Play Me Out (Helen Reddy album)

Updated on Dec 17, 2023

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Released 1981 Play Me Out (1981) Imagination (1983) Release date 1981 Genre Pop rock		Length 33:33 Artist Helen Reddy Producer Joel Diamond

Recorded 1981 at Devonshire Sound Studios Los Angeles, CA Label Insomniac/Interscope Records Similar Take What You Find, Feel So Young, Live in London, Long Hard Climb, Imagination

helen reddy i can t say goodbye to you 1981 play me out

Play Me Out is an album by Australian-American pop singer Helen Reddy that was released in 1981 by her new label, MCA Records. Having recorded 12 studio albums at Capitol Records over a 10-year period, she felt the move was "'long overdue... For the last three years I didn't feel I was getting the support from them.'" Whatever support she received from the new label was not enough to get the album onto Billboard magazine's Top LP's & Tapes chart.

helen reddy optimism blues 1981 play me out

Single

The album includes the song that has been her last, thus far, to reach Billboard's Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts. "I Can't Say Goodbye to You" made its pop chart debut in the issue of the magazine dated May 23, 1981, and peaked at number 88 during its three weeks there. That same issue also marked its first appearance on the Adult Contemporary chart, where it spent four weeks and got as high as number 42. It also reached number 43 on the UK singles chart.

The album's producer, Joel Diamond, had helmed a recording of "Save Me" by Donna McDaniel in 1977 that got as high as number 90 on the Hot 100, but MCA did not release Reddy's cover from this album as a single. Country artist Louise Mandrell did, however, have a number six Country hit with it two years after the release of this album, in 1983.

Track listing

Side 1

"Optimism Blues" (Allen Toussaint) – 3:10
"Do It Like You Done It When You Meant It" (Howard Greenfield, Neil Sedaka) – 3:28
"I Can't Say Goodbye to You" (Becky Hobbs) – 3:46
"Save Me" (Guy Fletcher, Doug Flett) – 3:10
"You Don't Have To Say You Love Me" (Pino Donaggio, Simon Napier-Bell, Vicki Wickham) – 2:43

Side 2

"The Stars Fell on California" (Johnny Bristol) – 3:54
"I Don't Know Why (I Love That Guy)" (Becky Hobbs) – 2:35
"When I Dream" (Sandy Mason) – 3:54
"Let's Just Stay Home Tonight" (Lotti Golden, Richard Scher) – 3:09
"Play Me Out" (Lesley Gore, Carol Hall) – 3:07

Personnel

Helen Reddy – vocals

Joel Diamond – producer; rhythm track arranger; arranger and conductor for strings, horns and background vocals ("Play Me Out")

Artie Butler – arranger and conductor for strings, horns and background vocals ("I Can't Say Goodbye to You", "Save Me")

Charles Calello – arranger and conductor for strings, horns and background vocals ("Optimism Blues", "You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me", "I Don't Know Why (I Love That Guy)", "Let's Just Stay Home Tonight")

Gene Page – arranger and conductor for strings, horns and background vocals ("Do It Like You Done It When You Meant It", "The Stars Fell on California", "When I Dream")

Bill Halverson – recording engineer

Russell Schmitt – assistant engineer

Doug Kirkland – photography

George Osaki – art direction

Michael Kevin Lee – graphics

Jeff Wald – management

Denise Maynelli – background vocals

Marti McCall – background vocals

Myrna Matthews – background vocals

Julia Waters Tillman – background vocals

Maxine Waters Willard – background vocals

Clydene Jackson – background vocals

Oren Waters – background vocals

Luther Waters – background vocals

Rhythm Players

recorded at Devonshire Sound Studios, Los Angeles, California

Songs

1Optimism Blues3:12
2Do It Like You Done It When You Meant It3:32
3I Can't Say Goodbye To You3:50

References

Play Me Out (Helen Reddy album) Wikipedia

(Text) CC BY-SA