♫ Kiss And Say Goodbye ♫ (Redux)

Posted on by under music

I first played this in May of last year, and am reprising it tonight because, the same friend who suggested it a year-and-a-half ago mentioned it yesterday, and it has been stuck in my head ever since!  It’s a sad song, but a good one.

This song by The Manhattans is among the saddest I think I’ve ever heard.  That said, I’ve always liked the song, just maybe not the premise, for it makes me feel sad.  I had neither heard nor thought of this song in ages, but when I asked our friend David for some suggestions, this was one of his.  Since I also like it, I am playing it!

The Manhattans are a rhythm and blues vocal group from Jersey City who first formed in 1962 and have performed with changing membership since then. This moving song is about the end of a longtime love due to “obligations” and “ties.” He asks the woman he’s breaking up with to be stoic and remember him with love rather than falling apart and trying to stay together.

The song became The Manhattans biggest hit, reaching the top of the charts in the US and staying there for two weeks.  The song was written by group member Winfred Lovett, the bass singer and songwriter of the group.  He said in an interview that he envisaged Glen Campbell singing his tune …

“Back then I was into listening a lot to country things. Lionel Richie jumped the gun on me, but I had been listening for three or four years. I liked a lot of things Glen Campbell was doing… and Charley Pride.”

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.”

I have to admit that I was in tears by about the 2:40 point and had to turn it off.  I have enough worries right now without uber-sad songs … 😥

Kiss and Say Goodbye
The Manhattans

This has got to be the saddest day of my life
I called you here today for a bit of bad news
I won’t be able to see you any more
Because of my obligations
And the ties that you have
We’ve been meeting here every day
And since this is our last date together
I want to hold you just one more time
When you turn and walk away
Don’t look back I want to remember you just like this
Let’s just kiss
And say goodbye

I had to meet you here today
There’s just so many things to say
Please don’t stop me till I’m through
This is something I hate to do
We’ve been meeting here so long
I guess what we done was wrong
Please, darling, don’t you cry
Let’s just kiss and say goodbye
Many months have passed us by
I’m gonna miss you I can’t lie
I’ve got ties and so do you
I just think this is the thing to do
It’s gonna hurt me I can’t lie
Maybe you’ll meet another guy
Understand me won’t you try, try, try
Let’s just kiss and say goodbye

Songwriters: Winfred Lovett
Kiss and Say Goodbye lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

44 thoughts on “♫ Kiss And Say Goodbye ♫ (Redux)”

  3. I found this song to be a little disingenuous rather than sad. The guy is breaking up because the two have obligations. That implies they are married to someone else. Then he hopes she meets another guy. Well, they all lost me. I don’t think it is sad unless the guy is making the whole thing up and wants to dump the girl. (Overthinking again right? Okay I’ll sit down again.) Thanks for playing the song.

    Liked by 2 people

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    • Heh heh … interesting thought, and thinking about it, I can see where you’re coming from. I thought by ‘obligation’ perhaps he meant taking care of his elderly parents or some such thing! But since you mention it, I went back and read the lyrics, and yes, it does sounds like perhaps they were both married, in which case I’m not so sure I feel sorry for them after all, but rather I might have empathy for their spouses! No, you weren’t overthinking … I just hadn’t thought it through. Ah well, I still like the song, just maybe not the meaning, but since I can’t hear the lyrics anyway, it’s not necessary! 😉

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      • Yes, it was okay. It brought back memories of when I used to listen to it as a kid.

        I’ll be 54 tomorrow and I’m working on some new material that I was going to try to release as an album on my birthday but since I just put out something a few days ago, no sense in rushing it.

        Besides, I might use these tracks for the Requiem for 2020 I want to release at the end of the year.

        I’ll need to add organ and choir to all of them, as I feel that’s fitting as a morbid finale to a year that has been the same for so many of us.

        Then, on Jan 1, 2021, I’ll release New Beginnings and Reflections, volume 2 which I hope will be a foreshadowing of the goodness that we all hope that year will be.

        If you’d like the first volume, which is name your price, let me know and I’ll send you the link.

        big hugs my friend.

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

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