You Should Hear How She Talks About You – Melissa Manchester | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning

Chart Performance: Pop (#5) & Adult Contemporary (#10); 1982

Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne

Melissa Manchester grew up surrounded by world-class music: her father was a bassoonist with the New York Metropolitan Opera orchestra. By age 15, Melissa was in the High School of Performing Arts, singing commercial jingles, and working as a staff writer at music publisher Chappell Music.

In college Melissa honed her songwriting in a seminar led by Paul Simon, while off-campus, her powerful singing prompted Better Midler to enlist her as a backup singer in the Harlettes.

1973 saw the debut of Melissa on vinyl and 1975 brought her first hit, Midnight Blue. Despite her adult contemporary popularity, Melissa placed only one strong hit on the pop chart in the next seven years.

Then in 1982 she scored her biggest Top 40 success with an uncharacteristic uptempo rave, You Should Hear How She Talks About You, her highest charting solo hit.

She actually reached that peak once before, as the co-writer, along with Kenny Loggins, of his 1978 hit Whenever I Call You “Friend.

This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.

Produced by:

• Arif Mardin

Lyrics Written by:

• Dean Pitchford
• Tom Snow

Awards:

• “You Should Hear How She Talks About You” would earn Manchester the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for the year 1982