"Don't Bring Me Down" is the ninth and final track on the Electric Light Orchestra's 1979 album Discovery. It is their highest charting hit in the US to date.
History
"Don't Bring Me Down" is the band's second highest charting hit in the UK where it peaked at number 3 and their biggest hit in the United States, peaking at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also charted well in Canada (number 1) and Australia (number 6). This was the first song by ELO not to include a string section.
The drum track is in fact a tape loop, coming from "On the Run" looped and slowed down.
The song ends with the sound of a door slamming. According to producer Jeff Lynne, this was a metal fire door at Musicland Studios where the song was recorded.
The song was dedicated to the NASASkylab space station, which re-entered the Earth's atmosphere over the Indian Ocean and Western Australia on 11 July 1979.
On 4 November 2007, Lynne was awarded a BMI (Broadcast Music, Inc) Million-Air certificate for "Don't Bring Me Down" for the song having reached two million airplays.
"Don't Bring Me Down" was the third of The Animals' epic personalisations of Brill Building material, following the 1965 hits "We Gotta Get Out of This Place" and "It's My Life". According to one account, all three came out of one call in 1965 that The Animals' then-producer Mickie Most made for songs.
The Animals had always had a somewhat contentious relationship with such songs, knowing they gave them hits but preferring the more straightforward R&B numbers they used for album tracks. Moreover, now they were performing a Goffin and King selection; although the couple was already legendary for their pop songwriting prowess, Animals lead singerEric Burdon had previously seemingly mocked Goffin-King's "Take Good Care of My Baby" in The Animals' 1964 stream-of-consciousness rock history "Story of Bo Diddley". Furthermore, they were now using Tom Wilson as a producer, who promised them more artistic freedom than they had had under Mickie Most.
"Bring Me Down (You Don't)" is a song by British rock band Love Amongst Ruin, written by singer and guitarist Steve Hewitt. The song has frequently been performed live by the band.
Background
The music for "Bring Me Down (You Don't)" is taken from the song "Bel Air", by krautrock band Can. The song was recorded along with the rest of the band's debut album in 2007 and 2008. Steve Hewitt said of the writing process, "I used the music from a band called Can and I put my own lyrics to it and rearranged it". He later had to submit the song to Can's publishers and it was not approved for release. As a result of the rejection, the song was replaced on the album with "Come On Say It".
Release
An acoustic version of the song was given away by the band as a free download on SoundCloud on 8 November 2011, in advance of the release of "Acoustic".
"Don't!" is a song co-written and recorded by Canadian country music singer Shania Twain. It was released in January 2005 as the second single from her Greatest Hits album. The song was written by Twain and then-husband Robert John "Mutt" Lange. The song was also included under the end credits of the 2005 film An Unfinished Life, and in the Brazilian soap opera América.
Music video
The music video for "Don't!" was shot in Oaxaca, Mexico at Quinta Real Hotel and Yucca plantation. It was filmed on October 24, 2004 and released January 2, 2005, it was directed by Wayne Isham. The video is available on some of the commercial singles for "Don't!". In 2006, CMT Canada named "Don't!" the eighth sexiest country music video.
In the video Twain rides a horse through rows of Yucca wearing a red dress, and walks around in the hotel wearing a white dress and corset. Near the end of the video, a tear runs down her face.
Chart performance
"Don't!" debuted on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart the week of January 29, 2005 at number 44, Twain's fourth highest debut of all time, and highest of the week. The single spent 15 weeks on the chart and climbed to a peak position of number 24 on April 2, 2005, where it remained for one week. "Don't!" became Twain's first single to miss the top 20 since 2000's "Rock This Country!".
When you complain and criticize I feel I'm nothing in your eyes., It makes me feel like givin' up Because my best just ain't good enough. Girl I want to provide for you and Do the things you want me to! But oh, oh, no, don't bring me down! Oh, baby you know! Oh, oh, no, don't bring me down! Sacrifices I will make, I'm ready to give as well as take, One thing I need is your respect, One thing I can't take is your neglect, More than anything I need your love Then trouble's easy to rise above. But oh, oh, no, don't bring me down! Oh, baby you know! Oh, oh, no, don't bring me down! When you complain and criticize I feel I'm nothing in your eyes., It makes me feel like givin' up Because my best just ain't good enough. Girl I want to provide for you and Do the things you want me to! But oh, oh, no, don't bring me down! Oh, baby you know! Oh, oh, no, don't bring me down! Oh, oh, no, don't bring me down! Oh, oh, no, don't bring me down!
First up is her take on “Don’t Bring Me Down.” “ELO’s ‘Don’t Bring Me Down’ is such a solid construction that trying to rework it initially felt like taking a sledgehammer to concrete,” Hatfield noted.
