| Don't Ask Me Why | |
| Cover: | DontAskMeWhy.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Billy Joel |
| Album: | Glass Houses |
| B-Side: | C'était Toi (You Were the One) |
| Released: | July 24, 1980 |
| Genre: | |
| Length: | 2:59 |
| Label: | Columbia Records |
| Producer: | Phil Ramone |
| Prev Title: | It's Still Rock and Roll to Me |
| Prev Year: | 1980 |
| Next Title: | Sometimes a Fantasy |
| Next Year: | 1980 |
"Don't Ask Me Why" is a 1980 song by Billy Joel released as the third single from the album Glass Houses. The song spent two weeks at number one on the Adult Contemporary chart and peaked at number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100.[6]
The track contains all acoustic and Latin percussion instruments performing in an Afro-Cuban rhythmic style. An eclectic, instrumental "Latin Ballroom" piano solo, played over the bridge section after the second verse, is also featured in part of the song; Joel states that the mix for the midsection includes "fifteen pianos overdubbed on top of each other."[7]
Billboard found the song to be "catchy" and felt that Joel's vocal performance sounded similar to Paul McCartney.[8] Cash Box said it has a "crisp pop/Latin/rock rhythm" and that the lyrics deal with the "themes of success and chance."[5] Record World called it "one of [Joel's] easy rollin' romantic piano ballads that often become pop standards."[9]
| Chart (1980) | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| Canada RPM Top Singles[10] | 4 | |
| Canada RPM Adult Contemporary[11] | 1 | |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 42 | |
| French Singles Chart[12] | 42 | |
| US Billboard Hot 100[13] | 19 | |
| US Billboard Adult Contemporary[14] | 1 | |
| US Cash Box Top 100 | 21 |
| Chart (1980) | Rank |
|---|---|
| Canada[15] | 45 |
| US (Joel Whitburn's Pop Annual)[16] | 122 |
