| Composer | Cole Porter |
| Lyricist | Cole Porter |
| Year Written | 1944 |
About This Song
“Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye” was written by Cole Porter for the 1944 Billy Rose musical revue Seven Lively Arts. The song is well known for the phrase “change from major to minor” as the song itself changed from A-flat major to A-flat minor, matching the lyric perfectly. It has always been a strong jazz standard. Significant recordings include those by Mabel Mercer, Sonny Rollins, Chet Baker, Sarah Vaughan, and Dinah Washington.
Lyrics
Ev’ry time we say goodbye
I die a little
Ev’ry time we say goodbye
I wonder why a little
Why the Gods above me
Who must be in the know
Think so little of me
They allow you to go
When you’re near
There’s such an air of spring about it
I can hear a lark somewhere
Begin to sing about it
There’s no love song finer
But how strange the change
From major to minor
Ev’ry time we say goodbye
When you’re near
There’s such an air of spring about it
I can hear a lark somewhere
Begin to sing about it
There’s no love song finer
But how strange the change
From major to minor
Ev’ry time we say goodbye
Recordings
1958
RHCO 40744
Release History
| 1958 | Columbia LP 12″ (Mono): CL 1186 — Long Ago And Far Away |
| 1993 | Columbia House Music Collection CD: 2C2 8164 — The Great American Composers: James Van Heusen |
| 2007 | Sony Music CD: 715320 — Sings the Ultimate American Songbook, Vol. 1 |
| 2011 | Columbia The Complete Collection — Disc 12 — Long Ago and Far Away |