Heart Break

Heart Break was released on June 20, 1988—the same day as former member Bobby Brown’s breakthrough album Don’t Be Cruel. It is considered by many to be their best album and one of the greatest albums in the R&B genre.

The group was in a transitional period after Bobby Brown was voted out of the group following the release of their third album All for Love in 1985. Lead singer Ralph Tresvant was contemplating a solo career as the direction of the group was in question following the release of their doo-wop cover album Under the Blue Moon in 1986. With the group entering their adult years at this time, they wanted a sound that reflected their maturity instead of the bubblegum pop they were known for on their earlier albums.

This musical maturation began in 1987 with the group recording the song “Helplessly in Love” as a quartet with super-producers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis for the Dragnet soundtrack. Following this song, Johnny Gill became a member of the group and Jam & Lewis—fresh off the success of Janet Jackson’s Control album—were recruited to produce New Edition’s next album as the group once again became a quintet.

The album spawned four Top 5 R&B singles: “Crucial,” “You’re Not My Kind of Girl,” “If It Isn’t Love,” and “Can You Stand the Rain,” while “N.E. Heartbreak” was the final single released and was a Top 15 R&B hit. “Can You Stand the Rain” was a #1 R&B hit, while “If It Isn’t Love” peaked at #7 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and #2 on the R&B chart—ironically held out of the #1 spot by Bobby Brown’s single “Don’t Be Cruel.”

One song of note is “Where It All Started,” which was a shot at fellow Boston boy band New Kids on the Block. New Edition parted ways with their producer Maurice Starr in 1984 after a financial disagreement following the release of their debut album Candy Girl. Starr responded by creating NKOTB in New Edition’s image and NE responded with this song calling them “clones” that could “never duplicate” what New Edition started. NKOTB, however, went on to eclipse New Edition’s success but the two groups had no ill will towards each other and even went on to record the song “Full Service” together in 2008.

Another standout on the album was the closer “Boys To Men” with Johnny Gill singing lead. Johnny initially wasn’t feeling the song’s lyrics but came around after hearing the group’s background vocals, prompting him to re-record his vocals. This song went on to be one of the more popular songs on the album and received radio airplay even though it was never officially released as a single.

New Edition embarked on the Heart Break tour with Bobby Brown and Al B. Sure! before the album’s release in the summer of 1988. They opted to not drop any singles before the album came out and shot the music videos while on the road. The multi-platinum album peaked at #12 on the Billboard 200 and #3 on the R&B chart. This album had a major influence on the R&B that followed, particularly on a Philadelphia R&B group that went on to become one of the most successful groups in music history who called themselves Boyz II Men after the album’s final song.

The song “Boys to Men” served as a bridge between New Edition’s bubblegum beginnings as teenagers to the grown men that went on to have successful solo hits following this album with songs such as BBD’s “Poison,” Ralph Tresvant’s “Sensitivity,” and Johnny Gill’s “Rub You the Right Way” among others.