Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis Demoed “Just Be Good To Me” in a Bathroom and Made “Love Will Never Do” with an E-mu SP-1200
Before producing 16 Billboard Hot 100 #1 songs and an endless catalog of hits, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis’s production career started with a side gig away from their Prince-affiliated band The Time. New to the world of making songs for other artists, they started their first big record in a very odd location. “We demoed ‘Just Be Good to Me’ in the bathroom, using the echo for the handclaps,” Jimmy Jam explained to Rolling Stone in 2015.
The song, which went on to become a major hit for The S.O.S. Band, is also notable as one of the first popular records to use a Roland TR-808, a drum machine Lewis and Jam would go on to pioneer.
Although “Just Be Good To Me” was pitch perfect for The S.O.S band, working on the record led to the demise of their membership in The Time. When a bad snowstorm forced them to miss a Time show while they were mixing “Just Be Good To Me”, Prince fired them from the group as a result. It was a brutal personal and professional setback for the two young musicians. “It devastated me,” Lewis told Rolling Stone in 1987. “These are the guys I grew up with. It was like taking your family and splitting it in half.”
“We demoed ‘Just Be Good to Me’ in the bathroom, using the echo for the handclaps.” — Jimmy Jam
Lewis and Jam didn’t dwell on their devastation long, however, and soon went back to work on successful projects with Alexander O’Neal and Cherrelle. From there, they produced Janet Jackson’s multi-platinum smash Control and launched themselves into super producer stardom.
Throughout their star-studded career, experimentation has been a central theme in much of their work. Between demoing “Just Be Good To Me” in a bathroom, recording large portions of Control too loudly, and making entire songs like “Love Will Never Without You” on an E-mu SP-1200, Jam and Lewis have always been fearless risk takers and early adopters of iconic drum machines, samplers, and synths.
As they’ve made clear time and again, however, it doesn’t matter what equipment they use: their keen ears and endless reservoirs of creative energy help set them apart from the rest of the pack.
Whether crafting slow jam ballads for New Edition or uptempo party starters for Janet and Michael Jackson, the Minnesota producers have been a driving force in the music industry for well over thirty years. And after their 2015 Unbreakable album with Janet Jackson received widespread critical acclaim, it seems the two lifelong friends have no intention of slowing down any time soon. They will likely remain a shining example of musical mastery for many years to come.
Connect with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis on Facebook and Jimmy Jam on Twitter @flytetymejam.
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