Don't Ask Me Why (Billy Joel song)

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"Don't Ask Me Why"
DontAskMeWhy.jpg
Single by Billy Joel
from the album Glass Houses
B-side "C'était Toi (You Were the One)"
ReleasedJuly 24, 1980
Genre
Length2:59
Label Columbia Records
Songwriter(s) Billy Joel
Producer(s) Phil Ramone
Billy Joel singles chronology
"It's Still Rock and Roll to Me"
(1980)		"Don't Ask Me Why"
(1980)		"Sometimes a Fantasy"
(1980)

"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. [5]

Contents

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." [6]

Reception

Billboard found the song to be "catchy" and felt that Joel's vocal performance sounded similar to Paul McCartney. [7] Cash Box said it has a "crisp pop/Latin/rock rhythm" and that the lyrics deal with the "themes of success and chance." [8] Record World called it "one of [Joel's] easy rollin' romantic piano ballads that often become pop standards." [9]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1980)Peak
position
Canada RPM Top Singles [10] 4
Canada RPM Adult Contemporary [11] 1
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [12] 42
French Singles Chart [13] 42
UK Singles (Record Business) [14] 78
US Billboard Hot 100 [15] 19
US Billboard Adult Contemporary [16] 1
US Cash Box Top 10021

Year-end charts

Chart (1980)Rank
Canada [17] 45
US (Joel Whitburn's Pop Annual) [18] 122

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [19] Gold500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Personnel

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Don't Ask Me Why − Billy Joel | Song Info". AllMusic . Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  2. ↑ "The Stranger at 70: Billy Joel's 25 best songs". Yardbarker.com. March 31, 2020. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  3. ↑ "Off the Record: 'Glass Houses'". The Northwest Florida Daily News.
  4. ↑ "Don't Ask Me Why − Billy Joel". Onefinalserenade.com. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  5. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–2001. Record Research. p. 127.
  6. ↑ Bordowitz, Hank (2006). Billy Joel: The Life & Times of an Angry Young Man. New York: Billboard Books. p. 128. ISBN   978-0-8230-8248-3 . Retrieved July 26, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard. August 2, 1980. p. 60. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  8. ↑ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. August 2, 1980. p. 18. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Record World. August 2, 1980. p. 1. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
  10. ↑ "RPM 100 Singles (Vol. 34, No. 2, October 25, 1980)". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on August 17, 2016. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Image : RPM Weekly". Bac-lac.gc.ca. September 27, 1980. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  12. ↑ "Billy Joel – Don't Ask Me Why" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  13. ↑ "InfoDisc : Bilan des Ventes par Artiste". Infodisc.fr. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
  14. ↑ "The Singles Chart 61-100" (PDF). Record Business . 1980-11-24. p. 11. Retrieved 2025-04-10.
  15. ↑ "Billy Joel Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  16. ↑ "Billy Joel Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  17. ↑ "Top 100 Singles". RPM. Vol. 34, no. 6. December 20, 1980. Archived from the original on April 25, 2016. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  18. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN   0-89820-142-X.
  19. ↑ "American single certifications – Billy Joel – Don%t Ask Me Why". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved July 18, 2025.


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