"You Tell Me Why" | ||||
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Single by The Beau Brummels | ||||
from the album The Beau Brummels, Volume 2 | ||||
Released | July 1965 | |||
Recorded | 28 May, 1 & 11 June 1965 | |||
Studio | Coast Recorders, Inc., San Francisco, California | |||
Genre | Folk rock | |||
Length | 2:45 | |||
Label | Autumn | |||
Songwriter(s) | Ron Elliott | |||
Producer(s) | Sylvester "Sly Stone" Stewart | |||
The Beau Brummels singles chronology | ||||
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"You Tell Me Why" is a song by American rock group The Beau Brummels, from the band's second album, The Beau Brummels, Volume 2 . The song was written by guitarist Ron Elliott and produced by Sylvester Stewart, later known as Sly Stone. "You Tell Me Why" was released as the album's lead single, and peaked at number 38 on the Billboard Hot 100 in August 1965. The band revisited the song and included it on their 1975 eponymous album. The original version later appeared on the band's 1987 compilation album The Best of The Beau Brummels 1964–1968 .
Released in the summer of 1965, "You Tell Me Why" was the Beau Brummels' third and final U.S. top 40 hit, reaching number 38 in August. [1] The song peaked at number eight in Canada, making it the third consecutive single by the band to reach the top 10 on the Canadian Singles Chart. [2]
The song was written by Ron Elliott and produced by Sylvester Stewart, later known as Sly Stone, although his involvement, according to Elliott and lead vocalist Sal Valentino, had diminished to the point the band does not recall any producer being in charge. [3] SF Weekly journalist Justin F. Farrar said the song was "so prescient of the lush, melancholic vibe of early Jefferson Airplane that Marty Balin must have been digging it." [4] Allmusic writer Matthew Greenwald called it one of the band's "finest early ballads." [5]
The single's B-side, "I Want You," was also written by Elliott. Music critic and author Richie Unterberger said it was "as good as any song the Beau Brummels ever did, with its dense humming harmonies and spellbinding melody. [3]
The Beau Brummels re-recorded "You Tell Me Why" on their self-titled 1975 reunion album. It was the only remake of the band's older material to appear on the album. [5] A live performance of the song from February 1974 is included on the band's 2000 Live! album, which was recorded in Fair Oaks Village near Sacramento, California. [6] Australian surf rock band The Atlantics released a cover version of the song as the B-side to their 1967 single "Come On." [7] Acoustic guitarist Leo Kottke included his rendition of the song on his 1974 album, Ice Water . [8]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "You Tell Me Why" | Elliott | 3:04 |
2. | "I Want You" | Elliott | 2:57 |
Chart (1965) | Peak position |
---|---|
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 [1] | 38 |
U.S. Cash Box Top 100 Singles [9] | 36 |
Canadian Singles Chart [2] | 8 |
The Beau Brummels were an American rock band. Formed in San Francisco in 1964, the band's original lineup included Sal Valentino, Ron Elliott, Ron Meagher, Declan Mulligan, and John Petersen (drums). They were discovered by local disc jockeys who were looking to sign acts to their new label, Autumn Records, where Sylvester Stewart—later known as Sly Stone—produced the group's early recording sessions. Initially, the band's musical style blended beat music and folk music and typically drew comparisons to the Beatles, while their later work incorporated other music genres such as psychedelic rock and country rock.
"Laugh, Laugh" is a song by American rock group The Beau Brummels, written by guitarist Ron Elliott and produced by Sylvester Stewart, later known as Sly Stone. Released in December 1964 as the band's debut single, the song reached number 15 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart the following February. "Laugh, Laugh" was the first hit single to come out of the emerging San Francisco music scene in response to the British Invasion. The song was later included on the band's first full-length album, Introducing the Beau Brummels, released in April 1965.
Triangle is the fourth studio album by American rock band The Beau Brummels. Produced by Lenny Waronker and released in July 1967, it was the band's first album to include songs that vocalist Sal Valentino and guitarist Ron Elliott composed together. The band incorporated fantasy elements and surreal characters into the album's song titles and lyrics, and worked with a variety of session musicians to create Triangle's psychedelic musical style. The Beau Brummels were reduced to a trio—Valentino, Elliott, and Ron Meagher—at the time Triangle was recorded, as former group members Don Irving (guitars) and John Petersen (drums) left the band following the release of the group's previous album, Beau Brummels '66.
"Just a Little" is a song by American rock group The Beau Brummels. The song is included on the band's debut album, Introducing the Beau Brummels, and was released as its second single, following "Laugh, Laugh". "Just a Little" became the band's highest-charting U.S. single, peaking at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 in June 1965. It also reached the top 10 of the charts in Canada and Australia.
"Don't Talk to Strangers" is a song by American rock group The Beau Brummels, released as the second single from the band's second album, The Beau Brummels, Volume 2. The song later appeared on the band's 1987 compilation album The Best of The Beau Brummels 1964–1968. The single peaked at number 52 on the Billboard Hot 100 in November 1965; its relatively low chart placement possibly being the result of the band's label, Autumn Records, verging on collapse at the time. The song reached number 16 on the Canadian singles chart.
Bradley's Barn is the fifth studio album by American rock group The Beau Brummels. Released in October 1968, it contains the singles "Long Walking Down to Misery" and "Cherokee Girl." The album has received critical acclaim as an early example of country rock. Bradley's Barn is actually a recording studio in Nashville owned by Owen Bradley.
The Beau Brummels were an American rock band that formed in 1964 and originally consisted of singer Sal Valentino, lead guitarist Ron Elliott, bassist Ron Meagher, rhythm guitarist Declan Mulligan and drummer John Petersen. Local radio disc jockeys Tom Donahue and Bobby Mitchell discovered the band at a club near San Francisco. They signed the Beau Brummels to their fledgling Autumn Records label, and their house producer, Sylvester Stewart, later known as Sly Stone, recorded the band's early sessions.
The Beau Brummels, Volume 2 is the second studio album by American rock group The Beau Brummels. Released in August 1965, the album contains the U.S. top 40 hit "You Tell Me Why" and follow-up single "Don't Talk to Strangers."
"Good Time Music" is a song originally recorded by American pop rock band The Lovin' Spoonful in 1965. Written by John Sebastian, it appeared on the 1966 Elektra Records compilation What's Shakin'. The song has been described as "a sort of manifeseto of the group's optimism in its jaunty rhythms and celebration of the return of good time music to the radio."
Ronald Charles Elliott is an American musician, composer and producer, best known as songwriter and lead guitarist of rock band The Beau Brummels. Elliott wrote or co-wrote the band's 1965 U.S. top 20 hits "Laugh, Laugh" and "Just a Little". In addition to reuniting with the Beau Brummels on occasion over the years, Elliott released a solo album in 1970, and has played on and produced albums by a number of other artists.
Ron Meagher is best known as bassist of American rock band The Beau Brummels. When guitarist-songwriter Ron Elliott was putting the band together in 1964, he asked a friend, Kay Dane, if she knew any good bass players. Dane recommended Meagher, but cautioned, "He's kind of weird. He has long hair!" After joining the band, Meagher proved to be important to the band's image, as he was one of the first American rock musicians with Beatlesque hair.
"Here We Are Again" is a song by American rock group The Beau Brummels. It was released in 1966 as the band's second single on Warner Bros. Records, following their cover of Bob Dylan's "One Too Many Mornings," released earlier that year. "Here We Are Again" was the first Beau Brummels' A-side written by lead vocalist Sal Valentino.
"Magic Hollow" is a song by American rock group The Beau Brummels, from the band's fourth album, 1967's Triangle. The song, written by guitarist Ron Elliott and lead singer Sal Valentino, was released as the album's first single. The song appeared on the band's 1987 compilation album The Best of the Beau Brummels 1964-1968, and "Magic Hollow" also served as the title of the band's 2005 four-disc box set.
The Beau Brummels is the sixth studio album by the American rock band of the same name. Released in April 1975, the album features the work of all five original band members for the first time since the band's debut album, 1965's Introducing the Beau Brummels. The album peaked at number 180 on the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart in 1975.
John Declan Mulligan is an Irish rock musician, singer and songwriter, best known as a guitarist of American rock band The Beau Brummels. In 1964, he met Ron Elliott, Sal Valentino, and John Petersen during an informal rehearsal at the Irish Cultural Center in San Francisco. After joining the Beau Brummels, who shortly thereafter also added Ron Meagher, Mulligan recorded perhaps his most memorable contribution with the band, the harmonica opening of the hit single "Laugh, Laugh," which reached the top 20 of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in February 1965.
Live! is a live album by American rock group The Beau Brummels. The album, released in August 2000 by Dig Music, was recorded in February 1974 near Sacramento, California, shortly after it was announced that the band had reunited. The album includes a mix of performances of their most commercially singles, including "Laugh, Laugh" and "Just a Little," as well as then-new material, some of which would be recorded for the band's 1975 eponymous studio album.
The Best of the Beau Brummels 1964-1968, sometimes titled The Best of the Beau Brummels: Golden Archive Series, is a compilation album by American rock band The Beau Brummels. Released in 1987 by Rhino Records, the album features 18 songs, including the band's biggest hit singles—"Laugh, Laugh", "Just a Little", "You Tell Me Why", and "Don't Talk to Strangers"—as well as songs which never appeared on an album before this collection, such as the 1967 single "Here We Are Again".
Not to be confused with Styx (band)
From the Vaults is a compilation album by American rock band The Beau Brummels. It was released in 1982 by Rhino Records, and reissued in 1999 by One Way Records. The album contains 14 songs, including rare or previously unreleased material recorded by the band between 1964 and 1966.
The Mojo Men was an American rock band based in San Francisco. Formed in 1965, the group underwent several name and personnel changes until their 1969 breakup. Their highest-charting Billboard Hot 100 single was a cover of Buffalo Springfield's "Sit Down, I Think I Love You", which peaked at number 36 in 1967.