Mr. Telephone Man

1984 single by New Edition

"Mr. Telephone Man"

Single by New Edition

from the album New Edition

Released

December 8, 1984

Recorded

1984^[1]

Genre

R&B

Length

3:58

Label

MCA

Songwriter(s)

Ray Parker Jr.

Producer(s)

Ray Parker Jr.

New Edition singles chronology

"Cool It Now"
(1984)

"Mr. Telephone Man"
(1984)

"Lost in Love"
(1985)

Music video

"Mr. Telephone Man" on YouTube

"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.^[2]

Overview

"Mr. Telephone Man" included lead vocals from Ralph Tresvant, Ricky Bell and Bobby Brown with a spoken by Michael Bivins and was written by Ray Parker Jr. It was originally recorded by teenage singer Junior Tucker, who included the track on his self-titled debut album on Geffen Records in 1983. Parker produced the original version as well as the cover by New Edition.

The single reached No.12 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart^[3] and was the group's third No.1 single on the Black Singles chart. Mixes included the instrumental and the "Extended Version".

Track listing

1. Mr. Telephone Man (Extended Version) – 6:30
2. Mr. Telephone Man (Instrumental) – 5:40

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1984–1985)	Peak position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)^[4]	30
Ireland (IRMA)^[5]	20
Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[6]	47
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[7]	34
UK Singles (OCC)^[8]	19
US Billboard Hot 100^[3]	12
US Billboard Hot Black Singles^[3]	1
US Cash Box^[9]	9

Year-end charts

Chart (1985)	Rank
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)^[10]	14
US Cash Box^[11]	74

Certifications


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)^[12]	Gold	500,000^‡
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

^ Adams, Dart (June 30, 2013). "Where It All Started: 25th Anniversary Retrospective of Bobby Brown's "Don't Be Cruel" & New Edition's "Heart Break"". The Urban Daily. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
^ "Hot Black Singles Radio Action". Billboard. Vol. 96, no. 50. December 8, 1984. p. 48. ISSN 0006-2510.
^ ^a ^b ^c "New Edition – Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved June 23, 2013.
^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0500." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Mr Telephone Man". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
^ "New Edition – Mr. Telephone Man" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
^ "New Edition – Mr. Telephone Man". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 23, 2013.
^ "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending MARCH 2, 1985". Cash Box. Archived from the original on August 7, 2012.
^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs - Year End (1985)". Billboard.com. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
^ "The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1985". Cash Box. Archived from the original on October 1, 2012.
^ "American single certifications – New Edition – Mr. Telephone Man". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 27, 2023.