How a Record Company’s Struggles Made It Tough for Aaron Neville to Follow Up His Breakthrough Hit

Aaron Neville’s career took off in the 70s when he joined up with his family members in the Neville Brothers. In the 80s, he earned new renown as a tender balladeer, both on his own and as a duet partner.

But well before all that, Neville scored a No. 2 pop hit back in 1966 with “Tell It Like It Is”. Unfortunately, the machinations behind the song put his career in a holding pattern just as it should have been soaring.

The Tale of “Tell”

Aaron Neville emerged from New Orleans possessed of a distinctive, quavering voice that made a career in music a natural. In the early 60s, he sang a few songs written by fellow NOLA legend Allen Toussaint. Still, his career was a series of fits and starts until “Tell It Like It Is” came down the pike.

Right from its inception, the song was a bit star-crossed. Lee Diamond started writing it but was interrupted when he had to serve a prison sentence. George Davis, a saxophonist by trade, finished the composition. He brought it to the attention of Neville, who delivered a standout vocal performance.

Not wanting to see another record company snap the song up and take the profits, Davis and Diamond formed a record company called Par-Lo Records. As the song shot up the charts, the plan seemed to be working just great. At least until it didn’t.

Label Struggles

Par-Lo paid a lot to programmers to help get the song out in the world. That gambit worked for a while as “Tell It Like It Is” shot up the charts. However, it also meant that there was much more demand for it, causing Par-Lo to pony up even more cash to print out more copies of the single.

Alas, the label eventually started losing more money than it was earning. They folded before they could properly build on it and deliver another song worthy of Neville’s talent. It took the singer a while before he could find his footing again and shake off the sad aftermath of “Tell It Like It Is”.

Meanwhile, the song itself proved pretty durable. Artists ranging from Andy Williams to actor Don Johnson have covered “Tell It Like It Is”. Heart earned the biggest pop hit since Neville with the track, as Ann Wilson’s pained vocal helped it reach No. 8 in 1981.

Behind the Lyrics of “Tell It Like It Is”

The narrator of “Tell It Like It Is” wants his paramour to stop beating around the bush and make known her true feelings. He knows his self-worth. “If you want something to play with,” Neville pleads. “Go and find yourself a toy/Baby, my time is too expensive.”

“Don’t play with my heart, it makes me furious,” he complains. He frames it as a carpe diem kind of situation for her in the final verse. “Life is too short to have sorrow,” Neville croons. “You may be here today and gone tomorrow.”

That last line might have hit all too close to home for Aaron Neville during the disappointing years following his recording of “Tell It Like It Is”. Luckily, his talent won out, making this song one of his many classics instead of a flash in the pan.

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