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Never Can Say Goodbye
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"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 gay Hi-NRG/dance-pop group The Communards.
recording features 12-year-old Michael Jackson singing a serious song about a love, with accompaniment from his brothers.
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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 gay Hi-NRG/dance-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 #2 hit on the Billboard Pop Singles chart, and a #1 hit on the Billboard Black Singles Chart.
Gloria Gaynor version
A second major Motown version, reimagined as a disco record by Gloria Gaynor in 1974, was a #9 hit on the U.S. Pop Singles Chart,(released on MGM records), and one of the defining recordings of the disco era. This version was produced by the Disco Corporation of America, a production company newly formed by Meco Monardo and Tony Bongiovi to which Gaynor was signed, and 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 #1 spot on the very first Billboard magazine Dance/Disco chart ever to appear in the magazine. Never Can Say Goodbye was also the title of the debut album on which the single appeared.
The Newark, NJ, 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 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 #4 in the UK Singles Chart and peaked at #2 on the Billboard magazine Hot Dance/Disco chart in the U.S. The group had reached Number One on those charts covering another '70s classic, "Don't Leave Me This Way", the previous year.
The energetic video of this version is classified as a classic by music video TV channel VH1.
Other covers
The song was later covered by a number of artists, including Jr. Walker, Isaac Hayes, Cal Tjader, The Sandpipers, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Yazz, Sheena Easton, Vanessa Williams, Gerald Albright, and The Impact Of Brass.
Chanel Cole performed this song during the disco-themed night of the second season of the Australian version of the popular 'Idol' series.
A smooth jazz version is performed by David Benoit on the album "Heroes".
Isaac Hayes' version is used in the film Soul Men. It was originally made in 1971 but he remade it in 2008 for the movie.
In popular culture
Nicole Kidman leads her fellow female penguin characters in singing a few lines of the song in the animated film "Happy Feet" (2006).
Credits
The Jackson 5
Gloria Gaynor
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