"Tell Her About It" by Billy Joel

by Mark Nobes, chief editor

"Tell Her About It" was released as the lead single from Billy Joel's ninth studio album An Innocent Man. Although it was supposed to be a homage to Motown groups such as The Supremes and The Temptations, Joel was never happy with the final sound, claiming that it sounds more like the American pop group Tony Orlando and Dawn.
The 12" vinyl includes a live version of "You Got Me Hummin'" by Isaac Hayes and David Porter.

The Video

The front sleeve of the UK release features a photo of Joel taken from the music video, in which he pretends to perform as BJ and the Affordables on the 1960s variety show The Ed Sullivan Show. The rest of the sleeve is bright pink - see further down page.
The video was directed by Jay Dublin, who also directed the "Uptown Girl" video. It's set on Sunday 31st July 1963, which was actually a mistake, as the real date is actually on a Wednesday! It includes a guest appearance by the comedian and actor Rodney Dangerfield, who starred in the 1983 movie Easy Money - the title track was penned by Joel and features as the B-side of both the 7" and 12" singles, and also on the album An Innocent Man. 

UK sleeve front

Chart Performance

"Tell Her About It" entered the UK singles chart at No.22 on 4th December 1983. It reached No.8 the following week, spending several weeks inside the top 10, before peaking at No.4 on 4th Jan 1984 for one week. In the same week, Paul McCartney reached No.1 with "Pipes of Peace". In the U.S., the single reached No.1 for one week on the Billboard Hot 100 on 25th September 1983.
"Uptown Girl" was released as the second single from the album An Innocent Man.

Lyrics for Tell Her About It

U.S. sleeve

A-Z of 80s Music Videos