Tell Me (Rolling Stones song)

Written by singer Mick Jagger and guitarist Keith Richards, "Tell Me" is a pop ballad. In a song review for AllMusic, critic Richie Unterberger commented, "It should be pointed out... that the Rolling Stones, even in 1964, were more versatile and open toward non-blues-rooted music than is often acknowledged by critics." The Rolling Stones' two previous singles bear out this observation: one had been the Lennon–McCartney-penned "I Wanna Be Your Man" (later recorded by the Beatles as well); another was Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away". Jagger said in a 1995 interview with Rolling Stone magazine: "['Tell Me'] is very different from doing those R&B covers or Marvin Gaye covers and all that. There's a definite feel about it. It's a very pop song, as opposed to all the blues songs and the Motown covers, which everyone did at the time." The song's lyrics are a glimpse of a failed relationship and the singer's attempt to win back the girl's love: Unterberger notes, "When [Jagger and Richards] began to write songs, they were usually not derived from the blues, but were often surprisingly fey, slow, Mersey-type pop numbers... 'Tell Me' was quite acoustic-based, with a sad, almost dispirited air. After quiet lines about the end of the love affair, the tempo and melody both brighten". ==Recording and release==

"Tell Me" was recorded in London in January and February 1964; versions both with and without Ian Stewart's piano were cut. Jagger said: "Keith was playing 12-string and singing harmonies into the same microphone as the 12-string. We recorded it in this tiny studio in the West End of London called Regent Sound, which was a demo studio. I think the whole of that album was recorded in there." Cash Box described it as "a haunting rock-a-cha-cha that picks up steam each time around." The B-side was a cover of the Willie Dixon song "I Just Wanna Make Love to You". In The Netherlands, the full-length recording with the abrupt ending was released as a single in October 1964, peaking at number 3 in the music charts. A cover of Chuck Berry's "Come On" was on the B-side. The "Tell Me" single was re-released on various Rolling Stones compilation albums, including Big Hits (High Tide and Green Grass), More Hot Rocks (Big Hits & Fazed Cookies), and Singles Collection: The London Years. On most compilations, the 3:48 edit has been used, rather than the 2:47 single edit. For example, although the 1989 edition of Singles Collection: The London Years had the single edit, the 2002 edition has the longer version. The song was featured in Martin Scorsese's 1973 film Mean Streets. ==Personnel==

According to authors Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon • Mick Jagger – lead vocals • Keith Richards – 12 string acoustic rhythm guitar, backing vocals • Brian Jones – electric lead guitar (and solo), tambourine, backing vocals • Bill Wyman – bass, backing vocals • Charlie Watts – drums Additional musicians • Ian Stewart – piano == Charts ==

• 1965The Termites (not to be confused with the Scottish psychobilly band of the same name, founded in 1985), as a UK single • 1966The Grass Roots, on their first album Where Were You When I Needed You • 1978The Dead Boys, on their second album We Have Come for Your Children • 1990Cassell Webb, on the album Conversations at Dawn, also released as a single ==References==