Tell Him I'm Not Home
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"Tell Him I'm Not Home" is a song written by Tony Bruno, Brenda Bruno, and Sanford Bellini. The song is about a lover lamenting about a relationship that has lost its flame. It was first recorded by R&B singer Chuck Jackson, and released as a single from his album Encore! on Wand Records in 1963. The single reached No. 42 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 12 on the Hot R&B Singles chart. [1]
| "Tell Him I'm Not Home" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Chuck Jackson | ||||
| from the album Encore! | ||||
| B-side | "Lonely Am I" | |||
| Released | January 1963 | |||
| Genre | R&B | |||
| Length | 2:45 | |||
| Label | Wand Records | |||
| Songwriters | Tony Bruno, Brenda Bruno, Sanford Bellini | |||
| Producer | Tony Bruno | |||
| Chuck Jackson singles chronology | ||||
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Critical reception
Cash Box (January 12, 1963):
Jackson who's currently cashing in "Gettin' ready For The Heartbreak" sends up another striking contender for dual-market chartdom. It's a pulsating, cha cha like romantic heartbreaker, tagged "Tell Him I'm Not Home," that Chuck wrings every once of emotion out of. Standout ork-choral backdrop (with exciting back-and-forth vocal play) conducted by Tony Bruno. The soulful undercut finds a tantalizing rock-a-waltz-like setting. [2]
Ike & Tina Turner version
| "Tell Her I'm Not Home" | ||||
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| Single by Ike & Tina Turner | ||||
| B-side | "I'm Thru With Love" | |||
| Released |
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| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:20 | |||
| Label |
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| Songwriter | Tony Bruno | |||
| Producer | Bob Krasnow | |||
| Ike & Tina Turner singles chronology | ||||
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Ike & Tina Turner covered recorded a version of the song title "Tell Her I'm Not Home." It was produced by Bob Krasnow, head of Loma Records, and released as a non-album track on Loma in 1965. Tina Turner promoted the song on Shindig! in April 1965.[3] The single peaked at No. 33 on the Billboard R&B chart and No. 108 on Bubbling Under The Hot 100.[4][5]
After the success with "River Deep – Mountain High" in England, the song was released as a single by Loma's parent label, Warner Bros. Records, in the United Kingdom in 1966. It reached No. 48 on the UK Singles chart.[6] In 1975, the song was reissued as a single on Warner Bros. in Germany. It later appeared on the compilation albums Finger Poppin'…The Warner Brothers Years (Edsel Records, 1988) and The Ike & Tina Turner Story: 1960–1975 (Time Life, 2007).
Critical reception
The single received positive reviews, including a 4-star rating from Billboard.[7][8]
Cash Box (February 13, 1965): "Soulful blues sound follows a telephone talk opening. Could break big in the R&B areas, and spread to a wide range of record buyers. Bob Krasnow produced the tune, and might well see fine results."[9]
Normie Rowe version
| "Tell Him I'm Not Home" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Normie Rowe | ||||
| A-side | "Call On Me" | |||
| Released | November 1965 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 2:14 | |||
| Label | Sunshine Records | |||
| Songwriters | Bruno, Bellini | |||
| Producer | Paul Aulton | |||
| Normie Rowe singles chronology | ||||
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Australian singer Normie Rowe's cover of "Tell Him I'm Not Home" was released as a B-side single in November 1965. It peaked at No. 3 on the Australian Singles chart and was a top 5 hit in most Australian mainland capitals, reaching No. 4 in Sydney, No. 2 in Melbourne, No. 2 in Adelaide and No. 1 in Melbourne.[10] The song was ranked the 13th biggest hit of 1965 on the Kent Music Report list of the Top 25 singles for 1965 in Australia.
Chart performance
| Chart (1963) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[1] | 42 |
| US Billboard Hot R&B Singles[1] | 12 |
| Chart (1965–1966) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom[6] | 48 |
| US Billboard Hot R&B Singles[4] | 33 |
| US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100[5] | 108 |
| US Cash Box Looking Ahead[11] | 135 |
| US Record World Singles Coming Up[12] | 117 |