music.wikisort.org - Composition

"I Don't Want to Talk About It" is a song written by Danny Whitten. It was first recorded by American rock band Crazy Horse and issued as the final track on side one of their 1971 eponymous album. It was Whitten's signature tune, but gained more fame via its numerous cover versions, especially that by Rod Stewart.

"I Don't Want to Talk About It"
Song by Crazy Horse
from the album Crazy Horse
Released	February 1971
Genre	Country rock
Length	5:18
Label	Reprise
Songwriter(s)	Danny Whitten
Producer(s)	Jack Nitzsche, Russ Titelman, Bruce Botnick

Cash Box described it as "a magnificent ballad outing."[1]

Original recording personnel

• Danny Whitten — guitar, lead vocals
• Nils Lofgren — guitar, backing vocals
• Ry Cooder — slide guitar
• Billy Talbot — bass guitar

Rod Stewart version

"I Don't Want to Talk About It"
Single by Rod Stewart
from the album Atlantic Crossing
A-side	"The First Cut Is the Deepest" "The Best Days of My Life" (US)
Released	March 1977 (1977-03)[2]
Genre	Soft rock
Length	4:13 (single version)
Label	Riva
Songwriter(s)	Danny Whitten
Producer(s)	Tom Dowd
Rod Stewart singles chronology
"Get Back" (1976) "I Don't Want to Talk About It" (1977) "The First Cut Is the Deepest" (1977)
Music video
"I Don't Want to Talk About It" on YouTube

British singer Rod Stewart recorded the song at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Sheffield, Alabama, for his album Atlantic Crossing. This became successful when it was released as a single in 1977. In the United States, it became a top fifty hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1980, peaking at number 46 on the Hot 100,[3] and number 44 Adult Contemporary.[4] In New Zealand, it peaked at number 2. In the United Kingdom, it topped the UK Singles Chart as a double A-side with "The First Cut Is the Deepest" in 1977.[5] The song is widely believed to have benefitted from being deliberately released as a budget single in order to keep the Sex Pistols' "God Save the Queen" off the top of the UK Singles Chart.[6][7][8] In February 2021, the song received a silver certification from the British Phonographic Industry for sales and streams of over 200,000.[9]

In 1989, Stewart recorded a new version of "I Don't Want to Talk About It" for Storyteller – The Complete Anthology: 1964–1990. It was later included on Downtown Train – Selections from the Storyteller Anthology and released as a single in 1990. It received extensive airplay on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States as an album cut, reaching number two on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. Stewart also sang this song as a duet with Amy Belle during his 2004 tour[10] and it is included in his concert DVD. The official Rod Stewart video of the performance has received over 545 million Youtube views (as of December 16, 2021).[11]

Charts

Chart (1977–1980)	Peak position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[12]	11
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[13]	36
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[14]	51
Ireland (IRMA)[15]	4
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[2]	3
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[16]	2
UK Singles (OCC)[17]	1
US Billboard Hot 100[18]	46
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[19]	44
West Germany (Official German Charts)[20]	44

Chart (1990)	Peak position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[21]	19
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[22]	3
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[19]	2

Everything but the Girl version

"I Don't Want to Talk About It"
Single by Everything but the Girl
from the album Idlewild
B-side	"Oxford Street"[23]
Released	1988 (1988)
Length	4:17
Label	Blanco y Negro
Songwriter(s)	Danny Whitten
Producer(s)	Ben Watt
Everything but the Girl singles chronology
"I Always Was Your Girl" (1988) "I Don't Want to Talk About It" (1988) "Love Is Here Where I Live" (1989)

In 1988, English musical duo Everything but the Girl released their version of the song as a stand-alone single; it was later included on the reissue of their fourth studio album, Idlewild (1988). Tracey Thorn has said that Stewart had been regarded as "a heroic figure" in her home when she was growing up, and that her brother Keith owned the "albums with grimy-sounding titles like An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down, and Gasoline Alley". She herself had "always liked Atlantic Crossing."[24]

This version was also met with success in the UK, peaking at number three on the UK Singles Chart. It was the duo's first British top-10 hit and would remain their only one until 1995, when the Todd Terry remix of "Missing" also peaked at number three. Outside the UK, the song reached number three in Ireland and number 19 in New Zealand.

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1988)	Peak position
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[25]	9
Ireland (IRMA)[15]	3
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[26]	85
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[27]	19
UK Singles (OCC)[28]	3

Year-end charts

Chart (1988)	Position
UK Singles (OCC)[29]	75

Other cover versions

• In 1988, Arthur Conley, (famous for his 1967 hit "Sweet Soul Music") sang his version live on Dutch television.^{[citation needed]} Conley had previously changed his name to Lee Roberts whilst living in The Netherlands.
• Other notable artists who have recorded versions of this song include Blue, Rita Coolidge, Billie Jo Spears, Ian Matthews, Nils Lofgren, Indigo Girls (on the Philadelphia soundtrack) and Andy Williams.

References

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