"Kiss and Say Goodbye" is a 1976 song by American R&B

vocal group A vocal group is a performing ensemble of vocalists who sing and harmonize together. The first well-known vocals groups emerged in the 19th century, and the style had reached widespread popularity by the 1940s. Types Vocal groups can come in se ...

The Manhattans The Manhattans are an American popular R&B vocal group. Their work "Kiss and Say Goodbye", recorded in 1976, and 1980's " Shining Star", both sold millions of copies. The Manhattans have recorded 45 hits on the ''Billboard'' R&B Chart, includi ...

. It was written by group member Winfred Lovett, the bass singer and songwriter of the group, who did the song's spoken introduction. The song was recorded for the album ''

'', released in 1976 by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

, and was released as a single in March of the same year. "Kiss and Say Goodbye" became a worldwide success, appearing in the musical charts of countless countries, a Top 10 hit in many countries, including No. 1 in the US,

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

, and in Europe ''(

European Hot 100 Singles The European Hot 100 Singles was compiled by '' Billboard'' and '' Music & Media'' magazine from March 1984 until December 2010. The chart was based on national singles sales charts in 17 European countries: Austria, Belgium (two charts separately ...

)''. With the exception of

Adult Contemporary Chart The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by sta ...

, "Kiss and Say Goodbye" was ranked number 1 in US on all Pop Singles Charts and on all R&B Singles Charts. The song was one of the biggest hits of 1976 and of the 1970s.

Background and recording

The song was written by Manhattans bass singer Winfred "Blue" Lovett, who also provided the spoken introduction heard in the full-length version of the original recording. The lyrics and melody came to him late one night. As he later recalled, "Everything was there. I got up about three o'clock in the morning and jotted down the things I wanted to say. I just put the words together on my tape recorder and little piano. I've always thought that when you write slow songs, they have to have meaning. In this case, it's the love triangle situation we've all been through. I figured anyone who's been in love could relate to it. And it seemed to touch home for a lot of folks." Lovett originally considered the song a country tune more appropriate to be sung by

Glen Campbell Glen Travis Campbell (April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017) was an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, actor and television host. He was best known for a series of hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting ''The Glen Campbell Goodt ...

Charley Pride Charley Frank Pride (March 18, 1934 – December 12, 2020) was an American singer, guitarist, and professional baseball player. His greatest musical success came in the early to mid-1970s, when he was the best-selling performer for RCA Reco ...

. He decided to do it with his group.

lead singer

Gerald Alston Gerald Alston (born November 8, 1951) is an American soul/R&B singer, and the lead singer of the Grammy Award winning group The Manhattans between late 1970 and 1988, recording 25 top 40 R&B and 12 Hot 100 Pop Singles. Alston was lead singer on ...

is featured in the song starting to sing after Lovett's spoken introduction. The original demo of the song was recorded with The Manhattans backing band, "Little Harlem." After hearing a tape of the recording, producer/arranger Bobby Martin decided to re-record the song with backing by

MFSB MFSB, officially standing for "Mother Father Sister Brother", was a pool of more than 30 studio musicians based at Philadelphia's Sigma Sound Studios. They worked closely with the production team of Gamble and Huff and producer/arranger Thom Bel ...

Sigma Sound Studios Sigma Sound Studios was a recording studio in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.. It was founded in 1968 by recording engineer Joseph Tarsia. Located at 212 North 12th Street in Philadelphia, it was one of the first studios in the United States to ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. Recorded in early 1975,

officials withheld releasing the song until 14 months later. Winfred "Blue" Lovett had his concerns over when the record came out as well as the record itself. "I was critical, a perfectionist in the studio, and there are still parts of it that make my skin crawl. For example, in one place, the background vocals go off pitch. Somehow, though, that didn't seem to bother anyone else."

Track listing

*The full length of "Kiss and Say Goodbye" on the album ''

'' is 4:28. The length of 3:29 on the

7" single In music, a single is a type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record or an album. One can be released for sale to the public in a variety of formats. In most cases, a single is a song that is released separate ...

is an edited version of the song. The Edited version fades out earlier, because it was considered too long and monotonous for airplay, while the full length version ends on a climatic cadenza on the song's title.

B-side

The

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

of the

contains the song "Wonderful World of Love", which was also recorded by

for the album ''

''. It was written by Robert S. Riley Sr., songwriter and producer/promotion man of the group, who wrote several songs (lyrics) for them. The song was produced by Bobby Martin and

Chart performance

Released as a single, the song became a worldwide hit for the group, ranked number 1 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for two weeks, and also on the ''Billboard'' R&B chart for one week. The single reaching number 4 on the UK, (where received Silver certification), and number 7 on the

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, (where received Gold certification). In the U.S., the song was the 400th #1 hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It also became just the second single to earn Platinum certification status, after the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

established the designation in 1976. (

Johnnie Taylor Johnnie Harrison Taylor (May 5, 1934 – May 31, 2000) was an American recording artist and songwriter who performed a wide variety of genres, from blues, rhythm and blues, soul, and gospel to pop, doo-wop, and disco. In 2022, Taylor was ...

's "

Disco Lady "Disco Lady" is a 1976 single by American singer Johnnie Taylor that went on to become his biggest hit. It spent four weeks at No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and six weeks on the ''Billboard'' R&B chart in the U.S. It was also the first singl ...

" had been the first a few months earlier.) The single ultimately sold 2.5 million copies. ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' ranked the song as the No. 6 Pop Singles for 1976 and No. 3 Soul Singles for 1976. Besides being the first and only No. 1 pop hit for

, "Kiss and Say Goodbye" marked 11 years since the group made their first appearance on the ''Billboard'' in 1965, with the song "I Wanna Be (Your Everything)" (No. 68 on the

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

). "Kiss and Say Goodbye" ended the decade at No. 83 on the ''Billboard'' Top 100 Songs of the 1970s.

Personnel

* Written by Winfred Lovett * Arranged by Bobby Martin * Spoken voice on intro – Winfred Lovett * Lead vocal –

* Music played (uncredited) –

* Background vocals (uncredited) – The Manhattans,

Barbara Ingram Barbara Jane Ingram (February 9, 1947 – October 20, 1994) was an American R&B singer and songwriter who was active throughout the early 1970s until the mid-late 1980s, enjoying modest success as a backup singer for almost two decades. ...

, Evette Benton, Carla Benson Credits * Producer – Bobby Martin and

* Recording – Kenny Present * Mastering – Stuart J. Romaine (SJR) * Engineer – Kenny Present Companies *Recorded at

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

*Pressed by Columbia Records Pressing Plant, Terre Haute *Mastered at Frankford/Wayne Mastering Labs

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

All-time charts

Certifications and sales

Other versions

UB40 UB40 are an English reggae and pop band, formed in December 1978 in Birmingham, England. The band has had more than 50 singles in the UK Singles Chart, and has also achieved considerable international success. They have been nominated for the ...

covered the song on their 2005 album ''

Who You Fighting For? ''Who You Fighting For?'' is the fifteenth album by UB40 released on 13 June 2005. The album was nominated for the reggae album Grammy in 2006. It marks the return of the rootsier, political sound that the group cultivated during the early 198 ...

''. Their version went to #19 on the UK singles chart. *

Joan Osborne Joan Elizabeth Osborne (born July 8, 1962) is an American singer, songwriter, and interpreter of music, having recorded and performed in various popular American musical genres including rock, pop, soul, R&B, blues, and country. She is best kn ...

included a version on her 2007 album ''

Breakfast in Bed "Breakfast in Bed" is a soul–R&B song written by Muscle Shoals songwriters Eddie Hinton and Donnie Fritts for Dusty Springfield. It takes a knowing spin on the line "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me", the title of a song that had previously ...

''. *

Billy Joe Royal Billy Joe Royal (April 3, 1942 – October 6, 2015) was an American country soul singer. His most successful record was " Down in the Boondocks" in 1965. Life and career Born in Valdosta, Georgia, to Clarence and Mary Sue Smith Royal, and rai ...

's rendition can be found on his 1989 album '' Tell It Like It Is''. * The song has also been covered by John Holt,

Tierra Tierra may refer to: Astronomy *Earth in the Spanish and Asturian language Computing and games * Tierra (computer simulation), a computer simulation of life by the ecologist Thomas S. Ray * Tierra Entertainment, now known as AGD Interactive, a ...

and

Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis Alfred James Ellis (April 21, 1941 – September 23, 2021), known as Pee Wee Ellis due to his diminutive stature, was an American saxophonist, composer, and arranger. With a background in jazz, he was a member of James Brown's band in the 196 ...

. * The Singaporean band, Black Dog Bone covered the song in Malay as "Hatiku Luka Lagi"(My Heart Hurts Again) * The Mexican band

Grupo Yndio Grupo Yndio is a Mexican band from Sonora founded in 1972, by some of the members of the dissolute Los Pulpos. The band is known for Spanish covers of English-language pop hits, but with a distinctive Grupero style. Their best known hits include ...

covered the song in Spanish as Dame un beso y dime adiós. This song was also covered on Czech language by Czech singer Karel Gott and actor Jiří Němeček in 1978 y.,the name of Czech version was "Teď už víš, že jsem to já" (You just already know that I am)

References

External links

* "Kiss and Say Goodbye" song review Allmusic.com. * {{Authority control 1976 songs 1976 singles The Manhattans songs 1970s ballads European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles Number-one singles in Belgium Number-one singles in New Zealand Dutch Top 40 number-one singles Soul ballads Rhythm and blues ballads Columbia Records singles Songs about infidelity Songs about parting Songs about kissing