Three New Edition Classics Earn New RIAA Certifications Amid Their 40th Anniversary
As New Edition and their debut album, Candy Girl, turn 40, the sextet has earned new RIAA certifications for three classics.
“Mr. Telelphone Man” from the sophomore self-titled LP from 1984 is now certified gold. The infectious jam peaked No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, but dominated the R&B charts for three consecutive weeks.
“If It Isn’t Love” and “Can You Stand The Rain,” from their 1988 album, Heart Break, also have new momentum. The former is now certified platinum while the latter is 2x multi-platinum, making it the group’s highest-certified single to date.
“Can You Stand The Rain,” produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, is also their top ranked song on Spotify. It topped the Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart — previously known as Hot Black Singles — for two weeks in 1989. “If It Isn’t Love,” also a Jam & Lewis production, peaked No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 2 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart. Bobby Brown’s “Don’t Be Cruel” snagged the top spot.
When speaking on “Can You Stand The Rain” for VIBE’s June/July 2023 digital cover, Ralph Tresvant expressed what the record means to them today.
“I think ‘Can You Stand The Rain’ sums up the longevity and the reason why New Edition is still around,” he stated. “We’ve been able to stand the rain. We’ve been able to go through the ups and downs, the ins and outs. Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis found a way to sum it up for us [in a song] and then actually make it relatable to the public so that they can see what it was about an and utilize those things in their own lives. I hear people talk about ‘Can You Stand The Rain’ lifts me up.”
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