NEVER CAN SAY GOODBYE. THE JACKSON 5 (1970)/ GLORIA GAYNOR (1974)/ THE COMMUNARDS (1987)

 

https://talkaboutpopmusic.com/2021/06/11/cover-vs-original-never-can-say-goodbye/

 The song, “Never Can Say Goodbye”, was originally recorded by the Jackson 5 in 1970

Disco standard “Never Can Say Goodbye” was written by Clifton Davis (b.1945) for the Jackson 5’s fifth studio album, “Maybe Tomorrow”, and recorded in late 1970. It was released as the first single from the album in March 1971 and peaked at No.2 in America and No.1 on the R&B chart. The song only made No.33 in the UK.

Disco queen Gloria Gaynor (b.1943) recorded a version in 1974 for her debut album of the same name and scored a bigger hit with it internationally, giving her a first hit in the UK where it peaked at No.2, No.3 in Australia, top ten across most of mainland Europe and No.9 in The States, while topping the then new Dance/Disco chart.

In 1987, British duo Jimmy Somerville and Richard Coles aka The Communards recorded their version for their second studio album, “Red”. Having already achieved a big hit with “Don’t Leave Me This Way”, the song was released as the second single in November and would chart at No.4 on home territory, top ten across Europe and No.51 in America and No.2 on the Dance chart.

But whose version is the best? JACKSON 5’s original, GLORIA’s disco version or COMMUNARDS’ 80’s rework


LYRICS. Las palabras destacadas en amarillo aparecen debajo en la sección de vocabulary.

Never Can Say Goodbye.    Gloria Gaynor

 

I never can say goodbye

No, no, no I, I never can say goodbye

Every time I think I've had enough

And start heading for the door

There's a very strange vibration

Kissing me right to the core

 

It says turn around you fool

You know you love him more

And more

Tell me why is it so?

Don't wanna let you go

 

I never can say goodbye boy

Ooh ooh baby I never can say goodbye

No no no no no no

Ooh hey I never can say goodbye, boy

Ooh ooh baby

I never can say goodbye

[No no no no no no] hey

 

I never can say goodbye [never say goodbye, boy]

Oh no, no, no I, I never can say goodbye

[Never say goodbye, boy]

I keep thinking that our problems soon are all gonna work out

But there's that same unhappy feeling

There's that anguish, there's that doubt

It's that same old dizzy hangup

I can't do with you or without

Tell me why is it so? I don't wanna let you go

I never can say goodbye boy, ooh baby

I never can say goodbye, no no no no no no

Hey I never can say goodbye boy, ooh baby

I never can say goodbye, no no no no no no

 

I never can say goodbye, boy

I never can say goodbye, no no no no no no

I never can say goodbye, boy

I never can say goodbye, no no no no no no

(Never can say goodbye, boy)

(Never can say goodbye, boy)

 

I never can say goodbye, boy

I never can say goodbye, no no no no no no

I never can say goodbye, boy

I never can say goodbye, no no no no no no

 

Ooh ooh ooh hey I never can say goodbye, boy

No no no baby hey never can say goodbye

No no no no please, don't make me say goodbye

Hey I will never say goodbye, no baby

Oh please don't leave me, no no no no

Hey oh I can't say goodbye, boy

No no no baby

Oh please don't oooh, baby

 

 

 VOCABULARY

core n   (centre of a planet)        centro nm / núcleo nm

                The Earth's core is thousands of kilometers below ground. El centro de la Tierra está a miles de kilómetros bajo tierra.

core n   (centre of a fruit)            corazón nm

                The core of a pear is stringy and tough. El corazón de la pera es fibroso y duro.

core n   figurative (essential part)            meollo nm / núcleo nm    (figurado)       corazón nm

                The core of the problem remains unsolved, and the two sides continue to be at war.

                El meollo del problema permanece sin resolver y ambos bandos continúan en guerra.

core n   (nuclear power)              núcleo nm

                The reactor's core melted, and caused hundreds of deaths. El núcleo del reactor se fundió y provocó cientos de muertes.

core n   figurative (soul) (figurative)       médula nf  / tuétano nm

                He is a conservative to his very core.   Es conservador hasta la médula.

core n   (muscles of torso, abdomen)    zona media nf + adj  / abdominales nmpl

                This exercise is a great way to tone your core.  Este ejercicio es genial para tonificar la zona media.

core [sth]⇒ vtr (fruit: remove centre)  descarozar⇒, deshuesar⇒ vtr  / sacar el corazón, sacar el centro loc verb

                First, you need to core the apple.  Primero, debes descarozar (or: deshuesar) la manzana.

 

 

work out vi phrasal         (exercise)           ejercitarse⇒ v prnl  /hacer ejercicio, / entrenar loc verb

                We're going to the gym to work out this afternoon. Vamos al gimnasio a ejercitarnos esta tarde.

work [sth] out,

work out [sth] vtr phrasal sep   (solve)  resolver⇒ vtr / solucionar⇒ vtr

                I'm still trying to work out this last crossword clue. Estamos tratando de resolver la última pista del crucigrama.

work [sth] out,

work out [sth] vtr phrasal sep   informal (resolve)           resolver⇒ vtr

                They have a lot of problems to work out with their marriage. Tienen muchos problemas que resolver en su matrimonio

Things are very hostile between management and the union; it isn't clear how they will work out this dispute.

                 Las cosas están muy mal entre la administración y el sindicato, no sé cómo van a resolver esta disputa.

work [sb] out vtr phrasal sep     informal (understand [sb])         entender a vtr + prep                  

Marc is a moody character; I can't work him out. No entiendo a Marc, es un tipo de carácter cambiante.

 

 

 

anguish n            (distress)            angustia nf

                The athlete fell to his knees in the anguish of defeat. El atleta cayó de rodillas en la angustia de la derrota.

 

 

 

dizzy adj              (feeling vertiginous)      mareado/a adj

                Robert was dizzy after spinning around in circles. Robert estaba mareado después de girar en círculos.

dizzy adj              figurative, slang (silly, unintelligent)       tonto/a adj / atontado/a adj

                Ann is very nice, but she's a bit dizzy sometimes. Ann es agradable, pero un poco tonta a veces.

dizzy adj              (causing vertigo)             vertiginoso/a adj

                The dizzy height of the cliff made Glenn's head spin. La altura vertiginosa del acantilado le dio dolor de cabeza a Glenn.

dizzy [sb]⇒ vtr (make dizzy)      marear a vtr + prep

                The speed we were travelling at dizzied me.  La velocidad a la que viajábamos me mareaba.

 

 

hang-up n           informal (psychological complex)            complejo nm

                I've got a hang-up about the size of my hips. Tengo complejo por el tamaño de mis caderas.

hang-up n           US, informal (impediment)        impedimento nm

                 (voz inglesa)     hándicap nm   We've run into a bit of a hang-up and need more time to finish.

 

 

SOME MORE INFORMATION

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Never_Can_Say_Goodbye

 

"Never Can Say Goodbye" is a song written by Clifton Davis and originally recorded by The Jackson 5. The song was originally written and intended for the Supremes; however, Motown decided it would be better for the Jackson 5. It was the first single released from the group's 1971 album Maybe Tomorrow, and was one of the group's most successful records. It has been covered numerous times, most notably in 1974 by Gloria Gaynor and in 1987 by British pop group The Communards.

The Jackson 5 original version

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 number-two hit for three consecutive weeks on the Billboard Pop Singles chart, stuck behind Three Dog Night's "Joy to the World" (May 8–22, 1971), and a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in the United States.^[1] In the United Kingdom, it reached number 33 on the UK Singles Chart.

Notable televised performances of the song by the Jackson 5 (and their newer incarnation, The Jacksons) include:

·         The Flip Wilson Show, November 4, 1971 – this recording appears on the 2009 Jackson 5 CD I Want You Back! Unreleased Masters

·         One More Time (Jackson 5 TV special), January 10, 1974

·         The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, April 4, 1974

·         Cher, March 16, 1975

·         The Jacksons, July 7, 1976

·         Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever, May 16, 1983

In addition, the song appeared on the animated TV show The Jackson 5ive in the episode "A Rare Pearl", which aired on January 15, 1972.

This version appears in the 1994 movie Crooklyn and on the second volume of its soundtrack album.

Gloria Gaynor version

A major version by Gloria Gaynor, re-imagined as a disco 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.^[6] 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 by Meco Monardo and Tony Bongiovi to which Gaynor was signed. Also working on this production were Jay Ellis and Harold Wheeler.^[7]

Gaynor's cover has the distinction of occupying the number-one spot on the first Dance/Disco chart to appear in Billboard 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 series Charmed ("That '70s Episode"), and is featured on the video game series Just Dance 2015

The Communards version

In 1987, British band the Communards had a hit with a hi-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 the UK Singles Chart, number 51 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, and number two on the Billboard Hot Dance/Disco chart in the U.S. The group had reached number one on those charts covering another 1970s classic, "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 by Andy Morahan.^[24]

The Communards version of the song was used as the signature tune to the 2013 British comedy series Vicious.