"Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" is a popular jazz song with lyrics and music by

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway and in film. Born to ...

. Part of the

Great American Songbook The Great American Songbook is the loosely defined canon of significant early-20th-century American jazz standards, popular songs, and show tunes. Definition According to the Great American Songbook Foundation: The "Great American Songbook" ...

, it was published by Chappell & Company and introduced by Nan Wynn and Jere McMahon in 1944 in Billy Rose's musical revue ''Seven Lively Arts''. The lyrics celebrate how happy the singer is in the company of the beloved, but suffering equally whenever the two separate. Describing it by analogy as a musical "change from major to minor", Porter begins with an A major chord and ends with an A minor one, matching the mood of the music to the words. The

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing". From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His conce ...

Quintet (vocal by

Peggy Mann Margaret Dunlap ( Germano, September 28, 1918 – August 13, 1988), better known as Peggy Mann, was an American Big Band singer who was prominent in the 1930s and 1940s. She worked with the likes of Henry Halstead, Ben Pollack, Larry Clinton, ...

) enjoyed a hit record with the song in 1945.

Other notable recordings

References

{{authority control Songs about parting 1944 songs 1940s jazz standards Songs from musicals Songs written by Cole Porter Pop standards