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You Don't Know Me

Rating:
4.5 / 5

Words & Music: Cindy Walker Eddy Arnold

You give your hand to me and then you say hello
And I can hardly speak, my heart is beating so
And anyone could tell, you think you know me well
But you don't know me

No you don't know the one who dreams of you at night
And longs to kiss your lips and longs to hold you tight
To you I'm just a friend, and that's all I've ever been
No, you don't know me

For I never knew the art of making love
Though my heart aches with love for you
Afraid and shy I let my chance go by
The chance that you might love me too

You give your hand to me and then you say good-bye
I watch you walk away beside the lucky guy
To never, never know the one who loves you so
No, you don't know me

Recordingdate: 1967/09/11, first released on: single (album)

Musicians

Musicians who contributed to the first recording of You Don't Know Me:

(guitar)
(guitar)
(guitar)
(guitar)
(steel guitar)
(bass)
(drums)
(drums)
(piano)
(organ)
(harmonica)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(sax)

Availability

Find available albums with You Don't Know Me.

MJB63 wrote on July 24, 2009
Elvis obviously loved Eddy Arnold. A classic song and both versions are good. Never tired of hearing it.
Great Dane wrote on March 31, 2010
Always liked this one.
JerryNodak wrote on August 26, 2010
Like this song very much. Prefer single version over movie version.
dgirl wrote on August 26, 2010
I like this and the Eddy Arnold version, but no one did a better version than Ray Charles, a stone solid classic.
Cruiser621 wrote on August 26, 2010
Good song. Too bad it got buried on the Clambake soundtrack.
Lpool kid wrote on December 02, 2011
i thought the movie version was just ok,but the studio version was superb,what breath control and phrasing, perfect 5 stars.
Deano1 wrote on April 29, 2012
The studio version that appeared on the 45 and LP "Clambake" is in a word, perfect. 5 stars all the way! On the movie version, Elvis sounds very sad and it works, but he also sings it a bit too quick (4 stars). I don't think Ray Charles could hold a candle to Elvis as a vocalist and this song deserves a great vocalist. Eddy Arnold does a nice job as well, but again Elvis is my favorite vocalist and 95% of the time I prefer his versions of songs over someone else's.
Steve V wrote on April 29, 2012
Ray Charles nailed it. Sorry , but I find this too slow and boring. A snooz-fest.
bajo wrote on April 29, 2012
I had the soundtrack album long before I saw the movie. I love the studio version of this song by Elvis. But, when I heard the soundtrack recording in the movie, I simply could not believe I heard the same singer. The movie version is one of the very few Elvis songs I never play! It's one of the worst vocal performances I have ever heard by Elvis.
OtisBlue22 wrote on April 29, 2012
I enjoy both versions. I think the sparer instrumentation on the studio master is more tasteful, but the fact that this beautiful number was included at all in one of Elvis' least-liked movies is remarkable. Ray's version is simply sublime.
ElvisSacramento wrote on October 12, 2012
This is such a magnificent song and it's the best song from the movie "Clambake" for sure. I like Elvis' movie version and studio version equally.
Marty_TCE wrote on October 12, 2012
Absolutely beautiful
GEORGE (GK) wrote on October 12, 2012
Without a doubt, "You don't know me" and "The Girl I never Loved", are two of the best songs, from the movie soundtrack, of "Clambake". Both songs, are semi overlooked, by the casual music fan.
Gorse wrote on October 12, 2012
It may not have been the better sung or constructed I guess, but I find the film version more to my taste than the studio version which is a tad slow.
Natha wrote on April 23, 2013
Amidst the many solid RnR songs this is one of the wonderful balads, full of tenderness. A fabulous song that fits so well in the playlist as a beautiful balad slowing the pace. Love to hear this one passing by.
cookingfat wrote on April 23, 2013
A good song and performance, proving that when Elvis did eventually get the right songs he could do wonders with them. For me Ray Charles did the definitive version but this one is among the finest around.
alanfalk wrote on April 23, 2013
I don't really like Rays voice "Sorry",so I'm a bit bias here I must admit, but it isn't a favorite of mine anyway, I prefer songs like Indescribably Blue, I miss you and Separate Ways over this, as they are examples of songs where Elvis transport me right into the situations he sings about, and not just songs that "only" sounds good, at least this is the case when it comes to songs about heartache, and when it comes to that, NO one holds a candle to Elvis.
sugartummy wrote on June 08, 2013
One of my favourite Elvis songs. He clearly took his inspiration from the Eddy Arnold version, which has the same arrangment and not the inferior Ray Charles version. The movie version was recorded on 21 February 1967 and has a prominent organ sound, done by either Floyd Cramer or Hoyt Hawkins. Don't know if one of the two is better than the other; I love them both. Willie Nelson has recorded an album of Cindy Walker songs called "You don't know me".
shawnrw wrote on January 04, 2014
Really one of the few bright spots for "Clambake". Previously a hit for both Eddy Arnold and Ray Charles, Elvis's version is more romantic than either of those. Too bad that it came around at such a poor time in Elvis's career and from such a poor film, otherwise it might have been a big hit. Shows that in the middle of all the crap and cons Elvis was surrounded by, he could still deliver a stellar performance when given good material.
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