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| "Never Can Say Goodbye" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Solid centre variant of the UK single | ||||
| Single byThe Jackson 5 | ||||
| from the albumMaybe Tomorrow | ||||
| B-side | "She's Good" | |||
| Released | March 16, 1971 (1971-03-16) (U.S.) | |||
| Recorded | June 1970 | |||
| Studio | Hitsville West (Los Angeles, California) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:58 | |||
| Label | Motown | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Clifton Davis | |||
| Producer(s) | Hal Davis | |||
| The Jackson 5 singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Never Can Say Goodbye" is a song written byClifton Davis and originally recorded bythe Jackson 5. The song was originally written and intended forthe Supremes; however, Motown decided it would be better for the Jackson 5. It was the firstsingle released from the group's 1971 albumMaybe Tomorrow, and was one of the group's most successful records. It has been covered numerous times, most notably in 1974 byGloria Gaynor and in 1987 by British pop groupthe Communards.
Recorded in June 1970 and released as a single in March 1971, the song features a youngMichael Jackson singing a serious song about 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 theBillboardPop Singles chart, stuck behindThree Dog Night's "Joy to the World" (May 8–22, 1971), and a number-one hit on theBillboardHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in the United States.[3] In the United Kingdom, it reached number 33 on theUK Singles Chart. The song sold 1.2 million copies in the first week of its release and has since sold over 2 million worldwide.[4][5]
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 showThe Jackson 5ive in the episode "A Rare Pearl", which aired on January 15, 1972.
This version appears in the 1994 filmCrooklyn and on the second volume of its soundtrack album.
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| "Never Can Say Goodbye" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single byIsaac Hayes | ||||
| from the albumBlack Moses | ||||
| B-side | "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love with You)" | |||
| Released | April 1971 (U.S.) | |||
| Recorded | 1971 | |||
| Genre | Soul | |||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | Enterprise | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Clifton Davis | |||
| Producer(s) | Isaac Hayes | |||
| Isaac Hayes singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Isaac Hayes first recorded the song for his 1971 albumBlack Moses. Released as a single, this version reached number five on theBillboard 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 filmSoul Men, in which he appears alongsideSamuel L. Jackson andBernie Mac. The film's producers dedicated the 2008 version to Mac and Hayes, who both died before the project was released.
| "Never Can Say Goodbye" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 One of US single reissues | ||||
| Single byGloria Gaynor | ||||
| from the albumNever Can Say Goodbye | ||||
| B-side | "We Just Can't Make It" | |||
| Released | October 27, 1974 (U.S.) | |||
| Recorded | 1974 | |||
| Genre | Disco[1][12] | |||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | MGM | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Clifton Davis | |||
| Producer(s) | ||||
| Gloria Gaynor singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
A major version byGloria Gaynor, re-imagined as adisco record in 1974, was a number-nine hit on the U.S. Pop Singles chart and went to number 34 on the Soul Singles chart.[13] 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 byMeco Monardo andTony Bongiovi to which Gaynor was signed. Also working on this production were Jay Ellis andHarold Wheeler.[14]
Gaynor's cover has the distinction of occupying the number-one spot on the first Dance/Disco chart to appear inBillboard 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 seriesCharmed ("That '70s Episode"), and is featured on thevideo game seriesJust Dance 2015.
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| "Never Can Say Goodbye" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Artwork for standard release | ||||
| Single byThe Communards | ||||
| from the albumRed | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | 26 October 1987[35] | |||
| Recorded | 1987 | |||
| Genre | Hi-NRG[36] | |||
| Length |
| |||
| Label |
| |||
| Songwriter(s) | Clifton Davis | |||
| Producer(s) | Stephen Hague (remix and additional production byShep Pettibone) | |||
| The Communards singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
In 1987, Britishsynth-pop bandthe Communards had a hit with ahi-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 on theUK Singles Chart, number 51 on the U.S.Billboard Hot 100, and number two on theBillboard Hot Dance/Disco chart in the U.S. The group had reached number one on those charts covering another 1970s song, "Don't Leave Me This Way", in 1986. The cover was also a top 10 hit in several European countries and New Zealand.
A music video was produced for this version of the song, directed byAndy Morahan.[37]
The Communards' version of the song was used as the signature tune to the 2013 British comedy seriesVicious.
Richard Lowe ofSmash Hits named "Never Say Goodbye" "Single of the Fortnight" and considered it "a work of such splendour and vigour".[38]
| Chart (1987–1988) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Australian Music Report)[39] | 13 |
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[40] | 6 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[41] | 4 |
| Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)[42] | 7 |
| France (SNEP)[43] | 9 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[44] | 2 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[45] | 3 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[46] | 3 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[47] | 6 |
| South Africa (Springbok Radio)[23] | 15 |
| Spain (AFYVE)[48] | 1 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[49] | 12 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[50] | 4 |
| USBillboard Hot 100[51] | 51 |
| USDance Club Songs (Billboard)[52] | 2 |
| USCash Box Top 100[53] | 58 |
| West Germany (GfK)[54] | 6 |
| Chart (1987) | Position |
|---|---|
| Scotland Dance[55] | 20 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[56] | 51 |
| Chart (1988) | Position |
|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[57] | 84 |
| France[58] | 56 |
| West Germany (official German charts)[59] | 62 |
Dianna Agron covered the song in 2012 during the eleventh episode of thethird season of the American musical television seriesGlee, entitled "Michael". The performance received mostly positive reviews. Jen Chaney ofThe 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".[60]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".[61] Crystal Bell ofHuffPost TV described it as a "blah performance", but Kate Stanhope ofTV Guide said it was "sweet and reflective".[62][63] Erica Futterman ofRolling Stone wrote that it was "a tune well-suited for Quinn's sultry voice and the flipped meaning she gives the lyrics", andTVLine's Michael Slezak had a similar take: he gave it an "A" and called it a "remarkably lovely fit" for her voice.[64][65]
The Neptunes remixed "Never Can Say Goodbye" on the 2009 Michael Jackson remix albumThe Remix Suite.[66]
In 2012,Wu-Tang Clan rapperRaekwon released his cover version of the song in which he raps over the instrumental.[67]
While appearing onThe Hollywood Squares Clifton Davis sang a bit of the songa capella and then was asked who wrote the song. His answer was "I did" to which the contestant agreed (and was correct).
"Never Can Say Goodbye" was originally copyrighted on June 10, 1970 [EU0000187089], and then was copyrighted again on December 21, 1970 [EP0000281027].
For another classic gender-flipped disco rendering of a heartaching R&B hit, consult Gloria Gaynor's roof-raising version of the Jackson 5's "Never Can Say Goodbye
The Little group of youngsters, the Jackson 5 have their sixth straight hit, their last 5 consecutive number one records have sold more than 13.5 million copies. Their new song Never Can Say Goodbye sold 1.2 million in the first 5 days
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)| Singles onSteeltown Records |
|
|---|---|
| Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5 (1969) | |
| ABC (1970) | |
| Third Album (1970) | |
| Jackson 5 Christmas Album (1970) | |
| Maybe Tomorrow (1971) | |
| Greatest Hits (1971) | |
| Lookin' Through the Windows (1972) | |
| Skywriter (1973) | |
| G.I.T.: Get It Together (1973) | |
| Dancing Machine (1974) | |
| Moving Violation (1975) | |
| The Jacksons (1976) | |
| Destiny (1978) | |
| Triumph (1980) | |
| Victory (1984) | |
| 2300 Jackson Street (1989) | |
| Notable collaborations and album tracks | |
