text: can 't b good " can 't b good " is a song by american recording artist janet jackson , taken from her tenth studio album discipline ( 2008 ) . the song was written and produced by d. dorohn gough and ne - yo , and was released as the fourth and final single from discipline on march 18 , 2008 . the song is a soulful , " jazzy " r & b track about jackson 's relationship with jermaine dupri . the song received mostly positive reviews from music critics , who praised it for being smooth , tender and lovely , and picked the song as one of the best tracks on discipline , with some others comparing the song to " human nature " ( 1983 ) , performed by her brother michael jackson . commercially , the song only managed to reach number 76 on the us hot r & b / hip - hop songs chart . background and composition " can 't b good " was written and produced by d. dorohn gough and ne - yo . it was recorded between 2007 and 2008 at studios , in atlanta , georgia . although jackson didn 't write the song , jackson described " can 't b good " as a song reflecting her seven - year relationship with songwriter / producer jermaine dupri , saying , " i 'd been hurt before , and i was trying to protect myself . i 'm glad i allowed myself to accept it . he 's very attentive and affectionate , a beautiful soul " . princess p. from mwza described the lyrics as " standard falling - in - love - too - deep far " , with the of the snare contrasting heavily with the layers of cooing vocals . musically , the song is a midtempo " smooth and jazzy " r & b ballad , featuring thundering bass , piano , with eighties keyboard sounds and cooing harmonies . princess p. from mwza wrote the song resembles " aaliyah 's " rock the boat " with a more " punishing " beat , michael jackson 's " butterflies " ( 2001 ) and janet jackson 's own track " spending time with you " from damita jo ( 2004 ) . critical reception " can 't b good " received mostly positive reviews from music critics . andy kellman from allmusic picked the song as one of the album 's best tracks , highlighting that " it 's a descendent of her brother michael 's ' can 't help it , ' with that gentle and affecting self - examination that only a jackson can do so well . " chuck taylor of billboard magazine wrote that " ' can 't b good ' serves up a smooth , jazzy groove and jackson 's soft , supple vocal , fluffed with multiple background layers that duly merit adult r & b love . " princess p. from mwza saw that , " the layers pile and pile so that by the bridge , the song is virtually dizzying " , calling it " extremely well - produced . " the boston globe writer joan anderman perceived the song is " eerily reminiscent of ' human nature ' , one of brother michael 's most elegant records . " margeaux watson of entertainment weekly agreed , calling a " tender " throwback to the same song . los angeles times ' ann powers called it " a waterfall of mixed emotions enfolding a sunlit morning - after , " and " the most emotionally vulnerable ballad jackson 's recorded in years . " dan gennoe of yahoo ! music wrote that the song " proves that ballads don 't have to be inane and that she doesn 't have to spell out exactly where she wants it and how to be sexy . " glenn gamboa from newsday praised the track , writing that it could be one of her best songs ever . caroline sullivan , writing for the guardian , simply wrote that " can 't b good " is completely lovely . andy battaglia of the a.v. club called it a " majestic " song produced by ne - yo . tom young of bbc music called it " a potential diamond . " for nick levine from digital spy , the song was created to recall classic jackson ballads like " come back to me " ( 1990 ) and " let 's wait awhile " ( 1987 ) , but failed to do so , due to its lack of melody . chad grischow of ign was less favorable , calling it " cheesy late - eighties ballad , featuring wafer - thin breathy vocals that sounds like someone calling you to their hospital bed rather than the bedroom . " remix and chart performance a remix of the song was released , featuring jamaican rapper red rat , and produced by . " can 't b good " was the fifth most added song on radio & records 's urban ac panel , where it debuted at number 40 on r & r 's urban ac chart for the chart week dated march 28 , 2008 . the song debuted and peaked at number 40 on the billboard hot adult r & b airplay chart the week ending april 5 , 2008 . it peaked at number 76 on the hot r & b / hip - hop songs chart . credits and personnel janet jackson – vocals david dorohn gough - songwriter , producer shaffer smith - songwriter , producer jermaine dupri - vocals production manuel seal - vocals production ian cross - vocals production , mixing assistant phil tan - mixing john houghkirk - engineer carlos oyanedel – assistant credits and personnel adapted from discipline album liner notes . charts