Gaynor was a singer with the Soul Satisfiers, a jazz/pop band, in the 1960s. Her first solo single was "She'll Be Sorry/Let Me Go Baby" in 1965.
Her first real success came in 1975 with the release of her album Never Can Say Goodbye, which established her as a disco artist. The first side of this album consisted of three disco songs ("Honey Bee", "Never Can Say Goodbye" and "Reach Out, I'll Be There"), with no breaks in between the songs. This 19-minute dance marathon proved to be enormously popular, especially at dance clubs. All three songs were released as singles via radio edits, and all of them became hits. This album was so instrumental in introducing disco music to the public, that many later believed that Gloria Gaynor had been the first artist to record disco music. "Never Can Say Goodbye" became the first song to top Billboard magazine's dance chart - in that sense, she was the first. Capitalizing on the success of her first album, Gaynor quickly released her second album, Experience Gloria Gaynor, later that same year. While this album was also successful, it was not quite as popular as her previous album in the mainstream.
Some of her lesser-known singles, due to lack of recurrent airplay, include "Honey Bee", "Casanova Brown", and "Let's Make A Deal" which all became hits in the clubs and reached the Top 5 on Billboard's disco charts. After her 1976 album, I've Got You, Gaynor shifted from her hit production team to work with other productions. While it seemed like a good move, her subsequent producers did not seem to match Gaynor's vocal approach and style as well. This caused her the albums that followed, such as 1977's Glorious and 1978's Park Avenue Sound, to be regarded as merely good albums instead of excellent albums.
For the next few years, Gaynor would only enjoy a few moderate hits. However, in late 1978, with the release of her album Love Tracks, she climbed the pop charts again because of her now-signature song "I Will Survive". The lyrics of this song are written from the point of view of a woman, recently dumped, telling her former lover that she can cope without him and does not want anything more to do with him. The song has become something of an anthem of female emancipation, and is still a staple of office parties and karaoke nights. The song was awarded the first and only Grammy Award for Best Disco Recording in 1980 (the category was discontinued upon disco's fall from favor shortly afterward). In 1999, Pixar animator Victor Navone used this song to create an alien music video, which for a time, was a minor internet phenomenon.
Interestingly, "I Will Survive" was originally the B-side when Polydor Records released it in late 1978. The A-side, a song called "Substitute", then a recent worldwide hit for South African girl-group Clout, was considered to be more "radio friendly." Radio DJs flipped the record over, and audience response forced the record company to flip the songs, so that subsequent copies of the single listed the more popular song on the A-side. In late 1979, she released the album I Have A Right, which contained her next disco hit, "Let Me Know (I Have The Right)", featuring Doc Severinsen of The Tonight Show fame on trumpet solo.
Even though she exprienced difficulty having hit records in the U.S. after "I Am What I Am", the majority of her subsequent single chart on the UK Singles Chart. During the late 1990s and the 2000s, Gaynor returned to the American charts. She issued two albums, 2002's I Wish You Love and 2006's The Answer, that were well received with her fanbase.
Never Can Say Goodbye
Gloria Gaynor Lyrics
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I never can say goodbye
Every time I think I've had enough
And start heading for the door
There's a very strange vibration
Piercing me right to the core
It says, turn around, you fool
Tell me why is it so?
Don't wanna let you go
I never can say goodbye, boy
Ooh, ooh, baby
I never can say goodbye, no no no, no no no, no no no
Ooh, oh I never can say goodbye boy
Ooh baby
I never can say goodbye, no no no, no no no, ooh
I never can say goodbye, no, no, no, I
I never can say goodbye
I keep thinking that our problems
Soon are all gonna work out
But there's that same unhappy feeling
There's that anguish, there's that doubt
It's that same old dizzy hangup
I can't do with you or without
Tell me why is it so?
I don't wanna let you go, hey
I never can say goodbye boy
Ooh ooh baby
I never can say goodbye, no no no, no no no, no no no
Ooh, ooh I never can say goodbye boy
Ooh ooh
I never can say goodbye, no no no, no no no, no no no, hey
I never can say goodbye boy
Ooh ooh baby
I never can say goodbye, no no no, no no no, no no no
Ooh, ooh I never can say goodbye boy
Ooh ooh baby
I never can say goodbye, no no no, no no no, no no no, hey
Hey, I never can say goodbye boy
Ooh ooh baby
I never can say goodbye, no no no, no no no, no no no
Gloria Gaynorโs โNever Can Say Goodbyeโ is a song about a woman who canโt seem to let go of a past relationship. Despite all the hurt and the pain, the woman cannot bring herself to say goodbye because of the intense love she has for her lover. The song reveals that every time she thinks she has had enough, she feels a strange vibration piercing her right to the core, making her turn around and stay. The woman is in continuous emotional turmoil and canโt seem to understand why. She keeps thinking that the problems in the relationship will eventually work out and keeps hoping for a happy ending. However, the more she tries to convince herself that everything is fine, the more doubt and anguish she feels.
The repetitive chorus of โI never can say goodbyeโ is a representation of unresolved feelings and the struggle to move on from something that is not good for her. The constant repetition acts as a plea to the self, a desperate plea for the woman to finally take the step and walk away. The lyrics in this song are highly relatable as many people have gone through similar experiences of holding on to someone or something that is not good for them.
Line by Line Meaning
I never can say goodbye, no, no, no, I
I am unable to let go and say goodbye, even though I know it may be necessary.
I keep thinking that our problems Soon are all gonna work out
I continue to hold onto hope that our issues with each other will eventually resolve themselves.
And start heading for the door There's a very strange vibration Piercing me right to the core
Whenever I try to leave, I feel a strong emotional pull that makes me reconsider my decision.
It says, turn around, you fool You know you love him more and more
My heart tells me not to leave because I am still in love and my feelings are growing stronger.
It's that same old dizzy hangup I can't do with you or without
I feel stuck because even though the relationship is difficult, I can't imagine being without you either.
Tell me why is it so?
I am questioning why I am unable to let go and move on.
Don't wanna let you go
I am resisting the idea of letting you go.
I never can say goodbye boy Ooh ooh baby
I am expressing my struggle to let go of you, even though I know it may be necessary.
No no no, no no no, no no no
This repetition emphasizes my unwillingness to say goodbye and move on.
Lyrics ยฉ Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Clifton Davis
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind