"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, "Don't Tell Me" reached No. 8 in the UK and remained in the charts for ten weeks. A music video was filmed in Valencia, Spain, to promote the single.
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."Number One - Singles - Debbi Voller - 7 April 1984 - page 32 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."Smash Hits - Singles - Tom Hibbert - 12 April 1984 Billboard considered the song to have "an engaging melody with jagged and exotic studio effects".Billboard magazine - Singles Reviews - May 12, 1984 - page 56
In a retrospective review of Mange Tout (1984), Bill Cassel of AllMusic considered the song to be "nigh irresistible". 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"."
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 Chart (1984) Peakposition Belgian Singles Chart 35 Canadian RPM Top 100 48 Dutch Singles Chart 26 German Singles Chart 34 Irish Singles Chart 10 Swiss Singles Chart 27 UK Singles Chart 8 US Billboard Hot Dance/Disco 44
Year-end charts + Year-end chart performance for " Don't Tell Me" Chart (1984) Position UK Singles (Gallup) 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
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