Every Little Step

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For the 2008 Broadway documentary, see Every Little Step (film).
"Every Little Step"
EveryLittleStep.jpg
Single by Bobby Brown
from the album Don't Be Cruel
ReleasedJanuary 31, 1989
Recorded
  • Early 1988
  • late 1988 (remix)
Genre
Length3:57
LabelMCA
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Babyface
  • L.A. Reid
Bobby Brown singles chronology
"Roni"
(1988) 		"Every Little Step"
(1989) 		"On Our Own"
(1989)
Music video
"Every Little Step" on YouTube

"Every Little Step" is a 1989 single by American singer Bobby Brown, written by L.A. Reid and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and released by MCA Records. Released as the fourth single on his second album Don't Be Cruel it reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100, number one on the Hot Black Singles chart, and number six on the UK Singles Chart in 1989. The song also appears on Brown's remix album Dance!...Ya Know It!. The single garnered Brown's first career Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance at the 32nd Grammy Awards in 1990.

Composition[]

Around the time Don't Be Cruel was in production, Reid was dating singer Pebbles, who later became his wife. Inspired by his relationship with his girlfriend at the time, he wrote and co-produced the song with Edmonds, intending to give it to the group Midnight Star. Bobby Brown, however, heard a demo of the song and liked it instantly, which led to its inclusion on Don't Be Cruel.[2]

Background[]

In 2013, former New Edition manager Steven Machat claimed additional vocals on the song were allegedly done by Brown's friend - and fellow New Edition member - Ralph Tresvant. Machat alleges that Tresvant was brought in to sing some of Brown's vocals, as he claims Brown had been strung out on drugs.[3] Machat's story contradicts what happened with Brown as far back as 1989, where he was interviewed by Rolling Stone during the filming of the video for "On Our Own". Brown said he left New Edition primarily because of Machat and his business partners, Bill Dern and Rick Smith, whom he named as the managers who ripped him off and started the rumor of him being heavily addicted to drugs at the time. Brown said, "People at MCA thought we was on drugs. That wasn't us. We were a bunch of brats, but we wasn't into drugs, we wasn't into liquor. We was into girls".[4]

In 1995, "Every Little Step" was remixed by British DJ/producer C.J. Mackintosh and was included on Brown's remix album, Two Can Play That Game, released that year. This version of the song was released as a single in 1996, reaching number 25 in the UK Singles Chart.[5]

Track listing[]

A-side[]

  1. "Every Little Step" (Extended Version) – 7:55
  2. "Every Little Step" (Instrumental) – 4:02

Music video[]

The song's video directed by Alek Keshishian is known for its all-white background with dancers in front. This video style has been replicated since then, most notably in commercials for Gap.[6][better source needed]

The version of the song used in the music video was the single version of the Rap version, rather than the one from the studio album.

Charts[]

Weekly charts[]

Chart (1989) Peak
position
Australia ARIA Charts 8
UK Singles Chart 6
US Billboard Hot 100 3
US Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales 17
US Hot Black Singles 1

Year-end charts[]

Chart (1989) Position
Australia (ARIA)[8] 88
United States (Billboard)[9][10] 48

Certifications[]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[11] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Additional Personnel[]

References[]

  1. ^ Pini, Gary (September 30, 2011). "Bobby Brown's "Every Little Step" Is Our Music Video of the Day". Paper. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
  2. ^ "Every Little Step by Bobby Brown". AllMusic. Retrieved November 2, 2013.
  3. ^ Noakes, Tim. "Bobby Brown's cruel birthday". dazeddi8gital.com. Dazed Magazine. Retrieved 2017-12-27.
  4. ^ Tannennbaum, Rob. "Bobby Brown's Uneasy Passage". rollingstone.com. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2017-12-27.
  5. ^ "BOBBY BROWN | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com.
  6. ^ "Every Little Step by Bobby Brown". SongFacts. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
  7. ^ "Idiot Boyfriend by Jimmy Fallon". Youtube. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
  8. ^ "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – 1989". ARIA, via Imgur.com. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  9. ^ "1989 The Year in Music: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. 101 (51): Y-22. December 23, 1989.
  10. ^ "Longbored Surfer - 1989". longboredsurfer.com.
  11. ^ "American single certifications – Bobby Brown – Every Little Step". Recording Industry Association of America.

External links[]

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