Do Me! – Bell Biv DeVoe | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning

Chart Performance: Pop (#3) & R&B (#4); 1990

Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne

Not long after the departure of Bobby Brown from New Edition, main members Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, and Ronnie DeVoe followed suit.

After all, they’d hit the highest heights with NE when Heart Break spun off five hit singles with Johnny Gill in place of Bobby. With the blessings of Heart Break producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, it was time for the three to try something new.

Bell Biv DeVoe’s debut album, Poison, broke away from the boy-group warblings of New Edition with an edgier, sexier, harder hip-hop-styled sound. The title track single promptly bested their final 7″ side with New Edition, topping the R&B chart and – more importantly – reaching #3 pop.

Follow-up single Do Me! did likewise, matching Poison‘s #3 pop performance. Three more R&B Top 10 tracks from Poison drove over four million copies of BBD’s debut album. Eventually, the other two NE members, Johnny Gill and Ralph Tresvant, like Bobby Brown and Bell Biv DeVoe, also scored solo hits of their own.

This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.

Produced by:

  • Carl Bourelly

Lyrics Written by:

  • Ricky Bell
  • Michael Bivins
  • Carl Bourelly
  • Ronnie DeVoe
  • Busta Rhymes

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Ed Osborne

Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).