Never Can Say Goodbye

"Never Can Say Goodbye"
Single by Jackson 5
from the album Maybe Tomorrow
B-side "She's Good"
Released March 16, 1971 (1971-03-16) (U.S.)
Format Vinyl record (7" 45 RPM)
Recorded June 1970
Hitsville West, Los Angeles, CA
Genre Soul
Length 2:58
Label Motown
Songwriter(s) Clifton Davis
Producer(s) Hal Davis
Jackson 5 singles chronology
"Mama's Pearl"
(1970)		 "Never Can Say Goodbye"
(1971)		 "Maybe Tomorrow"
(1971)

"Never Can Say Goodbye" is a song written by Clifton Davis and originally recorded by The Jackson 5. The song was originally written and intended for the Supremes; however Motown decided it would be better for the Jackson 5. Released as a single in 1971, it was one of the group's most successful records. It has been covered numerous times, most notably in 1974 by Gloria Gaynor and in 1987 by British pop group The Communards.

The Jackson 5

The recording features 12-year-old Michael Jackson 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 for three consecutive weeks on the Billboard Pop Singles chart, stuck behind Three Dog Night's "Joy to the World" (May 8-May 22, 1971), and a number-one hit on the Billboard Black Singles chart in the United States.[1] In the United Kingdom, it reached number 33 on the UK Singles Chart.

Notable televised performances of the song by the Jackson 5 (and their newer incarnation, The Jacksons) include:

In addition, the song appeared on the animated TV show The Jackson 5ive in the episode "A Rare Pearl", which aired on January 15, 1972.

This version appears in the 1994 movie Crooklyn and on the second volume of its soundtrack album.

Charts

Gloria Gaynor version

"Never Can Say Goodbye"
Single by Gloria Gaynor
from the album Never Can Say Goodbye
B-side "We Just Can't Make It"
Released October 27, 1974 (U.S.)
Format Vinyl record (7" 45 RPM)
Recorded 1974
Genre
Length 6:19
Label MGM
Songwriter(s) Clifton Davis
Producer(s)
Gloria Gaynor singles chronology
"Honey Bee"
(1974)		 "Never Can Say Goodbye"
(1974)		 "Reach Out, I'll Be There"
(1975)

A second major version, re-imagined as a disco record by Gloria Gaynor in 1974, was a number-nine hit on the U.S. Pop Singles chart and went to number 34 on the Soul Singles chart.[6] The Gloria Gaynor version became one of the defining recordings of the disco era. Indeed, her version peaked at number two in the United Kingdom during January 1975, and number three in Canada, surpassing the Jackson Five's original recording in those nations.

Gaynor's cover, 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.[7]

Gaynor's cover has the distinction of occupying the number-one spot on the first Dance/Disco chart to appear in Billboard magazine. Never Can Say Goodbye was also the title of Gaynor's debut album on which the single appeared.

Gaynor has re-recorded the song on more than one occasion, in increasingly fast tempos, and subsequent remixes have hit the dance charts.

Gaynor's version of the song was heard on the TV series Charmed ("That '70s Episode"), and is featured on the video game series Just Dance 2015.

Charts

The Communards version

"Never Can Say Goodbye"
Single by The Communards
from the album Red
B-side
  • "'77, The Great Escape" (7")
  • "Tomorrow" [Remix] (U.S. 12")
Released 1987 (International release)
Format Vinyl record (7" 45) (12" single) CD Maxi Single
Recorded 1987
Genre Hi-NRG[21]
Length 4:30 (7" 45 RPM)
4:53 (Album Version)
7:50 (12" single)
7:50 and 5:35 (CD Maxi single)
Label London (UK) / MCA Records (U.S.) / Metronome (Germany)
Songwriter(s) Clifton Davis
Producer(s) Stephen Hague
Remix and additional production by Shep Pettibone
The Communards singles chronology
"Tomorrow"
(1987)		 "Never Can Say Goodbye"
(1987)		 "For a Friend"
(1988)

In 1987, British band The Communards had a hit with a Hi-NRG cover of the song, which was featured on their second album, Red.

Their version reached number one in Spain and number two in Ireland, number four number the UK Singles Chart, 51 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, and peaked atnumber 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 cover was also a top 10 hit in several European countries and New Zealand.

The Communards version was also featured in the episode "Father's Day", which was set in 1987, in the first series of the revived Doctor Who. It also could be heard in the final episode of Whites, featuring a dance number[22] by Stephen Wight and as the signature tune to the 2013 British comedy series Vicious.

A music video was produced for this version of the song, directed by Andy Morahan.[23]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1987–1988) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[24] 13
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[25] 6
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[26] 4
France (SNEP)[27] 9
Germany (Official German Charts)[28] 6
Ireland (IRMA)[29] 2
Italy (Hit Parade Italia)[30] 42
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[31] 3
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[32] 3
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[33] 6
South Africa (Springbok Radio)[11] 15
Spain (AFYVE)[34] 1
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[35] 12
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[36] 4
US Billboard Hot 100[37] 51
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[38] 2

Year-end charts

Chart (1988) Position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[39] 84
Germany (Official German Charts)[40] 62

Isaac Hayes version

Isaac Hayes first recorded the song for his 1971 album Black Moses. Released as a single, this version reached number five on the Billboard R&B chart, number 19 on the Easy Listening chart, and number 22 on the Hot 100. Hayes re-recorded the tune for the soundtrack of 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.

Other covers

The song has been covered by many other artists, including Grant Green, Andy Williams, Junior Walker, The Supremes (in 1971), [41] Smokey Robinson (in 1973), [42] Cal Tjader, David T. Walker, The Sandpipers, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Johnny "Hammond" Smith, Herbie Mann, Yazz, Sheena Easton, Gerald Albright, Sonny & Cher, Westlife, The Impact of Brass and Matchstik "The Mj Tribute".

Guitarist Zachary Breaux covered it on his 1997 album, Uptown Groove, which was his final studio album released before his death, one month later after the album's release.

In 1998, Gloria Estefan included "Never Can Say Goodbye" as part of her "70's Moment Medley", recorded as a b-side for her single "Don't Let This Moment End". Other hits included in the medley were "I Thought It Took a Little Time", "If I Can't Have You", "This Time Baby" and "Don't Leave Me This Way".

Vanessa Williams covered the song for her 2005 studio album Everlasting Love. Her version features George Benson.

In 2008, pianist David Benoit recorded a version for his covers album Heroes[43][44] and saxophonist Gerald Albright covered the song on the album Sax for Stax.[45][46] In 2009, keyboardist Bob Baldwin along with guitarist Chuck Loeb covered the song from Bob's album Lookin' Back.[47][48]

In 2010, Singapore singer Olivia Ong recorded a cover on her album Olivia.

Frank Ocean covered this song as a medley with "Close To You" during his Blonde Tour in Summer 2017.

Television, film, and stage performances

Glee

Dianna Agron covered the song in 2012 during the eleventh episode of the third season of the American musical television series Glee, entitled "Michael". The performance received mostly positive reviews. Jen Chaney of The Washington Post gave the song a "B−", and said it "worked much better than every track that preceded it" because it adapted the song to the show "instead of trying to out-Jackson Jackson".[49] Entertainment Weekly's Joseph Brannigan Lynch called it "a nice summation of her character's journey, but not vocally impressive enough to justify listening to outside of the episode" and gave it a "B".[50] Crystal Bell of HuffPost TV described it as a "blah performance", but Kate Stanhope of TV Guide said it was "sweet and reflective".[51][52] Erica Futterman of Rolling Stone wrote that it was "a tune well-suited for Quinn's sultry voice and the flipped meaning she gives the lyrics", and TVLine's Michael Slezak had a similar take: he gave it an "A" and called it a "remarkably lovely fit" for her voice.[53][54]

Samples and remixes

The Neptunes remixed "Never Can Say Goodbye" on the 2009 Michael Jackson remix album The Remix Suite.[55]

Astro rapped over the song on a 2011 episode of The X Factor USA.

In 2012, Wu-Tang Clan rapper Raekwon released his cover version of the song in which he raps over the instrumental.[56]

While appearing on The Hollywood Squares Clifton Davis sang a bit of the song a capella and then was asked who wrote the song. His answer was "I did" to which the contestant agreed (and was correct).

Personnel

"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

Gloria Gaynor

References

  1. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 287.
  2. ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca.
  3. ↑ "Top 100 Hits of 1971/Top 100 Songs of 1971". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
  4. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2016-05-30.
  5. ↑ Billboard. Books.google.com. 1971-12-25. p. 15. Retrieved 2016-10-03.
  6. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 226.
  7. ↑ "Meco Monardo". DiscoMusic.com. Archived from the original on 2012-07-28.
  8. ↑ http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/discover/films-videos-sound-recordings/rpm/Pages/image.aspx?Image=nlc008388.6133a&URLjpg=http%3a%2f%2fwww.collectionscanada.gc.ca%2fobj%2f028020%2ff4%2fnlc008388.6133a.gif&Ecopy=nlc008388.6133a
  9. ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1975-01-18. Retrieved 2018-03-01.
  10. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Never Can Say Goodbye". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  11. 1 2 "SA Charts 1965 - 1989 Songs M-O". South African Rock Lists. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  12. ↑ "Superventas 1975".
  13. ↑ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  14. ↑ "Adult Contemporary Music Chart". Billboard. 1975-01-04. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
  15. ↑ "Cash Box Top 100 2/01/75". Tropicalglen.com. 1975-02-01. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
  16. ↑ "Australian Chart Book". Austchartbook.com.au. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
  17. ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca.
  18. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1975" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved March 13, 2018.
  19. ↑ "Top 100 Hits of 1975/Top 100 Songs of 1975". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2014-07-03.
  20. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-07-26.
  21. ↑ Betts, Graham (2014). Motown Encyclopedia. "Never Can Say Goodbye – The Jackson 5 [Single]": AC Publishing. ISBN 978-1-31144-154-6.
  22. ↑ http://www.hulu.com/watch/246531/whites-episode-6
    Sorry, currently our video library can only be watched from within the United States
    Hulu is committed to making its content available worldwide. To do so, we must work through a number of legal and business issues, including obtaining international streaming rights. Know that we are working to make this happen and will continue to do so. Given the international background of the Hulu team, we have both a professional and personal interest in bringing Hulu to a global audience.
  23. ↑ Garcia, Alex S. "mvdbase.com - the Communards - "Never can say goodbye"". Music Video DataBase. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
  24. ↑ "Australia's (David Kent) Weekly Single Charts for 1988". Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  25. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – The Communards – Never Can Say Goodbye" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  26. ↑ "Ultratop.be – The Communards – Never Can Say Goodbye" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  27. ↑ "Lescharts.com – The Communards – Never Can Say Goodbye" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  28. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Communards – Never Can Say Goodbye". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  29. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Never Say Goodbye". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  30. ↑ "Indice per Interprete: C". Hit Parade Italia. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  31. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 50, 1987" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  32. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – The Communards – Never Can Say Goodbye" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  33. ↑ "Charts.nz – The Communards – Never Can Say Goodbye". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  34. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  35. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – The Communards – Never Can Say Goodbye". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  36. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  37. ↑ "The Communards Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  38. ↑ "The Communards Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  39. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 1988" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  40. ↑ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts 1988" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 1 June 2018.
  41. ↑ "The Supremes cover of The Jackson 5's 'Never Can Say Goodbye'". WhoSampled. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
  42. ↑ AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine (1973-06-19). "Smokey - Smokey Robinson | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
  43. ↑ "Heroes overview". Allmusic.
  44. ↑ "Heroes : David Benoit : Concord Music Group". Concord Music Group.
  45. ↑ "Sax for Stax overview". Allmusic.
  46. ↑ "Gerald Albright - Sax for Stax". Smooth-jazz.de.
  47. ↑ "Lookin' Back overview". Allmusic.
  48. ↑ "CD Review of Bob Baldwin". Jazzreview.com. Archived from the original on 2010-07-15.
  49. ↑ Chaney, Jen (January 31, 2012). "'Glee' by the musical numbers: Maxing out on Michael Jackson". The Washington Post. Katharine Weymouth. Retrieved February 6, 2012.
  50. ↑ Lynch, Joseph Brannigan (February 1, 2012). "'Glee' recap: An 'Off the Wall' Tribute to MJ". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved February 6, 2012.
  51. ↑ Bell, Crystal (January 31, 2012). "'Glee' Recap: Tribute To Michael Jackson". HuffPost TV. Huffington Post. Retrieved February 6, 2012.
  52. ↑ Stanhope, Kate (January 31, 2012). "Glee's Promising Road to Graduation Begins". TV Guide. Retrieved February 6, 2012.
  53. ↑ Futterman, Erica (February 1, 2012). "'Glee' Recap: A Tribute Worthy of a King". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media LLC. Retrieved February 6, 2012.
  54. ↑ Slezak, Michael (January 31, 2012). "Glee Recap: A Thriller of a Night!". TVLine. Mail.com Media. Retrieved February 6, 2012.
  55. ↑ Nick Neyland (2009-08-12). "Q-Tip and The Neptunes Feature on Michael Jackson: The Remix Suite | Prefix". Prefixmag.com. Retrieved 2016-10-04.
  56. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-02-07. Retrieved 2015-02-07.
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