Released December 8, 1984 Length 3:58 Writer(s) Ray Parker Jr. | Genre Pop Label MCA | |
Format 7" single
12" single
CD single | ||
"Mr. Telephone Man" is a song by New Edition, and the second single from their eponymous second album, New Edition. Released as a single, by December 8, 1984, it was being added to the most "Hot Black" radio station playlists.
Contents
Overview
"Mr. Telephone Man" included lead vocals from Ralph Tresvant, Ricky Bell and Bobby Brown with a rap by Michael Bivins and was written by Ray Parker Jr. The song was originally recorded by teenage singer Junior Tucker, who included the song on his self-titled debut album on Geffen Records in 1983. Its sound is very similar to Parker's 1981 hit "A Woman Needs Love". He also produced the original version as well as the cover by New Edition.
The song discusses how the narrator tries reaching for his girlfriend by phone but no one answers or "I get a click every time" and tries in vain to ask the telephone operator to help him out "Please operator, see what you can do, I dialed the right numba, but I still couldn't get through, could you check the line one more time if you can, I'm pretty sure her phone won't be answered by no man!" The single reached number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and was the group's third number-one single on the Black Singles chart. Mixes included the instrumental and the "Extended Version".
Aftermath
Brown returned to perform this song with the group in a reunion of the original group on the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards and again rejoining the group at the BET 25th anniversary in 2005.
The song was covered by the girl group Dream for their 2001 debut album, It Was All a Dream.
"Mr. Telephone Man" was sampled in 2 Chainz' song "I Luv Dem Strippers" featuring Nicki Minaj, taken from his 2012 debut album Based on a T.R.U. Story.