"Don't Ask Out Loud" is a song by American singer-songwriter Martha Davis, which was released in 1988 as the fourth single from her debut solo studio album ''

Policy Policy is a deliberate system of guidelines to guide decisions and achieve rational outcomes. A policy is a statement of intent and is implemented as a procedure or protocol. Policies are generally adopted by a governance body within an orga ...

'' (1987). The song was written by Davis, Roger Bruno and Ellen Schwartz, and produced by

Richie Zito Richie Zito (born August 21, 1952) is an American songwriter, composer and record producer from Los Angeles. In a career spanning more than 50 years, Zito has experienced success as a prolific session musician, being featured on a wide array of ...

. Released in Australia only, "Don't Tell Me the Time" peaked at number 90 on the Music Report chart.

Background

Davis cowrote "Don't Ask Out Loud" with the songwriting couple Roger Bruno and Ellen Schwartz during a period when she was meeting different songwriters to potentially collaborate with. Davis recalled in 1987, "Ellen and Roger came over to my house one day. Ellen sat down at the keyboard and started playing this wonderful music." Davis was inspired to write the song's lyrics after having recently watched the British dystopian science fiction film ''

Nineteen Eighty-Four ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'' (also stylised as ''1984'') is a dystopian social science fiction novel and cautionary tale written by the English writer George Orwell. It was published on 8 June 1949 by Secker & Warburg as Orwell's ninth and fina ...

'' on cable, which Davis described as "devastating", "very dark" and "beautifully shot". She commented, "The song is my interpretation of a ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'' situation. You know, don't ask out loud, someone might hear you... keeping the children huddled under your arm and telling them to be quiet because you can't be found doing this or being here."

Critical reception

In a review of ''Policy'', Hugh Wyatt of the '' Daily News'' described "Don't Ask Out Loud" as a "sultry" track which "recall

Quarterflash Quarterflash (previously stylized as QuarterFlash) was an American rock group formed in 1980 in Portland, Oregon. The band was originally made up of the two current members, Orinda Sue "Rindy" Ross (lead vocals and saxophone) and her husband Mar ...

". Greg Burliuk of '' The Whig-Standard'' commented that "

Kenny G Kenneth Bruce Gorelick (born June 5, 1956), known professionally as Kenny G, is an American smooth jazz saxophonist, composer, and producer. His 1986 album ''Duotones'' brought him commercial success. Kenny G is one of the best-selling artis ...

's mournful saxophone provides a bluesy background for Davis's sad vocals". Randal Smathers, writing for the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta, also known as U of A or UAlberta, is a Public university, public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford,"A Gentleman of Strathcona – Alexande ...

's student paper '' The Gateway'' noted Kenny G's appearance on the track and added that "although it does not weaken the knees the way great sax work can, the instrument provides a nice counterpoint to Davis's throaty vocals". In Australia, Amanda Lynch of ''

The Canberra Times ''The Canberra Times'' is a daily newspaper in Canberra, Australia, which is published by Australian Community Media. It was founded in 1926, and has changed ownership and format several times. History ''The Canberra Times'' was launched in ...

'' noted that the song, along with " Tell It to the Moon", provides "an emotionally-charged showcase for Davis' passionate voice and considerable songwriting talents".

Track listing

7–inch single (Australia) #"Don't Ask Out Loud" – 4:14 #"Rebecca" – 3:20

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the ''Policy'' CD liner notes and the 7-inch single sleeve notes. "Don't Ask Out Loud" * Martha Davis – vocals * Marlena Jeter, Phyllis St. James, Carmen Twillie – backing vocals *

– guitars * Gary Chang – synthesizers *

– saxophone * Randy Jackson – bass *

Vinnie Colaiuta Vincent Peter Colaiuta (born February 5, 1956) is an American drummer who has worked as a session musician in many genres. He was inducted into the '' Modern Drummer'' Hall of Fame in 1996 and the ''Classic Drummer'' Hall of Fame in 2014. Cola ...

– drums * Paulinho da Costa – percussion Production * Richie Zito – producer * Phil Kaffel – engineer * David Leonard – mixing *

Stephen Marcussen Stephen Marcussen is the founder and chief mastering engineer at Marcussen Mastering in Hollywood, California, United States. He has been mastering music since 1979. Biography Marcussen's introduction to music recording happened in 1976 when, at ...

– mastering Other * Bobby Woods for Significorp – art direction * Ron Derhacopian – photography

Charts

References

{{authority control 1987 songs 1988 singles Capitol Records singles Songs written by Martha Davis (musician) Song recordings produced by Richie Zito