Just Be Good to Me

Not to be confused with Dub Be Good to Me or Just Be Good to Green.

"Just Be Good to Me" is a song by the S.O.S. Band, written and produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis for their fourth studio album, On the Rise (1983).^[3] "Just Be Good to Me" was released as the lead single from On the Rise in March 1983, by Tabu Records. The lead vocal is performed by Mary Davis.

"Just Be Good to Me"
Single by The S.O.S. Band
from the album On the Rise
B-side	"Just Be Good to Me (Instrumental Version)"
Released	1983
Recorded	June 1983
Studio	Master Sound Studio (Atlanta, Georgia)
Genre	Electro-soul post-disco[1] funk[2] R&B[2]
Length	9:10 (album version) 4:10 (radio edit)
Label	Tabu
Songwriter(s)	James Harris III Terry Lewis
Producer(s)	Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis
The S.O.S. Band singles chronology
"Groovin' (That's What We're Doin')" (1983) "Just Be Good to Me" (1983) "Tell Me If You Still Care" (1983)

Production

The song's percussion and beats were produced using a Roland TR-808 drum machine.^[4][5]

Critical reception

Daryl Easlea of Record Collector called "Just Be Good to Me" a "barnstorming electro-soul anthem".^[6] Amy Hanson of AllMusic described the song as "showstopping".^[7]

Charts

Weekly charts Weekly chart performance for "Just Be Good to Me" Chart (1983–1984) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report)[8] 17 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[9] 29 Ireland (IRMA)[10] 21 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[11] 16 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[12] 22 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[13] 10 UK Singles (OCC)[14] 13 US Billboard Hot 100[15] 55 US Hot Black Singles (Billboard) 2 US Hot Dance Club Play (Billboard)[16] 3

Year-end charts 1984 year-end chart performance for "Just Be Good to Me" Chart (1984) Position Australia (Kent Music Report)[17] 77 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[18] 45

In popular culture

The song has subsequently been covered by several artists, including Deborah Cox (whose version reached number eight on the US Hot Dance Club Play chart), Mariah Carey (who performed it live on her 1993 Music Box Tour and 1996 Daydream Tour), Shayne Ward (who recorded it for his 2007 album Breathless), and Faithless in 2008 in a collaboration with Dido. In 2008, Australian artist Seany B released a version of this song, retitled as "B Good 2 Me".^[19][20] Cher Lloyd performed it on series seven of The X Factor. In 2011, the song was performed by Simone Battle on series one of The X Factor (US).

Tupac also sampled the track during the making of his 1995 album Me Against the World for track number 7, "Heavy in the Game" featuring Lady Levi and Richie Rich. The song was also sampled by rapper Silkk the Shocker for his 1998 single "Just Be Straight with Me", which also features Destiny's Child. Norman Cook, later known as Fatboy Slim, was involved with a very successful UK version with his band Beats International, who took the song to number one as "Dub Be Good to Me", which features a backing track consisting mainly of a sample of the Clash's "The Guns of Brixton". In 2010, Professor Green and Lily Allen released a cover reminiscent of Beats International's version titled "Just Be Good to Green".^[19][21]

In 2014, Usher quoted part of the lyrical melody in the song "She Came to Give It to You". In 1991, MC Lyte also referenced the song on her track "Poor Georgie" from the album Act Like You Know. In 2018, Cyantific released the album Bloodline which contains "Wild Child" featuring lyrics from the song.^[22][23]

In 2006, the song was remixed by the band Karmah with a mash-up of a sample of "Every Breath You Take" by the Police.

The song features in the Grand Theft Auto IV soundtrack, appearing on the in-game radio station The Vibe.