Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye

For other uses, see Every Time We Say Goodbye.
"Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye"
by Cole Porter
GenreJazz
PublishedChappell & Company, 1944
Premiere
Date1944
PerformersNan Wynn and Jere McMahon

"Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" is a popular jazz song with lyrics and music by Cole Porter. Part of the Great American Songbook, it was published by Chappell & Company and introduced by Nan Wynn and Jere McMahon in 1944 in Billy Rose's musical revue Seven Lively Arts.[1]

The lyrics celebrate how happy the singer is in the company of the beloved, but suffering equally whenever the two separate. Describing it by analogy as a musical "change from major to minor", Porter begins with an A♭ major chord and ends with an A♭ minor chord, matching the mood of the music to the words.[2]

The Benny Goodman Quintet (vocal by Peggy Mann) enjoyed a hit record with the song in 1945.[3]

  1. ^ "Internet Broadway Database". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved May 3, 2020.
  2. ^ Music and Lyrics by Cole Porter. New York: Chappell & Co. 1972. p. 205. ISBN 0-394-70794-X.
  3. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1986). Joel Whitburn's Pop Memories 1890-1954. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 181. ISBN 0-89820-083-0.