"Don't Tell Me" is a song by English synth-pop duo

Blancmange Blancmange (, from french: blanc-manger ) is a sweet dessert popular throughout Europe commonly made with milk or cream and sugar thickened with rice flour, gelatin, corn starch, or Irish moss (a source of carrageenan), and often flavoured ...

, released in March 1984 as the third single from their second studio album ''

Mange Tout Mange tout (French for "eat all") or mangetout may refer to: * Sugar peas or edible-pod peas including: ** Snap pea ** Snow pea *'' Mange Tout'', 1984 album by Blancmange * Monsieur Mangetout ( Michel Lotito, 1950–2007), French entertaine ...

'' (1984). Written by

Neil Arthur Blancmange () are an English synth-pop band formed in Harrow, London, in 1979. The band were a duo for much of their career, composed of Neil Arthur (vocals) and Stephen Luscombe (keyboards). They came to prominence in the early 1980s, releasi ...

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 A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

was filmed in

Valencia Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the autonomous community of Valencia and the third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is also the capital of the province of the same name. The wider urban area al ...

to promote the single.

Critical reception

Upon release, Debbi Voller of ''

Number One Number One most commonly refers to: * 1 (number) Number One, No. 1, or #1 may also refer to: Music Albums * ''Number 1'' (Big Bang album), and the title song * ''No. 1'' (BoA album), and the title song * ''No.1'' (EP), by CLC * ''n.1 ...

'' 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 t wasrecorded on a highly sprung trampoline." Tom Hibbert of '' Smash Hits'' commented: "Neil Arthur sings of climbing mountains, touching skies and other unlikely physical feats to an energetic

electro-pop Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a rev ...

backing that, if not thoroughly satisfying, contains a certain perky appeal." '' Billboard'' considered the song to have "an engaging melody with jagged and exotic studio effects". In a retrospective review of ''Mange Tout'' (1984), Bill Cassel of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

considered the song to be "nigh irresistible". Paul Scott-Bates of ''

Louder Than War ''Louder Than War'' is a music and culture website and magazine focusing on mainly alternative arts news, reviews, and features. The site is an editorially independent publication that was started by journalist John Robb in 2010 and is now ru ...

'' 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

Year-end charts

Personnel

Blancmange * Neil Arthur – lead vocals * Stephen Luscombe – keyboards, synthesizers Additional personnel * Deepak Khazanchi – sitar on "Don't Tell Me" *

Pandit Dinesh Pandit Dinesh (born 29 May 1955) is a music composer and percussionist specializing in Indian rhythms. He uses the tabla, conga drums, and more. Dinesh is known for his collaborations with West India Company, Dizrhythmia, The Pax Trio, and Blanc ...

– 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 Julian Mendelsohn is an Australian record producer, audio engineer and mixer. Early life After completing school in Australia, Mendelsohn moved to the United Kingdom. He secured his first job in 1974 at Milner Sound Fulham Rd. Chelsea, run b ...

– engineer on "Don't Tell Me" * John Luongo – producer of "Get Out of That" * Harvey Goldberg,

Mark Kamins Mark Kamins (April 13, 1955 – February 14, 2013) was an American record producer, remixer, and disc jockey famous for his role in the New York club scene. He is best known for helping launch the career of singer Madonna by bringing her to Sire ...

– remixing on "Don't Tell Me (Remix)" and "Don't Tell Me (Remix Edit)" *

Simon Fowler Simon Geoffrey Fowler (born 25 May 1965 in Meriden, Warwickshire) is an English singer and acoustic guitarist, best known as the frontman of Ocean Colour Scene. The Fanatics Simon Fowler commenced his music career as the lead singer and songwr ...

– photography

References

External links

* {{authority control 1984 songs 1984 singles Blancmange (band) songs London Records singles Sire Records singles Songs written by Neil Arthur Songs written by Stephen Luscombe Song recordings produced by Peter Collins (record producer)