"Tell Him No" is a 1959 song by Travis and Bob and was the only Top 40 hit for the duo in the United States while peaking at #1 in Canada and the Netherlands. The song also reached #1 in the Netherlands with cover versions by Dean and Marc, The Mudlarks and The Fouryo's.
"Tell Him No" | |
---|---|
Single by Travis and Bob | |
B-side | "We're Too Young" |
Released | March 9, 1959 (1959-03-09) |
Length | 2:05 |
Label | Sandy |
Songwriter(s) | Travis Pritchett |
"Tell Him No" was written about a boy telling a girl to watch out for another boy interested in her.[1]
"Tell Him No" was planned to be the B-side for Travis and Bob's cover of "All I Have to Do Is Dream" by The Everly Brothers. However, after performing for record producer Henry Bailey in Mobile, Alabama, the duo were offered a record deal. Travis and Bob recorded the track in Gulfport, Mississippi for Sandy Records.[2]
In March 1959, Dot Records bought the distribution rights for "Tell Him No" from Sandy Records for $12,000. Cameo Records and Liberty Records also competed for the rights of the single.[3]
Billboard predicted Travis and Bob's version of "Tell Him No" would become a future hit.[4]
In the United States, Travis and Bob's version of "Tell Him No" charted at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100[5] while a cover by Dean and Marc reached #42.[6] Other non-charting covers in the US include a Bigtop recording by The Jackson Brothers and Margie Rayburn's rendition of the song produced for Liberty but later retracted.[3]
Outside of the United States, non-charting covers of "Tell Him No" were released in Australia by The Unichords for W&G and Ted & Ray for HMV.[7] Alternatively, "Tell Him No" reached #1 in the Netherlands for Travis and Bob alongside covers by Dean and Marc, The Mudlarks and The Fouryo's,[8] which was released under the name "Zeg niet nee".[9]
Chart (1959) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada (CHUM) | 1[10] |
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[11] | 1 |
US Billboard Hot 100[5] | 8 |
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[12] | 21 |
Chart (1959) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Billboard Hot 100[6] | 42 |
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[13] | 1 |
Chart (1959) | Peak position |
---|---|
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[14] | 1 |
Chart (1959) | Peak position |
---|---|
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[15] | 1 |
List of number-one singles of 1959 (Canada)