Kiss and Say Goodbye

The song was written by Manhattans bass singer Winfred "Blue" Lovett, who also provided the spoken introduction heard in both the full-length LP version and the commercial single (but edited out of the DJ 45). 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."{{cite web|url=http://www.superseventies.com/1976_5singles.html |title="Kiss and Say Goodbye" – The Manhattans |website=Superseventies.com |date=July 24, 1976 |access-date=2016-10-11}}

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 singer Gerald 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."

• 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 Edited version fades out earlier, because it was considered too long and monotonous for airplay, while the full length version ends on a climatic cadenza on the song's title.

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 (lyrics) for them.{{cite web |url=https://www.discogs.com/artist/910587-Robert-S-Riley |access-date=March 16, 2018 |title=Robert Stantley Riley Sr. |author=Discogs|website=Discogs }} The song was produced by Bobby Martin and The Manhattans.

Released as a single, the song became a worldwide hit for the group, ranked number 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks,{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1976-07-24 |date=July 24, 1976 |access-date=March 26, 2018 |title=The Hot 100 |author=Billboard|magazine=Billboard }}{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/1976-07-31 |date=July 31, 1976 |access-date=March 26, 2018 |title=The Hot 100 |author=Billboard|magazine=Billboard }} and also on the Billboard R&B chart for one week.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/r-b-hip-hop-songs/1976-05-22 |date=May 22, 1976 |access-date=March 26, 2018 |title=Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs |author=Billboard|magazine=Billboard }} The single reaching number 4 on the UK,{{cite web |url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/15771/manhattans/ |access-date=March 14, 2018 |title=MANHATTANS – Chart History (UK Charts Songs)|author=The Official UK Charts Company|website=Official Charts }} (where it received Silver certification),{{cite web |url=https://www.bpi.co.uk/award/3645-2020-1 |access-date=March 20, 2018 |title=Manhattans – Kiss And Say Goodbye |author=BPI}} and number 7 on the Canada,{{cite web |url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.4308a.pdf |access-date=March 14, 2018 |title=RPM Top Singles |author=Library and Archives Canada}} (where it received Gold certification).{{cite web |url=https://musiccanada.com/gold-platinum/?fwp_gp_search=The%20Manhattans |access-date=March 20, 2018 |title=Gold/Platinum – The Manhattans |author=MUSIC 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,{{cite web |url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=THE+MANHATTANS&ti=KISS+%26amp%3B+SAY+GOODBYE |access-date=March 20, 2018 |title=THE MANHATTANS – KISS & SAY GOODBYE |author=RIAA|website=Recording Industry Association of America }} after the RIAA established the designation in 1976. (Johnnie Taylor's "Disco Lady" had been the first a few months earlier.) The single ultimately sold 2.5 million copies.{{cite book |last=Sanjek |first=David |author-link=David Sanjek |editor-last=Kelley |editor-first=Norman |editor-link=Norman Kelley (journalist) |date=2002 |title=R&B (Rhythm and Business): The Political Economy of Black Music |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TYGpETIiY-YC&pg=PA77 |location=New York, NY |publisher=Akashic Books |page=77 |chapter=Tell Me Something I Don't Already Know: The Harvard Report on Soul Music Revisited |isbn=1-888451-68-8 |access-date=June 21, 2020}} Billboard ranked the song as the No. 6 Pop Singles for 1976 and No. 3 Soul Singles for 1976.{{cite web |url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/70s/1976/Billboard%201976-12-25.pdf |date=December 25, 1976 |access-date=March 21, 2018 |title=Billboard: December 25, 1976 |author=AmericanRadioHistory}}

Besides being the 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 (Your Everything)" (No. 68 on the Hot 100). "Kiss and Say Goodbye" ended the decade at No. 83 on the Billboard Top 100 Songs of the 1970s.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNmS2jDDOLg&t=2849s |title=The Billboard Top 100 Songs of the 1970's |publisher=Billboard on YouTube |date=April 16, 2015 |access-date=2018-03-23}}

• Written by Winfred Lovett{{cite web |url=https://www.discogs.com/The-Manhattans-Kiss-And-Say-Goodbye-The-Best-Of-The-Manhattans/release/4215261 |access-date=March 16, 2018 |title=Kiss And Say Goodbye: The Best Of The Manhattans |author=Discogs|website=Discogs |year=1995 }}
• Arranged by Bobby Martin
• Spoken voice on intro – Winfred Lovett
• Lead vocal – Gerald Alston
• Music played (uncredited) – MFSB
• Background vocals (uncredited) – The Manhattans, Barbara Ingram, Evette Benton, Carla Benson

Credits

• Producer – Bobby Martin and The Manhattans
• Recording – Kenny Present
• Mastering – Stuart J. Romaine (SJR){{cite web |url=https://www.discogs.com/Manhattans-Kiss-And-Say-Goodbye-Wonderful-World-Of-Love/release/6885543 |access-date=March 16, 2018 |title=Kiss And Say Goodbye / Wonderful World of Love (1976) |author=Discogs|website=Discogs |year=1976 }}
• Engineer – Kenny Present

Companies

• Recorded at Sigma Sound Studios, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• Pressed by Columbia Records Pressing Plant, Terre Haute
• Mastered at Frankford/Wayne Mastering Labs

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• UB40 covered the song on their 2005 album Who You Fighting For?. Their version went to #19 on the UK singles chart.{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/28333/ub40/|title=Official Charts - UB40|website=Official Charts |access-date=2021-09-06}}
• Joan Osborne included a version on her 2007 album Breakfast in Bed.
• Billy Joe Royal's rendition can be found on his 1989 album Tell It Like It Is.
• The song has also been covered by John Holt, Tierra and Alfred "Pee Wee" Ellis.
• The Singaporean band, Black Dog Bone covered the song in Malay as "Hatiku Luka Lagi"(My Heart Hurts Again)
• The Mexican band Grupo Yndio covered the song in Spanish as Dame un beso y dime adiós.
• This song was covered in Czech by singer Karel Gott and actor Jiří Němeček in 1978 y.,the name of Czech version was "Teď už víš, že jsem to já" (You Just Already Know That I Am)
• The Hong Kong singer and actress Anita Mui covered the song in Cantonese in 1987 as 珍惜再會時 (Cherish When We Meet Again)

• List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of 1976
• List of number-one R&B singles of 1976 (U.S.)
• List of Cash Box Top 100 number-one singles of 1976
• List of Radio & Records number-one singles of the 1970s
• List of European number-one hits of 1976
• List of Dutch Top 40 number-one singles of 1976
• List of number-one singles in 1976 (New Zealand)
• List of Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1976
• List of number-one singles and best-selling singles of 1976 (U.K.)

{{Reflist}}

• [{{AllMusic|class=song|id=t1068959|pure_url=yes}} "Kiss and Say Goodbye" song review]. Allmusic.com.
• {{YouTube|T3BsRYY99hA|Manhattans - Kiss and Say Goodbye}}

{{The Manhattans}}

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Category:1976 songs

Category:1976 singles

Category:The Manhattans songs

Category:1970s ballads

Category:European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles

Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles

Category:Cashbox number-one singles

Category:Number-one singles in Belgium

Category:Number-one singles in New Zealand

Category:Dutch Top 40 number-one singles

Category:Soul ballads

Category:Rhythm and blues ballads

Category:Columbia Records singles

Category:Songs about infidelity

Category:Songs about parting

Category:Songs about kissing