# My Prerogative
**"My Prerogative"** is a song written and recorded by the American R&B singer [Bobby Brown](https://www.edgepedia.org/bobby-brown) (born 1969) with [Teddy Riley](https://www.edgepedia.org/teddy-riley) (born 1967) and Aaron Hall, released in October 1988 as the second single from Brown's second solo album, *Don't Be Cruel*. It reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, Brown's first and only solo chart-topper there, and became one of the defining records of the new jack swing style. [Britney Spears](https://www.edgepedia.org/britney-spears)'s 2004 cover, produced by Bloodshy & Avant as the lead single for her compilation *Greatest Hits: My Prerogative*, gave the song a second commercial life in Europe.[1](https://talkaboutpopmusic.com/2023/11/05/cover-vs-original-my-prerogative/) • [2](https://stereogum.com/2150752/the-number-ones-bobby-browns-my-prerogative/columns/the-number-ones)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Writers | Teddy Riley, Gene Griffin, and Bobby Brown are credited as composer-lyricists on the original recording; Aaron Hall is also named as a co-writer in some accounts[3](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yyBy6pMqWc) • [1](https://talkaboutpopmusic.com/2023/11/05/cover-vs-original-my-prerogative/) |
| Original release | October 1988, second single from *Don't Be Cruel* (MCA); produced by Gene Griffin, co-produced by Bobby Brown[1](https://talkaboutpopmusic.com/2023/11/05/cover-vs-original-my-prerogative/) • [3](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yyBy6pMqWc) |
| US chart peak | No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, Brown's first and only solo number one[1](https://talkaboutpopmusic.com/2023/11/05/cover-vs-original-my-prerogative/) |
| UK chart run | Peaked at No. 6; 18 weeks on the Official Singles Chart from 10 December 1988 to 8 April 1989[4](https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/bobby-brown-my-prerogative/) |
| Spears cover | Released September 2004, produced by Bloodshy & Avant, lead single of *Greatest Hits: My Prerogative*[5](https://www.allmusic.com/album/my-prerogative-mw0000769213) |
| Cover chart peaks | No. 1 in Finland, Ireland, Italy, and Norway; top ten in 14 further countries; No. 3 in the UK[5](https://www.allmusic.com/album/my-prerogative-mw0000769213) • [1](https://talkaboutpopmusic.com/2023/11/05/cover-vs-original-my-prerogative/) |
## The original recording
Brown recorded "My Prerogative" for *Don't Be Cruel*, the album that moved him from teen-idol pop, left over from his years with the R&B group [New Edition](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-edition), into a tougher, more aggressive sound. The song paired his vocal style with hip-hop breakbeats and became, along with the album's title track, a landmark of new jack swing, the high-tech blend of soul singing and rap production associated with Riley and with Brown's former New Edition colleagues [Bell Biv DeVoe](https://www.edgepedia.org/bell-biv-devoe).[6](https://www.allmusic.com/album/dont-be-cruel-mw0000652329) • [7](https://music.apple.com/us/album/dont-be-cruel/1440773569)
The song is widely understood as a riposte issued after Brown was fired from New Edition, with its refrain asserting independence from critics and gossip: "Everybody's talking all this stuff about me / Why don't they just let me live... That's my prerogative."[8](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/music/news/bobby-brown-britney-spears-my-prerogative-cover-b2734897.html) Gene Griffin, who produced the track, later recalled that the song was written at his house on a Saturday afternoon when Brown chose not to accompany him to see the film *Beetlejuice*.[9](https://uat.dazeddigital.com/music/article/16423/1/bobby-browns-cruel-birthday)
Commercially the record peaked at number one in the United States. In Britain it entered the Official Singles Chart at No. 87 on 10 December 1988 and climbed to its [No. 6](https://www.edgepedia.org/no-6) peak in February 1989, spending 18 weeks on the chart.[4](https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/bobby-brown-my-prerogative/) Billboard reported early in the single's run that response to the record, co-written and co-produced by Brown, indicated it was likely to give him another chart topper.[10](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/80s/1988/BB-1988-soul.pdf)
## Britney Spears's cover
In August 2004 Spears's label [Jive Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/jive-records) announced that she had recorded the song for her first official greatest-hits compilation, titled *Greatest Hits: My Prerogative*, with the cover serving as the lead single.[11](https://britneyspears.fandom.com/wiki/My_Prerogative) The Swedish production duo Bloodshy & Avant, Christian "Bloodshy" Carlsson and Pontus Avant, produced it; they had previously worked with Spears on "Toxic".[12](https://stereogum.com/811/britney_covers_bobby_browns_my_prerogative/news)
The cover replaces the new jack swing arrangement of the original with glossy synth pop, swapping the bass-driven sound for synthesizers typical of Bloodshy & Avant's productions while keeping an R&B influence in the verses; one reviewer noted elements of Bollywood music as well.[5](https://www.allmusic.com/album/my-prerogative-mw0000769213) • [11](https://britneyspears.fandom.com/wiki/My_Prerogative) Spears opens the track with added spoken lines, "People can take everything away from you / But they can never take away your truth / But the question is, can you handle mine?", and the remaining lyrics are adjusted to fit a woman's perspective. Commentators at the time read the song as a statement on her personal life and the media scrutiny surrounding her decisions, including her engagement to the dancer [Kevin Federline](https://www.edgepedia.org/kevin-federline).[11](https://britneyspears.fandom.com/wiki/My_Prerogative)
The music video was filmed in August 2004 at The Paramour Mansion in [Silver Lake, Los Angeles](https://www.edgepedia.org/silver-lake-los-angeles), and directed by Jake Nava.[11](https://britneyspears.fandom.com/wiki/My_Prerogative)
The cover was a substantial international hit: it reached number one in Finland, Ireland, Italy, and Norway and the top ten in 14 other countries, and peaked at No. 3 in the United Kingdom. In the United States it did not enter the Billboard Hot 100, but it topped the Bubbling Under chart and reached No. 3 on the digital song sales chart.[5](https://www.allmusic.com/album/my-prerogative-mw0000769213) • [1](https://talkaboutpopmusic.com/2023/11/05/cover-vs-original-my-prerogative/)
## Authorship and later commentary
Teddy Riley is credited as a writer on Spears's version along with Brown because of his role on the original, but he did not work on the cover itself.[8](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/music/news/bobby-brown-britney-spears-my-prerogative-cover-b2734897.html) Brown, who had earlier named "My Prerogative" his favorite among all the songs he recorded, said on the [Club Shay Shay](https://www.edgepedia.org/club-shay-shay) podcast in 2025 that he had approved the cover expecting Riley's involvement, and that Spears had "butchered" it: "I cleared it only because it was Britney Spears and I was thinking... Teddy Riley is doing it too, so you know, but I felt it was a butchering."[8](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/music/news/bobby-brown-britney-spears-my-prerogative-cover-b2734897.html)
The two versions have come to be seen as serving different moments. The original asserted Brown's independence after his exit from New Edition; the cover was interpreted as Spears's answer to tabloid coverage of her private life, released as she entered a hiatus that followed the compilation.[8](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/music/news/bobby-brown-britney-spears-my-prerogative-cover-b2734897.html) • [13](https://www.officialcharts.com/galleries/britney-spears-single-and-album-artwork/)
## References
1. [Cover vs Original: 'My Prerogative', Talk About Pop Music (5 November 2023)](https://talkaboutpopmusic.com/2023/11/05/cover-vs-original-my-prerogative/)
2. [The Number Ones: Bobby Brown's "My Prerogative", Stereogum](https://stereogum.com/2150752/the-number-ones-bobby-browns-my-prerogative/columns/the-number-ones)
3. [My Prerogative (Bobby Brown), official artist channel, YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yyBy6pMqWc)
4. [My Prerogative by Bobby Brown, Official Charts Company](https://www.officialcharts.com/songs/bobby-brown-my-prerogative/)
5. [My Prerogative review by Jon O'Brien, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/my-prerogative-mw0000769213)
6. [Don't Be Cruel review, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/dont-be-cruel-mw0000652329)
7. [Don't Be Cruel, Apple Music album notes](https://music.apple.com/us/album/dont-be-cruel/1440773569)
8. [Bobby Brown accuses Britney Spears of 'butchering' his favourite song, The Independent (17 April 2025)](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/music/news/bobby-brown-britney-spears-my-prerogative-cover-b2734897.html)
9. [Bobby Brown's cruel birthday, Dazed](https://uat.dazeddigital.com/music/article/16423/1/bobby-browns-cruel-birthday)
10. [Billboard soul section, 1988, via WorldRadioHistory](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/80s/1988/BB-1988-soul.pdf)
11. [My Prerogative, Britney Spears Wiki](https://britneyspears.fandom.com/wiki/My_Prerogative)
12. [Britney Covers Bobby Brown's 'My Prerogative', Stereogum (14 August 2004)](https://stereogum.com/811/britney_covers_bobby_browns_my_prerogative/news)
13. [Britney Spears single and album artwork, Official Charts Company](https://www.officialcharts.com/galleries/britney-spears-single-and-album-artwork/)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Compositions and songs › Pop, rock, and metal songs › R&B and soul songs*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license