Both versions of TDK sound like they could be machines (the snare sound is pretty consistent), in which case it could be the same basic programme with a different bass, guitar and piano.Īnother of my habits from the early days was to mix for radio, usually monitoring through a single loudspeaker in mono. I may well get corrected on this next point: Although the early TU tracks were recorded with live musicians, the later ones were played to drum machine, sometimes not adding a real drummer. Tracey’s is a semitone up on Kirsty’s, and, although Kirsty re-sang the backing vocals (the harmonies on the last verse are different), neither of them could get the ‘Baby’ to sound as good as Kirsty’s original, so it was pitched up and ‘flown in. “I’ve listened to the two and the backing tracks are similarly arranged, but not identical. Phil Chapman, the engineer who mixed Tracey’s version, had this to say in a newsgroup reply: Tracey Ullman took ‘They Don’t Know’ to Number 2 in September 1983 (and US #8).

This song has been covered so often it has its own covers page! However, we single out Tracey Ullman’ original hit version. The chords for piano & guitar for this song are published in a volume called 'Great Women! Great Songs! – 36 Classic hits' by Wise Publications ISBN 0-7119-3442-8 priced £14.95. I’m grateful for (Tracey) paying the rent! It was fun it was good.” And basically they thought, I’m there writing the sort of songs that she wants to do and it seemed like a good partnership. My mate suggested that because Tracey had this big hit with her first single, which I think was ‘Breakaway’ – she’d had a much bigger hit than they had expected – and they didn’t have anything else to follow it up so they were looking for material. I was on Polydor at the time and having a really bad time with them and I was sort of thinking about selling up everything I had and moving to Spain and being a hippie. “It was actually suggested by a friend of mine who worked at Stiff Records. But it didn’t really bother me (when Tracey had the hit version). It was number two in the airplay charts between Wings and Abba so I think quite a few people heard it. A lot of people do know my version which was a big airplay hit in 1979. So anyone can record any song they’ve heard that’s been published. Of Tracey Ullman’s version, she later said “Once a song has been recorded, it’s no longer down to the writer to decide who does it anyway. Kirsty was backed by the Edge, which at that time included guitarist Lu Edmunds (fresh from a spell with the Damned), keyboard player Gavin Povey and drummer Jon Moss. Then I thought, ‘Oh God, I’d better write something before I go in to see them.’ And that’s when I wrote ‘They Don’t Know.”ĭave Robinson liked the song, wasn’t sure about her voice, hut decided to stick her in a studio anyway, around Xmas 1978. “‘We’d like you to come and play us anything you’ve got.’ I said, ‘I thought you didn’t like the demos ’ and they said ‘We hate the band, but we quite like you!’ When they asked if I had any songs, I said ‘Oh yeah, loads!’, even though I didn’t at all. It was pretty awful, and I was the token girl”), she was invited back. Stiff had Croydon’s Drug Addix in to do a demo session, but weren’t convinced by the results when they heard that Kirsty had left the band (“just because it wasn’t any good. Got my eyes wide open and I see the signs ‘Cos when they look at you they don’t see what I see Now I’ve found good loving gonna make it last

We should just take our chances while we’ve got nothing to lose Why should it matter to us if they don’t approve They say we’re crazy but I just don’t careĪnd if they keep on talking still they get nowhere That you’re bad for me and I should turn you away Oh maybe I could leave you but I don’t know how You’ve been around for such a long time now

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