"They Don't Know" is a popular song, written and composed by singer-songwriter Kirsty MacColl, the daughter of singer-songwriter Ewan MacColl. Ms. MacColl recorded it in 1979. It became popular on radio in the United Kingdom, reaching #2 on the Music Week airplay chart.[1] However, complications involving a strike at her distributors prevented the single from being shipped and promoted properly, preventing release of the single. MacColl's version of "They Don't Know" thus failed to appear on the official UK Singles Charts, which are entirely sales-based.
Although the song was not taken from an album, it later appeared on MacColl's compilation Galore[2] (amongst others).
[edit] Track listing
- They Don't Know (K. MacColl)
- [Turn My] Motor On (K. MacColl)[3]
[edit] The Tracey Ullman version
In 1983, Tracey Ullman, before she became better known in the United States as a comedy actress, included a version on her debut album, You Broke My Heart in 17 Places. This song was the album's most successful single, charting in the top ten of various national charts. MacColl performed backing vocals on Ullman's version and reprised her original "bay-ay-be-ee" in the middle of the song, which went to #2 in the U.K., #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #11 on the Adult Contemporary chart in the United States, and became the theme song for the final three seasons of Ullman's later television series Tracey Takes On.
It is sometimes erroneously reported that Ullman's version of "They Don't Know" simply uses the backing track from MacColl's original single. In fact the two versions are noticeably different: Ullman's version, which was produced by Peter Collins, is in a different key (C, as opposed to the original's B), and it features a very slightly faster tempo, a somewhat different arrangement and a guitar solo that differs from the one played on MacColl's version, which was produced by Liam Sternberg. The "baby", at the end of the bridge is a sample from the original single, but the rest was rerecord with different instrumentation. The confusion may stem from the fact that Ullman did use a previously-existing MacColl backing track when recording her own version of MacColl's "Terry" in 1984. (Both versions of "Terry" were co-produced by MacColl.)
The video for "They Don't Know" featured a cameo from Paul McCartney; at the time Ullman was filming a minor role in McCartney's film Give My Regards To Broad Street, which he had written directly for the screen.[citation needed]
[edit] Other notable versions
- Cotton Club recorded the Swedish rendering "Vår Hemlighet" on their 1984 eponymous album.
- Anja Niskanen recorded the Finnish rendering "Syy On Rakkauden" on her 1984 eponymous album.
- Gigolo Aunts cover the song on the 1994 Volume 10 compilation (Catalog Number: 10VCD10), distributed by RTM/Pinnacle.
- Death Cab for Cutie lead singer Ben Gibbard often covers "They Don't Know" in live performance.
- Indie band The Boyfriends covered the song as a B-side for their single Once Upon A Time.
- Nailpin covered and recorded a video for their version of the song.
- Swedish pop singer Moneybrother includes this in his cover album Pengabrorsan as Dom Vet Ingenting Om Oss (They Know Nothing About Us).
- Katrina Leskanich released a version of the song in 2005.
- Young Fresh Fellows have covered this song, as well as Kenny Howes and the Yeah! on their 2001 debut CD.
- Kim Wilde performed the song at the Kirsty MacColl tribute show on October 10, 2010 and it was featured on her 2011 album Snapshots, which consist of cover versions only.
- Andrea Corr includes the song on her album Lifelines.
- Leslie Carter offers a faithful cover on her unreleased 2001 album "Like Wow!" possibly done as an homage recorded shortly after Kirsty's death.
[edit] References
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| Studio albums |
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| Notable singles |
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| With The Pogues |
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