"Tell It Like It Is" is a song written by George Davis and Lee Diamond and recorded several times by different artists, to varying degrees of success.

It was first recorded by Aaron Neville, who released the song as a solo single in 1966. It was issued at the end of the year on the obscure Par-Lo label and became a hit, peaking at number two on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and at number one on the U.S. R&B chart in early 1967.^[1].

In 2004, it was ranked #381 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time^[2].

Tracy Chapman and Lightnin' Hopkins composed songs with the same name not to be confused with Davis and Diamond's version discussed here.

[edit] Cover versions

John Wesley Ryles covered the song in 1976, reaching #83 on the U.S. country charts with it.

In 1980, "Tell It Like It Is" was covered by the hard rock band Heart. The song was included on the band's greatest hits/live compilation album Greatest Hits Live and became a top-ten hit in the U.S., peaking at number eight (becoming Heart's highest-charting single at the time).

Another great version of this song was recorded in 1976 by Mariska Veres, the singer of the band Shocking Blue, known for their massive hit 'Venus'. The song sold so greatly that the record company couldn't meet with the demand of the public.

Pop singer Andy Williams recorded a version of "Tell It Like It Is", bringing the song to number seventy-two in 1976. Tex-Mex Country star, Freddy Fender recorded "Tell It Like It Is" on his 1978 "Swamp Gold" album. Actor Don Johnson recorded a version of the song, which was released as a single in 1989 in the UK and on the European mainland. That same year, Billy Joe Royal recorded a version of the song as a country single and reached #2 on the country charts with the song.

It has been covered by Richard "Dimples" Fields in 1987; by Nina Simone on the album The Very Best of Nina Simone, 1967-1972: Sugar in My Bowl (outtake from Here Comes the Sun album); and by Percy Sledge.

The Dirty Dozen Brass Band with Robert Randolph covered the song on The Dirty Dozen's 2002 album Medicated Magic.^[3]

[edit] References