"Don't Ask Me Why" is a song recorded by British

pop music Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...

duo

Eurythmics Eurythmics were a British pop duo consisting of Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart. They were both previously in The Tourists, a band which broke up in 1980. The duo released their first studio album, '' In the Garden'', in 1981 to little succ ...

, released as the second single from their seventh album, ''

We Too Are One ''We Too Are One'' is the seventh studio album by British pop duo Eurythmics, released on 11 September 1989 by RCA Records. It would be the duo's last studio release until 1999's ''Peace''. Background and release When it was released in 1989, ...

'' (1989). The song was written by bandmembers

Annie Lennox Ann Lennox (born 25 December 1954) is a Scottish singer-songwriter, political activist and philanthropist. After achieving moderate success in the late 1970s as part of the New wave music, new wave band the Tourists, she and fellow musician D ...

and

David A. Stewart David Allan Stewart (born 9 September 1952) is an English musician, songwriter and record producer, best known for Eurythmics, his successful professional partnership with Annie Lennox. Sometimes credited as David A. Stewart, he won Best British ...

and produced by Stewart with Jimmy Iovine. In the US, it was released as the first single from the album. It is a lush pop song with melancholy and bitter lyrics which describe the ending of a love relationship. In it Lennox tells the subject "''don't ask me why / I don't love you any more / I don't think I ever did''".

Chart performance

"Don't Ask Me Why" peaked at number twenty-five in the

UK singles chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

and became Eurythmics' last US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 hit (and last top 40 hit), peaking at number forty (and twelve on the US Modern Rock Chart).

Critical reception

American magazine ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' described the song as a "subdued midtempo number", adding, "Lennox's vocal shines on a track that's not as immediate as prior releases but could easily be a sleeper." Mick Williams of the ''Lennox Herald'' gave the song a 9.5 out of 10 rating and commented: "If there ever was any doubt that Annie Lennox's voice was a gift from heaven, "Don't Ask Me Why" confirms it." A reviewer from ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later ...

'' felt its appeal stemmed from the "poignant contrast between heenchanting harmonies and sad lyrics". David Giles from ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...

'' wrote, "A distinct improvement on the rather histrionic blues of " Revival", this more subdued song allows Lennox's voice room for more expressiveness, and Stewart restrains himself admirably until an uncharacteristically twangy guitar break." Iestyn George of ''

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper between 1954 and 1991 for pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after the ''NME'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK album chart was published in ''Re ...

'' considered "Don't Ask Me Why" to be "a great deal meaner and moodier than the half-baked "Revival", but will probably get lost among the plethora of pop-dance records cluttering up the airwaves."

Music video

The song's accompanying

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 promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

, directed by Sophie Muller, features a performance by Eurythmics with various members of a backing band. Filmed in bright, saturated colors the finished clip drew comparisons to nightclub scenes in

David Lynch David Keith Lynch (born January 20, 1946) is an American filmmaker, visual artist and actor. A recipient of an Academy Honorary Award in 2019, Lynch has received three Academy Award nominations for Best Director, and the César Award for Be ...

's film '' Blue Velvet''.

Track listings

* 7" (UK, GER, FR, SPA, AUS, USA, CAN) & K7 Single (UK, AUS, USA, CAN) & CD single (JAP) # "Don't Ask Me Why" (LP Version) – 4:21 # "Rich Girl" (Non-LP Track) – 4:09 * 12" (UK, GER) & CD single (UK, GER) # "Don't Ask Me Why" (LP Version) – 4:21 # "Sylvia" (LP Version) – 4:35 # "Rich Girl" (Non-LP Track) – 4:09 * Limited 12" (UK) & Limited CD single Box-Set (UK) # "Don't Ask Me Why" (LP Version) – 4:21 # "Rich Girl" (Non-LP Track) – 4:09 # "When The Day Goes Down" (Acoustic Version) – 3:47 # "Don't Ask Me Why" (Acoustic Version) – 3:58

Charts

References

{{authority control 1989 songs 1989 singles Eurythmics songs Music videos directed by Sophie Muller RCA Records singles Songs written by Annie Lennox Songs written by David A. Stewart Song recordings produced by Dave Stewart (musician and producer)