making of his 1995 album, ''

Me Against the World ''Me Against the World'' is the third studio album by American rapper 2Pac. It was released on March 14, 1995, by Interscope and Jive Records. 2Pac draws lyrical inspiration from his impending prison sentence, troubles with the police, and pove ...

'', for track number 7, "Heavy in the Game" Ft. Lady Levi and Richie Rich. The song was also sampled by rapper

Silkk the Shocker Vyshonn King Miller (born June 18, 1975), better known by his stage name Silkk the Shocker, is an American rapper and actor. He originally went under the stage name Silkk, but later adopted Silkk the Shocker after the release of his first album ...

for his 1998 single "

Just Be Straight with Me "Just Be Straight With Me" is the first single from rapper Silkk the Shocker's second album '' Charge It 2 da Game''. It features lead vocals from Destiny's Child and production by Beats By the Pound member Craig B. It features Master P . "Jus ...

", which also features

Destiny's Child Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final line-up comprised Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Houston, Texas. After years of limited ...

Fatboy Slim Norman Quentin Cook (born Quentin Leo Cook, 31 July 1963), also known by his stage name Fatboy Slim, is an English musician, DJ, and record producer who helped to popularise the big beat genre in the 1990s. In the 1980s, Cook was the bassist f ...

was involved with a very successful UK version with his band

Beats International Beats International were a British dance music band and hip-hop collective, formed in the late 1980s by Norman Cook (later in his career known as Fatboy Slim) based in Brighton, East Sussex, England, after his departure from the Housemartins. A ...

, who took the song to

number one Number One most commonly refers to: * 1 (number) Number One, No. 1, or #1 may also refer to: Music Albums * ''Number 1'' (Big Bang album), and the title song * ''No. 1'' (BoA album), and the title song * ''No.1'' (EP), by CLC * ''n.1 ...

as "

Dub Be Good to Me "Dub Be Good to Me" is a song by British dub group Beats International featuring singer Lindy Layton, released on 24 January 1990 as the first single from their debut album, ''Let Them Eat Bingo'' (1990). It was written by frontman Norman Cook ...

", which features a backing track consisting mainly of a sample of

The Clash The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the wa ...

classic "

The Guns of Brixton "The Guns of Brixton" is a song by the English punk rock band the Clash. It was written and sung by bassist Paul Simonon, who grew up in Brixton, South London. The song has a strong reggae influence, reflecting the culture of the area and the r ...

". In 2010,

Professor Green Stephen Paul Manderson (born 27 November 1983), better known by his stage name Professor Green or simply Pro Green, is an English rapper, singer, songwriter, actor, television personality and mental health activist from London. Growing up on ...

and

Lily Allen Lily Rose Beatrice Allen (born 2 May 1985) is an English singer-songwriter and actress. She is the daughter of actor Keith Allen and film producer Alison Owen. Her music career began in 2005 when she made some of her vocal recordings public ...

released a cover reminiscent of Beats International's version titled "

Just Be Good to Green "Just Be Good to Green" is a reworked cover of "Dub Be Good to Me" by British recording artist Professor Green from his debut studio album, ''Alive Till I'm Dead''. Featuring pop singer Lily Allen, the song was released as the second single by ...

". In 2014, Usher quoted part of the lyrical melody in the song "

She Came to Give It to You "She Came to Give It to You" is a song by American singer Usher, featuring Nicki Minaj and uncredited vocals from Pharrell Williams. It was released on July 8, 2014, through RCA Records. RCA Records sent the song to US rhythmic contemporary an ...

". In 1991,

MC Lyte Lana Michele Moorer (born October 11, 1970), better known by her stage name MC Lyte, is an American rapper, DJ, actress and entrepreneur. Considered one of the pioneers of female rap, Lyte first gained fame in the late 1980s, becoming the first ...

also referenced the song on her track "Poor Georgie" from the studio album ''Act Like You Know''. In 2018, Cyantific released the album ''Bloodline'' which contains "Wild Child" featuring the lyrics from the song. In 2006, the song was remixed by the band Karmah with a mash-up of a sample of "

Every Breath You Take "Every Breath You Take" is a song by the English rock band the Police from their album ''Synchronicity'' (1983). Written by Sting, the single was the biggest US and Canadian hit of 1983, topping the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart for ei ...

" by

The Police The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. For most of their history the line-up consisted of primary songwriter Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussion). The Police ...

Popular impact

The song was featured on Richard Pryor's 1983 Live Concert Film, Richard Pryor Here and Now. In 2008, the song was featured on ''

Grand Theft Auto IV ''Grand Theft Auto IV'' is a 2008 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the sixth main entry in the ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, following 2004's '' Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'', and the ...

s fictional Soul/R&B radio station,

The Vibe 98.8 ''Grand Theft Auto IV'' is a 2008 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the sixth main entry in the ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, following 2004's '' Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas'', and the ...

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Just Be Good To Me 1983 singles 1984 singles The S.O.S. Band songs Songs written by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis Song recordings produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis 1983 songs Tabu Records singles Deborah Cox songs