Don't Answer Me

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"Don't Answer Me"
Don't Answer Me - The Alan Parsons Project.jpeg
Single by The Alan Parsons Project
from the album Ammonia Avenue
B-side "Don't Let It Show"
"You Don't Believe" (Europe)
Released13 February 1984 [1]
Recorded1983
Genre New wave, jangle pop
Length4:09
Label Arista
Songwriters Alan Parsons, Eric Woolfson
Producer Alan Parsons
The Alan Parsons Project singles chronology
"You Don't Believe"
(1983)		"Don't Answer Me"
(1984)		"Prime Time"
(1984)
Music video
"Don't Answer Me" on YouTube

"Don't Answer Me" is a 1984 song by the Alan Parsons Project from the album Ammonia Avenue . It reached number 15 on the Billboard charts in the United States and was the final Billboard Top 20 hit for the group. It also reached number 58 in the United Kingdom, the group's highest chart placing in their native country. [2] The music video was rendered in comic book style, with art and animation by Michael Kaluta.

Contents

Background

Instead of the art rock and progressive rock sounds for which Alan Parsons was well-known, Parsons crafted "Don't Answer Me" in the style of Phil Spector and his Wall of Sound technique. Eric Woolfson, the co-writer, handled lead vocals on the single, with Mel Collins providing a saxophone solo with a "soothing yet destitute wail". [3]

Music video

The music video for "Don't Answer Me" was directed and animated by Michael Kaluta with the assistance of Kelly Alder and David Powers. [4] Production was handled by the Storytellers division of Doyle Dane Bernbach under the supervision of Bill Perna. D.J. Webster and Charlie Rice were given 24 hours to develop the storyboard for the music video, another 24 hours to determine the budget, and another 24 hours to find an entity willing to carry out the project; they ultimately selected Broadcast Arts, an animation company that had also created the logos for MTV. [5]

The music video was filmed over the course of three weeks. Peter Baron, who was the erstwhile manager of video services for Arista Records, commented that a shorter timeframe was provided as the release of the single was "imminent". Visually, the music video used traditional cel animation imposed over three-dimensional sets, with members of the Alan Parsons Project appearing throughout certain portions. Speech balloons appear above the animated characters with dialogue that differs from the song's lyrics. The 40-man animation team created 12 drawings for every second of the music video, with each image being mounted on styrofoam for the filming. [5]

The video was nominated for Most Experimental Video at the first-ever 1984 MTV Video Music Awards, but lost to Herbie Hancock's "Rockit". [6]

Live recordings

Parsons and his "Alan Parsons Live Project" band perform the song in concert, with live versions released on the albums Alan Parsons Live with Gary Howard and Chris Thompson on vocals, Eye 2 Eye: Live In Madrid , LiveSpan, Alan Parsons Symphonic Project, Live in Colombia , The NeverEnding Show: Live in the Netherlands and One Note Symphony: Live in Tel Aviv, the latter with Parsons on lead vocals.

Personnel

Chart performance

References

  1. ↑ "New Singles" (PDF). Music Week . 11 February 1984. p. 14. Retrieved 2 February 2026– via World Radio History.
  2. 1 2 "Official Singles Chart on 17/3/1984 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  3. ↑ "Don't Answer Me - The Alan Parsons Project | Song Info | AllMusic". AllMusic . Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  4. ↑ Brumfield, Dale M. (2013). Richmond Independent Press. Charleston, South Carolina: The History Press. ISBN   978-1-61423-997-0 . Retrieved 31 January 2026– via Google Books.
  5. 1 2 Foti, Laura (3 March 1984). "First Ad Agency Enters Music Video Production" (PDF). Billboard . p. 4. Retrieved 31 January 2026– via World Radio History.
  6. ↑ "MTV Video Music Awards: MTV VMA 1984". Awards & Shows. Retrieved 31 January 2026.
  7. ↑ "Forum - ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts - CHART POSITIONS PRE 1989". Australian-charts.com. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  8. ↑ "The Alan Parsons Project – Don't Answer Me" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  9. ↑ "Radio 2 Top 30" (in Dutch). Top 30. Archived from the original on 28 March 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  10. ↑ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 6744". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  11. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6730". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  12. ↑ "CHART NUMBER 1429 – Saturday, May 19, 1984". Archived from the original on 7 November 2006. Retrieved 31 October 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link). CHUM.
  13. ↑ "European Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 1, no. 6. 18 March 1985. Retrieved 2 February 2026– via World Radio History.
  14. ↑ "European Airplay Top 60" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 1, no. 5. 30 April 1984. p. 7. Retrieved 2 February 2026– via World Radio History.
  15. ↑ "Tous les Titres de l'Artiste choisi". InfoDisc (in French). Select "Alan PARSONS Project" from the artist drop-down menu. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  16. ↑ "Offizielle Deutsche Charts" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. To see the peak chart position, click 'TITEL VON', followed by the artist's name. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  17. ↑ "The Alan Parsons Project – Don't Answer Me" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  18. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 14, 1984" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  19. ↑ "The Alan Parsons Project – Don't Answer Me". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  20. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN   84-8048-639-2.
  21. ↑ "The Alan Parsons Project – Don't Answer Me". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  22. ↑ "The Alan Parsons Project Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard . Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  23. ↑ "The Alan Parsons Project Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard . Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  24. ↑ "The Alan Parsons Project Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard . Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  25. ↑ "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending MAY 12, 1984". Archived from the original on 30 September 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link). Cash Box magazine.
  26. ↑ "Ultratop Jaaroverzichten 1984". Ultratop 50 (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 10 July 2014. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  27. ↑ "Single-Jahrescharts 1984". GfK Entertainment Charts (in German). Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  28. ↑ "Dutch Charts Jaaroverzichten Single 1984". Single Top 100 (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 14 October 2016. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  29. ↑ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1984". Dutch Top 40 (in Dutch). Retrieved 31 October 2016.
  30. ↑ "Top Adult Contemporary Singles" (PDF). Billboard . Vol. 96, no. 51. 22 December 1984. p. TA-25. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
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