She Don't Know Me
| "She Don't Know Me" | |
|---|---|
| Song |
"She Don't Know Me" is the second single from American rock band Bon Jovi's debut album, Bon Jovi. It was written by Mark Avsec (of Donnie Iris & The Cruisers fame) and charted at #48 on the Billboard Hot 100.[1]
The song has the distinction of being the only release in Bon Jovi's entire discography that was not written or co-written by a member of the band.
In the early 1980s, fresh off a stint playing in the band Wild Cherry, Avsec wrote and produced the debut album for the disco band LaFlavour. At the time, Bon Jovi and LaFlavour were both signed to labels owned by Polygram. By the time Avsec composed LaFlavour's follow-up album, however, the band's name was changed to "Fair Warning," and their disco image was scrapped. "She Don't Know Me" was one of the songs Avsec penned for the band, and it does indeed appear as the lead-off track on what would become Fair Warning's self-titled album.[2]
Around this same time as LaFlavour's transformation, PolyGram was preparing to release Bon Jovi's debut album. The decision was made to take "She Don't Know Me," which Avsec had penned for Fair Warning, and feature it on the Bon Jovi album as well. However, it would take several more years for the Bon Jovi album to materialize.
Meanwhile, in the ensuing interim period, two already well-established musical acts covered the tune. The well-known 1960s/70s band The Grass Roots included a version of the song on their 1982 reunion album, Powers of the Night.[3] The following year, former Outsiders and Climax frontman Sonny Geraci recorded his own version of the tune under the pseudonym "Peter Emmett" (backed by the Donnie Iris and the Cruisers band, including Avsec).[4]
In 1984, Bon Jovi's self-titled debut album was finally released, and "She Don't Know Me" was released as a follow-up to the band's first hit, "Runaway."
In addition to the studio version of the song, a live version also appears on the Document in Japan bootleg recorded on 28 May 1985 from the 7800° Fahrenheit tour. It is an extended version of the song lasting 8:24, commencing with a 3 minute drum solo.
The song has not been performed live since the mid-1980s.
Track Listings
US Vinyl Single
- "She Don't Know Me" - 3:55
- "Burning for Love" - 3:52
UK Vinyl, 7", Single
- "She Don't Know Me"
- "Breakout"
Chart performance
| Chart (1984) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[5] | 48 |
References
- ^ "Allmusic (Bon Jovi charts & awards) Billboard singles".
- ^ Fair Warning- self-titled album @Discogs.com Retrieved 4-21-2011.
- ^ "allmusic>She Don't Know Me>The Grassroots". Retrieved 30 January 2010.
- ^ Peter Emmett- "She Don't Know Me" @YouTube.com Retrieved 4-21-2011.
- ^ "Bon Jovi Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
