"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.
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.[2]Bette Midler recorded a version with changed lyrics under the title "All I Need to Know", charting at number 77 in 1983.[3]
In 2000, Barry Mann re-recorded the song with Brenda Russell on his album Soul and Inspiration, released on Atlantic Records.
Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville version[]
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 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks in December 1989,[4] and number 1 on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart. The single was Ronstadt's tenth 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 2 on the UK Singles Chart. The song also hit number 1 in Ireland, number 2 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[]
The song received favorable reviews from music critics. A reviewer from Billboard deemed it "a strong send-off."[5] Swedish newspaper Expressen called it "heavenly". They added, "What a lovesong."[6] Cary Darling from Orange County Register labeled it as a "soaring, wide-screen ballad."[7] Jan DeKnock from Orlando Sentinel described the song as "a killer ballad."[8]People Magazine wrote that "their voices fuse like sunlight beaming through a stained-glass window."[9] James Hunter of Rolling Stone said that it is "brilliant".[10] Californian newspaper Santa Cruz Sentinel called it a "tender love ballad duet."[11]
Music video[]
In the music video, 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.
