Songfacts®:

• This song is a duet between S.O.S. Band lead singer Mary Davis and their multi-instrumentalist Abdul Ra'oof, who handled male vocals when needed. The song finds them affirming their love, letting each other know the fire still burns. It's a sultry song that became a staple of the Quiet Storm format, which was big in the '80s.
• Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis wrote and produced this song. They had done time in the Prince-created group The Time, but this was early in their careers as songwriter/producers. They had worked on some songs for Klymaxx and got a break when The S.O.S. Band recorded their song "High Hopes" for their 1982 album III. That one earned them an invite back, this time as songwriters and producers. It was a good fit: The S.O.S. Band had been on the decline since their 1980 hit "Take Your Time (Do It Right)" (their debut), and the Jam/Lewis team was able to get them back on the charts with the three songs they contributed to the On The Rise album in 1983: "Tell Me If You Still Care," Just Be Good To Me and "For Your Love." A few years later, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis helmed Janet Jackson's Control album, established themselves as the hottest hitmakers in the game.
• The S.O.S. Band had a potent horn section, but Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis didn't use it in the songs they produced for them. "Tell Me If You Still Care" leans heavily on the Hammond B3 organ played by their keyboard player, Jason Bryant.
• The album version runs 6:58, not unusual for an S.O.S. Band song. The single released was cut down to 4:59.