| "You Tell Me" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two | |
| A-side | "You Tell Me" "Goodby Little Darlin'" |
| Released | 1959 (1959) |
| Genre | country |
| Label | Sun 331 |
| Songwriter(s) | Roy Orbison |
"You Tell Me" is a song originally recorded by Johnny Cash. It was written for him by Roy Orbison.
The song was recorded by Cash at Sun Records in May 1958. and released as a single (Sun 331, with "Goodby Little Darlin'" on the opposite side) in September 1959, when he already left the label for Columbia.
Background
It was during this session that Cash recorded “You Tell Me,” his first Roy Orbison penned ballad. Along with Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Carl Perkins, legendary singer-songwriter Roy Orbison also started his career at Sun. He enjoyed his first charting single, “Ooby Dooby,” in 1956 while working at Sun. Cash and Orbison formed a lifelong friendship, and this song by Orbison started it all. It almost feels incomplete, however, and while Cash tries to inhabit it, it does remain simply a noble attempt in his canon of songs.
— John M. Alexander. The Man in Song: A Discographic Biography of Johnny Cash
References
- "Goodby Little Darlin' / You Tell Me". Discogs. Retrieved 2019-01-20.
- ^ John M. Alexander (2018-04-10). The Man in Song: A Discographic Biography of Johnny Cash. University of Arkansas Press. pp. 31–. ISBN 978-1-68226-051-7.
- ^ John L. Smith (1 January 1999). Another Song to Sing: The Recorded Repertoire of Johnny Cash. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-3629-7.
- John Edwards Memorial Foundation (1974). JEMF Quarterly. John Edwards Memorial Foundation.
- Joel Whitburn (2002). Top Country Singles, 1944 to 2001: Chart Data Compiled from Billboard's Country Singles Charts, 1944-2001. Record Research. ISBN 978-0-89820-151-2.
Joel Whitburn (2005). Joel Whitburn's Top Country Songs: 1944-2005, Billboard. Record Research. ISBN 978-0-89820-165-9. - Tim Neely (2004-05-01). Goldmine Records & Prices. Krause Publications. ISBN 978-0-87349-781-7.
Goodbye Little You Tell Me Sun 331.
- Colin Escott; Martin Hawkins (1980). Sun Records: The Brief History of the Legendary Recording Label. Quick Fox. ISBN 978-0-8256-3161-0.
Goodbye Little Darling You Tell Me.
- George Albert (1984-01-01). The Cash Box Country Singles Charts, 1958-1982. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-1685-5.
- Peter Lewry (2001). I've Been Everywhere: A Johnny Cash Chronicle. Helter Skelter. ISBN 978-1-900924-22-1.
September
Sun records release "You Tell Me"/ "Goodbye, Little Darlin" (Sun 331) and it registers on the country charts for just four weeks with a high of #22.
