"Tell Him", originally "Tell Her", is a 1962 song that was written and composed by

Bert Berns Bertrand Russell Berns (November 8, 1929 – December 30, 1967), also known as Bert Russell and (occasionally) Russell Byrd, was an American songwriter and record producer of the 1960s. His songwriting credits include "Twist and Shout", "Piece ...

, who, when he did so, used the pen name of Bert Russell, and which was popularized through its recording by

the Exciters ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

. The song was recorded as "Tell Her" by

Dean Parrish Dean Parrish (born Philip Anastasi, or Anastasia; December 30, 1942 – June 8, 2021) was an American singer from New York City, best known for the song, " I'm on My Way", which became noted for being the penultimate record that was played at t ...

in 1966, and

Kenny Loggins Kenneth Clark Loggins (born January 7, 1948) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. His early songs were recorded with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1970, which led to seven albums recorded as Loggins and Messina from 1972 to 1977. His ...

in 1989. ''Billboard'' named the Exciters version at No. 95 on their list of 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time. According to Jason Ankeny at

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, the Exciters' version of "Tell Him" "...boasted an intensity that signified a sea change in the presentation and perception of femininity in popular music, paving the way for such tough, sexy acts as

the Shangri-Las The Shangri-Las were an American pop girl group of the 1960s. Between 1964 and 1966 several hit songs of theirs documented teen tragedies and melodramas. They continue to be known for their hits "Remember (Walking in the Sand)", "Give Him a Gre ...

and

the Ronettes The Ronettes were an American girl group from Washington Heights, Manhattan, New York City. The group consisted of lead singer Veronica Bennett (later known as Ronnie Spector), her older sister Estelle Bennett, and their cousin Nedra Talley. The ...

Early recordings

The song was first recorded in 1962 as "Tell Her", by Gil Hamilton, aka

Johnny Thunder Johnny Thunder is the name of three fictional superheroes appearing in comics published by DC Comics. A fourth character has the variant name Jonni Thunder. The character appeared in the second season of '' Stargirl'' on The CW network played ...

, with Berns producing. "Tell Her" was also a single for

Ed Townsend Edward Benjamin 'Ed' Townsend (April 16, 1929 – August 13, 2003) was an American singer, songwriter, producer and attorney. He performed and composed "For Your Love", a rhythm and blues doo wop classic, and co-wrote "Let's Get It On" with Marvi ...

in 1962, before

Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller Lyricist Jerome Leiber (April 25, 1933 – August 22, 2011) and composer Michael Stoller (born March 13, 1933) were American songwriting and record producing partners. They found success as the writers of such crossover hit songs as " Hound Dog" ( ...

produced the version by

, released as "Tell Him" in October 1962. "Tell Him" reached No. 4 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 dated 26 January

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...

. A No. 5 R&B hit in the United States, "Tell Him" was No. 1 in France for two weeks, reached No. 5 in Australia, and No. 12 in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. In the UK, the Exciters' single peaked at No. 46, whilst a cover version by

Billie Davis Carol Hedges (born 22 December 1945) who was known professionally as Billie Davis, is an English singer who had hits in the 1960s, and is best remembered for the UK hit version of the song, " Tell Him" (1963) and "I Want You to Be My Baby" (1 ...

reached No. 10. In

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

, Davis' version peaked at No. 1. Another UK cover version by

Alma Cogan Alma Angela Cohen Cogan (19 May 1932 – 26 October 1966) was an English singer of traditional pop in the 1950s and early 1960s. Dubbed the "Girl with the Giggle in Her Voice", she was the highest paid British female entertainer of her era. C ...

did not appear in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, but it became the singer's breakout hit in Sweden with a No. 10 peak. In the Netherlands, the Exciters', Billie Davis's, and Alma Cogan's respective singles of "Tell Him" charted in tandem with a peak at No. 17. Cogan also recorded five alternate versions of "Tell Him", with lyrics in German, Japanese, Italian, Spanish and French; her French rendition of "Tell Him" reached No. 53 in France, where the Exciters' version reached No. 1.

Dusty Springfield Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), known professionally as Dusty Springfield, was an English singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano sound, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, Pop music, p ...

, en route to Nashville in 1962 to make a country music album with

the Springfields The Springfields were a British folk-pop vocal trio who had success in the early 1960s in the UK, US and Ireland. They included singer Dusty Springfield and her brother, songwriter Tom Springfield, along with Tim Feild, who was later replace ...

, was on a stop-over in New York City when she heard the Exciters' "Tell Him" playing while taking a late night walk by the Colony Record Store on Broadway. The experience persuaded Springfield to embark on a solo career with a pop/soul direction. She would recall: “The Exciters sort of got you by the throat...out of the blue comes blasting at you 'I know something about love,' and that’s it. That’s what I wanna do.” In 1983, the Exciters' version of "Tell Him" was featured on the soundtrack for the

Lawrence Kasdan Lawrence Edward Kasdan (born January 14, 1949) is an American filmmaker. He is the co-writer of the ''Star Wars'' films ''The Empire Strikes Back'' (1980), ''Return of the Jedi'' (1983), ''The Force Awakens'' (2015), and ''Solo: A Star Wars Stor ...

film ''

The Big Chill Big Chill can refer to: *The Big Chill (music festival), an annual music and comedy festival held in England * ''The Big Chill'' (film), a 1983 American film directed by Lawrence Kasdan *The Big Chill at the Big House, a 2010 U.S. college ice hock ...

''. In 1988, it was featured in the Canadian drama '' Something About Love'', and in 1997, it was included on the soundtrack for the film ''

My Best Friend's Wedding ''My Best Friend's Wedding'' is a 1997 American romantic comedy film directed by P.J. Hogan from a screenplay by Ronald Bass. The film stars Julia Roberts, Dermot Mulroney, Cameron Diaz, and Rupert Everett. The film received generally positive ...

''. In 2009, the Exciters' version of "Tell Him" was included on the soundtrack for the

DreamWorks Animation DreamWorks Animation LLC (DWA, also known as DreamWorks Animation Studios and simply known as DreamWorks) is an American animation studio that produces animated films and television programs and is a subsidiary of Universal Pictures, a division ...

film ''

Monsters vs. Aliens ''Monsters vs. Aliens'' is a 2009 American 3D computer-animated monster comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The film was directed by Conrad Vernon and Rob Letterman from a screenplay written by L ...

''. In 2016, it was also featured in ''

10 Cloverfield Lane ''10 Cloverfield Lane'' is a 2016 American science fiction psychological thriller film directed by Dan Trachtenberg in his directorial debut, produced by J. J. Abrams and Lindsey Weber and written by Josh Campbell, Matthew Stuecken, and Damien ...

''.

Later recordings

In 1963, the song was covered as "Dis-lui" (literally "Tell Her") by French pop singer

Claude François Claude Antoine Marie François (; 1 February 1939 – 11 March 1978), also known by the nickname Cloclo, was a French pop singer, composer, songwriter, record producer, drummer and dancer. François co-wrote the lyrics of "Comme d'habitude" (c ...

, reaching No. 1 in the French chart. The song was also covered by

Sonny & Cher Sonny & Cher were an American pop and entertainment duo in the 1960s and 1970s, made up of husband and wife Sonny Bono and Cher. The couple started their career in the mid-1960s as R&B backing singers for record producer Phil Spector. The pair f ...

on their 1966 album '' The Wondrous World of Sonny & Chér''. "Tell Him" had its highest UK chart hit, No. 6 via a 1974 remake by

Hello ''Hello'' is a salutation or greeting in the English language. It is first attested in writing from 1826. Early uses ''Hello'', with that spelling, was used in publications in the U.S. as early as the 18 October 1826 edition of the ''Norwich C ...

, whose producer

Mike Leander Michael George Farr (30 June 1941 – 18 April 1996), known professionally as Mike Leander, was a British arranger, songwriter and record producer. He worked variously with The Beatles, David McWilliams ("Days of Pearly Spencer"), Gary Gli ...

had cut an earlier version with

the Glitter Band The Glitter Band are a glam rock band from England, who initially worked as Gary Glitter's backing band under that name from 1973, when they then began releasing records of their own. They were unofficially known as the Glittermen on the first f ...

, which he felt could be improved upon. Hello's "Tell Him" also hit No. 12 in Ireland, No. 32 in Germany and No. 36 in Australia. "Tell Him" would return to the UK Singles Chart in 1996 when

Caroline Quentin Caroline Quentin (born Caroline Jones; 11 July 1960) is an English actress, broadcaster and television presenter. Quentin became known for her television appearances: portraying Dorothy in ''Men Behaving Badly'' (1992–1998), Maddie Magellan in ...

and

Leslie Ash Leslie Ash (born 19 February 1960) is an English actress. She is best known for her roles in ''C.A.T.S. Eyes'' (1985–1987), the BBC sitcom ''Men Behaving Badly'' (1992–1997), ITV drama '' Where the Heart Is'' (2000–2003), and BBC me ...

, who co-starred in the series ''

Men Behaving Badly ''Men Behaving Badly'' is a Television in the United Kingdom, British British sitcom, sitcom that was created and written by Simon Nye. It follows the lives of Gary Strang (Martin Clunes) and his flatmates Dermot Povey (Harry Enfield; series 1 ...

'', hit No. 25 with their remake, credited to 'Quentin and Ash'. In the United States, "Tell Him" has reappeared on the Hot 100 twice, both times as "Tell Her;" first in 1966 by

, which peaked at No. 97, and then in 1989 by

, which peaked at No. 76.

Linda Ronstadt Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is a retired American singer who performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin. She has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three American ...

covered it on her 1982 album, '' Get Closer''.

Vonda Shepard Vonda Shepard (born July 7, 1963) is an American singer, songwriter, music director and actress. She appeared as a regular in the television show '' Ally McBeal'', as a resident performer in the bar where the show's characters drank, danced and c ...

made a version of "Tell Him", which was part of the soundtrack of '' Ally McBeal'' series and appeared on her 1998 album ''

Songs from Ally McBeal ''Songs from Ally McBeal'' is a soundtrack album by American singer Vonda Shepard, featuring music from the American television series '' Ally McBeal''. It was released on May 5, 1998, by 550 Music and Sony Music Soundtrax. The album consists mos ...

''.

Bette Midler Bette Midler (;''Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress, comedian and author. Throughout her career, which spans over five decades, Midler has received List of awards and nominations received by Be ...

also covered the song on her 2014 album, ''

It's the Girls! ''It's the Girls!'' is the fourteenth studio album by American singer Bette Midler. It was released by Warner Bros. Records on November 4, 2014. Midler's first release with the label since '' Bette'' (2000), the album is a collection representing ...

References

{{Authority control 1962 songs 1962 singles 1963 singles 1974 singles 1981 singles 1989 singles Songs written by Bert Berns The Exciters songs Ed Townsend songs Kenny Loggins songs Laura Branigan songs United Artists Records singles Liberty Records singles

Early recordings

Later recordings

See also

References