| "Comment te dire adieu" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Françoise Hardy | |
| from the album Comment te dire adieu | |
| B-side | "L'Anamour"[1] |
| Released | 1968 |
| Recorded | Studio Pye, London, England |
| Genre | French pop |
| Length | 4:39 |
| Label | Disques Vogue |
| Songwriters | Serge Gainsbourg Arnold Goland Jack Gold |
| Producer | Production Asparagus |
| 1969 release | |
 A-side label of UK release.[2] | |
| Music video | |
| "Comment te dire adieu" (French TV, 1969) on YouTube | |
| Françoise Hardy | |
|---|---|
 French edition | |
| EP by | |
| Released | 1968 |
| Recorded | Studio Pye, London, England |
| Genre | Pop music |
| Length | 9:46 |
| Label | Disques Vogue |
| Producer | Production Asparagus |
"Comment te dire adieu" (English: "How to Say Goodbye to You") is a French adaptation of the song "It Hurts to Say Goodbye". It was originally recorded by Françoise Hardy in 1968.
"It Hurts to Say Goodbye" was written by Arnold Goland, probably best known for his co-operation with Phil Spector, and the American producer and songwriter Jacob "Jack" Gold (1921–1992). In 1966 it was recorded by Margaret Whiting on her album The Wheel of Hurt.[3] In 1967 a release by Vera Lynn reached No. 7 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart.[4][5]
These versions were interpreted in the style of a ballad, as was the first French version of the song with lyrics by Michèle Vendôme titled "Avant de dire adieu" which was released by Ginette Reno on her 1967 album Quelqu'un à aimer. More beat driven were the instrumental interpretations by Brazil's Walter Wanderley, dominated by the Hammond organ he is known for, and the Frenchman Caravelli, who focused more on strings, both published in the same year. The Jack Gold Orchestra & Chorus version, which was in a style similar to the Caravelli release, made No. 28 on the Billboard Easy Listening charts in 1969.
Françoise Hardy heard an "American instrumental version" of the song and her manager asked Serge Gainsbourg to provide suitable lyrics for it.[6] The resultant "Comment te dire adieu" was combined with an arrangement relatively closer to the Caravelli version and included on Hardy's 1968 album. Hardy also recorded the song in Italian ("Il pretesto", 1968) and German ("Was mach' ich ohne dich", 1970; released on the album Träume, 1970.) The French lyrics are notable for their uncommon rhymes in "ex", within the subject of the song having a sense of "ex" as in "ex-boyfriend".
A German version with new lyrics, titled "Ich sage dir adieu", was released by veteran Greek-German singer Vicky Leandros on her 2010 album Zeitlos.
| "Comment te dire adieu" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Jimmy Somerville featuring June Miles-Kingston | ||||
| from the album Read My Lips | ||||
| B-side | "Tell the World" | |||
| Released | October 1989 | |||
| Genre | House | |||
| Length | 3:35 | |||
| Label | London | |||
| Songwriters | Serge Gainsbourg Arnold Goland Jack Gold | |||
| Producer | Pascal Gabriel | |||
| Jimmy Somerville singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
The song was covered in 1989 by former Bronski Beat and Communards singer Jimmy Somerville, as a duet with June Miles-Kingston. It was a hit in the UK, reaching number 14 on the UK Singles Chart, helping Somerville's solo career take off. David Giles of Music Week deemed Somerville's cover as "a slightly housey version", adding: "The sheer vivacity of his performance sends the record soaring off the turntable, and the orchestral bits topped with spoken French are out of this universe".[7]
| Chart (1989–1990) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[8] | 122 |
| South Australia (ARIA Charts)[9] | 89 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[10] | 23 |
| Europe (European Airplay Top 50)[11] | 6 |
| Europe (European Hot 100)[12] | 8 |
| Europe (Pan-European Hot 100)[13] | 13 |
| France (SNEP)[14] | 3 |
| Germany (Official German Charts)[15] | 25 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[16] | 3 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[17] | 26 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[18] | 14 |
| UK Dance (Music Week)[19] | 17 |
| Chart (1989) | Position |
|---|---|
| France[20] | 20 |
| Chart (1990) | Position |
|---|---|
| Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[21] | 60 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| France (SNEP)[22] | Silver | 200,000* |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
In France, the single reportedly sold at least 250,000 copies.[20]
| "Comment te dire adieu" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Kate Ryan | ||||
| Released | 24 June 2016 | |||
| Genre | Dance-pop, house | |||
| Length | 2:52 | |||
| Label | CNR Music Belgium | |||
| Songwriters | Serge Gainsbourg, Arnold Goland, Jack Gold | |||
| Producers | Yves Gaillard, Amro | |||
| Kate Ryan singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio video | ||||
| "Comment te dire adieu" on YouTube | ||||
In 2016, Belgian dance singer Kate Ryan covered the song and released it as a stand-alone single via iTunes on 24 June 2016, under CNR Music Belgium. It was produced by Yves Jongen a.k.a. Yves Gaillard and Soufiane Amrani "Amro".[23]
A music video accompanied the song, premiered via YouTube on 29 June 2016.[24]
Comment Te Dire Adieu" by Jimmy Somerville featuring June Miles Kingston. Peak: number 122(see section 'Top 150 debuts')
