"Don't Want to Say Goodbye"
Single by Raspberries
from the album Raspberries
B-side"Rock & Roll Mama"
ReleasedFebruary 1972
Recordedearly 1972
StudioAbbey Road Studios London
Length5:00
LabelCapitol
Songwriter(s)Eric Carmen, Wally Bryson
Producer(s)Jimmy Ienner
Raspberries singles chronology
"Don't Want to Say Goodbye"
(1972)		 "Go All the Way"
(1972)

"Don't Want to Say Goodbye" is a song written by Eric Carmen and Wally Bryson that was first released on the Raspberries 1972 debut album Raspberries. It was released as the first single from the album and reached No. 86 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Reception

Record World said of "Don't Want to Say Goodbye" that it's "a ballad with just a touch of the Beatles sound. No ifs, ands or buts, this one should hit. Impressive beginning."[1] Cash Box said of it that "Lighthouse producer Jimmy Ienner blazes a ballad trail, setting new Cleveland quartet in a fine light of its own. Tune should appeal to Top 40 and MORs."[2] Wichita Beacon critic Paul Baker called it a "beautiful song" despite not charting as well as hoped.[3] Elk Grove Herald critic Tom Von Malder noted the song's "exciting changes of tempo."[4]

Music journalist Mark Borack said that the song is "papered with pretty piano passages and melodies."[5] Ultimate Classic Rock critic Dave Swanson rated it as the 9th best Raspberries song.[6] Swanson described it as a "great McCartney-esque ballad" and a "lush, beautiful and still rocking song."[6] Classic Rock History critic Brian Kachejian it as the Raspberries' 5th best song, saying that "the melody and arrangement was a bit more progressive in nature than some of [the Raspberries'] more sweet sounding pop songs" and praising the "great chord change in the chorus."[7] Old Time Music critic Joseph L. Hollen rated it the Raspberries 10th best song, saying that "It isn’t a bad song at all, typical of the time, with some nice vocals and a decent chorus."[8]

Releases

Capitol Records chose to release "Don't Want to Say Goodbye" as the lead single from Raspberries.[9] The song stalled at #86 on the Billboard Hot 100, but did better in some areas.[6] For example, it was a hit in the band's native Cleveland and reached the Top 20 on the survey of the radio station KYSN in Colorado Springs.[6][10][11][12][13] It also reached #90 on the Cash Box Top 100 and #89 on the Record World Singles Chart.[14][15] Music journalist Ken Sharp said that one of the reasons the single did not perform well was that it was too long, at 5 minutes, when it is difficult to get radio programmers to play new artists even when the single is shorter.[16]

Lead singer Eric Carmen said that the band was surprised that Capitol released "Don't Want to Say Goodbye" as the lead single and said that "They pressed up the records without saying anything on the label because they thought that we sounded a lot like the Bee Gees and they wanted to fool program directors."[9] Carmen also said that "I didn't want to tell anybody how to do their business, but a five-minute ballad as your first single? I couldn't see tons of music stations throwing that record on."[16] The band had wanted "Go All the Way" to be their first single, and were proven prescient when that song was released as the second single and went to the Top 10.[16]

"Don't Want to Say Goodbye" was later released as the B-side of the Raspberries' 1974 single "Ecstasy". It was also included on several Raspberries' compilation albums, such as Raspberries' Best, Capitol Collectors Series and Greatest.[17][18][19]

References

  1. ↑ "Single Picks" (PDF). Record World. February 19, 1972. p. 12. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
  2. ↑ "Cash Bod Singles Picks" (PDF). Cash Box. February 19, 1972. p. 12. Retrieved 2023-04-02.
  3. ↑ Baker, Paul (May 24, 1972). "Disc-Ussion". Wichita Beacon. p. 8C. Retrieved 2023-04-04 – via newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ Von Malder, Tom (May 19, 1972). "Playback". Elk Grove Herald. p. 2-3. Retrieved 2023-04-04 – via newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ Borack, John M. (2007). Shake Some Action: The Ultimate Guide to Power Pop. Not Lame. p. 194. ISBN 9780979771408.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Swanson, Dave (August 11, 2013). "Top 10 Raspberries Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 2023-04-03.
  7. ↑ Kachejian, Brian (29 April 2020). "Top 10 Raspberries Songs". Classic Rock History. Retrieved 2023-04-03.
  8. ↑ Hollen, Joseph L. (March 30, 2023). "Top 10 Raspberries Songs". Old Time Music. Retrieved 2023-04-06.
  9. 1 2 Carmen, Eric (2005). Raspberries Greatest (liner notes). Capitol.
  10. ↑ "Billboard Hot 100" (PDF). Billboard. May 20, 1972. p. 64. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  11. ↑ Adams, Deanna (2002). Rock 'n' Roll and the Cleveland Connection. Kent State University Press. p. 254. ISBN 9780873386913.
  12. ↑ "Action Records" (PDF). Billboard. April 15, 1972. p. 60. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  13. ↑ "KYSN's Top 40 Survey". Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph. June 8, 1972. p. 10-D. Retrieved 2023-04-04 – via newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ "Cash Box Top 100" (PDF). Cash Box. May 13, 1972. p. 4. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  15. ↑ "Record World Singles Chart" (PDF). Record World. May 27, 1972. p. 25. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  16. 1 2 3 Sharp, Ken (2011). Eric Carmen Marathon Man. EricCarmen.com. ASIN B004OEIMVC.
  17. ↑ Eder, Bruce. "Raspberries' Best". Allmusic. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  18. ↑ Eder, Bruce. "The Capitol Collectors Series". Allmusic. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
  19. ↑ Deming, Mark. "Greatest". Allmusic. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
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