We'll Never Have to Say Goodbye Again -England Dan & John Ford Coley (1978) 5/4/23

Sometimes, the only way to give you an idea on what kind of jockeying can go on behind the scenes before a "Great Song of the '70s" becomes, well, a "Great Song of the '70s, is to give you a timeline. So here goes:

September 1976: Singer/Songwriter Jeffrey Comanor releases an album called "A Rumor in His Own Time." It doesn't chart, nor does the single release: "We'll Never Have to Say Goodbye Again."

January 1977: Arista Records' president and legendary, producer/promoter/music guru Clive Davis hears the song and decides it would be perfect for Melissa Manchester to cover. Melissa disagrees.

Clive then gives the song to the duo of Danny Deardorf and Marcus Joseph, who take it to #22 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary Chart. Not bad, but...

February 1978: Deardorf & Joseph have broken up. England Dan & John Ford Coley decide to cover the song...but so did Maureen McGovern.

Marcia Day, who managed McGovern, had become the manager of Danny Deardorff, while Susan Joseph, who managed England Dan & John Ford Coley, became the manager of Marcus Joseph.

Susan told Marsha that "We'll Never Have to Say Goodbye Again" would "absolutely NOT" be Dan & Coley's next single, and that McGovern should go ahead and release Maureen's version as as a single.

On March 17, Maureen sang the song on TV's "Dinah Shore Show," and started a promotional tour.

And then, Big Tree Records made a liar out of Marsha by releasing the England Dan & John Ford Coley version. (Not her fault.)

Maureen's version never charted...while Dan & John went to #1 on Billboard's Adult

Contemporary Chart and #9 on the Hot 100! In Canada, the matching numbers were 2 and 11, respectively.

England Dan & John Ford Coley had released the definitive version of "We'll Never Have to Say Goodbye Again," and made it a "Great Song of 1978."

Sometimes the fourth time's the charm!

England Dan & John Ford Coley: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgTHkXKyyvc

Deardorf & Joseph: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stxySR6gEMA

Maureen Mc Govern: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wscvQIuyLWQ

Jeffrey Comaner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3iYtzjifOQ

Tomorrow: An SNL skit takes off! Coming Soon: Great Songs of the '80s!