En Vogue

Songwriter: Sam Pottle Robert Pierce

Some kids just love to play with dolls
Or put on funny hats
And some make pets of birds and fish
And dogs and alley cats
That's not the way I like to play
I'm tired of all of these
I need a very special friend
Won't you help me, please?

I want a monster to be my playmate
I want a monster to be my friend
I want to get for my own pet
A real live monster Who's not pretend

Oh, I want a monster to be my playmate
We'd soon become good friends because
Although they're hairy and sometimes scary
They have such soft and furry paws

If I make friends with a friendly monster
I'd be the best that a friend could be
I'd let him do whatever he wants to
And he'd always Belong to me

So, if you know a Nice old monster
If you've a monster To recommend
Ooh, golly gee
Please send him to me
I just can't wait until then

I want a monster; a real live monster
I want a monster; send me my monster, yeah
I want a monster; a real live monster
I want a monster; send my monster
I want a monster; a real live monster
I want a monster to be my friend!

Oh, please
Send my monster
Does anybody have a monster out there?
I'll take a secondhand monster
He doesn't have to be new

Cindy Herron, Terry Ellis, Maxine Jones, and Dawn Robinson are the original members of the R&B girl group En Vogue. The group was put together by producers Thomas McElroy and Denzil Foster after a talent search in Oakland, California in 1989. Their debut album Born to Sing was released in 1990 and featured the #1 R&B hits “You Don’t Have To Worry,” “Lies,” and their platinum debut single “Hold On,” which also peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and won a Billboard and Soul Train Music Award. Their 1992 follow-up album Funky Divas hit #1 on the Billboard R&B Albums chart and peaked at #8 on the Billboard 200 on its way to triple platinum status. The lead single, “My Lovin' (You’re Never Gonna Get It),” helped propel that success as it hit #1 on the Billboard R&B Singles chart and #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album also featured the #1 R&B hit cover of Aretha Franklin’s “Giving Him Something He Can Feel” as well as the Top 10 pop single “Free Your Mind.”

In 1993, they released the EP Runaway Love and made appearances on the TV shows In Living Color, Roc and A Different World. In 1994, they collaborated with Salt-N-Pepa on their Top 3 platinum single “Whatta Man” and in 1996 they contributed to the Set It Off soundtrack with their hit single “Don’t Let Go (Love)” which peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and hit #1 on the R&B Singles chart.

While working on their third album, Dawn Robinson decided to leave the group due to issues with management. The group decided to go on as a trio and released their third platinum album EV3 in 1997 featuring the Top 10 R&B/Top 20 pop hit “Whatever,” which was produced and co-written by Babyface. They went on to release three more albums—Masterpiece Theatre in 2000, The Gift of Christmas in 2002, and Soul Flower in 2004. During that time, Maxine Jones left the group in 2001 and was replaced by Amanda Cole, and Cole was later replaced in 2003 by Rhona Bennett. While the original four members have reunited for performances throughout the years, the current lineup consists of Herron, Ellis, and Bennett, and they released the single “Déjà Vu” in 2016 and released their album Electric Café in 2018.

more tracks from the album

Elmopalooza!

From the album

Elmopalooza! (1998)

En Vogue popular songs

I Want a Monster to Be My FriendEn Vogue

En Vogue

Elmopalooza!