Every Little Step

"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.

For the 2008 Broadway documentary, see Every Little Step (film).
"Every Little Step"
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

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, who 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]

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.[5]

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)[7] 88
United States (Billboard)[8][9] 48

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[10] Gold 500,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Additional Personnel

Covers and samples
  • Performed by Vocal Point on NBC's The Sing-Off in 2011.
  • Performed by Marcus Canty on The X Factor USA in 2011.
  • R&B and pop singer Usher covered "Every Little Step" on his 1999 album, Live.
  • Play covered the song for their Don't Stop the Music album.
  • Mercury4 covered the song on their debut album.
  • John Travolta covered the song on the soundtrack to the film Old Dogs. The lyrics in this version are modified to focus on the father-daughter relationship between Travolta and his daughter Ella Bleu. The music video itself bears strong resemblance to the original video and features The Travoltas watching various clips from the movie on their computer, as well as playing and dancing around.
  • Although not a direct cover, the music from Spring Yard Zone in the video game Sonic the Hedgehog appears to be based on the track's chorus, marking the first of many new jack swing-inspired songs in the "classic" installments of the franchise.
  • Wayne Brady and Mike Tyson parodied this song in a video for the website "Funny or Die".[11] Bobby Brown himself appears in the parody.[12]
  • Nelly and Joe Jonas performed this on The Next: Fame Is at Your Doorstep.
  • Rough Copy performed a medley of "Every Little Step" and "She's Got That Vibe" on the tenth series of The X Factor in 2013.
  • The song makes an appearance in Dance Dance Revolution SuperNova 2.
  • Australian band CDB covered the song on their album, Tailored for Now (2017).
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gollark: Nobody will notice the difference.

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. "Every Little Step by Bobby Brown". SongFacts. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
  6. "Idiot Boyfriend by Jimmy Fallon". Youtube. Retrieved December 24, 2009.
  7. "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart – 1989". ARIA, via Imgur.com. Retrieved January 7, 2020.
  8. "1989 The Year in Music: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. 101 (51): Y-22. December 23, 1989.
  9. "Billboard Top 100 – 1989".
  10. "American single certifications – Bobby Brown – Every Little Step". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
  11. "A remake of the Bobby Brown classic "Every Little Step" with Mike Tyson and Wayne Brady must be seen to be believed". Retrieved September 30, 2010.
  12. "iral: Wayne Brady and His Unforgettable Bobby Brown Swag". Time. October 1, 2010. Retrieved October 2, 2010.
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