Manhattans - Kiss and Say Goodbye (1976)

Kiss and Say Goodbye
b/w Wonderful World of Love

Released: April 1976 (Columbia) Written by: Winfred "Blue" Lovett Produced by: Manhattans Production, Inc & Bobby Martin Album: Manhattans

U. S. Billboard Charts:
Hot 100	1
R&B	1
Adult Contemporary	12

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Recorded in Philadelphia with MFSB as the backing band, this is a fantastic slow jam.  I love this song from the spoken intro to the smooth ever-so-slightly-out-of-tune doo-wop harmonies. A simple break up song, but oh so well done.  Pleading, soulful vocals over an insistent, pulsing string hook.  To my memory, this was the first song I'd heard with a spoken word intro:

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 anymore
Because of my obligations, and the ties that you have
We've been meeting here everyday
And since this is our last day together
I wanna hold you just one more time
When you turn and walk away, don't look back
I wanna remember you just like this
Let's just kiss and say goodbye

Then, after all that bass voice goodness, we're treated to a beautifully subtle, falsetto voice that grows in intensity for the next 3 minutes.

#1 for two consecutive weeks in July of 1976.   Selling over two million copies, the single earned double-platinum single certification.  I've listened to it so many times, I can easily sing all the parts.  I can picture me sitting in the back of the family station wagon, singing along with the radio.  I'm sure my mother thought that was hilarious, but to her credit, she never told me to shut up while I was singing (which was often).

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Note: this is the longer album version