“Don’t You Know”

“Don’t You Know” is a classic Ray Charles song, the B-side of his sixth single for Atlantic Records. It was released in August 1954.

Beginning with an exuberant, youthful wail – Ray was 23 years old when he recorded “Don’t You Know” – this impressive R&B number provides the vocal blueprint that Little Richard would follow to stardom soon afterwards. Gruff, shouted, and gritty singing and plenty of thrilling “whoo!” and creaky “puh-lease!” asides are scattered throughout.

Ray himself wrote “Don’t You Know”, which was the B-side of the far darker “Losing Hand”. The song is built on a simple, smooth little brass riff that his band lays over the spiky contours of the song, like a blanket over the elbows and knees of a couple in bed.

And speaking of that, the lyrics of “Don’t You Know” are not too hard to fathom: it’s just an impassioned and urgent plea to a woman to “love your daddy all night long” and is largely built on various blues cliches (“turn your lamp down low / ’cause I love you so”). Ray mentions himself and his breakout hit “Mess Around” of 1953 in one memorable line:

Have you heard baby, Ray Charles is in town
Let’s mess around ’til the midnight hour
See what he’s puttin’ down

But ultimately, of course, it isn’t the poetry of “Don’t You Know” but the zesty energy of Ray’s vocals that best communicates his message: you, me, now!

Aside from singing, Ray adds a couple of piano solos, demonstrating his ease with the keyboard and his uncanny ability to explore venturesome rhythms and melodies that seem unconnected to the song at hand, but which somehow slot in nicely to the smoky, reliable band behind him.

Single releases

Listen to “Don’t You Know”

Get your own “Don’t You Know” on 45, LP, CD or MP3 from Amazon. Or get the complete Atlantic recordings 7xCD box set.