Don't Tell Me (Blancmange song)
1984 single by Blancmange
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"Don't Tell Me" is a song by the English synth-pop duo Blancmange, released on 6 April 1984 as the third single from their second studio album Mange Tout (1984). Written by Neil Arthur and Stephen Luscombe, and produced by Peter Collins,[2] "Don't Tell Me" reached No. 8 in the UK and remained in the charts for ten weeks.[3] A music video was filmed in Valencia, Spain, to promote the single.[4]
| "Don't Tell Me" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Single by Blancmange | ||||
| from the album Mange Tout | ||||
| B-side | "Get Out of That" | |||
| Released | 6 April 1984[1] | |||
| Genre | Synth-pop | |||
| Length | 3:28 | |||
| Label | London Sire (US) | |||
| Songwriters |
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| Producer | Peter Collins | |||
| Blancmange singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Don't Tell Me" on YouTube | ||||
Critical reception
Upon release, Debbi Voller of Number One stated: "Blancmange are back with a joyous and uplifting romp that could make them the flavour of the month. This song's so bouncy it sounds as if [it was] recorded on a highly sprung trampoline."[5] Tom Hibbert of Smash Hits commented: "Neil Arthur sings of climbing mountains, touching skies and other unlikely physical feats to an energetic electro-pop backing that, if not thoroughly satisfying, contains a certain perky appeal."[6] Billboard considered the song to have "an engaging melody with jagged and exotic studio effects".[7]
In a retrospective review of Mange Tout (1984), Bill Cassel of AllMusic considered the song to be "nigh irresistible".[2] Paul Scott-Bates of Louder Than War described the song as "poppy and catchy" with a "towering chorus". He added that it "maybe came the closest to repeating the Eastern sound of "Living on the Ceiling"."[8]
Track listing
7" single
- "Don't Tell Me" – 3:28
- "Get Out of That" – 4:22
12" single
- "Don't Tell Me" – 6:28
- "Get Out of That" – 4:22
12" single (US release)
- "Don't Tell Me (Extended Version)" – 6:22
- "Don't Tell Me (Edit)" – 3:28
- "Get Out of That" – 4:22
12" single (US promo)
- "Don't Tell Me (Remix)" – 6:45
- "Don't Tell Me (Remix Edit)" – 3:09
Chart performance
Year-end charts
| Chart (1984) | Position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles (Gallup)[16] | 96 |
Personnel
Blancmange
- Neil Arthur – lead vocals
- Stephen Luscombe – keyboards, synthesizers
Additional musicians
- Deepak Khazanchi – sitar on "Don't Tell Me"
- Pandit Dinesh – tabla and madal on "Don't Tell Me"
- David Rhodes – guitar on "Get Out of That"
- Rick Phylip-Jones – double bass on "Get Out of That"
- Andy Richards – keyboards (uncredited) on "Don't Tell Me"
- J. J. Jeczalik – keyboards (uncredited) on "Don't Tell Me"
Production and artwork
- Peter Collins – producer of "Don't Tell Me"
- Julian Mendelsohn – engineer on "Don't Tell Me"
- John Luongo – producer of "Get Out of That"
- Harvey Goldberg, Mark Kamins – remixing on "Don't Tell Me (Remix)" and "Don't Tell Me (Remix Edit)"
- Simon Fowler – photography