Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye

A temporary antidote to the miserable world of politics

This Cole Porter classic was originally performed in the overblown 1944 Broadway revue The Seven Lively Arts, and is the only song from that show anyone remembers.

According to noted scholar and expert on the American musical theater Thomas S. Hischak “‘Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye’ may be an atypical Cole Porter ballad in its melody and lyric, but it is still one of his finest efforts. The unusual shifts in key give the song’s melody a haunting quality, and the sentiment of the lyric is straightforward and deeply heartfelt.”

As to those lyrics…

Ev’ry time we say goodbye, I die a little
Ev’ry time we say goodbye, I wonder why a little
Why the gods above me, who must be in the know
Think so little of me, they allow you to go

When you're near, there's such an air of spring about it
I can hear a lark somewhere, begin to sing about it
There's no love song finer, but how strange the change from major to minor

Ev’ry time we say goodbye

There's no love song finer, but how strange the change from major to minor

Ev’ry time we say goodbye

The late musicologist Allen Forte credits some of the song’s appeal to its contemporary audience, being all too familiar with emotional partings because of the war. And many others have observed that the melody enables a virtual blank canvas, allowing an artist to make the song their own.

As such, there have been dozens of popular covers—although precious few bona fide hits, in terms of record sales. The industry term for this used to be “turntable hit.”

My personal favorite version was done by the sultry Julie London, accompanied by the Bud Shank Quintet. She slows it down, and the performances—by all the musicians involved—are exceptional. Click on the link to play it. You’ll thank me later.

[Lyrics quoted as “fair use”]