It was after relocating to New York City in the early '90s (to study at N.Y.U.'s film school) that Osborne began to take a singing career seriously after singing Billie Holiday's classic "God Bless the Child" at a local bar's "open mic night." In addition to Holiday, Osborne looked to such legendary vocalists as Etta James and Ray Charles as role models, as the up-and-coming singer decided not to cater to major record companies and formed her own label, Womanly Hips, which resulted in such releases as 1992's in-concert Soul Show, among others. But eventually, Osborne decided to sign on with a major label, Mercury, which in turn issued the singer's next release, 'Relish,' in March 1995. The album eventually racked up sales of three million copies and proved to have a long life, as almost a year after its initial release the track "One of Us" became a massive MTV and radio smash, camping out at the number-one spot on the U.S. singles chart for 2 weeks. Other tracks ("Right Hand Man" and "St. Teresa") failed to match the success of Osborne's first hit, but the singer still managed to connect with a large and appreciative audience, especially while touring as part of the 1997 edition of Sarah McLachlan's Lilith Fair tour. Osborne received numerous Grammy nominations in both 1996 and 1997.
Producing a worthy followup to Relish proved to be a time-consuming challenge for Osborne. Mercury tried to buy her some time by issuing a compilation release, 'Early Recordings' (which collected the early releases 'Live at Delta '88' and 'Blue Million Miles'). In the meantime, Osborne focused on supporting a few groups/causes she felt strongly about, such as Rock the Vote and Planned Parenthood (eventually being named an honorary member of Planned Parenthood's Board of Advocates), besides covering "I'm Just a Bill" as a duet with Isaac Hayes on the 1998 'Schoolhouse Rocks the Vote' benefit album. Osborne also studied briefly with the late Qawwali master Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and performed alongside such notables as Stevie Wonder, Melissa Etheridge, Taj Mahal, Luciano Pavarotti, Spearhead, Bob Dylan, and the Chieftains.
September 2000 finally saw the release of Osborne's second all-new studio album, titled 'Righteous Love'; but it failed to match its predecessor's commercial success and sank from sight shortly after its release. In 2002, Osborne bounced back with 'How Sweet It Is,' a collection of covers that leaned heavily on classic soul and R&B tunes from the 1960s and '70s. A career retrospective, 'One of Us,' came out in 2005.
Osborne played a prominent role in the 2002 film "Standing in the Shadows of Motown," performing with the legendary Motown house band the Funk Brothers in a concert performance segment, and appearing with several members of the group in an interview segment. She and her band accompanied the Dixie Chicks for a national tour in the summer of 2003, during which time she also joined veteran San Francisco jam-rockers the Dead as a vocalist, and released her fourth album, titled 'How Sweet It Is,' a collection of classic rock and soul covers.
During 2005 and 2006, she performed on numerous occasions with Phil Lesh and Friends. In February 2007, she appeared at the Grand Ole Opry.
In November 2006, Osborne released 'Pretty Little Stranger,' her self-described "Nashville album."
In May 2007, Osborne issued 'Breakfast in Bed,' a return to the soul music that she had covered on 'How Sweet It Is'. 'Breakfast in Bed' also featured the two songs ("Heatwave" and "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted") that she had covered for the film Standing in the Shadows of Motown.
She sings lead vocals on the cover of "Spoonful" on Vivian Campbell's solo album 'Two Sides Of If'.' Osborne also provided some vocals for "Wayfaring Stranger" on Spearhead's 1997 album 'Chocolate Supa Highway.' Joan is featured on The Holmes Brothers 2007 collection 'State of Grace' performing "Those Memories of You," an old Allan O'Bryant and Bill Monroe bluegrass tune.
Her album Bring It On Home was released on March 27, 2012. It is a collection of vintage blues and soul covers, and it received a 2013 Grammy Awards nomination for Best Blues Album.
Osborne was a member of Trigger Hippy from 2012 to 2018.
Osborne released the original album Love and Hate in 2014, and in 2017 the album Songs of Bob Dylan. A new album of original songs, Trouble and Strife, is due in September 2020.
Kiss and Say Goodbye
Joan Osborne Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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 been meeting here so long
I guess what we've done, oh was wrong
Please darlin' don't you cry
Many months have passed us by
I'm gonna miss you I can't lie
I got ties and so do you
I just think this is the thing to do
It's gonna hurt me I can't lie
Baby I'll need, I'll need another guy
Understand me, won't you try, try, try, try, try
Let's just kiss and say goodbye
We been meeting here so long
I guess what we've done, oh was wrong
Please darlin' don't you cry
Let's just kiss and say goodbye
I'm gonna miss you I can't lie
Understand me, won't you try, try, try, try, try
Let's just kiss and say goodbye
Oh
I'm gonna miss you baby
Understand me, won't you try
Let's just kiss and say goodbye
The song "Kiss and Say Goodbye" by Joan Osborne is an emotional ballad speaking of a tearful farewell between two lovers. The song opens with a speaker who has come to meet his lover, and he requests that she doesn't interrupt him because he has a lot to say. However, he hates breaking up with her. The singer reveals that they have been meeting for quite a while, but he thinks that their relationship was doomed from the beginning. In the next verse, the singer becomes emotional, revealing that he is going to miss his partner, but he thinks that breaking up is the best thing for both of them. He acknowledges that he has found someone new and hints that his soon-to-be ex should also do so. He earnestly asks for her to try and understand why the breakup is necessary.
In the chorus, the singer tells his partner that they should "just kiss and say goodbye." He emphasizes the fact that they've been meeting for a long time, suggesting the depth of their relationship, but underlines that they were wrong to be together. He pleads with her not to cry but to accept that things have to end, and they should leave each other with a kiss. The song ends with the singer telling his partner that he's going to miss her before imploring her once again to try to understand why they needed to go their separate ways.
Line by Line Meaning
I had to meet you here today
There was no other place we could meet but here today.
There's just so many things to say
I have a lot to say and I need to talk to you about them.
Please don't stop me till I'm through
Please listen to me till I'm finished speaking.
This is something I hate to do
Breaking up with you is not easy for me, but it's necessary.
We been meeting here so long
We have been meeting at this place for a long time.
I guess what we've done, oh was wrong
Our relationship is wrong and it's time to end it.
Please darlin' don't you cry
I don't want to see you cry, but this is something we have to do.
Let's just kiss and say goodbye
We should end our relationship with a final kiss.
Many months have passed us by
A lot of time has passed since we first started our relationship.
I'm gonna miss you I can't lie
I will miss you, even though our relationship is ending.
I got ties and so do you
We both have obligations that we need to attend to.
I just think this is the thing to do
Ending our relationship is the right choice.
It's gonna hurt me I can't lie
Breaking up with you will hurt me, even though it's necessary.
Baby I'll need, I'll need another guy
I will need to find someone else to be with.
Understand me, won't you try, try, try, try, try
Please try to understand why we need to end our relationship.
Oh
An interjection to convey strong emotion.
I'm gonna miss you baby
I will miss you, my love.
Let's just kiss and say goodbye
Our final kiss will signify the end of our relationship.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Winfred Lovett
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@wanmou100
I had to meet you here today
There's just so many things to say
Please don't stop me 'til I'm through
This is something I hate to do
We've been meeting here so long
I guess what we've done oh's so 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 that this is the thing to do
It's gonna hurt me, I can't lie
Maybe you'll meet, you'll meet another guy
Understand me, won't you try try try
Let's just kiss and say goodbye
I'm gonna miss you I can't lie
Understand me, won't you try
It's gonna hurt me, I can't lie
Take my handkerchief and please
Wipe your eye
Maybe you'll find, you'll find another guy
Let's just kiss and say goodbye pretty baby
Please don't you cry
Understand me, won't you try try ...
Let's just kiss and say goodbye
@TheSeanocasey
Why isn’t this woman on the top? With crap music we have today she should be tearing it up. Damn.
@stanguy4491
Joan's staccato voice effortlessly belting out emotion. Joan truly one of the most underrated artists around. Just love her overall work. Her stage presence is amazing.
@markmurphy558
Her live stuff with the Funk Brothers is outstanding, esp WHAT BECOMES OF THE BROKEN .HEARTED
@freeb1111
She's a special woman when it comes to enlightening the soul
@christyarnold8215
I absolutely love her version of this and I have always loved this song 👵👵❤️
@47hammer
This is and has been ONE of my Favorite Song of all time. Ms. Joan does a Beautiful Cover.. Thank you so Much. As I wipe the tears away. .Love & Hugs.
@othellodotson7179
Nice voice what A song
@carlosleyva169
Excelente versión canta muy bien la chica Felicitaciones desde la CDMX México
@robertoaguirre8906
I'm learning to appreciate Joan. She does some nice renditions of many songs, this being one of them.
@gloriacolon160
I came here to listen to The Manhattans and found this fantastic cover. I like her music and was thrilled to listen to this version. Soulful and honest...