:Don't Say You Love Me (M2M song)

Marion Raven and Marit Larsen come from Lørenskog in the district east of Oslo, Norway. They met when they were five years old{{cite news |date=30 June 2002 |title=Sounds From the Big Room |newspaper=The Sunday Mail |location=Brisbane |page=Brisbane }} and became best friends, discovering they had similar interests in music. They began singing together and performing in musical productions.{{cite AV media |date=29 April 2000 |title=Disney Channel in Concert: BBMak & M2M in Concert |medium=Television program |publisher=Disney Channel}} The duo released a children's album, Synger Kjente Barnesanger (Sing Famous Children's Songs), in 1996 under the band name Marit & Marion, when Larsen was 12 and Raven was 11 years old. The album was nominated for a Spellemannprisen award.{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151003035458/http://www.vg.no/rampelys/musikk/m2ms-favoritt-gutter/a/1526888/ |archive-date=3 October 2015 |url-status=live |url=http://www.vg.no/rampelys/musikk/m2ms-favoritt-gutter/a/1526888/ |title=M2Ms favoritt-gutter |date=30 December 1999 |work=Verdens Gang |language=no |access-date=29 September 2015}} After the album's release they started writing their own pop songs and sent demo recordings out; one of the demos ended up at Atlantic Records and they were signed to a worldwide contract in 1998.{{cite web |url=http://www.m2mmusic.com/bio/faq.shtml |title=Biography |work=M2M Music |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020603203743/http://www.m2mmusic.com/bio/ |archive-date=3 June 2002 |url-status=dead |access-date=4 October 2015}} They held a competition for fans to come up with a new name for their duo, and one girl suggested M2M. Raven and Larsen were 14 and 15 years old, respectively, when they recorded the tracks from their debut album Shades of Purple, including their debut single, "Don't Say You Love Me".{{cite web|url=http://www.vg.no/rampelys/musikk/storsalg-kan-gi-ny-gullkontrakt/a/2563328/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304081539/http://www.vg.no/rampelys/musikk/storsalg-kan-gi-ny-gullkontrakt/a/2563328/ |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=live |title=Storsalg kan gi ny gullkontrakt |date=1 March 2002 |work=Verdens Gang |language=no |access-date=29 September 2015 }}

{{Listen|filename=Don't Say You Love Me.ogg|title="Don't Say You Love Me"|description=The lyrics tell a girl's date she's not ready to hear "he loves her {{dash}} after all, 'It's not like we're gonna get married'."|format=Ogg|pos=left}}

The music and lyrics were written by Raven, Larsen, Peter Zizzo and Jimmy Bralower.{{cite magazine |last=Taylor |first=Chuck |author-link=Chuck Taylor (writer and editor) |date=30 October 1999 |title=New & noteworthy: M2M: Don't Say You Love Me |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eAgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA19 |magazine=Billboard |publisher=Nielsen N.V. |volume=111 |issue=44 |pages=19 |access-date=22 September 2015}} It was produced by Zizzo and Bralower and was mixed by Tom Lord-Alge. "Don't Say You Love Me" is performed in a 4/4 time signature at a moderately slow tempo of 100 beats per minute.{{citation| author1-last=Larsen | author1-first=Marit | author2-last=Bralower | author2-first=Jimmy | author3-last=Zizzo | author3-first=Peter | author4-last=Raven |author4-first=Marion | title=Don't Say You Love Me| type=sheet music| year=1999| publisher=musicnotes.com}} Raven and Larsen alternate singing lead vocals for the first two verses, and then sing harmony together during the choruses. For most of the song, the verses are in the key of C♯ minor and the choruses are in the relative major key of E major. The final chorus has a key change to F♯ major. The song's prominent instruments are electric piano and acoustic guitar, with record scratching sounds layering the production in the chorus in a style akin to Hanson's "MMMBop".{{cite thesis |type=PhD |last=Ålvik |first=Jon Mikkel Broch |year=2014 |title=Scratching the Surface: Marit Larsen and Marion Ravn: Popular Music and Gender in a Transcultural Context |section=Don't Say You Love Me |publisher=University of Oslo |url=https://www.duo.uio.no/handle/10852/41236| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160925010253/https://www.duo.uio.no/handle/10852/41236| archive-date=25 September 2016 |url-status=live |pages=47–55}} The final chorus repeats with ad-libbed background vocals until the song fades out.

Lyrically, the song is about getting "the rules straight on a budding relationship: Slow down and don't say you love me until you give me some time and get to know me." According to musicologist Jon Mikkel Broch Ålvik, "Don't Say You Love Me" is the "thinking person's teen pop." Ålvik rejects a superficial interpretation that the lyrics are a "moralistic message of abstinence", arguing instead that M2M "signal a stance that sounds considered and assured rather than prudish" and that the song is a statement of "burgeoning agency." The song has been described as bubblegum pop music with similar lyrical qualities to songs by girl groups of the 1960s, while also having more influence from rock and singer-songwriter genres than was typical for other teen pop songs of the late 1990s.

There is a slight difference in lyrics between the version used in Pokémon: The First Movie version and the one released on Shades of Purple. The Shades of Purple version includes the line "you start kissing me, what's that about?"{{cite AV media | people = M2M | date =7 March 2000 | title =Shades of Purple | medium = studio album | publisher =Atlantic Records }} In the Pokémon version, the lyric is "you said you love me, what's that about?"{{cite AV media | people = M2M | date =10 November 1999 | title =Pokémon: The First Movie | medium = soundtrack | publisher =Atlantic Records }} When asked about the lyric change in an interview, M2M replied "the Pokémon people didn't find it appropriate to have kissing in the lyrics, because it was for younger kids. We think [the lyric change] was stupid. The original version is on [Shades of Purple], and that's the one we wanted to go with."{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150930181943/http://www.canoe.com/AllPopPeopleM/m2m.html |archive-date=30 September 2015 |url-status=dead |url=http://www.canoe.com/AllPopPeopleM/m2m.html |title=M2M chats with fans on AllPop |date=3 April 2000 |publisher=Canoe.com |access-date=29 September 2015 }} M2M had not heard of Pokémon until the song was chosen for the soundtrack, as the franchise was not yet popular in Norway.

File:Marion Raven live 2007.jpg

"Don't Say You Love Me" appeared in "The List", an episode in the TV series Felicity that aired in the US on 3 October 1999 and reached an audience of 5{{nbsp}}million people, helping to generate interest in the song. On 10 October it appeared in the Jack & Jill episode "Moving On".{{cite AV media |date=10 October 1999 |title=Jack & Jill: Moving On |medium=Television episode |time=15:41 |publisher=The WB}} The song was recently being played on Radio Disney before it made its commercial US debut on 26 October 1999 as a CD and Compact Cassette. In Canada, it was released on the same day.{{cite web|url=http://www.jamshowbiz.com/JamMusicReleases1999/oct99.html|title=Album Releases: October 1999|publisher=Jam!|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000829104241/http://www.jamshowbiz.com/JamMusicReleases1999/oct99.html|archive-date=29 August 2000|access-date=6 January 2023}} Prior to this, the track was officially serviced to US adult contemporary radio on 11 October 1999 and to mainstream pop and rhythmic radio the following day.{{cite magazine|title=Going for Adds|magazine=Radio & Records|issue=1320|pages=46, 54, 86|date=8 October 1999}} Within a month, more than 100 US top-40 radio stations were playing the song; by 10 November it was the sixth-most requested song on New York radio stations.{{cite web|url=http://www.vg.no/rampelys/musikk/tar-new-york-med-storm/a/5317932/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304092739/http://www.vg.no/rampelys/musikk/tar-new-york-med-storm/a/5317932/ |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=live |title=Tar New York med storm |date=10 November 1999 |work=Verdens Gang |language=no |access-date=29 September 2015 }} The song appeared during the closing credits of the film Pokémon: The First Movie – Mewtwo Strikes Back and on the film's soundtrack; both the film and soundtrack were released in the US on 10 November 1999. "Don't Say You Love Me" was the debut single from the album. The single first entered the charts in the US on 20 November,{{cite magazine |last=Taylor |first=Chuck |author-link=Chuck Taylor (writer and editor) |date=27 November 1999 |title=Atlantic's M2M aims for kid, adult appeal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gggEAAAAMBAJ&pg=RA1-PA98 |magazine=Billboard |publisher=Nielsen N.V. |volume=111 |issue=48 |pages=15, 98}} by which time more than 400,000 units had already been shipped to record stores.

Despite the success in the US, in November 1999 it was reported that the single would not be released in the duo's home country of Norway until the following year, as Warner Music Norway wanted to wait until both the Pokémon film and soundtrack were released in Europe to capitalise on the exposure. The single was released in Norway on radio on 24 November,{{cite web|url=http://www.vg.no/rampelys/musikk/m2m-tilbake-i-norge/a/6512068/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304081336/http://www.vg.no/rampelys/musikk/m2m-tilbake-i-norge/a/6512068/ |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=live |title=M2M tilbake i Norge |date=24 November 1999 |work=Verdens Gang |language=no |access-date=29 September 2015 }} and by 11 January it was on sale in Norway and 25 other countries in Europe, the Americas, Asia and Oceania. It was expected to be released in the remaining European countries by the end of the month,{{cite web |url=http://www.m2mmusic.com/news/2000.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020415011850/http://www.m2mmusic.com/news/2000.shtml |archive-date=15 April 2002 |url-status=dead |title=2000 News Archive |work=M2M Music}} though European countries where the single had not yet been released were already playing the song on the radio.{{cite web|url=http://www.vg.no/rampelys/hjemme-men-ikke-lenge/a/5603591/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304092057/http://www.vg.no/rampelys/hjemme-men-ikke-lenge/a/5603591/ |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=live |title=Hjemme – men ikke lenge |date=13 January 2000 |work=Verdens Gang |language=no |access-date=29 September 2015 }} The song was popular in Southeast Asia, receiving heavy airplay in Korea, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Singapore,{{cite news |last=Gerald |first=Chuah |date=10 December 2001 |title=Angels from Norway |newspaper=New Straits Times |edition=2nd |page=3}} and also in South America; in late May 2000 in Mexico it was the best selling foreign song and the second best selling song overall.{{cite web|url=http://www.vg.no/rampelys/musikk/m2m-eventyret-fortsetter/a/2628091/ |title=M2M-eventyret fortsetter |archive-url=https://archive.today/20170106020346/http://www.vg.no/rampelys/musikk/m2m-eventyret-fortsetter/a/2628091/ |archive-date=6 January 2017 |date=27 May 2000 |work=Verdens Gang |language=no |access-date=6 January 2017 |url-status=live }} On 12 January it was featured in the episode of Beverly Hills, 90210, "Tainted Love".{{cite AV media |date=12 January 2000 |title=Beverly Hills, 90210: Tainted Love |medium=Television episode |time=4:33 |publisher=Paramount Domestic Television}} The song was released in Japan on 25 January, in Spain on 22 February, and in the UK on 20 March on East West Records.{{cite journal|last=Arnesen |first=Jon |date=5 February 2000 |title=M2M make their name via Atlantic |url=http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA59450035&v=2.1&u=dixson&it=r&p=ITOF&sw=w&asid=e0c6c85321a9b4eefa0043d1cd338a83 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304074654/http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA59450035&v=2.1&u=dixson&it=r&p=ITOF&sw=w&asid=e0c6c85321a9b4eefa0043d1cd338a83 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=live |journal=Music & Media |volume=17 |issue=6 |page=3 }}{{cite magazine|title=New Releases – For Week Starting March 20, 2000: Singles|magazine=Music Week|page=31|date=18 March 2000}} It appeared on Shades of Purple, which was released in Europe in mid-February and the US on 7 March, and in 2003 it appeared on the album The Day You Went Away: The Best of M2M.{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-day-you-went-away-the-best-of-m2m-bonus-vcd-mw0000466908 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151001172616/http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-day-you-went-away-the-best-of-m2m-bonus-vcd-mw0000466908 |archive-date=1 October 2015 |url-status=live |title=The Day You Went Away: The Best of M2M |last=Brown |first=Marisa |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=29 September 2015 }}

Robert Christgau gave a positive review, calling the song one of the "impossibly touching" tracks on Shades of Purple that "sets the standard" for the rest of the album.{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150927173735/http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=m2m |archive-date=27 September 2015 |url-status=live |url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=m2m |title=M2M |last=Christgau |first=Robert |work=Robert Christgau |access-date=26 September 2015}} Chuck Taylor from Billboard said the song would appeal to both the young and mature listeners as it "neatly walks the line between pure pop and the cusp of the adult top 40". He added the song was "Absolutely enchanting in its youthful vocal and meaty series of hooks". Michael Paoletta, also from Billboard, called the song an "infectious pop rocker", adding that "what's most dazzling about the track is the vocal verve of the girls' harmonizing."{{cite magazine |last=Paoletta |first=Michael |date=11 March 2000 |title=M2M: Shades of Purple |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kA4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA26 |magazine=Billboard |publisher=Nielsen N.V. |page=26}} Heather Phares from AllMusic referred to the song as "sweet yet down-to-earth pop".{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/shades-of-purple-mw0000603661 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151001172037/http://www.allmusic.com/album/shades-of-purple-mw0000603661 |archive-date=1 October 2015 |url-status=live |title=M2M: Shades of Purple |last=Phares |first=Heather |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=26 September 2015 }} Marius Lillelien, the director of the Norwegian radio station NRK P3, said "It's a very well-written, well-produced pop song, they're young and potentially the largest Norwegian pop success ever. The song is best suited to an audience aged 10–16, but in my opinion it won't scare away older listeners". "Don't Say You Love Me" was nominated for the year's best song at the 2000 Spellemannprisen awards, though it lost to Propaganda by Briskeby.{{cite web|url=http://www.vg.no/rampelys/musikk/spellemannprisen/herborg-ble-aarets-spellemann/a/1500761/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304083141/http://www.vg.no/rampelys/musikk/spellemannprisen/herborg-ble-aarets-spellemann/a/1500761/ |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=live |title=Herborg ble Årets spellemann |date=2 March 2001 |work=Verdens Gang |language=no |access-date=29 September 2015 }}

In the US, "Don't Say You Love Me" entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 72,{{cite magazine |last=Silvio |first=Pietroluongo |date=20 November 1999 |title=Hot 100 Spotlight |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fwgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA129 |magazine=Billboard |publisher=Nielsen N.V. |page=129}} later peaking at number 21. It also reached number 40 on both the Latin Pop Airplay and Tropical Songs charts. The single sold 39,000 copies in the week preceding 27 November, and had sold 580,000 units by May 2000.{{cite web|url=http://www.vg.no/rampelys/nedtur-for-m2m/a/7191790/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304083110/http://www.vg.no/rampelys/nedtur-for-m2m/a/7191790/ |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=live |title=Nedtur for M2M |date=12 May 2000 |work=Verdens Gang |language=no |access-date=29 September 2015 }} It reached number 2 in their native Norway and number 4 in both Australia and New Zealand. It made the top 10 in Finland, the top 20 in Canada, the UK, Ireland, Sweden and the Netherlands, the top 40 in Italy and Belgium and the top 80 in Germany, France and Switzerland. It was certified gold in the US on 6 December 1999 and in Australia in 2000.

"Don't Say You Love Me" was M2M's biggest hit and is their most recognisable song. While their next single, "Mirror Mirror", was a top 40 single in Australia{{cite web|url=http://australian-charts.com/search.asp?search=M2M&cat=s |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304030424/http://australian-charts.com/search.asp?search=M2M&cat=s |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=live |title=M2M |publisher=australian-charts.com |access-date=1 October 2015 }} and Canada, and reached number 62 on the Billboard Hot 100,{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/m2m-mn0000807725/awards |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151001171932/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/m2m-mn0000807725/awards |archive-date=1 October 2015 |url-status=dead |title=M2M: Awards |publisher=AllMusic |access-date=26 September 2015 }} "Don't Say You Love Me" would remain M2M's only top-40 hit in the US, and their only hit at all in many other countries. The song has been called a one-hit wonder.{{cite web|url=http://www.metrolyrics.com/news-story-one-hit-wonder-wednesday-dont-say-you-love-me-m2m.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160703002854/http://www.metrolyrics.com/news-story-one-hit-wonder-wednesday-dont-say-you-love-me-m2m.html |archive-date=3 July 2016 |url-status=dead |title=One-hit Wonder Wednesday: Don't Say You Love Me – M2M |date=10 August 2011 |work=MetroLyrics |access-date=4 October 2015 }} While speaking favourably of the duo, in 2014 Abby Devora from MTV ranked M2M and the song at number 2 on her list "9 Girl Group One-Hit Wonders You Need To Remember Right Now".{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1941660/girl-group-one-hit-wonders-you-need-to-remember-right-now/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160516040909/http://www.mtv.com/news/1941660/girl-group-one-hit-wonders-you-need-to-remember-right-now/ |archive-date=16 May 2016 |url-status=dead |title=9 Girl Group One-Hit Wonders You Need To Remember Right Now |last=Devora |first=Abby |date=25 September 2015 |publisher=MTV |access-date=4 October 2015 }} Jessica Booth from Gurl.com included the duo and song in her 2012 list "Flashback: 15 Old-School Girl Singers We Miss", calling the song "ridiculously catchy".{{cite web |url=http://www.gurl.com/2012/06/20/90s-girl-bands/ |title=Flashback: 15 Old-School Girl Singers We Miss |last=Booth |first=Jessica |date=20 June 2012 |publisher=Gurl.com |access-date=4 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150904073804/http://www.gurl.com/2012/06/20/90s-girl-bands/ |archive-date=4 September 2015 |url-status=dead }} Kaitlin Cubria from Teen.com listed the duo and song in her 2014 list of "12 forgotten girl groups from the '90s/'00s that are worth your time."{{cite web |url=http://www.teen.com/2014/03/02/music/girl-groups-1990s-2000s/ |title=12 Forgotten Girl Groups From the 1990s/2000s |last=Cubria |first=Kaitlin |date=2 March 2014 |publisher=Teen.com |access-date=4 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151005110653/http://www.teen.com/2014/03/02/music/girl-groups-1990s-2000s/ |archive-date=5 October 2015 |url-status=dead }} In 2014, Nathan Jolly from MAX said it was "one of those few pop songs that is happiness incarnate despite being a 'back the fuck off, dude' anthem".{{cite web|url=http://www.maxtv.com.au/news/90snewsoct10.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304190138/http://www.maxtv.com.au/news/90snewsoct10.aspx |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=dead |title='90s News: Coolio Fought Boyz II Men, M2M Update, Hootie and the What now? |last=Jolly |first=Nathan |date=10 October 2014 |work=MAX |access-date=8 October 2015 }} In 2020, Taylor Swift included "Don't Say You Love Me" in a Spotify playlist of 51 songs by female artists to commemorate Women's History Month, describing all the artists she selected as "faraway mentors who taught me how music could make someone's life easier and more magical".{{cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/music/taylor-swift-spotify-amplify-playlist-womens-history-month-songs/ |title=Check out these great songs by female artists on Taylor Swift's Women's History Month playlist |last=Huff |first=Lauren |date= 27 March 2020 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200403095136/https://ew.com/music/taylor-swift-spotify-amplify-playlist-womens-history-month-songs/ |archive-date=3 April 2020 |url-status=live}}{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/taylor-swift-womens-history-month-playlist-9344739/ |title=Taylor Swift Shares the 'Female Professors' Who Inspired Her Career With Latest Playlist |last=Rowley |first=Glen |date=27 March 2020 |magazine=Billboard |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241119132548/https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/taylor-swift-womens-history-month-playlist-9344739/ |archive-date=19 November 2024 |url-status=live}}

File:Don't say you love me.png

The accompanying music video for "Don't Say You Love Me" was directed by Nigel Dick and was filmed from 4 until 6 October 1999 at the Mission Tiki drive-in theatre in Montclair, California.{{cite web|url=http://www.nigeldick.com/films-1.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150928061003/http://www.nigeldick.com/films-1.htm |archive-date=28 September 2015 |url-status=dead |title=DICKFILMS 1 |last1=Nigel |first1=Dick |work=Nigel Dick |access-date=26 September 2015 }} In the video, Raven sings the song while she is in a car with a boy, while Larsen sings and plays the guitar in front of another car. This footage is spliced with M2M singing together at the drive-in, people dancing, the projectionist struggling with his malfunctioning equipment, and the concession stand worker who has an overflowing popcorn maker. When the popcorn stand explodes, M2M continue to perform surrounded by people as popcorn rains down. Air cannons were used to fire 200 garbage bin-sized bags of popcorn into the air to create the raining popcorn effect. In the US, the music video made its premiere on 24 October on The WB following that night's screening of 7th Heaven. It began airing on The Box and MuchMusic in early November 1999{{cite magazine |date=13 November 1999 |title=The Clip List |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_fAgEAAAAMBAJ |magazine=Billboard |publisher=Nielsen N.V. |page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_fAgEAAAAMBAJ/page/n110 99]}} and began airing on MTV on 15 November.{{cite web |url=http://www.vg.no/rampelys/musikk/m2m-selger-hurtigst/a/5766677/ |title=M2M selger hurtigst |date=17 November 1999 |work=Verdens Gang |language=no |access-date=29 September 2015}}{{cite magazine |date=20 November 1999 |title=The Clip List |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fwgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA120 |magazine=Billboard |publisher=Nielsen N.V. |page=120}}

Two similar versions of the video were released. In one, clips from Pokémon: The First Movie – Mewtwo Strikes Back are played on the screen at the drive-in theatre. In the other version, fewer images of the screen are shown; when they are seen the Pokémon images are replaced with either clips of Raven and Larsen singing the song or words such as "M2M" and "Intermission". The Pokémon version of the video uses the edited-out lyrics, while the other one uses the album version of the song. The Pokémon version was included on the DVD of the film,{{cite magazine |last=McCormick |first=Moira |date=22 January 2000 |title=Warner Unleashes Massive Campaign for Pokémon release |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sA0EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA108 |magazine=Billboard |publisher=Nielsen N.V. |page=108 }} while the other version was included on the bonus disc in The Day You Went Away: The Best of M2M.

File:Marit Larsen at Het Paradiso Amsterdam (5).jpg

To promote the single Raven and Larsen made a six-stop tour of shopping malls in the Northeastern US between 21 August and 2 October;{{cite web |url=http://www.m2mmusic.com/tours/1999/ne_mall.shtml |title=North-East Mall Tour |work=M2M Music |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020604110906/http://www.m2mmusic.com/tours/1999/ne_mall.shtml |archive-date=4 June 2002 |url-status=dead |access-date=4 October 2015}} it was their first tour under the name M2M.{{cite web |url=http://www.m2mmusic.com/bio/faq.shtml |title=Frequently Asked Questions |work=M2M Music |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020414145143/http://www.m2mmusic.com/bio/faq.shtml |archive-date=14 April 2002 |url-status=dead |access-date=4 October 2015}} On 9 November 1999, the day before Pokémon: The First Movie – Mewtwo Strikes Back was released, M2M performed the song live at the Warner Bros. Studio Store on Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, in front of fans and a large media presence.{{cite web|url=http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA56972618&v=2.1&u=dixson&it=r&p=ITOF&sw=w&asid=8226b21dab0aa4e3db74f400cef674ba |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304091250/http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA56972618&v=2.1&u=dixson&it=r&p=ITOF&sw=w&asid=8226b21dab0aa4e3db74f400cef674ba |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=live |title=M2M Set to Thrill Fifth Ave. Throngs; NYC Flagship Warner Bros. Studio Store Performance to Mark Pokemon Album Release/Film Opening |date=28 October 1999 |work=Business Wire |access-date=17 October 2015 }} To promote the single M2M also toured Singapore, Hong Kong, Philippines and Japan before returning to Norway on 24 November. They performed the song on the episode "Band on the Run" of the TV series One World, which aired on 27 November,{{cite AV media |date=27 November 1999 |title=One World: Band on the Run |medium=Television episode |time=3:44 |publisher=Universal Television}} and on 31 March 2000 they performed it on Top of the Pops.{{cite web|url=http://www.vg.no/rampelys/musikk/plateselskap-avviser-pengekrav/a/3556862/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304094512/http://www.vg.no/rampelys/musikk/plateselskap-avviser-pengekrav/a/3556862/ |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=live |title=Plateselskap avviser pengekrav |date=27 March 2000 |work=Verdens Gang |language=no |access-date=29 September 2015 }}{{cite AV media |date=31 March 2000 |title=Top of the Pops |medium=Television episode |publisher=BBC One}} M2M performed the song live at Walt Disney World's Epcot park on 12 February 2000.{{cite web|url=http://www.vg.no/rampelys/musikk/m2m-moette-sine-fans/a/2094608/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150929190327/http://www.vg.no/rampelys/musikk/m2m-moette-sine-fans/a/2094608/ |archive-date=29 September 2015 |url-status=live |title=M2M møtte sine fans |date=14 February 2000 |work=Verdens Gang |language=no |access-date=29 September 2015 }} This performance was recorded and appeared on an episode of Disney Channel in Concert on 29 April, which focused on both M2M and BBMak.{{cite magazine |last=Hay |first=Carla |date=13 May 2000 |title=M2M Crosses Atlantic |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JQ8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA149 |magazine=Billboard |publisher=Nielsen N.V. |pages= 149}} As their biggest hit, "Don't Say You Love Me" was a popular song during live performances. In December 2001 the song was performed as an encore, along with "Everything You Do", in front of a crowd of 4,000 at an M2M concert in Kuala Lumpur.

Raven and Larsen ceased performing as M2M in 2002, and both went on to pursue solo careers;{{cite web|url=http://www.stereogum.com/1788251/30-essential-max-martin-songs/franchises/ultimate-playlist/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160819012007/http://www.stereogum.com/1788251/30-essential-max-martin-songs/franchises/ultimate-playlist/ |archive-date=19 August 2016 |url-status=live |title=30 Essential Max Martin Songs |last=Nelson |first=Michael |date=26 March 2016 |work=Stereogum |access-date=22 September 2016 }} Larsen is known for performing a country music version of the song during solo performances.{{cite web|url=http://www.vg.no/rampelys/musikk/oeyafestivalen/festival-prinsessen/a/126402/ |title=Festival-prinsessen |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304094827/http://www.vg.no/rampelys/musikk/oeyafestivalen/festival-prinsessen/a/126402/ |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=live |date=12 August 2006 |work=Verdens Gang |language=no |access-date=29 September 2015 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/interview/marit-larsen.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151219174133/http://www.stylusmagazine.com/articles/interview/marit-larsen.htm |archive-date=19 December 2015 |url-status=live |title=Interview: Marit Larsen |last=Elliott |first=Kevin J. |date=28 March 2007 |work=Stylus Magazine |access-date=30 September 2015 }} M2M reunited in 2024, and the following year released their first recording in over 20 years, and EP titled Still In My Dreams, which featured a re-worked acoustic version of "Don't Say You Love Me".{{cite web |url=https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/lifestyle/hobbiesandactivities/942432/m2m-releases-reimagined-version-of-don-t-say-you-love-me/story/ |title=M2M releases reimagined version of 'Don't Say You Love Me' |date=11 April 2025 |work=GMA Integrated News |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250412115424/https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/lifestyle/hobbiesandactivities/942432/m2m-releases-reimagined-version-of-don-t-say-you-love-me/story/ |archive-date=12 April 2025 |url-status=live}}

The Filipino acoustic pop duo Krissy & Ericka covered the song on their 2009 self-titled album.{{cite web|url=http://www.philstar.com/entertainment/525039/krissy-ericka-album-launched |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151006154742/http://www.philstar.com/entertainment/525039/krissy-ericka-album-launched |archive-date=6 October 2015 |url-status=live |title=Krissy & Ericka album launched |date=21 November 2009 |work=The Philippine Star |access-date=4 October 2015 }}

The European version of the single contained the B-side track The Feeling is Gone, one of three tracks recorded for Shades of Purple which were left off the US version of the album. The standard US version featured the Pokémon: The First Movie – Mewtwo Strikes Back instrumental score "Mewtwo Strikes Back Suite" as the B-side.

{{col-begin}}{{col-2}}

• Australian CD single{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Say-You-Love-Me/dp/B00003WGFQ/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160529083256/http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Say-You-Love-Me/dp/B00003WGFQ |archive-date=29 May 2016 |url-status=live |title=Don't Say You Love Me |website=Amazon |access-date=28 September 2015 }}

1. "Don't Say You Love Me" – 3:46
2. "If Only Tears Could Bring You Back" by Midnight Sons – 4:03
3. "Mewtwo Strikes Back Suite" – 4:51
4. Enhanced section: "Don't Say You Love Me" (music video) – 3:38

• US single{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Love-Mewtwo-Strikes-Suite/dp/B00002MZ2R/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160529083223/http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Love-Mewtwo-Strikes-Suite/dp/B00002MZ2R |archive-date=29 May 2016 |url-status=live |title=Don't Say You Love Me / Mewtwo Strikes Back Suite |website=Amazon |access-date=28 September 2015 }}

1. "Don't Say You Love Me" (film version) – 3:46
2. "Mewtwo Strikes Back Suite" – 4:51

• US maxi-CD single{{cite AV media | people =M2M | year =1999 | title ="M2M – Don't Say You Love Me" | medium =Single | id = PRCD 300019 | publisher=Atlantic Records}}

1. "Don't Say You Love Me" (Tin Tin Out Remix) – 3:33
2. "Don't Say You Love Me" (Lenny Bertoldo Radio Mix) – 3:01
3. "Don't Say You Love Me" (acoustic version) – 3:15
4. "Don't Say You Love Me" (album version) – 3:46

{{col-2}}

• Japanese maxi-CD single{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Say-You-Love-Me/dp/B00004T8XB/ref=sr_1_4?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1443423762&sr=1-4& |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151003204708/http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Say-You-Love-Me/dp/B00004T8XB |archive-date=3 October 2015 |url-status=live |title=Don't Say You Love Me |website=Amazon |access-date=28 September 2015 }}

1. "Don't Say You Love Me" (album version) – 3:46
2. "Don't Say You Love Me" (Tin Tin Out Remix) – 3:33
3. "Don't Say You Love Me" (acoustic version) – 3:15
4. "The Feeling Is Gone" – 3:16 (non-album bonus track)
5. "Don't Say You Love Me" (karaoke version) – 4:06

• European maxi-CD single{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Say-You-Love-Pt-1/dp/B00004SAOL/ref=sr_1_7?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1443423762&sr=1-7& |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160317231316/http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Say-You-Love-Pt-1/dp/B00004SAOL |archive-date=17 March 2016 |url-status=live |title=Don't Say You Love Me Pt.1 |website=Amazon |access-date=28 September 2015 }}

1. "Don't Say You Love Me" (album version) – 3:46
2. "The Feeling Is Gone" – 3:16
3. "Don't Say You Love Me" (acoustic version) – 3:15{{col-2}}{{col-end}}

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-2}}

{{col-end}}

{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications and sales for "Don't Say You Love Me"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|title=Don't Say You Love Me|artist=M2m|type=single|award=Gold|certyear=2000|access-date=26 September 2015|refname="aria"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|title=Don't Say You Love Me|artist=M2M|type=single|award=Gold|relyear=1999|certyear=1999|access-date=29 September 2015|refname="riaa"}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{YouTube|id=ZCFlT_FYnEE|title="Don't Say You Love Me" music video}}

{{M2M}}

{{Pokémon Generation 1}}

{{Pokémon movie summary}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Don't Say You Love Me (M2M Song)}}

Category:1999 songs

Category:1999 debut singles

Category:Atlantic Records singles

Category:East West Records singles

Category:M2M (band) songs

Category:Music videos directed by Nigel Dick

Category:Songs written by Marit Larsen

Category:Songs written by Marion Raven

Category:Songs written by Peter Zizzo

Category:Songs from Pokémon

Category:Songs about marriage