Don't Tell Me (Avril Lavigne song)
Encyclopedia
"Don't Tell Me" is a song by Canadian recording artist Avril Lavigne
. It is the first single from her second studio album, Under My Skin. "Don't Tell Me" was written by Lavigne and Evan Taubenfeld
. The track was produced by Butch Walker
.
said "Lavigne herself sounds more burdened; ... the sk8erboi of the first album has turned out to be a selfish, nasty creep who leaves when she won't go to bed with him" in reference to Don't Tell Me. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic highlighted the song as a 'track pick' in a review of the album, Under My Skin.
In an AOL Radio
listener's poll, "Don't Tell Me" was voted Lavigne's ninth best song.
and filmed in Los Angeles, California
in March 2004. The video tells the story of the song. It opens with Avril's boyfriend leaving her apartment. After taking her anger out on her bedroom, she follows him around the city. During the bridge of the song, her boyfriend sees her in many places at once, so it's obvious that he's feeling guilty and her feelings are weighing heavily on his mind. At the end of the video, she decides that she's better off without him and lets him walk away.
The video was nominated for Best Pop Video
at the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards
, but lost to No Doubt's video for "It's My Life".
, at number ten in Australia
, at number six in Spain
, at number five in the UK
.
Avril Lavigne
Avril Ramona Lavigne is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She was born in Belleville, Ontario, but spent most of her youth in the small town of Napanee. By the age of 15, she had appeared on stage with Shania Twain; by 16, she had signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records worth more...
. It is the first single from her second studio album, Under My Skin. "Don't Tell Me" was written by Lavigne and Evan Taubenfeld
Evan Taubenfeld
Evan David Taubenfeld is an American singer-songwriter, best known for being Avril Lavigne's lead guitarist. Taubenfeld's debut album, Welcome to the Blacklist Club, was released on May 18, 2010.-Early life:...
. The track was produced by Butch Walker
Butch Walker
Butch Walker is an American recording artist, songwriter, and record producer. He was the lead guitarist for the metal band SouthGang from the late 80s to early 90s as well as the lead vocalist and guitarist for rock band Marvelous 3 from 1997 until 2001.-Career:Walker grew up in Cartersville,...
.
Background
When asked what "Don't Tell Me" was about, Lavigne said:Reception
In a review of the album Under My Skin, David Browne of Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
said "Lavigne herself sounds more burdened; ... the sk8erboi of the first album has turned out to be a selfish, nasty creep who leaves when she won't go to bed with him" in reference to Don't Tell Me. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic highlighted the song as a 'track pick' in a review of the album, Under My Skin.
In an AOL Radio
AOL Radio
AOL Radio powered by Slacker, , is an online radio service available only in the United States.- Roots :...
listener's poll, "Don't Tell Me" was voted Lavigne's ninth best song.
Music video
The music video for "Don't Tell Me" was directed by Liz FriedlanderLiz Friedlander
Liz Friedlander is an American film, music video and television director.Originally from New York, Friedlander moved to Pennsylvania to attend the Drama Conservatory school at Carnegie Mellon University...
and filmed in Los Angeles, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in March 2004. The video tells the story of the song. It opens with Avril's boyfriend leaving her apartment. After taking her anger out on her bedroom, she follows him around the city. During the bridge of the song, her boyfriend sees her in many places at once, so it's obvious that he's feeling guilty and her feelings are weighing heavily on his mind. At the end of the video, she decides that she's better off without him and lets him walk away.
The video was nominated for Best Pop Video
MTV Video Music Award for Best Pop Video
The MTV Video Music Award for Best Pop Video was first given out in , as MTV began to put several teen pop acts in heavy rotation. Nominations, however, were not just limited to pop acts, as dance, R&B, pop/rock, and, most recently, reggaeton artists have also received Best Pop Video nominations...
at the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards
MTV Video Music Awards
An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...
, but lost to No Doubt's video for "It's My Life".
Track listing
Charts and certifications
The song did moderately well on charts, peaking at number twenty-two in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, at number ten in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, at number six in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, at number five in the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Charts
| Chart (2004) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top 40 | 5 |
| Russian Top 20 | 1 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2004) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 98 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 94 |
| UK Singles Chart | 115 |
Certifications
| Country | Certification Music recording sales certification Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,... (sales thresholds) |
|---|---|
| United States | Gold |
Awards
| Year | Awards ceremony | Award | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | MuchMusic Video Awards MuchMusic Video Awards The MuchMusic Video Awards are annual awards presented by the Canadian music video channel MuchMusic to honour the year's best music videos.... |
Best international video by a Canadian | |
| People's Choice | |||
| MTV Video Music Awards MTV Video Music Awards An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos... |
Best Pop Video | ||
| MTV Video Music Brasil | Best International Video | ||
| Canadian Radio Music Awards Canadian Radio Music Awards The Canadian Radio Music Awards are an annual series of awards presented by the Canadian Association of Broadcasters that are part of Canadian Music Week.... |
Fan Choice Award | ||
| 2005 | ChartAttack.com | Best Breaking Mirror in a Video | |
| Best Video | |||
| Most Absurd in a Video | |||
| Socan Awards | Best Pop Song |
Release history
| Country | Date | Format | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | CD single CD single A CD single is a music single in the form of a standard size Compact Disc, not to be confused with the 3-inch CD single, which uses a smaller form factor. The format was introduced in the mid-1980s, but did not gain its place in the market until the early 1990s... |
Arista | |
| Germany | Arista | ||
| Japan | BMG Japan | ||
| United Kingdom | Arista | ||
| United States | Arista | ||