"Don't Know Much"
Song by Barry Mann
from the album Barry Mann
Released1980
GenreSoft rock
Length2:53
LabelCasablanca
Songwriter(s)
  • Barry Mann
  • Cynthia Weil
  • Tom Snow
Producer(s)
  • Barry Mann
  • Brooks Arthur

"Don't Know Much" is a song written by Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil and Tom Snow. Mann was the first to record the song in 1980, gaining a minor chart hit in the US. The song was made famous when it was covered as a duet by Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville in 1989. Their version was a worldwide success, topping the Irish Singles Chart and reaching the top 10 in several territories.

History

The song first appeared on Barry Mann's self-titled 1980 album, released on Casablanca records. Bill Medley scored a Billboard Hot 100 chart success with it rising to number 88 in April 1981. The next month, the song hit number 29 on the Adult Contemporary chart.[1] Bette Midler recorded a version with changed lyrics under the title "All I Need to Know", charting at number 77 in 1983.[2]

In 2000, Barry Mann re-recorded the song with Brenda Russell on his album Soul and Inspiration, released on Atlantic Records.

Bill Medley version

"Don't Know Much"
Single by Bill Medley
from the album Sweet Thunder
B-side
  • "Woman"
  • Same song (Promotional releases only)
Released1981
GenrePop
Length3:07
LabelLiberty
Songwriter(s)
  • Barry Mann
  • Cynthia Weil
  • Tom Snow
Producer(s)Michael Lloyd
Bill Medley singles chronology
"Statue of a Fool"
(1979)		 "Don't Know Much"
(1981)		 "Right Here and Now"
(1982)

In 1981, American singer-songwriter Bill Medley covered the song for his eighth studio album Sweet Thunder. Medley's version was a minor hit, reaching Number 88 on the Billboard Hot 100[3] and Number 29 on the US Adult Contemporary chart.[4]

Charts

Chart (1981) Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100[3] 88
US Hot Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[4] 29

Bette Midler version

"All I Need to Know"
Single by Bette Midler
from the album No Frills
B-side"My Eye on You"
Released1983
Recorded1983
GenrePop
Length4:08
LabelAtlantic
Songwriter(s)
  • Barry Mann
  • Cynthia Weil
  • Tom Snow
Producer(s)Chuck Plotkin
Bette Midler singles chronology
"Chapel of Love (Live)"
(1980)		 "All I Need to Know"
(1983)		 "Favorite Waste of Time"
(1983)

In 1983, American actress and singer Bette Midler covered the song for her 1983 album No Frills under the title "All I Need to Know", with changed lyrics. Midler's version reached number 39 on the Billboard Hot Adult contemporary chart, number 77 on the Billboard Hot 100,[5] and number 5 on the RPM Adult contemporary chart, having its highest peak there.[6]

Charts

Chart (1983) Peak
position
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[6] 5
US Billboard Hot 100[5] 77
US Hot Adult Contemporary (Billboard) 39

Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville version

"Don't Know Much"
Single by Linda Ronstadt featuring Aaron Neville
from the album Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind
B-side"Cry Like a Rainstorm"
ReleasedSeptember 12, 1989
StudioSkywalker Ranch (Marin County, California)
GenrePop[7]
Length3:35
LabelElektra
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Linda Ronstadt singles chronology
"Wildflowers"
(1988)		 "Don't Know Much"
(1989)		 "All My Life"
(1990)
Aaron Neville singles chronology
"The Greatest Love"
(1978)		 "Don't Know Much"
(1989)		 "All My Life"
(1990)
Music video
"Don't Know Much" on YouTube

The song was covered on Linda Ronstadt's triple-platinum 1989 album Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind. It was introduced to Ronstadt and Neville by Steve Tyrell. Co-produced by Tyrell and Peter Asher, it was released as a single in the United States in 1989, peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100[8] and number one on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart. The single was Ronstadt's 10th and last top-10 hit and was certified Gold, eventually selling over 900,000 copies in the United States. In the United Kingdom, the song peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. The song also peaked at number one in Ireland, number two in Australia, and reached the top five in Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Netherlands, and New Zealand.

"Don't Know Much" won Ronstadt and Neville the 1990 Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and was nominated for Song of the Year.

Critical reception

"Don't Know Much" received favorable reviews from music critics. American magazine Billboard deemed it "a strong send-off" from the album.[9] Swedish Expressen called it "heavenly", adding, "What a lovesong."[10] Robin Katz from Music Week complimented it as a "brilliant insight into aging."[11] Cary Darling from Orange County Register labeled it as a "soaring, wide-screen ballad."[12] Jan DeKnock of Orlando Sentinel described it as "a killer ballad."[13] A reviewer from People Magazine felt "their voices fuse like sunlight beaming through a stained-glass window."[14] James Hunter of Rolling Stone praised it as "brilliant".[15] Californian Santa Cruz Sentinel called it a "tender love ballad duet."[16] Ken Tucker from Spin declared it as "a pretty Barry Mann-Cynthia Weil weeper."[17]

Music video

In the accompanying music video for "Don't Know Much", both Neville and Ronstadt portray a middle-aged couple that are remembering their past and all the difficulties that they seem to have faced together.

Track listing

7-inch single, Europe (1989)
No.TitleLength
1."Don't Know Much"3:33
2."Hurt So Bad"3:17
12-inch single, UK (1989)
No.TitleLength
1."Don't Know Much"3:33
2."Hurt So Bad"3:17
3."I Can't Let Go"2:44



Personnel

  • Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville: Vocals, vocal harmonies
  • Don Grolnick: Acoustic piano
  • Michael Landau: Electric guitars
  • Leland Sklar: Bass
  • Carlos Vega: Drums
  • Michael Fisher: Percussion
  • The Skywalker Symphony Orchestra, arranged by David Campbell; concertmaster: Pavel Farkas


Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[39] Platinum 70,000^
United States (RIAA)[40] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ "Bill Medley". Billboard.
  2. ↑ "Bette Midler". Billboard.
  3. 1 2 "Bill Medley". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-10-12.
  4. 1 2 "Bill Medley". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-10-12.
  5. 1 2 "Bette Midler". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-10-12.
  6. 1 2 "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". 2014-12-29. Archived from the original on 2014-12-29. Retrieved 2021-10-12.
  7. ↑ Chilton, Martin (April 11, 2014). "Linda Ronstadt deserves Rock and Roll Hall of Fame honour". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  8. 1 2 "Linda Ronstadt Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  9. ↑ "Album Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. October 14, 1989. p. 82. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  10. ↑ Expressen. November 6, 1989.
  11. ↑ Katz, Robin (November 11, 1989). "LP Reviews Extra" (PDF). Music Week. p. 30. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  12. ↑ "Ronstadt heads back to mainstream pop". Orange County Register. October 27, 1989. p. 18. Retrieved March 11, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Paula Abdul Finally Tops The Pops". Orlando Sentinel. DeKnock, Jan. October 6, 1989. Retrieved March 4, 2020.
  14. ↑ "Picks and Pans Review: Cry Like a Rainstorm—howl Like the Wind". People. October 23, 1989. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  15. ↑ Hunter, James (January 11, 1990). "Cry Like A Rainstorm, Howl Like The Wind". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  16. ↑ "Grammys/A big night for Bonnie". Santa Cruz Sentinel. February 22, 1990. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
  17. ↑ Tucker, Ken (January 1990). "Spins". Spin. p. 77. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  18. ↑ "Linda Ronstadt feat. Aaron Neville – Don't Know Much". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  19. ↑ "Linda Ronstadt feat. Aaron Neville – Don't Know Much" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  20. ↑ "Linda Ronstadt feat. Aaron Neville – Don't Know Much" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  21. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6658." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
  22. ↑ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 6590." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  23. ↑ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 6, no. 50. December 16, 1989. p. 10 (of PDF). Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  24. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Linda Ronstadt". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 219. Retrieved July 4, 2022.
  25. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Don't Know Much". Irish Singles Chart.
  26. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 2, 1990" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  27. ↑ "Linda Ronstadt feat. Aaron Neville – Don't Know Much" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  28. ↑ "Linda Ronstadt feat. Aaron Neville – Don't Know Much". Top 40 Singles.
  29. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  30. ↑ "Linda Ronstadt Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
  31. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Linda Ronstadt feat. Aaron Neville – Don't Know Much" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  32. ↑ "Year-End Charts '89 – Top 100 Singles". Music Week. London, England: Spotlight Publications. March 3, 1990. p. 16.
  33. ↑ "ARIA Top 50 Singles for 1990". ARIA. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  34. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 1990" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  35. ↑ "Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1990". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  36. ↑ "Top 100 Adult Contemporary Tracks of 1990". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  37. ↑ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1990". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved May 1, 2020.
  38. ↑ "1990 The Year in Music & Video: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 102, no. 51. December 22, 1990. p. YE-14.
  39. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1990 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  40. ↑ "American single certifications – Linda Ronstadt – Don't Know Much". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
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