Tuesday, October 2, 2012

"It's Like We Never Said Goodbye" by Crystal Gayle

Song#:  0063
Date:  02/23/1980
Debut:  86
Peak:  63
Weeks:  6
Genre:  Country, Pop



Pop Bits:  Inspired by her older sister (Loretta Lynn), Gayle stepped into the music business at an early age. She signed with Decca who wanted to keep her in the same vein as Loretta - with Loretta even writing the songs. But it just wasn't the right path for her and after separating from Decca she found some freedom with United Artists (and later Columbia). Her sound changed from straight country to country crossover and it was the right combination resulting in 18 #1 country chart hits. She hit it big on the pop chart in 1977 with the #2 "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue." It was her only solo Top 10 pop hit, but she continued to put songs on the chart like this one.

ReduxReview:  Gayle often had some good material to work with. Her chart single before this one, "Half the Way," I always loved. This one is a good crossover song as well. It has a solid hook and a nice arrangement, which can be a killer of these pop/country tunes. Sometimes the arrangements are just awful and border on the old Muzak elevator stuff or they are completely cheesy. This one hits it just right. I'm surprised it didn't do a little better.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  When this song hit #1 on the country chart, it was part of a history making record. On that week, the Top 5 songs on the chart were all by female artists, which was a first. The other artists on that Top 5 were Dottie West, Debby Boone, Emmylou Harris, and Tammy Wynette.

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