"Should've Never Let You Go" by Neil Sedaka and Dara Sedaka

Song#:  0103
Date:  03/29/1980
Debut:  90
Peak:  19
Weeks:  19
Genre:  Pop



Pop Bits:  Sedaka was a big pop star in the 50s and early 60s churning out classics like "Oh! Carol," "Calender Girl," and "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do." But as that style of pop declined in the mid-60s and the rise of Beatlemania, Sedaka's hits stopped with his last chart song of the era coming in 1966. Eight years later he would experience a major comeback that would give him two of his biggest hits and would sustain his career on the charts for another six years. With a sound that moved his music to the singer/songwriter mode of the day, he hit big with two #1's, "Laughter In the Rain" and "Bad Blood," plus a ballad version of his previous #1 "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" would reach #8. Twenty-two years after his first chart song, Sedaka would have his last pop hit with this duet with his daughter.

ReduxReview:   I think Sedaka is a terrific songwriter. From his Brill Building days to the 70s comeback, he has some really choice classics. My top fave from the comeback era is "The Immigrant." But, again, like most writers no matter how fabulous you are there are clunkers.  For me, this is one for him. I'm surprised it made it so high on the chart. Plus, it's a love/regret song, yet he is doing a duet with his daughter! What is up with that?  Makes it kind of icky if you think about it. Anyway, it is nowhere near the top of my Sedaka songs I dearly love.

ReduxRating:  4/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) In the few years prior to his US comeback, Sedaka released two UK-only albums that did well and he was successfully touring there. He ran into Elton John and when John found out that Sedaka had no US distribution, he offered Sedaka a contract with his own Rocket Records label. The resulting album, "Sedaka's Back," combined songs from those UK albums and started his US comeback. Elton John also provided backing vocals on the hit "Bad Blood."  2) It also helped that around the same time Sedaka's songs were becoming hits for other artists. Most famously, the #1 Grammy-winning "Love Will Keep Us Together" by the Captain & Tennille. Toni Tennille paid tribute to Sedaka on this song by singing "Sedaka is back" during the song's fade-out.

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