Don't Tell Me You Love Me - Misplaced Pages

"Don't Tell Me You Love Me" is a song by Night Ranger written by Jack Blades from their 1982 album, Dawn Patrol. It was released as a single in December 1982.

The song was re-recorded for the music video game Rock Band and was released as downloadable content.

Background

Singer Jack Blades was thinking about a hypothetical relationship that is "fun and happy" until one person confesses they love the other, at which point tension begins. He wrote the chorus first, followed by a few verses. He didn't think he had written enough lyrics, but his producer convinced him he had conveyed the message of the song sufficiently in those few words.

Music video

The song's music video that was played on MTV, which shows the band performing the song on rail tracks in front of an oncoming train, was directed by Daniel Halperin and produced by Paul Flattery. A live video for the song was released in 2016 to promote the live album 35 Years and a Night in Chicago.

Track listing

7" single

Side A
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Don't Tell Me You Love Me"	4:20

Side B
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Night Ranger"	4:31

Radio edit single

Side A
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Don't Tell Me You Love Me" (radio edit)	3:37

Side B
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Night Ranger"	4:22

Charts

Chart (1983)	Peak position
US Billboard Hot 100	40
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)	4
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)	9

References

Prown, Pete; Newquist, HP (1997). Legends of Rock Guitar: The Essential Reference of Rock's Greatest Guitarists. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 207. ISBN 978-0-7935-4042-6.
"spreadit.org music". Archived from the original on February 12, 2009. Retrieved February 5, 2009.
Ortega, Shawna (March 15, 2010). "Jack Blades of Night Ranger and Damn Yankees : Songwriter Interviews". Songfacts. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
"Night Ranger: Don't Tell Me You Love Me (Video 1983)". IMDb. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
"Night Ranger: 'Don't Tell Me You Love Me' Performance Clip From '35 Years And A Night In Chicago'". Blabbermouth.net. November 15, 2016. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
"Night Ranger Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
"Night Ranger Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
"Night Ranger – Don't Tell Me You Love Me". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved October 30, 2023.

v t e Night Ranger
Jack Blades Brad Gillis Kelly Keagy Eric Levy Keri Kelli Alan Fitzgerald Jeff Watson Jesse Bradman Gary Moon David Zaijcek (Zajicek) Michael Lardie Reb Beach Christian Matthew Cullen Joel Hoekstra Deen Castronovo Will Evankovich Brandon Ethridge Fred Coury
Studio albums	Dawn Patrol (1982) Midnight Madness (1983) 7 Wishes (1985) Big Life (1987) Man in Motion (1988) Somewhere in California (2011) High Road (2014) Don't Let Up (2017) ATBPO (2021)
Compilations	Greatest Hits (1989)
Singles	"Don't Tell Me You Love Me" (1983) "(You Can Still) Rock in America" (1983) "Sister Christian" (1984) "When You Close Your Eyes" (1984) "Goodbye" (1985) "The Secret of My Success" (1987)
Related articles	Members Discography

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