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
Well I sang along and maybe even danced a bit but for once it didn’t affect me. It did however affect Yvonne. She was my Substitute (Great record by Clout)
Cwtch
LikeLiked by 1 person
And did the neighbors come pounding on the door to see what the racket was? I hadn’t heard of Substitute by Clout, but I Googled it and found that while it was very popular in the UK, it only reached #67 in the U.S. I will listen to it innabit, though. Poor Yvonne!
Cwtch
LikeLiked by 1 person
Such Cheek woman. I’ll have you know not a neighbour pounded or went out but the cat did vacate my doorstep which was good.
Cwtch
LikeLiked by 1 person
Could that be the cat I saw streak by, fur standing out in every direction, yowling and with an expression of sheer terror on its face?
Cwtch
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thankyoufor sharing, Jill! The song was new to me, but even a little bit sad, for me it meets this monday. Michael
LikeLiked by 2 people
I’m somewhat surprised, for it reached #10 on the charts in Germany back in its day (1976) … perhaps you were too young 😉 Tomorrow will be brighter, both weather-wise and music-wise (hopefully!) 😊
LikeLiked by 2 people
Really! Seems i had lost too many cultural knowledge, during my past time at bording school. Thank you, Jill!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ahhhh well, you were just a youngster, then! Boarding school? I think I would have hated that, even though I was always happy for any excuse to get away from my parents when I was young. Cheers, my friend!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Not so young. This was a little bit in the past, but present like happening now. One can not forget such a special church (Roman-Catholic) ruled school. Lessons for life. 😉 Stay well, Jill!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m sure! I was sent to Catholic schools as a child, though one parent was Catholic and one was Jewish. I was ostracized as being “that Jew girl” and the nuns nearly broke my hands trying to bend me to their will (I was a stubborn creature even back then!) Have a great rest-of-the-week, Michael!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Gosh, this are not really good emperiences, Jill! I only had the pleasure to eat what nun are able to cook. Lol They tried to break my will too. Have a beautiful rest of the week too, Jill! Enjoy the upcoming silence. Michael
LikeLiked by 1 person
My childhood was filled with not very good experiences, my friend, but you know what? It made me stronger, made me the person I am today. Upcoming silence? Hah! This nation is filled with chaotic noise at the moment! But, I shall try to survive … good enough? Take care, my friend!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thats true, Jill! One canfeel it. By me it was the same. One should not regret about the past, we have a future too. Thank you! Michael
LikeLiked by 1 person
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.
LikeLiked by 2 people
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! 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Well at least you don’t have to shed any tears over this one anymore. 😁
LikeLiked by 1 person
Whatever I’ve said in the past, this year the saddest song I cannot get out of my earwig is in honour of Helen Reddy who recently passed. Every day since, beside singing
LikeLiked by 2 people
I AmWoman, I am singing Delta Dawn at least as often. This song brings tears to my eyes every time I sing it. Whether it was some woman who ravaged my heart, or a story a woman told me about herself, this hits home. Until Helen’s death I had forgotten it, but now it is my sad daily companion.
LikeLiked by 1 person
the song I like by her the best is angie baby, though I haven’t heard it in years. I never knew it was a science fiction song until the other day so I’ll have to revisit it.
LikeLiked by 2 people
That was the most popular of her songs in the UK, as I found out from a couple of my British friends. I played it on October 2nd … did you catch that post, Scott?
LikeLike
I don’t think I caught that one but I’ll go back and look for it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Here’s the link … it was the last song in my tribute to Helen Reddy. https://jilldennison.com/2020/10/02/%e2%99%ab-i-am-woman-%e2%99%ab/
LikeLike
I get the insanity part. Wherefore cometh the sci-fi?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I had heard that from a friend of mine, aobut the science fiction part so I’ll have ot ask her about that.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have wracked my brain for a SF novel or short story signifying Angie, Baby but have come up completely blank. I shall be awaiting your reply.
LikeLiked by 1 person
my friend must have given me inaccurate info, you can’t trust anyone these days. lol.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oops … question answered! I had no idea you were a big Helen Reddy fan! Cheer up, my friend … she left us a special gift … the legacy of her music, her voice.
LikeLike
Anyone who lived through that era and had a radio is a big Helen Reddy fan, or they are dead to the world. Donald John Trump has been dead for years.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Which of her songs is it that you’ve been singing? I Am Woman, or another?
LikeLike
I remember this song from when I was a kid, may have even had it on vinyl.
LikeLiked by 2 people
You are indeed a young man if you were a kid … sigh … I was married with 2 children and a 3rd on the way when this came out! So, did you like the song?
LikeLike
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.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Since it is now after midnight, I shall wish you a very ♫ Happy Birthday ♫ I hope you have a wonderful day, that your wife and kids shower you with love and a delicious cake … preferably either chocolate or carrot!
I would love the first volume, but I always feel guilty when I don’t pay for it. Would you let me send you, say, $10?
Big hugs to you, too, Scott, and have a marvelous birthday!!!
LikeLike
Thank you Jill, I appreciate it.
Here’s the first volume of that series.
New Beginnings and Reflections, Volume 1
https://scottlawlor.bandcamp.com/album/new-beginnings-and-reflections-volume-1
Have a good night.
hugs.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Scott! You have a good night as well! Hugs!
LikeLike
I find this song sobering, pensive, not too sad per se. Huge *LIKE* and appreciation for the share.
WP is still broken, can’t like or reblog for over a week, hope it’s fixed soon ❤
LikeLiked by 2 people
I do wish that WordPress would stop changing things that were working fine! I found that I couldn’t ‘like’ or ‘reblog’ after the last Opera update, so I switched my blog to Firefox and everything is working perfectly there. Do you, by chance, use Opera?
LikeLike
Thanks for the tip Jill, yes i do use the Opera browser but that’s not it. Tried Firefox and Microsoft Internet Explorer/ Edge and LIKES still won’t work. I’m thinking this is a greater systemic incompatibility issue between WP, Windows and my PC build.
Last week I did update my OS to Windows 10 version 20H2 for Enterprise. I may have to fiddle with registry values when i get the chance. Isn’t technology grand? ;(
LikeLiked by 1 person
hey Jill, speaking of songs, here’s one that I spent most of my birthday yesterday working on, very different from my more ambient stuff. This is a happy little thing that you guys might enjoy.
https://soundcloud.com/user-556609195/flight-of-the-sparrow-naviarhaiku-353
LikeLike
Definitely sad, but Eleanor Rigby is the saddest song ever…just saying.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Totally agree
LikeLiked by 2 people
Really? Hmmm … I guess I didn’t pay attention to the lyrics, else I’ve forgotten (my mind is like a sieve these days!).
LikeLike
Believe it or not, I didn’t know this song.
Thanks Jill 💞
LikeLiked by 2 people
Really? I’m glad to have broadened your horizons, then! My pleasure, Jack! ❤
LikeLike