You Caught Me Out is the second and final studio album by Tracey Ullman. It was released on Stiff Records in November 1984 throughout Europe. Unlike her 1983 debut album, this album was never released commercially in the United States.

You Caught Me Out
Studio album by
ReleasedNovember 1984
RecordedJanuary – May 1984
GenrePop/Rock
Length43:19
LabelStiff
ProducerPeter Collins
Tracey Ullman chronology
You Broke My Heart in 17 Places
(1983)
You Caught Me Out
(1984)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Smash Hits1/10[1]

Background

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The album contained covers of two Kirsty MacColl songs (who had written and originally recorded Ullman's 1983 smash "They Don't Know"), including the title track and "Terry". MacColl had originally written "Terry" specifically for Ullman to record, but first recorded it herself in 1983 at the behest of the record company (both singers were signed to Stiff Records at the time). Ullman's version the following year used the same backing track as MacColl's original, but simply swaps MacColl's vocals for Ullman's. MacColl also provided backing vocals on the album.

Four singles were taken from the album in the UK. "My Guy's Mad At Me" (a cover of Madness's 1980 hit "My Girl's Mad At Me") peaked at no.23 in March 1984, while "Sunglasses" (a cover of the 1965 Skeeter Davis hit) peaked at no.18 in August. However, "Helpless" and "Terry" (one of Ullman's two Kirtsy MacColl covers on the album) failed to prolong her brief run of Top 40 hits, peaking at 61 and 81 respectively. "You Caught Me Out" was also released as a single in Japan.

Reception

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The album was a critical and commercial flop, peaking at no.92 on the UK Album Chart. In a scathing review in Smash Hits magazine, Lisa Anthony gave the album a rare score of 1 out of 10 and opined "Tracey Ullman has a unique talent for picking the most obscure 1960s B-side and ruining it. Here she trudges through old Dusty Springfield and Tamla Motown songs, amongst others, in a Pinky and Perky voice that isn't a patch on the originals. Frankly, it all seems like a big waste of time."[1]

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."You Caught Me Out"3:24
2."Little By Little"
  • Buddy Kaye
  • Beatrice Verdi
2:26
3."Baby I Lied"4:12
4."Terry"
  • MacColl, Gavin Povey
3:46
5."Bad Motorcycle"
  • Al Brown
  • Fedrick Williams
2:06
6."Loving You Is Easy"Doug Taylor3:54
7."My Guy"Mike Barson 
8."Sunglasses"John D. Loudermilk2:59
9."If I Had You"
  • Andy Davis
  • Rachmaninoff Quartet
3:31
10."Helpless"Holland-Dozier-Holland2:39
11."Where The Boys Are"3:28
12."Give Him a Great Big Kiss"2:25
13."I Know What Boys Like"Chris Butler3:30
14."I Don't Want Our Loving to Die"3:03
German Re-issue on Repertoire Records (1992)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
15."Thinking of Running Away"
  • Tracey Ullman
  • Collins
  • Chapman
 
16."Sunglasses - Extended Version"Loudermilk 
17."Candy"
  • Miss Scarlet
  • Collins
  • Ullman
 
18."Alone"
  • Morty Craft
  • Selma Craft
 
19."Falling In and Out of Love"
 
20."Helpless (Instrumental)"Holland-Dozier-Holland 
Japanese Re-issue on JVC Victor Records (2006)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Candy"
  • Miss Scarlet
  • Collins
  • Ullman
 
14."Sunglasses - Extended Version"Loudermilk 
15."Falling In and Out of Love"
 
16."Helpless - Extended Version"Holland-Dozier-Holland 
17."Instrumentally Helpless"Holland-Dozier-Holland 
18."I Don't Want Our Loving to Die"3:03

Personnel

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Chart performance

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Chart (1984) Peak
position
Norwegian Albums Chart[2] 11
Swedish Albums Chart[3] 13
UK Albums Chart[4] 92

References

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  1. ^ a b Anthony, Lisa (22 November – 5 December 1984). "Albums: Tracey Ullman – You Caught Me Out (Stiff)". Smash Hits. Vol. 6, no. 24. Peterborough: EMAP National Publications, Ltd. p. 25. ISSN 0260-3004. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  2. ^ Hung, Steffen. "norwegiancharts.com - Norwegian charts portal". Norwegiancharts.com. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  3. ^ Hung, Steffen. "swedishcharts.com - Swedish Charts Portal". Swedishcharts.com. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
  4. ^ "Official Charts Company". Retrieved 8 May 2014.
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