Better Not Tell Her
"Better Not Tell Her" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() CD Single cover | ||||
Single by Carly Simon | ||||
from the album Have You Seen Me Lately | ||||
B-side | "Happy Birthday" | |||
Released | 1990 | |||
Recorded | 1990 | |||
Genre | Pop Rock | |||
Length | 5:13 (Album version) 4:49 (Single version) | |||
Label | Arista | |||
Songwriter(s) | Carly Simon | |||
Producer(s) | Frank Filipetti Paul Samwell-Smith | |||
Carly Simon singles chronology | ||||
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"Better Not Tell Her" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Carly Simon, and produced by Frank Filipetti and Paul Samwell-Smith. The opening track from Simon's 15th studio album, Have You Seen Me Lately (1990), the song also served as the album's lead single.[1]
A salsa-infused track, the song features a Spanish guitar solo by Jay Berliner. Entertainment Weekly called it a "mildly bittersweet love song" that sounds "firm, tender, and genuine" with a "pointed melody" and "an airy outdoor aura."[2] The single was a huge Adult Contemporary hit, remaining on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart for 21 weeks, peaking at No. 4, and becoming Simon's biggest hit of the entire decade.[3] The second single from the album, "Holding Me Tonight", was also successful on this chart, peaking at No. 36.[3] Simon released music videos for both singles, and they each received airplay on VH1.
The song is one of Simon's biggest Adult contemporary hits, and has been included on multiple compilations of her work, such as the three-disc box set Clouds in My Coffee (1995), the UK release The Very Best of Carly Simon: Nobody Does It Better (1998), the two-disc retrospective Anthology (2002), the single-disc Reflections: Carly Simon's Greatest Hits (2004), and Sony Music's Playlist: The Very Best of Carly Simon (2014).
Formats and track listings
- 7" single[4]
- "Better Not Tell Her" – 4:40
- "Happy Birthday" – 4:54
- CD single[5]
- "Better Not Tell Her" – 4:45
Charts
Chart (1990) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada (RPM) | 30 |
US Billboard Adult Contemporary | 4 |
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[6] | 3 |
Music video
Simon filmed a sensual music video for the track, which was shot on a beach on Martha's Vineyard in July 1990 - at the estate of Jackie Onassis. The video alternates between clips of Simon on the beachfront in the day, during the evening in the same sitting, and at night with a roaring bonfire while she and company dance around and play guitars.[7]
References
- ^ Fitzharris, Dustin (16 December 2015). "Carly Simon: Still 'Living Like a Flower While the Boys Grow in the Trees.' The Singer Opens Up About Life, Love and Music". Huffington Post. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
- ^ Sandow, Greg. "Have You Seen Me Lately". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 24, 2022. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
- ^ a b "Carly Simon - Chart history". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2015-06-30. Retrieved 2015-04-29.
- ^ "Better Not Tell Her 7" single". Discogs. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
- ^ "Better Not Tell Her CD single". Discogs. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
- ^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 9100." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved August 8, 2024.
- ^ "Carly Simon - Better Not Tell Her". YouTube. Retrieved April 29, 2014.
External links
- Carly Simon's Official Website
- v
- t
- e
- Carly Simon
- Anticipation
- No Secrets
- Hotcakes
- Playing Possum
- Another Passenger
- Boys in the Trees
- Spy
- Come Upstairs
- Torch
- Hello Big Man
- Spoiled Girl
- Coming Around Again
- My Romance
- Have You Seen Me Lately
- Letters Never Sent
- Film Noir
- The Bedroom Tapes
- Moonlight Serenade
- Into White
- This Kind of Love
- Never Been Gone
- The Best of Carly Simon
- Clouds in My Coffee
- The Very Best of Carly Simon: Nobody Does It Better
- Anthology
- Reflections: Carly Simon's Greatest Hits
- Carly Simon Collector's Edition
- Original Album Series
- Playlist: The Very Best of Carly Simon
- Songs from the Trees (A Musical Memoir Collection)
- These Are the Good Old Days: The Carly Simon and Jac Holzman Story
- Greatest Hits Live
- Live at Grand Central
- Working Girl
- This Is My Life (Music from the Motion Picture)
- Piglet's Big Movie (soundtrack)
- The Best of Pooh and Heffalumps, Too
- No Nukes: The Muse Concerts for a Non-Nuclear Future
- In Harmony: A Sesame Street Record
- In Harmony 2
- Romulus Hunt: A Family Opera
- Live from Martha's Vineyard
- Carly in Concert – My Romance
- Live at Grand Central
- A Moonlight Serenade on the Queen Mary 2
- "That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be"
- "Anticipation"
- "Legend in Your Own Time"
- "You're So Vain"
- "The Right Thing to Do"
- "Mockingbird"
- "Haven't Got Time for the Pain"
- "Attitude Dancing"
- "Waterfall"
- "It Keeps You Runnin'"
- "Half a Chance"
- "Nobody Does It Better"
- "You Belong to Me"
- "Devoted to You"
- "Vengeance"
- "Jesse"
- "Hurt"
- "Why"
- "Kissing with Confidence"
- "You Know What to Do"
- "Tired of Being Blonde"
- "My New Boyfriend"
- "Coming Around Again"
- "Give Me All Night"
- "The Stuff That Dreams Are Made Of"
- "All I Want Is You"
- "Let the River Run"
- "Better Not Tell Her"
- "Love of My Life"
- "Son of a Gun (I Betcha Think This Song Is About You)"
- "Let It Snow"
- "Angel from Montgomery"
- "We Have No Secrets"
- "Night Owl"
- "You Can Close Your Eyes"
- "When Manhattan Was a Maiden"
- Meet the Simon Sisters
- Cuddlebug
- The Simon Sisters Sing the Lobster Quadrille and Other Songs for Children
- Winkin', Blinkin' and Nod: The Kapp Recordings
- Boys in the Trees: A Memoir
- Touched by the Sun: My Friendship with Jackie
- Richard Simon (father)
- Andrea Heinemann Simon (mother)
- George Simon (uncle)
- Joanna Simon (sister)
- Lucy Simon (sister)
- James Taylor (ex-husband)
- Sally Taylor (daughter)