"No Tell Lover" is a song written by Lee Loughnane, Danny Seraphine, and Peter Cetera for the group Chicago and recorded for their album Hot Streets (1978), with Cetera and Donnie Dacus singing lead vocals. The second single released from that album, it reached No. 14 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. 5 on the adult contemporary chart.[1]
"No Tell Lover" | ||||
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Single by Chicago | ||||
from the album Hot Streets | ||||
B-side | "Take a Chance" | |||
Released | December 1978 | |||
Genre | Soft rock | |||
Length | 3:48 (Single version) 4:13 (Album version) | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Songwriter(s) | Peter Cetera, Lee Loughnane, Danny Seraphine | |||
Producer(s) | Phil Ramone & Chicago | |||
Chicago singles chronology | ||||
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Cash Box called it a "classy pop single" that tells "a sultry tale of masked love."[2] Record World said it "has the feel of a classic Chicago ballad."[3] In 2019, Billboard said about the song, "While the lyrical content — an ode to extramarital affairs — hasn’t particularly benefitted from the passing years, “No Tell Lover” is still a beautifully penned number from Chicago’s transition into soft-rock nobility."[4]
After "No Tell Lover", Chicago failed to chart a single in the U.S. top 50 for nearly four years, finally breaking their slump with the 1982 No. 1 hit, "Hard to Say I'm Sorry".[4]
Personnel
edit- Peter Cetera - lead & backing vocals, bass
- Donnie Dacus - lead & backing vocals, electric guitars
- Robert Lamm - Fender Rhodes electric piano, backing vocals
- Danny Seraphine - drums
- Laudir de Oliveira - percussion
- James Pankow - trombone
- Lee Loughnane - trumpet, backing vocals
- Walt Parazaider - tenor saxophone
- Blue Weaver - ARP String Ensemble synthesizer
Chart performance
edit
Weekly chartsedit
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Year-end chartsedit
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References
edit- ^ a b "Chicago Awards". Allmusic. Retrieved 2012-08-17.
- ^ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. December 23, 1978. p. 18. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
- ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. December 23, 1978. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
- ^ a b Olivier, Bobby (2019-04-25). "The 50 Best Chicago Songs: Critics' Picks". Billboard. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
- ^ "Image : RPM Weekly". Library and Archives Canada. 17 July 2013.
- ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1979-03-17. Retrieved 2018-03-10.
- ^ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart | The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Nztop40.co.nz. 1979-03-18. Retrieved 2016-10-13.
- ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
- ^ Bac-lac.gc.ca
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.