Kiss And Say Goodbye – The Manhattans | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#1 for 2 weeks) & R&B (#1); 1976
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
Between 1965 and 1972 The Manhattans placed just one record in the R&B Top 10 – One Life To Live in 1972 – and only one peaked higher than #92 on the pop side. In 1972 they signed with a new label and got off to a promising start as There’s No Me Without You reached #3 R&B.
Unfortunately, follow-up singles failed to deliver. Then, one night, bass singer Winfred “Blue” Lovett heard a song in his head that wouldn’t go away. He jumped out of bed and quickly got the melody and words down on tape.
Lovett envisioned Kiss as a country tune so he coached lead Gerald Alston to play it straight, rather than soulful, with the vocal. The Manhattans recorded Kiss at the same session as Hurt (#10 R&B, 1975) although Columbia held it back for 14 months.
Eleven long weeks after its release, Kiss entered the Top 10 on June 26th, on its way to #1 R&B and Pop, and certification as a platinum selling single.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2023 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- Bobby Martin
- Manhattans Production, Inc.
Lyrics Written by:
- Winfred Lovett
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).