I Really Don't Want to Know

"I Really Don't Want to Know" is a popular song written by Don Robertson (music) Howard Barnes (lyrics). The song was published in 1953.

The best-known version of the song was recorded by Les Paul and Mary Ford in 1953, one of the top 100 songs of 1954, reaching the No. 11 in the charts.^[1]

Ronnie Dove version

"I Really Don't Want to Know"
Single by Tommy Edwards
B-side	"Unloved"
Released	May 1960
Recorded	1960
Genre	R&B
Length	2:15
Label	MGM
Songwriter(s)	Barnes, Robertson
Tommy Edwards singles chronology
"Don't Fence Me In" (1960) "I Really Don't Want to Know" (1960) "It's Not The End of Everything" (1960)

"I Really Don't Want to Know"
Single by Ronnie Dove
from the album Ronnie Dove Sings the Hits for You
B-side	"Years of Tears"
Released	August 1966
Recorded	1966
Genre	Pop
Length	2:49
Label	Diamond
Songwriter(s)	H. Barnes, D. Robertson
Producer(s)	Phil Kahl
Ronnie Dove singles chronology
"Happy Summer Days" (1966) "I Really Don't Want to Know" (1966) "Cry" (1966)

Ronnie Dove recorded the song on Diamond Records in the summer of 1966. It peaked at number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 12 on the Billboard Easy Listening chart.^[2]

Chart positions

Chart (1966)	Peak position
US Billboard Hot 100^[3]	22
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)^[4]	12

Other versions

"I Really Don't Want to Know"
Single by Elvis Presley
from the album Elvis Country
A-side	"I Really Don't Want To Know"
B-side	"There Goes My Everything"
Released	December 8, 1970
Recorded	June 7, 1970
Studio	RCA’s Studio B Nashville
Genre	Country
Label	RCA Records
Songwriter(s)	Howard Barnes, Don Robertson
Producer(s)	Felton Jarvis
Elvis Presley singles chronology
"You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" "I Really Don't Want to Know" / "There Goes My Everything" "Rags to Riches"

• Tommy Edwards's version hit the pop top 20 in 1960, peaking at No. 18.^[5]
• Eddy Arnold's version was a number one country song in 1954,^[6] and was on his album You Gotta Have Love (1960).^[7]
• Johnny Burnette - for his album Dreamin (1960)
• Solomon Burke - a single release. (1962).^[8]
• Andy Williams released a version on his 1963 album, Days of Wine and Roses and Other TV Requests.
• Connie Francis - for her album Country Music – Connie Style (1962).^[9]
• Kay Starr - for the album Just Plain Country (1962).^[10]
• Al Martino - for his album I Love You Because (1963).^[11]
• Esther Phillips - for her album Release Me (1963).^[12]
• Rosemary Clooney - Rosemary Clooney Sings Country Hits from the Heart (1963)
• Eydie Gormé - for her album Gormé Country Style (1964).^[13]
• Gene Pitney - on the album George Jones and Gene Pitney: For the First Time! Two Great Singers (1965)
• Perry Como - The Scene Changes (1965)
• Vic Damone - in his album Country Love Songs (1965).^[14]
• Brook Benton - in the album My Country (1966).^[15]
• Loretta Lynn - in her album Don't Come Home a Drinkin' (With Lovin' on Your Mind) (1967).
• Elvis Presley - Elvis Country (I'm 10,000 Years Old) (1970) Presley's cover became a gold record.
• Chen Fen Lan (Taiwanese singer) - included in her LP album Golden Record (1970).
• Gene Clark on his album Roadmaster (first released in 1973).
• Johnny Rodriguez included some Spanish language lyrics in his version. (1973).^[16]
• Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson - included in the album Burlap & Satin (1983)
• Jason & the Scorchers offered an alt country version on their 1985 album "Lost and Found".
• John Travolta sang the song in the 2004 film A Love Song for Bobby Long.
• Anne Murray's tribute-to-the-1950s album, Croonin' (1993).
• Jerry Lee Lewis included it on his 2010 album, "Mean Old Man".^[17]
• Knud Pfeiffer wrote the Danish lyrics. The Danish title is "Jeg ønsker ikke dit svar". Raquel Rastenni with Harry Felbert's sixtet and chorus recorded it in Copenhagen in 1954. The song was released on His Master's Voice X 8219.
• A Japanese version was sung by Yōichi Sugawara (菅原洋一) as "Shiritakunai no" (知りたくないの) in 1965.
• This song was covered in Mandarin Chinese language, given the title name of 過去的春夢 (Passed Memory) with Chinese lyrics written by Li Rui Cheng (李瑞成), recorded by various female and male singers, such as Rou Yun (柔雲) in 1956, Judi Jim (詹小屏) in 1973 from Hong Kong, Zi Wei (紫薇) in 1969, Bao Na-Na (包娜娜) in 1976, Feng Fei-fei & Yao Su-Rong (姚蘇蓉) both in 1978, Long Piao-Piao (龍飄飄), Yu Ya (尤雅) in 2002 from Taiwan, and Ling Seow (凌霄) from Singapore.

Answer song

• "I Really Want You to Know" by Skeeter Davis was released by RCA in 1961 as an answer song to Eddy Arnold's version of the song.

Chart performance

Elvis Presley version

Chart (1970)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	21
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles	23
U.S. Billboard Easy Listening	2
Canadian RPM Top Singles	9
Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary	7

References

1. Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Wisconsin, USA: Record Research Inc. p. 349. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.
2. Ronnie Dove - Chart History - The Hot 100 Billboard.com. Accessed July 25, 2015
3. "Ronnie Dove Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
4. "Ronnie Dove Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
5. The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits (8th ed.). New York: Billboard Books. 2004. p. 202. ISBN 0-8230-7499-4.
6. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 213.
7. "Eddy Arnold - You Gotta Have Love". Discogs.com. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
8. "Solomon Burke - I Really Don't Want To Know". 45cat.com. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
9. "Connie Francis - Country Music Connie Style". Discogs.com. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
10. "Kay Starr - Just Plain Country". Discogs.com. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
11. "Al Martino - I Love You Because". Discogs.com. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
12. ""Little" Esther Phillips* And The Anita Kerr Singers - Release Me! Reflections Of Country And Western Greats". Discogs.com. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
13. "Eydie Gorme* - Gorme Country Style". Discogs.com. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
14. "Vic Damone - Country Love Songs". Discogs.com. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
15. "Brook Benton - My Country". Discogs.com. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
16. "Johnny Rodriguez – I Really Don't Want To Know / That The Way Love Goes (1973, Santa Maria Pressing, Vinyl)". Discogs.com. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
17. "Jerry Lee Lewis - Mean Old Man". Discogs.com. Retrieved 1 May 2021.

External links

•  Pop music portal