New Edition

Released: November 8, 1985

Songwriter: David Conley Bernard Jackson David Townsend

Producer: Vincent Brantley Rick Timas

[Intro: New Edition]
Friends..do do do dum
Friends..do do do dum
Friends

[Verse 1: Ricky Bell]
I guess you want to know, why I've got to go
Knowing how I feel about ya
I've been gone about, singing my heart out
It's hard to fight this feeling, feeling inside

[Pre-Chorus]
Girl, I cannot do what I want to do
Mama said that we're moving, moving too fast
If we hold onto, and if love is true
I know the day will finally come around

[Chorus: Ricky]
Let's be friends, cause I don't want to hurt you
Let's be friends, I don't want to let you down
Let's be friends, nah, girl, I don't want to hurt you
Lets be friends, I don't want to let you down

[Verse 2: Ralph Tresvant]
Girl, if let me explain why we must refrain
Why we can't give in, we can only just be friends
If you only knew what I'm going through
I really want you but I can't stick around

[Pre-Chorus]
Girl, I cannot do what I want to do
Papa said that we're...we're moving too fast
If we hold onto, and if love is true
I know the day will come, but in the meantime

[Chorus: Ralph]
Let's be friends, I don't want to hurt you
Let's be friends, I don't want to let you down
Let's be friends, I don't want to hurt you, no

[Bridge: New Edition]
You know you're the only one for me, girl
You're the only one I need, girl

Won't you be my friend, we can work it out
Let's be friends, let's be friends
It's so hard to turn love down
Friends...I just can't stick around
Friends
No girl, don't you wanna be my friend?
I don't want to let you down

[Interlude: Michael Bivins]
Girl, I know how you feel about me
And I'm not knocking the way you feel
But as you can see, baby, time is not on our side
(We can change the world, we can do it, girl)
And for that reason, we can't be together
But I can assure you one day we will prove them all wrong
But in the meantime, love, let's just walk away from here
And be friends (Friends forever)

[Outro: Ralph]
Soon enough, it will be
Just you and me
Ooh ooh
Hope we can work it out, we can work it out...

New Edition is a Boston-based R&B group that was seen as the inspiration of the boy bands that followed them during the 1980s and 1990s. The group initially consisted of Ralph Tresvant, Bobby Brown, Ricky Bell, Michael Bivins, and Ronnie DeVoe. They released their debut album Candy Girl in 1983 after being discovered by producer Maurice Starr. This album yielded the hits “Candy Girl,” “Popcorn Love,” and “Is This the End.” After a financial dispute, New Edition cut ties with Starr and released their second album New Edition in 1984, which features two of their biggest “Cool It Now” and “Mr. Telephone Man.” In November 1985, they released All for Love featuring the hits “Count Me Out” and “A Little Bit of Love (Is All It Takes)” and one month later released Christmas All Over the World.

Before the end of 1985, the group decided to vote Bobby Brown out of the group for his disruptive behavior. After their 1986 doo-wop cover album Under the Blue Moon, lead singer Ralph Tresvant was considering a solo career as the group’s direction was in question. In 1987, Johnny Gill was added to the group and the quintet went on to create their most popular album Heart Break with producers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis in 1988. This album was released on June 20, 1988—the same day as Bobby Brown’s Don’t Be Cruel—and features two more of their biggest “If It Isn’t Love” and “Can You Stand the Rain.”

In 1990, Ralph Tresvant, Johnny Gill and Bell Biv Devoe all went on to have successful hits. Among these hits was the remix to BBD’s “Word to the Mutha,” which was the first song to feature all six members. After a hiatus, all six members came together in 1996 to create the album Home Again, which hit #1 on the Billboard 200 and was a multi-platinum success. After some friction on the Home Again tour, Bobby Brown decided to depart the group again. In 2004, after leaving their longtime label MCA Records, New Edition signed with Bad Boy Records and released the album One Love but they left Bad Boy a year later due to a lack of promotion. The group continues to tour together and sell out shows after 30 years in the business. The group was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on January 23, 2017—one day ahead of the BET premiere of their 3-night mini-series The New Edition Story.

more tracks from the album

All for Love

From the album

All for Love (1985)

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Let’s Be FriendsNew Edition

New Edition

All for Love