Don't Go (Hothouse Flowers song)

"Don't Go"
Artwork for the 1988 re-release
Single by Hothouse Flowers
from the album People
B-side	"Better and Better", "Big Fat Heart" (1987) "Saved", "Hydroman" (1988)
Released	1987
Recorded	August 1987 [1]
Studio	The Townhouse III (London, England) [1]
Length	3:48 (album version) 3:30 (single version)
Label	London
Songwriter(s)	Liam Ó Maonlaí Fiachna Ó Braonáin Peter M. O'Toole
Producer(s)	Clive Langer Alan Winstanley
Hothouse Flowers singles chronology
"Love Don't Work This Way" (1987) "Don't Go" (1987) "Feet on the Ground" (1988)

"Don't Go" is the first single released by Irish rock group Hothouse Flowers from their debut studio album, People (1988). Originally released in Ireland in 1987, the song peaked at number two on the Irish Singles Chart. The following year, after Hothouse Flowers played the song during their interval performance at the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest, the track charted in Ireland once more, reaching number two for a second time.

Worldwide, "Don't Go" reached the top 10 in New Zealand and Sweden as well as the top 40 in several other European countries. In the United States, the song did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100, but it did reach number seven on the Modern Rock Tracks chart and number 16 on the Album Rock Tracks chart. The single version of "Don't Go" is different from the LP version; it has never been released on CD.

Track listings

1987 release

7-inch single [1] A. "Don't Go" B. "Better and Better" 12-inch single [2] A1. "Don't Go" (extended mix) B1. "Big Fat Heart" B2. "Better and Better"

10-inch single [3] A1. "Don't Go" (extended mix) A2. "Better and Better" B1. "Don't Go" (live acoustic version) B2. "Lonely Lane" (live)

1988 release

7-inch and mini-CD single [4] [5] "Don't Go" "Saved" 12-inch single [6] A1. "Don't Go" B1. "Saved" B2. "Hydroman"

CD single and mini-album [7] [8] "Don't Go" – 3:29 "Feet on the Ground" – 3:28 "Lonely Lane" (live) – 5:25 "Saved" – 3:37 CD Video single [9] "Don't Go" (audio) – 3:32 "I'm Sorry" (audio) – 3:35 "Ballad of Katie" (audio) – 6:10 "Don't Go" (video) – 3:12

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1987–1988) Peak position Australia (ARIA) [10] 39 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) [11] 16 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [12] 36 Canada Top Singles ( RPM ) [13] 45 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100) [14] 33 Ireland (IRMA) [15] 2 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) [16] 28 Netherlands (Single Top 100) [17] 28 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [18] 6 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [19] 6 UK Singles (OCC) [20] 11 US Album Rock Tracks ( Billboard ) [21] 16 US Modern Rock Tracks ( Billboard ) [22] 7 West Germany (GfK) [23] 26

Year-end charts Chart (1988) Position New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [24] 39

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
Ireland	1987	7-inch vinyl 12-inch vinyl	London
United Kingdom	2 November 1987			[25]
United Kingdom (re-release)	11 April 1988			[26]
Australia	30 May 1988	7-inch vinyl 12-inch vinyl CD		[27]

In popular culture

The song was performed by the Hothouse Flowers as the interval act of the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest held in Dublin, Ireland, which helped the band gain international recognition. ^{[28] [29]} The version used was the single version, not the LP mix, with the exception that the broadcast version was longer. The song is featured on an episode of the Irish sitcom Moone Boy .

References

1. Don't Go (Irish 7-inch single sleeve). Hothouse Flowers. London Records. 1987. LON 159.
2. Don't Go (Irish 12-inch single sleeve). Hothouse Flowers. London Records. 1987. LONX 159.
3. Don't Go (UK 10-inch single sleeve). Hothouse Flowers. London Records. 1987. LONT 159.
4. Don't Go (UK 7-inch single sleeve). Hothouse Flowers. London Records. 1988. LON 174, 8862797.
5. Don't Go (Japanese mini-CD single liner notes). Hothouse Flowers. London Records. 1988. P10L 30011.
6. Don't Go (UK 12-inch single sleeve). Hothouse Flowers. London Records. 1988. LONX 174, 8862791.
7. Don't Go (UK CD single liner notes). Hothouse Flowers. London Records. 1988. LONCD 174, 886 279-2.
8. Don't Go (Japanese mini-album liner notes). Hothouse Flowers. London Records. 1988. P13L 37004.
9. Don't Go (German CDV single liner notes). Hothouse Flowers. London Records. 1988. 080 482-2.
10. "Hothouse Flowers – Don't Go". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
11. "Hothouse Flowers – Don't Go" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
12. "Hothouse Flowers – Don't Go" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
13. "RPM 100 Singles" (PDF). RPM . Vol. 48, no. 26. 15 October 1988. p. 6. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
14. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 5, no. 24. 11 June 1988. p. 23. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
15. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Hothouse Flowers". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
16. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 31, 1988" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
17. "Hothouse Flowers – Don't Go" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
18. "Hothouse Flowers – Don't Go". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
19. "Hothouse Flowers – Don't Go". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
20. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
21. "Mainstream Rock Airplay" . Billboard . 8 October 1988. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
22. "Alternative Airplay" . Billboard. 1 October 1988. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
23. "Offiziellecharts.de – Hothouse Flowers – Don't Go" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
24. "End of Year Charts 1988". Recorded Music NZ . Retrieved 11 October 2019.
25. "New Singles". Music Week . 31 October 1987. p. 35.
26. "New Singles". Music Week. 9 April 1988. p. 50.
27. "Australian Music Report No 722 – 30 May 1988 > Singles: New Releases". Australian Music Report . Retrieved 23 February 2020.
28. "Hothouse Flowers". Nostalgia Central. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
29. Hayes, Dermott (18 June 1994). "Eurovision Interval Song 'Riverdance' Beats the Winners". Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 25. p. 11.