Bootleg Betty
Video: Bette Midler – All I Need To Know – Art Or Bust
By Mister D
July 11, 2026
“All I Need to Know” is Bette Midler’s 1983 cover of “Don’t Know Much” by Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, and Tom Snow. It appeared on her album No Frills and later on the compilation A Gift of Love. It charted modestly (#77 on the Hot 100), but fans love it for the warm, grown?woman ache in her vocals.
What the song is
A cover of Barry Mann’s “Don’t Know Much” (yes, the same song later made famous by Linda Ronstadt & Aaron Neville).
Released by Bette on No Frills (1983), her punk?tinged, back-to-basics album.
Produced by Chuck Plotkin, who also worked with Springsteen.
Chart notes
Peaked at #77 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Hit #39 on Adult Contemporary.
Why fans care
Even though it wasn’t a major hit, Bette’s version has become a deep?cut favorite because:
She leans into the weathered vulnerability of the lyric.
Her phrasing gives the song a grown, lived?in emotional weight that’s different from later, more polished versions.
It fits beautifully into the No Frills era—raw, unadorned, and emotionally direct.
Songwriting credits
Barry Mann
Cynthia Weil
Tom Snow
