Never Can Say Goodbye
Encyclopedia
"Never Can Say Goodbye" is a song written by Clifton Davis
and originally recorded by The Jackson 5
. Released as a single
in 1971, it was one of the group's most successful songs. The song has been covered numerous times, most notably in 1974 by disco diva
Gloria Gaynor
and in 1987 by Hi-NRG
/dance-pop group The Communards.
singing a serious song about a love, with accompaniment from his brothers. Although such a record was unusual for a teenage group, "Never Can Say Goodbye" was a number-two hit on the Billboard Pop Singles
chart and a number-one hit on the Billboard Black Singles
chart in the United States. In the United Kingdom, it reached number thirty-three on the UK Singles Chart
.
An alternate version appears on the Jackson 5 CD "I Want You Back! Unreleased Masters" released in 2009.
record by Gloria Gaynor
in 1974, was a number-nine hit on the U.S. Pop Singles chart and went to number thirty-four on the Soul Singles chart. The Gloria Gaynor version became one of the defining recordings of the disco era. Indeed, in the UK, Gaynor's version peaked at #2 in the chart during January 1975. This version, released on MGM records, was produced by the Disco Corporation of America, a production company newly formed by Meco Monardo
and Tony Bongiovi
to which Gaynor was signed. Also working on this production were Jay Ellis and Harold Wheeler.
Though perhaps best known for her 1978/1979 hit "I Will Survive
", Gaynor's version of "Never Can Say Goodbye" has the distinction of occupying the number-one spot on the very first Dance/Disco chart ever to appear in Billboard magazine
. Never Can Say Goodbye was also the title of Gaynor's debut album on which the single appeared.
The Newark, New Jersey
, native has re-recorded the song on more than one occasion, in increasingly Hi-NRG tempos, and subsequent remixes have hit the dance charts.
Scottish
lead singer Jimmy Somerville
, openly gay on record since his previous band Bronski Beat
released "Smalltown Boy
" in 1984, performed a falsetto
version faithful to Gaynor's disco take, right down to the pronouns "you know you love him more and more" and "never can say goodbye, boy".
The Communards' version reached number four in the UK Singles Chart
and peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot Dance/Disco chart in the U.S. The group had reached number one on those charts covering another 1970s classic, "Don't Leave Me This Way
", in 1986.
The energetic music video of this version is classified as a classic by cable video channel VH1.
The Communards version was also featured in Father's Day
, in the first series of the revived Doctor Who
, set in 1987, and the final episode of Whites, featuring a dance number http://www.hulu.com/watch/246531/whites-episode-6 by Stephen Wight
.
, Junior Walker, The Supremes
(in 1971)
, Smokey Robinson
(in 1973)
, Cal Tjader
, David T. Walker
, The Sandpipers
, Rahsaan Roland Kirk
, Johnny "Hammond" Smith, Herbie Mann
, Yazz
, Sheena Easton
, Vanessa Williams
, Gerald Albright
, David Benoit, Westlife
, The Impact of Brass and Matchstik
"The Mj Tribute".
Isaac Hayes
recorded the song in 1971 and re-recorded it for the 2008 film Soul Men
, in which he appears alongside Samuel L. Jackson
and Bernie Mac
. The film's producers dedicated the 2008 version to both Mac and Hayes, who both died before the project was released.
In 2008, pianist David Benoit recorded a version for his covers-packed album "Heroes" and saxophonist
Gerald Albright
covered the song on the album "Sax for Stax." In 2009, urban jazz
keyboardist Bob Baldwin
along with guitarist Chuck Loeb
covered the song from Bob's album "Lookin' Back."
In 2010, Chinese singer Olivia Ong
recorded a bossa nova
based cover on her Olivia album.
guitarist Zachary Breaux
covered the song on his 1997 album, Uptown Groove and the final studio album released before his untimely death the following month.
The Neptunes remixed Never Can Say Goodbye on the album Michael Jackson: The Remix Suite (1989).
Never Can Say Goodbye was originally copyrighted on June 10, 1970 [EU0000187089] and then was copyrighted again on December 21, 1970 [EP0000281027]
Clifton Davis
Clifton Duncan Davis is an American actor, songwriter and minister. He has appeared on the television shows as A World Apart, That's My Mama and Amen...
and originally recorded by The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5 , later known as The Jacksons, were an American popular music family group from Gary, Indiana...
. Released as a single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
in 1971, it was one of the group's most successful songs. The song has been covered numerous times, most notably in 1974 by disco diva
Diva
A diva is a celebrated female singer. The term is used to describe a woman of outstanding talent in the world of opera, and, by extension, in theatre, cinema and popular music. The meaning of diva is closely related to that of "prima donna"....
Gloria Gaynor
Gloria Gaynor
Gloria Gaynor is an American singer, best known for the disco era hits; "I Will Survive" , "Never Can Say Goodbye" , "Let Me Know " and "I Am What I Am" .-Early career:Gaynor was a singer with the Soul...
and in 1987 by Hi-NRG
Hi-NRG
Hi-NRG describes a form of high-tempo disco music as well as a genre of electronic dance music originating in the United States during the late 1970s...
/dance-pop group The Communards.
The Jackson 5
The recording features 12-year-old Michael JacksonMichael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
singing a serious song about a love, with accompaniment from his brothers. Although such a record was unusual for a teenage group, "Never Can Say Goodbye" was a number-two hit on the Billboard Pop Singles
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart and a number-one hit on the Billboard Black Singles
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart in the United States. In the United Kingdom, it reached number thirty-three on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
.
An alternate version appears on the Jackson 5 CD "I Want You Back! Unreleased Masters" released in 2009.
Gloria Gaynor version
A second major version, reimagined as a discoDisco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
record by Gloria Gaynor
Gloria Gaynor
Gloria Gaynor is an American singer, best known for the disco era hits; "I Will Survive" , "Never Can Say Goodbye" , "Let Me Know " and "I Am What I Am" .-Early career:Gaynor was a singer with the Soul...
in 1974, was a number-nine hit on the U.S. Pop Singles chart and went to number thirty-four on the Soul Singles chart. The Gloria Gaynor version became one of the defining recordings of the disco era. Indeed, in the UK, Gaynor's version peaked at #2 in the chart during January 1975. This version, released on MGM records, was produced by the Disco Corporation of America, a production company newly formed by Meco Monardo
Meco
Meco is an American record producer and musician, as well as the name of a band or production team based around him...
and Tony Bongiovi
Tony Bongiovi
Tony Bongiovi is a record producer and recording engineer with expertise in Electrical & Acoustical Engineering. He helped to remodel an old building in Manhattan—once a power plant for Edison, and later a television studio—into the Power Station recording studio in 1977.Bongiovi was born in the...
to which Gaynor was signed. Also working on this production were Jay Ellis and Harold Wheeler.
Though perhaps best known for her 1978/1979 hit "I Will Survive
I Will Survive
"I Will Survive" is a song first performed by American singer Gloria Gaynor, released in October 1978. It was written by Freddie Perren and Dino Fekaris...
", Gaynor's version of "Never Can Say Goodbye" has the distinction of occupying the number-one spot on the very first Dance/Disco chart ever to appear in Billboard magazine
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
. Never Can Say Goodbye was also the title of Gaynor's debut album on which the single appeared.
The Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
, native has re-recorded the song on more than one occasion, in increasingly Hi-NRG tempos, and subsequent remixes have hit the dance charts.
The Communards version
In 1987, British pop band The Communards had a hit with a Hi-NRG cover of the Clifton Davis classic, which was featured on their second album, Red.Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
lead singer Jimmy Somerville
Jimmy Somerville
James William Somerville is a Scottish pop singer and songwriter. He had considerable success in the 1980s with the pop groups Bronski Beat and The Communards, and has also had a successful solo career. He is known in particular for his falsetto singing voice...
, openly gay on record since his previous band Bronski Beat
Bronski Beat
Bronski Beat were a popular British synthpop trio who achieved success in the mid 1980s, particularly with the 1984 chart hit "Smalltown Boy". All members of the group were openly homosexual and their songs reflected this, often containing political commentary on gay-related issues...
released "Smalltown Boy
Smalltown Boy
"Smalltown Boy" is the debut single of the British synthpop group Bronski Beat, released in June 1984. It would also appear on the band's debut album The Age of Consent, released in December 1984....
" in 1984, performed a falsetto
Falsetto
Falsetto is the vocal register occupying the frequency range just above the modal voice register and overlapping with it by approximately one octave. It is produced by the vibration of the ligamentous edges of the vocal folds, in whole or in part...
version faithful to Gaynor's disco take, right down to the pronouns "you know you love him more and more" and "never can say goodbye, boy".
The Communards' version reached number four in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
and peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot Dance/Disco chart in the U.S. The group had reached number one on those charts covering another 1970s classic, "Don't Leave Me This Way
Don't Leave Me This Way
"Don't Leave Me This Way" is an R&B/soul/disco song written by Kenneth Gamble, Leon Huff, and Cary Gilbert. First charting as a hit for Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, an act on Gamble & Huff's Philadelphia International label in 1975, "Don't Leave Me This Way" was later a hit single for both...
", in 1986.
The energetic music video of this version is classified as a classic by cable video channel VH1.
The Communards version was also featured in Father's Day
Father's Day (Doctor Who)
"Father's Day" is the eighth episode in series one of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who. The episode was first broadcast on 14 May 2005...
, in the first series of the revived Doctor Who
Doctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
, set in 1987, and the final episode of Whites, featuring a dance number http://www.hulu.com/watch/246531/whites-episode-6 by Stephen Wight
Stephen Wight
Stephen Wight is a British actor, who trained at the Drama Centre London.-Career:Wight's television career dates back to 2003 with a minor part in Casualty....
.
Other covers
The song was later covered by a number of artists, including Isaac HayesIsaac Hayes
Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr. was an American songwriter, musician, singer and actor. Hayes was one of the creative influences behind the southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songwriter and as a record producer, teaming with his partner David Porter during the...
, Junior Walker, The Supremes
The Supremes
The Supremes, an American female singing group, were the premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s.Originally founded as The Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, The Supremes' repertoire included doo-wop, pop, soul, Broadway show tunes, psychedelic soul, and disco...
(in 1971)
, Smokey Robinson
Smokey Robinson
William "Smokey" Robinson, Jr. is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and former record executive. Robinson is one of the primary figures associated with Motown, second only to the company's founder, Berry Gordy...
(in 1973)
, Cal Tjader
Cal Tjader
Callen Radcliffe Tjader, Jr. a.k.a. Cal Tjader was a Latin jazz musician, though he also explored various other jazz idioms. Unlike other American jazz musicians who experimented with the music from Cuba, the Caribbean, and Latin America, he never abandoned it, performing it until his...
, David T. Walker
David T. Walker
David T. Walker is an American guitarist born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In addition to numerous session musician duties since the early 1970s, Walker has issued over twelve albums in his own name.-Career:...
, The Sandpipers
The Sandpipers
The Sandpipers were an American easy listening trio/quartet, who carved a niche in 1960s folk rock. They are best remembered for their cover version of "Guantanamera", which became a transatlantic Top 10 hit in 1966, and their Top 20 hit "Come Saturday Morning" from the soundtrack of the film The...
, Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Rahsaan Roland Kirk
Rahsaan Roland Kirk was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist who played tenor saxophone, flute and many other instruments...
, Johnny "Hammond" Smith, Herbie Mann
Herbie Mann
Herbert Jay Solomon , better known as Herbie Mann, was a Jewish American jazz flutist and important early practitioner of world music...
, Yazz
Yazz
Yazz is a British pop singer, who remains best known for her successful 1988 dance track, "The Only Way Is Up". Some of her records were credited to Yazz & The Plastic Population...
, Sheena Easton
Sheena Easton
Sheena Easton is a Scottish recording artist. Easton became famous for being the focus of an episode in the British television programme The Big Time, which recorded her attempts to gain a record contract and her eventual signing with EMI Records.Easton rose to fame in the early 1980s with the pop...
, Vanessa Williams
Vanessa L. Williams
Vanessa Lynn Williams is an American pop-R&B recording artist, producer, dancer, model, actress and showgirl. In 1983, she became the first woman of African-American descent to be crowned Miss America, but a scandal generated by her having posed for nude photographs published in Penthouse magazine...
, Gerald Albright
Gerald Albright
Gerald Albright is an American jazz saxophonist.Albright has sold over 1,000,000 albums in the U.S. alone. His self-produced music features him on bass guitar, keyboards, flutes, drum programming, and background vocals.- Biography :...
, David Benoit, Westlife
Westlife
Westlife are an Irish boy band established on 3 July 1998. They are to disband in 2012. The group's line-up was Nicky Byrne, Kian Egan, Mark Feehily, Shane Filan, and Brian McFadden . The group are the only act in British and Irish history to have their first seven singles peak at number one...
, The Impact of Brass and Matchstik
Matchstik
Allen David Forrest Jr. also known by the stage name Matchstik or Match, is an American recording artist, rapper, singer/songwriter, music producer, and actor. He is also the founder and CEO of M. Republik Music Group....
"The Mj Tribute".
Isaac Hayes
Isaac Hayes
Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr. was an American songwriter, musician, singer and actor. Hayes was one of the creative influences behind the southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songwriter and as a record producer, teaming with his partner David Porter during the...
recorded the song in 1971 and re-recorded it for the 2008 film Soul Men
Soul Men (film)
Soul Men is a 2008 American music-comedy-drama film directed by Malcolm D. Lee and written by Matthew Stone and Rob Ramsey. It stars Samuel L. Jackson and Bernie Mac. It was released on November 7, 2008....
, in which he appears alongside Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel L. Jackson
Samuel Leroy Jackson is an American film and television actor and film producer. After becoming involved with the Civil Rights Movement, he moved on to acting in theater at Morehouse College, and then films. He had several small roles such as in the film Goodfellas before meeting his mentor,...
and Bernie Mac
Bernie Mac
Bernard Jeffrey McCullough , better known by his stage name, Bernie Mac, was an American actor and comedian. Born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, Mac gained popularity as a stand-up comedian. He joined comedians Steve Harvey, Cedric the Entertainer, and D. L...
. The film's producers dedicated the 2008 version to both Mac and Hayes, who both died before the project was released.
In 2008, pianist David Benoit recorded a version for his covers-packed album "Heroes" and saxophonist
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
Gerald Albright
Gerald Albright
Gerald Albright is an American jazz saxophonist.Albright has sold over 1,000,000 albums in the U.S. alone. His self-produced music features him on bass guitar, keyboards, flutes, drum programming, and background vocals.- Biography :...
covered the song on the album "Sax for Stax." In 2009, urban jazz
Urban jazz
Urban jazz is the fusion of smooth jazz and R&B/hip-hop music. Urban jazz usually contains strong R&B percussion and bass lines. A few of the better known urban jazz artists are Boney James, Ronny Jordan, Nick Colionne, Wayman Tisdale, Najee, and Paul Jackson, Jr.Some of the more successful...
keyboardist Bob Baldwin
Bob Baldwin (musician)
Bob Baldwin is a New York-born contemporary jazz musician and producer.Born December 9, 1960, Mount Vernon, NYBob is an American music composer, pianist, record producer, musical arranger, Pianist and compose, who learned how to play directly from his father, Robert Baldwin, Sr...
along with guitarist Chuck Loeb
Chuck Loeb
Chuck Loeb is a guitarist who performs numerous styles of music, most notably jazz. Loeb's own solo projects have generally been commercially successful crossover jazz, which has "contemporary" or "smooth" jazz....
covered the song from Bob's album "Lookin' Back."
In 2010, Chinese singer Olivia Ong
Olivia Ong
Olivia Ong is a Singaporean singer. She sings mostly in English but developed her career singing in English and Japanese. In addition, she has released rare tracks, recorded in Mandarin, and Cantonese which can be found on limited edition albums.-Biography:...
recorded a bossa nova
Bossa nova
Bossa nova is a style of Brazilian music. Bossa nova acquired a large following in the 1960s, initially consisting of young musicians and college students...
based cover on her Olivia album.
guitarist Zachary Breaux
Zachary Breaux
Zachary Charles Breaux was an American jazz guitarist, influenced by George Benson and Wes Montgomery and best remembered for his soul-jazz work...
covered the song on his 1997 album, Uptown Groove and the final studio album released before his untimely death the following month.
In popular culture
- The Jackson 5 version appears in the 1994 movie CrooklynCrooklynCrooklyn is a 1994 semi-autobiographical film co-written and directed by Spike Lee. The film takes place in Brooklyn, New York and the neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant during the summer of 1973. Its primary focus is a young girl, Troy , and her family...
and on the second volume of its soundtrack album. - Nicole KidmanNicole KidmanNicole Mary Kidman, AC is an American-born Australian actress, singer, film producer, spokesmodel, and humanitarian. After starring in a number of small Australian films and TV shows, Kidman's breakthrough was in the 1989 thriller Dead Calm...
sings a few lines of the song in the animated film Happy FeetHappy FeetHappy Feet is a 2006 American-Australian computer-animated family film with music, directed and co-written by George Miller. It was produced at Sydney-based visual effects and animation studio Animal Logic for Warner Bros., Village Roadshow Pictures and Kingdom Feature Productions and was released...
(2006). - Will FerrellWill FerrellJohn William "Will" Ferrell is an American comedian, impressionist, actor, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the late 1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, Anchorman, Talladega...
sang the song on the first episode of The Tonight Show with Conan O'BrienThe Tonight Show with Conan O'BrienThe Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien is an American late-night talk show that featured Conan O'Brien as host from June 1, 2009 to January 22, 2010 as part of NBC's long-running Tonight Show franchise...
. - The song was in the CharmedCharmedCharmed is an American television series that originally aired from October 7, 1998, until May 21, 2006, on the now defunct The WB Television Network. The series was created in 1998 by writer Constance M...
episode "That 70's Episode". - Jorge NúñezJorge NúñezJorge Núñez may refer to:*Jorge Martín Núñez, Paraguayan footballer*Jorge Núñez , American Idol season 8 contestant...
sang the song on the top 13 show on American Idol season 8American Idol (season 8)The eighth season of American Idol premiered on January 13, 2009, and concluded on May 20, 2009. Judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson continued to judge the show's contestants, along with Ryan Seacrest as host. The season introduced Kara DioGuardi as the fourth judge on the Idol...
. - J Xavier sampled the Jackson 5 version for his single, "I Love My Music".
The Neptunes remixed Never Can Say Goodbye on the album Michael Jackson: The Remix Suite (1989).
Personnel
- Written by Clifton DavisClifton DavisClifton Duncan Davis is an American actor, songwriter and minister. He has appeared on the television shows as A World Apart, That's My Mama and Amen...
Never Can Say Goodbye was originally copyrighted on June 10, 1970 [EU0000187089] and then was copyrighted again on December 21, 1970 [EP0000281027]
The Jackson 5
- Lead vocals: Michael JacksonMichael JacksonMichael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
- Background vocals: Jackie JacksonJackie JacksonSigmund Esco "Jackie" Jackson is an American singer and musician, a member of The Jackson 5, and the second child in the Jackson family.-Life and career:...
, Tito JacksonTito JacksonToriano Adaryll "Tito" Jackson is an American singer and lead guitarist and original member of The Jackson 5. He is the older brother of American pop stars Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson.-Early life and rise to stardom:...
, Jermaine JacksonJermaine JacksonJermaine La Jaune Jackson is an American singer, bassist, composer, a member of The Jackson 5, older brother of American pop stars Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson and occasional film director...
and Marlon JacksonMarlon JacksonMarlon David Jackson is an American entertainer singer, dancer, former member of The Jackson 5, and elder brother of American pop stars Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson.-Personal life:... - Produced by Hal DavisHal DavisHarold Edward "Hal" Davis was an African American songwriter and record producer, best known as the key figure in the latter part of the Motown career of The Jackson 5....
- Instrumentation by various Los AngelesLos ÁngelesLos Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
studio musicians
Gloria Gaynor
- Lead vocals: Gloria GaynorGloria GaynorGloria Gaynor is an American singer, best known for the disco era hits; "I Will Survive" , "Never Can Say Goodbye" , "Let Me Know " and "I Am What I Am" .-Early career:Gaynor was a singer with the Soul...
- Produced by the Disco Corporation of America (Meco MonardoMecoMeco is an American record producer and musician, as well as the name of a band or production team based around him...
, Tony BongioviTony BongioviTony Bongiovi is a record producer and recording engineer with expertise in Electrical & Acoustical Engineering. He helped to remodel an old building in Manhattan—once a power plant for Edison, and later a television studio—into the Power Station recording studio in 1977.Bongiovi was born in the...
, Jay Ellis producers; Harold Wheeler arranger)