Don't Tell Me (Blancmange song)

"Don't Tell Me" is a song by English synth-pop duo Blancmange, released in March 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 to promote the single.[4]

"Don't Tell Me"
Single by Blancmange
from the album Mange Tout
B-side"Get Out of That"
ReleasedMarch 1984[1]
GenreSynth-pop
Length3:28
LabelLondon
Sire (US)
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Peter Collins
Blancmange singles chronology
"That's Love, That It Is"
(1983)		 "Don't Tell Me"
(1984)		 "The Day Before You Came"
(1984)
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
  1. "Don't Tell Me" – 3:28
  2. "Get Out of That" – 4:22
12" single
  1. "Don't Tell Me" – 6:28
  2. "Get Out of That" – 4:22
12" single (US release)
  1. "Don't Tell Me (Extended Version)" – 6:22
  2. "Don't Tell Me (Edit)" – 3:28
  3. "Get Out of That" – 4:22
12" single (US promo)
  1. "Don't Tell Me (Remix)" – 6:45
  2. "Don't Tell Me (Remix Edit)" – 3:09

Chart performance
Chart (1984) Peak
position
Belgian Singles Chart[9] 35
Canadian RPM Top 100[10] 48
Dutch Singles Chart[11] 26
German Singles Chart[12] 34
Irish Singles Chart[13] 10
Swiss Singles Chart[14] 27
UK Singles Chart[3] 8
US Billboard Hot Dance/Disco[15] 44

Year-end charts
Year-end chart performance for "Don't Tell Me"
Chart (1984) Position
UK Singles (Gallup)[16] 96

Personnel

Blancmange

  • Neil Arthur – lead vocals
  • Stephen Luscombe – keyboards, synthesizers

Additional personnel

  • 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"

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

References
  1. "Blancmange - Don't Tell Me / Get Out Of That - London - UK - BLANC 7". 45cat. Retrieved 2018-10-21.
  2. Bill Cassel (1984-05-24). "Mange Tout - Blancmange | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2018-10-21.
  3. "BLANCMANGE | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2018-10-21.
  4. "INTERMITTENT SIGNALS: From Blind Vision to Blanc Burn - An Interview with Blancmange's Neil Arthur". Stevestav.com. 2011-05-09. Retrieved 2018-10-21.
  5. Number One - Singles - Debbi Voller - 7 April 1984 - page 32
  6. Smash Hits - Singles - Tom Hibbert - 12 April 1984
  7. Billboard magazine - Singles Reviews - May 12, 1984 - page 56
  8. "Blancmange: Mange Tout Deluxe Edition - album review". Louder Than War. 2017-07-30. Retrieved 2018-10-21.
  9. "Blancmange - Don't Tell Me". ultratop.be. Retrieved 2018-10-21.
  10. "Item: 4137 - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 2018-10-21.
  11. Steffen Hung. "Blancmange - Don't Tell Me". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 2018-10-21.
  12. Steffen Hung. "Blancmange - Don't Tell Me". germancharts.de. Retrieved 2018-10-21.
  13. "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". The Irish Charts. Retrieved 2018-10-21.
  14. Steffen Hung. "Blancmange - Don't Tell Me". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 2018-10-21.
  15. "Blancmange Don't Tell Me Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 21, 2018. Retrieved 2018-10-21.
  16. "Top 100 Singles 1984" (PDF). Music Week. Retrieved September 13, 2022.
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