"Every Little Step," Bobby Brown

If you’re a child of the 80s, you probably tried to learn these dance moves:

Yes, before his crazy, destructive tendencies got the best of him, Bobby Brown was it. His second album, Don’t Be Cruel, became a massive success in 1988, thanks in part to his collaborations with then-rising songwriters and producers L.A. Reid, Babyface, and Teddy Riley.  The resulting sound ­– new jack swing – would dominate radio for years to come. 

In “Every Little Step,” Brown hams it up for the camera at, well, every little step.  (You practically have to when one of your costumes includes spandex shorts with your name emblazoned on the side.) He looks like he’s genuinely having a lot of fun – and his backup dancers do, too.   Indeed, it’s refreshing to see dancing that isn’t choreographed down to millisecond like the often-robotic, joyless choreography seen in today’s videos. 

The video’s plot is almost inconsequential to Brown’s performance, which showcased him at the peak of his career.  While he would produce several hits afterward, including his signature “My Perogative,” Brown’s popularity would greatly diminish in the 1990s as drugs and scandal overshadowed his career. 

In 2010, comedian Wayne Brady filmed a tribute to the video – with Mike Tyson as one of the backup dancers – for the website FunnyorDie.com.  Click here to see their version.