"Tell the World How I Feel about 'Cha Baby" (1976)
"Don't Leave Me This Way" (1975)
"Reaching for the World" (1977)
The Blue Notes' original version of the song, featuringTeddy Pendergrass's lead vocals, was included on the group's 1975 albumWake Up Everybody. Though not issued as a single in the United States at the time, the Blue Notes' recording reached number three on the USBillboardHot Disco Singles chart in the wake ofThelma Houston's version. The song proved to be the group's highest-peaking entry in the United Kingdom, reaching number five on theUK Singles Chart, when released there as a single in 1977. It became the title track of a budget LP issued on the CBS Embassy label in the UK in 1978.[1] The track was finally issued as a 12-inch single in the US in 1979, coupled with "Bad Luck".
"Don't Leave Me This Way" wascovered by American singerThelma Houston in 1976. Originally assigned toDiana Ross, it was intended to be the follow-up to her 1976single "Love Hangover", but was given to Houston instead.
Following the release of Houston's fourth album,Any Way You Like It (1976), aBostonDJrecord pool unanimously reported positive audience response to "Don't Leave Me This Way" indiscothèques, and the song was selected for release as a single.[8] Houston's version topped the US soul singles chart[9] and, nine weeks later, theBillboard Hot 100 for one week in April 1977. The song peaked at number 13 in the UK.[10] The song peaked at number 1 on the disco chart.[11] Later in the year, it was featured on the soundtrack to the filmLooking for Mr. Goodbar. In 1978, Houston won the award forBest R&B Vocal Performance, Female at the20th Annual Grammy Awards for her rendition of the song.[12]
Thelma Houston recorded her vocals at Motown'sWest Hollywood studio under producerHal Davis;[13] he aggressivelycompressed her voice and allowed a slight amount of distortion at the loudest peaks. The instrumentalhook in the chorus and outro was supplied by bass guitarist Henry E. Davis, who performed with many passing notes and occasional disco-style octave jumps. Motown house drummerJames Gadson provided a four-on-the-floor disco beat locking his kick with Davis's bass.Congas are present in the mix, and a boomingfloor tom is overdubbed into the chorus. A discostring section included violins, violas, cellos and harp.Arthur G. Wright arranged the strings, and played an out-of-tune electric guitar, while John Barnes played electricRhodes piano—the Suitcase model with its stereopanning effect. Layered backing vocals were sung by the Waters Sisters,Maxine andJulia. A lengthy outro section introduced an activeClavinet funk line andtambourine.[14]
Houston's version was revived in 1995 in several remixes, which reached No. 19 on the USBillboard dance chart and No. 35 in the UK.[10] This version got Houston ranked No. 86 onVH1's "100 GreatestOne-Hit Wonders", as well as the number-two spot on their "100 Greatest Dance Songs" list in 2000. In 2012,Rolling Stone ranked it No. 8 in their list of "The Best Disco Songs of All Time".[15] In 2020,Slant Magazine ranked it No. 8 in their "The 100 Best Dance Songs of All Time".[16] In 2021,Rolling Stone included "Don't Leave Me This Way" in their list of "500 Best Songs of All Time" at No. 355,[17] while in 2022, the magazine ranked it No. 121 in their "200 Greatest Dance Songs of All Time".[18] In 2025,Billboard ranked it No. 55 and No. 19 in their lists of "The 100 Best Dance Songs of All Time" and "The 100 GreatestLGBTQ+ Anthems of All Time".[19][20]
In 1986, the song was covered by Britishsynth-pop duothe Communards in ahi-NRG version. This recording topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks in September 1986,[63] becoming the best-selling single of the year in the United Kingdom. The featured guest vocalist was jazz singerSarah Jane Morris. The song reached number 40 on the USBillboard Hot 100 and topped theBillboard dance chart.[64] In 2015, the song was voted by the British public as the nation's 16th favorite1980s number one in a poll forITV.[65]
The song also had a music video, which showed the band performing in an underground setting with many fans. This included a blond stoic young man as part of the crowd simply watching. In the video, it turns out that he was chased down and caught and forced to be an informant to secret police. Near the end of the video, he finally radios in to them, and at the end they turn spotlights on the band and the crowd, forcing them to scatter.
Several remixes were issued, notably the "Gotham City Mix" which was split across two sides of a 12-inch single and ran for a total of 22 minutes 55 seconds. The album liner notes dedicate the song to theGreater London Council (GLC), which had recently been abolished.
Much critical of the Communards' version, Simon Mills ofSmash Hits stated that it "crucified" the original one "with stupid, blundering unsympathetic Hi-NRG synthesiser noises and that bloody ridiculous voice", adding that he did not like the song, the band or the single cover.[66]
^ab"Classifiche".Musica e dischi (in Italian). RetrievedAugust 11, 2023.Select "Singoli" in the "Tipo" field, type "Don't leave me this way" in the "Titolo" field and press "cerca".
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