"Kiss and Say Goodbye" is a 1976 song by American R&B vocal groupThe Manhattans. It was written by group member Winfred Lovett, the bass singer and songwriter of the group, who intoned the famous spoken voice of the song's intro. The song was recorded for the albumThe Manhattans, released in 1976 by Columbia Records, 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, Netherlands, New Zealand, and in Europe . With the exception of Adult Contemporary Chart, "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 or Charley Pride. He decided to do it with his group. The Manhattans lead singerGerald Alston 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 at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia. Recorded in early 1975, Columbia Records 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 The Manhattans is 4:28. The length of 3:29 on the 7" single is an edited version of the song.
The B-side of the 7" single contains the song "Wonderful World of Love", which was also recorded by The Manhattans for the album The Manhattans. It was written by Robert S. Riley Sr., songwriter and producer/promotion man of the group, who wrote several songs for them. The song was produced by Bobby Martin and The Manhattans.
Chart performance
Released as a single, the song became a worldwide hit for the group, ranked number 1 on the US BillboardHot 100 for two weeks, and also on the Billboard R&B chart for one week. The single reaching number 4 on the UK,, and number 7 on the Canada,. 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 established the designation in 1976. The single ultimately sold 2.5 million copies. Billboard 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 The Manhattans, "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 ". "Kiss and Say Goodbye" ended the decade at No. 83 on the Billboard Top 100 Songs of the 1970s.
