Don't Tell Me (Madonna song)

"Don't Tell Me"
Song
B-side	"Cyberraga" UK and "Don't Tell Me" Thunderpuss' 2001 Radio Mix USA

"Don't Tell Me" is a song by American singer Madonna from her 2000 album Music. The song was released as a single in November 2000 in Europe and in January 2001 in the United States. .

Song information

The track was originally written by Joe Henry, Madonna's brother-in-law. He recorded the track on its own, simply called "Stop", which was released on his 2001 album Scar. His wife, Melanie, sent a demo of the track to her sister, who recorded her own version with the help of Mirwais Ahmadzaï. Lizz Wright recorded a jazzy take on "Stop" which she included in her 2005 release "Dreaming Wide Awake".

"Don't Tell Me" caused a lot of confusion among customers who bought Music when it was released in 2000; because of its chopped-up guitar instrumentation, many thought it was a disc-malfunction and returned the CD, only to learn later that it was intentional.

Madonna performed "Don't Tell Me" on her 2001 Drowned World Tour and her 2004 Re-Invention Tour.

Music video

File:Donttellmem.jpeg

Madonna in "Don't Tell Me" video. (

The music video for "Don't Tell Me" was directed by Jean-Baptiste Mondino and filmed in October 2000. In it, Madonna walks in front of a screen showing the desert, wearing plaid and denim. Soon she is accompanied by four male dancers and she dons full a cowgirl costume, executing a choreographed line-dancing routine. The choreography was done by Alex Magno, who also collaborated on the Drowned World Tour. The tour designers Dsquared and Arianne Phillips also designed her cowgirl costume in the video.

• Director: Jean-Baptiste Mondino
• Producer: Maria Gallagher
• Director of Photography: Alex Barber
• Editor: Angus Wall
• Production Company: DNA Inc.

Legacy

At the MTV Video Music Awards as hosted by Jimmy Fallon and Kirsten Dunst, a parody of the song (and video) were performed by the hosts, as they detailed the anticipated events of the evening. Fallon at one time dropped to the floor to bathe himself in sand, a la Madonna in the video. Fallon, however, got most of it in his pants.

Rock band The Androids recorded a song entitled "Do it With Madonna," where they detail how they would prefer sex with the titular star as opposed to more recently unveiled pop idols. One citation they make to Madonna's appeal is a music video in which she's wearing a "cowboy hat and [...] kicking the dirt", a clear reference to the video for "Don't Tell Me."

Versions and remixes

• Album version, 4:40
• Radio edit/edit, 4:10
• Remix produced by Thunderpuss (Chris Cox and Barry Harris)
  • Thunderpuss club mix, 7:53
  • Thunderpuss radio mix, 3:40
  • Thunderpuss' 2001 Hands in the Air anthem, 10:20
  • Thunderpuss' 2001 Hands in the Air radio mix, 4:26
  • Thunderpuss' 2001 Tribe-A-Pella, 8:31
  • Thunderdub, 8:53
  • Thunderpuss Beats, 5:02 (Unreleased)
  • Thunderpuss Anthem, 6:00 (Featured on a Thunderpuss compilation)
• Remix and additional production by Richard Vission and Chico Bennett
  • Vission remix/Richard Humpty Vission remix, 7:52
  • Vission radio mix / Richard Humpty Vission radio mix, 3:48
• Remix and additional production by Tracy Young
  • Tracy Young club mix / Tracy Young club mix 1, 11:01
  • Tracy Young club mix 2, 11:08
• Remix and additional production by Timo Maas and Martin Buttrich
  • Timo Maas mix, 6:56
• Remix and additional production by Victor Calderone
  • Victor Calderone Sensory mix, 6:48
• Remix and additional production by Dave Audé (Unreleased)
  • Dave Audé Funk mix, 7:57

Charts

"Don't Tell Me" peaked at number four on the U.S. charts and spent eight weeks in the top ten. It made gains at radio for three months consecutively (her longest-growing hit since "Take a Bow"), and also spent a long time on the club-play chart. Despite spending only one week at number one (most of her recent dance hits have spent at least two, and "Music" five), it managed fourteen weeks on the chart, out-lasting "Music" and tying with "Ray of Light" as Madonna's longest running club hit since "Bedtime Story" in 1995. In addition, "Don't Tell Me" is Madonna's biggest hit on the Adult Top 40 chart, where it peaked at number four, making it her only top five single on that chart.

Many fans hoped the single would hit #1 in the states and felt Warner Brothers ruined the single's chance at becoming a #1 hit because they released it so late. Some believe if it had been released just a couple weeks earlier it would hit the top spot with its strong airplay and sales. But since "What It Feels Like For A Girl" was released so soon after radio turned their focus to the latest Madonna single which left "Don't Tell Me" to fall on the charts before hitting #1.

In March 2001 the single was certified gold. With this twenty-fourth gold record, Madonna tied with The Beatles for the second spot of most gold records in the United States.

The song was also a huge hit around the world, peaking in the top five in many countries. In the United World Chart "Don't Tell Me" peaked at number one for 2 weeks. It went to number one in Canada and number four in the United Kingdom. It also went to number one in Ireland, and stayed in the key position for three weeks. The single is often referred to as one of the most successful Madonna singles in Ireland.

Chart (2001)	Peak Position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	4
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Airplay	10
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles Sales	1
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play	1
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales	1
U.S. Billboard Adult Top 40	4
U.S. Billboard Top 40 Adult Recurrents	2
U.S. Billboard Hot Latin Tropical/Salsa Airplay	38
U.S. Billboard Rhythmic Top 40	21
U.S. Billboard Top 40 Mainstream	4
U.S. Billboard Top 40 Tracks	6
Australia	7
Canada	1
Eurochart Hot 100	2
France	16
Ireland	1
Italy	1
Latvia	2
New Zealand	1
Spain	2
United Kingdom	4
United World Chart	1

External Links

• Mad-Eyes.net - "Don't Tell Me" Single Page