Peak
12
Weeks
22
Score
2,572
Chart Year
1988
This was Cinderella's highest-charting single, peaking in the US at #12. Dan MacIntosh prefaced in our interview with Tom Keifer of Cinderella that the band offered more depth of emotion and sincerity than their glam rock counterparts. This song is a perfect example: using it as a soundtrack you can steal yourself back in time where you remember someone, somewhere, and even now you can never say for sure where it went wrong. Maybe you do know where it went wrong. The pain was still the same. Keifer commented: "I'm sure some songs I write, people relate to more than others. Probably ones we call hits, right?" The song was recorded at Bearsville Studios in the rolling hills west of Woodstock, New York. Bands often recorded here so they could reflect and get away from it all. Tom Keifer's lyrics of sorrow and forgiveness are accompanied by soaring minor guitar chords, the chords of sadness. Envision inside your mind the beautiful countryside as a painted background surrounding the band as they recorded this beautiful ballad that stirred our emotions on a personal level. The video for this song was a grand production shot at Mono Lake in Bodie National Park, which is near the Nevada border in California. This was a time when record labels would shell out big bucks to create videos in exotic locales, complete with a helicopter to capture the action. This one created a lasting image, with Tom Keifer playing a grand piano on the beach, quite a logistical challenge when shooting in a national park where the landscape cannot be disturbed. Nick Morris, a British film-maker who did most of the early videos for Cinderella, Europe, and Warrant, was the director. He was given 10 days and a big budget to shoot two Cinderella videos: "Don't Know What You Got" and "Gypsy Road." Using a photo book, he discovered Mono Lake, which had the added benefit of a ghost town nearby. After doing "Gypsy Road" in Mexico, they decamped to Bodie. In our interview with Morris, he told this anecdote about the shoot: "The helicopter pilot was an ex-Vietnam guy, and one of those guys who is just a bit odd. He didn't charge it properly or something, so the second morning we were about to shoot there, it wouldn't start. So the truck driver gave the helicopter a jump start off the terminals of his truck. That was quite surreal watching the rotors go round about an inch above the truck. We had a lot of people who were just there to carry stuff because we weren't allowed to drag anything down to the water's edge, so we basically had to assemble in the car park and then walk it back and forth. But we were getting some really good stuff and the band were really up for anything. They were standing around for hours sometimes waiting for the sun to come down, and then suddenly I'd be screaming at them: 'Keep playing the song!'" This song was featured in the 2008 film The Wrestler, starring Mickey Rourke. It was also used in a 2003 episode of South Park. This was referenced in The Office episode "Branch Closing" (2006). Roy cites the title lyric when he learns he might not work with Pam anymore if the Scranton office closes.
I can't tell ya baby, what went wrong I can't make you feel what you felt so long ago I'll let it show I can't give you back what's been hurt Heartaches come and go and all that's left are the words I can't let go If we take some time to think it over, baby Take some time, let me know If you really want to go Don't know what you got till it's gone Don't know what it is I did so wrong Now I know what I've got It's just this song And it ain't easy to get back Takes so long I can't feel the things that cause you pain I can't clear my heart of your love, it falls like rain Ain't the same I hear you calling far away Tearing through my soul, I just can't take another day Who's to blame? If we take some time to think it over baby Take some time, let me know If you really want to go Don't know what you got till it's gone Don't know what it is I did so wrong Now I know what I've got It's just this song And it ain't easy to get back Takes so long Do you want to see me beggin', baby? Can't you give me just one more day? Can't you see my heart's been draggin' lately? I've been lookin' for the words to say Don't know what you got till it's gone Don't know what it is I did so wrong Now I know what I've got It's just this song And it ain't easy to get back Takes so long, yeah Don't know what you got till it's gone, no Don't know what it is I did so wrong Now I know what I've got It's just this song And it ain't easy to get back Takes so long
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sep 3, 1988 | 74 | 52 |
| 2 | Sep 10, 1988 | 69 | 57 |
| 3 | Sep 17, 1988 | 56 | 70 |
| 4 | Sep 24, 1988 | 44 | 82 |
| 5 | Oct 1, 1988 | 38 | 88 |
| 6 | Oct 8, 1988 | 34 | 92 |
| 7 | Oct 15, 1988 | 27 | 99 |
| 8 | Oct 22, 1988 | 23 | 103 |
| 9 | Oct 29, 1988 | 20 | 106 |
| 10 | Nov 5, 1988 | 18 | 108 |
| 11 | Nov 12, 1988 | 14 | 112 |
| 12 | Nov 19, 1988 | 12 | 114 |
| 13 | Nov 26, 1988 | 13 | 113 |
| 14 | Dec 3, 1988 | 21 | 105 |
| 15 | Dec 10, 1988 | 33 | 93 |
| 16 | Dec 17, 1988 | 43 | 83 |
| 17 | Dec 24, 1988 | 54 | 72 |
| 18 | Dec 31, 1988 | 54 | 72 |
| 19 | Jan 7, 1989 | 57 | 69 |
| 20 | Jan 14, 1989 | 64 | 62 |