Don't Look Back (Fine Young Cannibals song)

Last updated

"Don't Look Back"
Fine Young Cannibals - Don't Look Back.jpg
Single by Fine Young Cannibals
from the album The Raw & the Cooked
B-side "You Never Know"
Released7 August 1989 (1989-08-07)
Length3:43
Label London
Songwriter(s) Roland Gift, David Steele
Producer(s) Fine Young Cannibals
Fine Young Cannibals singles chronology
"Good Thing"
(1989)		"Don't Look Back"
(1989)		"I'm Not the Man I Used to Be"
(1989)

"Don't Look Back" is a song by British pop-rock band Fine Young Cannibals. It was released as the third single from the band's second studio album, The Raw & the Cooked . The song reached the top 10 on the charts of Canada and Ireland and peaked at number 11 in the United States.

Contents

Music and lyrics

Written by lead vocalist Roland Gift and bassist David Steele, the lyrics of "Don't Look Back" are mostly pessimistic, and depict someone who tries desperately to leave their difficult past behind them without looking back. [1] While the band's previous two hits, the US number ones "She Drives Me Crazy" and "Good Thing", were influenced by American rhythm and blues, "Don't Look Back" features guitar riffs that are more reminiscent of The Byrds and The Beatles. [1]

Release and reception

Released on 7 August 1989, [2] "Don't Look Back" reached number 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, [3] number nine on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, [4] and number 10 on the Cash Box Top 100 chart. [5] In Canada, the song peaked at number 10 on the RPM 100 Singles chart in October. [6] It also reached number 34 on the UK Singles Chart, [2] number 23 in New Zealand, and number 38 in Australia. [7]

Track listings

7-inch vinyl (Europe, Australasia)

  1. "Don't Look Back" – 3:43
  2. "You Never Know" – 4:27

7-inch vinyl (US, Canada)

  1. "Don't Look Back" – 3:36
  2. "As Hard As It Is" – 3:10

12-inch vinyl, CD maxi-single

  1. "Don't Look Back" (12-inch mix) – 5:50
  2. "You Never Know" – 4:27
  3. "Don't Look Back" (7-inch mix) – 3:43

Charts

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)Ref(s).
United Kingdom7 August 1989
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
 London [14]
28 August 198912-inch vinyl with 3-D cover [15]
Japan1 October 1989Mini-CD [16] [17]

References

  1. 1 2 Thompson, Dave. ""Don't Look Back" – Song Review". Allmusic (Rovi Corporation). Retrieved 16 January 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 February 2025.
  3. 1 2 "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard . 7 October 1989. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  4. 1 2 "Alternative Airplay" . Billboard. 19 August 1989. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  5. 1 2 Whitburn, Joel (2014). Cash Box Pop Hits 1952–1996 . Sheridan Books, Inc. ISBN   978-0-89820-209-0.
  6. 1 2 "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6585." RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 8 February 2025.
  7. 1 2 "Fine Young Cannibals – Don't Look Back". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 8 February 2025.
  8. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Don't Look Back". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 15 April 2025.
  9. ↑ "Fine Young Cannibals – Don't Look Back". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 8 February 2025.
  10. ↑ "Dance Singles Sales" . Billboard. 28 October 1989. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  11. ↑ "Mainstream Rock Airplay" . Billboard. 26 August 1989. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  12. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Fine Young Cannibals – Don't Look Back" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 8 February 2025.
  13. ↑ "Top 100 Singles of '89". RPM . Retrieved 30 May 2025– via Library and Archives Canada.
  14. ↑ "New Singles". Music Week . 5 August 1989. p. 34.
  15. ↑ "New Singles". Music Week. 26 August 1989. p. 38.
  16. ↑ "ファイン・ヤング・カニバルズ | ドント・ルック・バック" [Fine Young Cannibals | Don't Look Back] (in Japanese). Oricon . Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  17. ↑ "ファイン・ヤング・カニバルズ | ドント・ルック・バック" [Fine Young Cannibals | Don't Look Back] (in Japanese). Oricon . Retrieved 30 May 2025.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.