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"You Tell Me"
Single by Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two
A-side"You Tell Me"
" Goodby Little Darlin'"
Released1959 (1959)
Genre country
Label Sun 331
Songwriter(s) Roy Orbison [1]

"You Tell Me" is a song originally recorded by Johnny Cash. It was written for him by Roy Orbison. [2] [3]

The song was recorded by Cash at Sun Records in May 1958. [2] [3] and released as a single (Sun 331, with " Goodby Little Darlin'" on the opposite side) in September 1959, [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] when he already left the label for Columbia.

Background

It was during this [May 1958 "The Story of Broken Heart"] 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 [2]

References

  1. ^ "Goodby Little Darlin' / You Tell Me". Discogs. Retrieved 2019-01-20.
  2. ^ a b c 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.
  3. ^ a b c John L. Smith (1 January 1999). Another Song to Sing: The Recorded Repertoire of Johnny Cash. Scarecrow Press. ISBN  978-0-8108-3629-7.
  4. ^ John Edwards Memorial Foundation (1974). JEMF Quarterly. John Edwards Memorial Foundation.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ Tim Neely (2004-05-01). Goldmine Records & Prices. Krause Publications. ISBN  978-0-87349-781-7. Goodbye Little You Tell Me Sun 331.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ George Albert (1984-01-01). The Cash Box Country Singles Charts, 1958-1982. Scarecrow Press. ISBN  978-0-8108-1685-5.
  9. ^ 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.