You Don't Know Anything

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"You Don't Know Anything"
Youdontknowanything.png
Single by Ivy
from the album Apartment Life
ReleasedApril 29, 1999 (1999-04-29)
Recorded1997 (1997)
Studio The Place, Duotone Studios, Compositions
(New York City)
Genre
Length3:45
Label Atlantic Records
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Andy Chase
  • Adam Schlesinger
  • Peter Nashel
Ivy singles chronology
"This Is the Day"
(1998)
"You Don't Know Anything"
(1999)
"Lucy Doesn't Love You"
(2000)

"You Don't Know Anything" is a song by American indie rock band Ivy. It was released by Atlantic Records on April 29, 1999 as the fourth and final single from their second studio album, Apartment Life (1997). The single was made available exclusively in Europe and featured the same two B-sides as previous single, "This Is the Day", which had been released by 550 Music in Austria. The track was written by Dominique Durand, Adam Schlesinger and Andy Chase while production was handled by the latter two and Peter Nashel.

Contents

Released alongside "This Is the Day", "You Don't Know Anything" received promotion by Atlantic Records after the former track was included on the soundtrack for the 1998 film, There's Something About Mary . The recording received generally favorable reviews from music critics who compared the song to the works of Irish rock group My Bloody Valentine.

Background and composition

"You Don't Know Anything" was written by Ivy band members Dominique Durand, Adam Schlesinger and Andy Chase. The production of the track was handled by Chase and Schlesinger, with additional production provided by Peter Nashel. Musically, "You Don't Know Anything" is a pop rock/indie rock song, also incorporating elements of indie pop and guitar accords. Lyrically, the song discusses a lover being "clueless" and "in the wrong". [1]

The single was heavily compared to My Bloody Valentine; in their review of the track, Sputnikmusic stated that it "comes off like a My Bloody Valentine song with intelligible vocals, with a sliding, reverb heavy hook and pummeling drums", [2] while AllMusic writer Jack Rabid drew similar comparisons. [1] Patrick Carmosino of Consumable Online stated that with "You Don't Know Anything", Ivy "have an indie-ethic rock side that compliments their pop sensibilities to the tee". [3]

Release

The recording was released simultaneously with the release of the single "This Is the Day"; this occurred after the latter track was featured in the 1998 film, There's Something About Mary. [4] "You Don't Know Anything" was released as a CD single exclusively in European countries; the CD included two B-side tracks, "Sleeping Late" and "Sweet Mary". [5]

Critical reception

"You Don't Know Anything" received generally positive reviews from music critics. Stephen Thompson of The A.V. Club praised the track and Apartment Life for "sound[ing] slickly pretty and mannered". [6] AllMusic named the song "a knockout" and praised it for allowing "the guitars [to] get mean". [1] Reviewer Scott Floman was more mixed with his review, finding the track to "pass by pleasantly but unremarkably". [7]

Track listing

European CD single [5]
No.TitleLength
1."You Don't Know Anything"3:45
2."Sleeping Late"2:30
3."Sweet Mary"3:14

Credits and personnel

Credits and personnel adapted from "You Don't Know Anything" liner notes and Andy Chase's discography. [8] [9]

Recording
Personnel

Release history

RegionDateFormatLabel
EuropeApril 29, 1999 [5] CD singleAtlantic Records

Related Research Articles

Ivy was an American indie pop band composed of Andy Chase, Adam Schlesinger, and Dominique Durand. They were active between 1994 and 2012.

<i>Apartment Life</i> 1997 studio album by Ivy

Apartment Life is the second studio album by American band Ivy, released by Atlantic Records on October 6, 1997. After being dropped from Seed Records following the release of Realistic in 1995, the group signed to Atlantic due to connections that Adam Schlesinger had with the record label. In addition to band members Andy Chase and Schlesinger, the album was produced by Lloyd Cole and Peter Nashel. In contrast to their previous releases, such as Lately (1994) and Realistic, Apartment Life is a pop album with varying forms of production consisting of keyboards, brass, and string instruments. Some of the compositions featured on the record were compared to the works of My Bloody Valentine, Pixies, and the Smiths. To promote the album, Ivy embarked on a series of promotional tours across the United States.

<i>In the Clear</i> 2005 studio album by Ivy

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<i>Long Distance</i> (Ivy album) 2000 studio album by Ivy

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<i>All Hours</i> 2011 studio album by Ivy

All Hours is the sixth and final studio album by American band Ivy, released by Nettwerk on September 20, 2011. Following 2005's In the Clear, the members took a hiatus from music, allowing Andy Chase and Adam Schlesinger to work on side projects and Dominique Durand and Chase to begin raising a family. After reuniting in 2008, they started work on a project exploring a new sound following concerns that their songs would become obsolete and unimaginative due to their break. All Hours features 11 songs written and produced by Chase and Schlesinger; they take influence from electropop, indie pop and synth-pop music. Unlike their previous albums, All Hours experiments more with electronic music and contains tracks reminiscent of the music from the 1980s.

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"Disappointed" is a song by American indie rock band Ivy. It was released as the second single from their third studio album, Long Distance (2000). It was released exclusively in the United States on July 10, 2001 by Nettwerk. The release was simultaneous with the release of '"Edge of the Ocean". The track was written by Dominique Durand, Adam Schlesinger and Andy Chase, while production was handled by the latter two and Peter Nashel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">This Is the Day (Ivy song)</span> 1998 single by Ivy

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">I've Got a Feeling (Ivy song)</span> 1997 single by Ivy

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Hate December</span> Single by American band Ivy

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References

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  2. EndSerenading (July 13, 2010). "Ivy – Apartment Life (album review)". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  3. Carmosino, Patrick. "Ivy, Apartment Life – Patrick Carmosino". Consumable Online. Archived from the original on April 22, 2016. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  4. Wilson, MacKenzie. "Ivy Biography". Billboard . Archived from the original on September 22, 2016. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 "The Band Ivy". The Band Ivy. Archived from the original on May 13, 2016. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
  6. Thompson, Stephen (March 29, 2002). "Ivy: Apartment Life". The A.V. Club . Archived from the original on September 23, 2016. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  7. Floman, Scott. "Ivy Apartment Life (Atlantic '97) Rating: B+". Scott's Rock and Soul Album Reviews. Archived from the original on May 6, 2016. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  8. This Is the Day (Liner notes). Ivy (band). New York City, New York: 550 Music. 1999.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. Chase, Andy. "Discography". Andy Chase. Archived from the original on February 1, 2015. Retrieved December 7, 2015.