"Don't Ask Me Why" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Billy Joel | ||||
from the album Glass Houses | ||||
B-side | "C'était Toi (You Were the One)" | |||
Released | July 24, 1980 | |||
Recorded | 1979 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 2:59 | |||
Label | Columbia Records | |||
Songwriter(s) | Billy Joel | |||
Producer(s) | Phil Ramone | |||
Billy Joel singles chronology | ||||
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"Don't Ask Me Why" is a 1980 song by Billy Joel released as the third single from the album Glass Houses . The song spent two weeks at number one on the Adult Contemporary chart and peaked at number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100. [6]
The track contains all acoustic and Latin percussion instruments performing in an Afro-Cuban rhythmic style. An eclectic, instrumental "Latin Ballroom" piano solo, played over the bridge section after the second verse, is also featured in part of the song; Joel states that the mix for the midsection includes "fifteen pianos overdubbed on top of each other." [7]
Billboard found the song to be "catchy" and felt that Joel's vocal performance sounded similar to Paul McCartney. [8] Cash Box said it has a "crisp pop/Latin/rock rhythm" and that the lyrics deal with the "themes of success and chance." [5] Record World called it "one of [Joel's] easy rollin' romantic piano ballads that often become pop standards." [9]
Chart (1980) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada RPM Top Singles [10] | 4 |
Canada RPM Adult Contemporary [11] | 1 |
Dutch Singles Chart | 42 |
French Singles Chart [12] | 42 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [13] | 19 |
US Billboard Adult Contemporary [14] | 1 |
US Cash Box Top 100 | 21 |
Chart (1980) | Rank |
---|---|
Canada [15] | 45 |
US (Joel Whitburn's Pop Annual) [16] | 122 |
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